FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Still with one available scholarship late in the 2019 recruiting cycle, head coach Jim Crutchfield and the Nova Southeastern men's basketball team made good use by landing transfer forward R.J. Sunahara on Monday.
Sunahara will enroll immediately and have four years of left of eligibility following a redshirt season in 2018-19 with Fairmont State.
The sixth overall signee in the class, Sunahara becomes the third player within the group originally from the state of Ohio who also played for the TNBA travel team and director Gene Reddy, joining Jake Maranville and Tommy Sala. Despite being forced to sit out a year ago, Sunahara and his long 6-7 frame should add more depth to a frontcourt that already returns All-American Mark Matthews and 19.7-point-per-game scorer Connor Zinaich.
"R.J. checks off all the boxes when looking at the type of person and player we want in our program," said Crutchfield, who led the Sharks all the way to the Elite Eight in just his second season as head coach. "He is a gifted, multi-skilled player with great character, high academics and an outstanding work ethic. I know he will blend well with our players and our aggressive style of play. Like many of our players, he has grown up in a family of athletes and coaches. He knows how to compete and understands the team concept."
Sunahara racked up the accolades while playing for Bay High School in Bay Village, Ohio. Under head coach Jared Shetzer, he was named a three-time, all-conference selection, including Conference Player of the Year as a senior. In addition, Sunahara earned First Team All-State honors as a junior and was later chosen Second Team All-State as a senior after averaging 22.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Sunahara made his first trip to Nova Southeastern just over a week ago, but didn't need much swaying before pulling the trigger on becoming a Shark.
"I chose NSU because it's a great academic school that will set me up for life after basketball," he said. "The campus is beautiful as well, and it's hard to ignore Coach Crutchfield's style of play and history of winning."
To stay up-to-date with the Sharks on the recruiting trail, follow them on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.
