Oakland's Kendrick Nunn: From troubled past to top scorer, NBA hopeful

George Sipple | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Oakland's Kendrick Nunn on his season Kendrick Nunn, Oakland Golden Grizzlies Guard, talks about overcoming adversity during the season, being recognized for his play, and how they are going to win in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

He's a bona fide NBA draft prospect. Or, at least, he should have been.

He's "super talented," as one NBA scout puts it.

Kendrick Nunn, the chiseled 6-foot-3 shooting guard on Oakland’s men’s basketball team, is one of the best players in college basketball this season. He ranks third in the nation in scoring, and he’s firing in 3-pointers at a near-record pace that puts him in conversations with Stephen Curry, one of the best shooters in NBA history.

But Nunn’s NBA aspirations are hampered by his tarnished past. Heckling fans won’t let him forget it, and Nunn doesn't expect NBA executives to forget it, either, as June's NBA draft approaches.

Nunn, 22, was accused in March 2016 of putting his hands around the neck of a woman he had been casually dating, a choking accusation he firmly denies. He said he never hit the woman, but did plead guilty to one misdemeanor battery charge after being accused of pushing her down and pouring water on her. Two other battery charges were dropped.

“The tenor out there and what I’ve seen directed toward him, it’s amazing,” Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. “The words that people have shouted at him, the words people have shouted at me. …

“It’s on him for the rest of his life — every person he meets, to treat them with dignity and respect and learn from his mistake. The bottom line is, he’s gotta live with that.”

Nunn spoke to the Detroit Free Press last month about the incident that brought him to Michigan. He expressed regret for showing up at the woman's apartment uninvited and pouring water on her during an argument over money. He said they've since learned how to be friends again.

The Free Press, which does not identify alleged abuse victims, spoke briefly by phone to the woman on Feb. 9. She declined to discuss Nunn and said, "I don't have anything to say."

Nunn admits the argument over $100, which he claimed she owed him, has cost more than he imagined, including his reputation. Now, as one of college basketball's emerging stars, he's trying to rebuild that reputation while chasing his NBA dream.

“A lot of times with kids like him that have been projected to be so great, it takes something in life to make them understand how hard they have to work to accomplish what they really want,” Kampe said. “It takes something in life to wake them up and bring them to the reality of ‘if I’m going to get to where I need to be, I need to work and get single-purposed,' and this young man has done that.

"I think the deal that happened has changed his life.”

'He's super talented'

Nunn helped lead Chicago Simeon Career Academy to four state titles in 2010-13, and the school thanked him by retiring his jersey number.

He was a four-star recruit, one of the top-100 high school players in the country in his class. He won a gold medal with USA Basketball's U16 team.

Nunn was a player destined for a high-major college basketball program.

He chose Illinois so he could stay close to home, and he seemed to thrive under then-head coach John Groce, now at Akron. And after scoring more than 1,000 points over three seasons with the Illini, he has done more than continue his progress at Oakland.

Nunn, who sat out the 2016-17 season because of NCAA transfer rules, recently was named a finalist for the Jerry West Award, given annually to college basketball's top shooting guard.

Nunn entered Thursday averaging 25.5 points a game. He ranks third in Division I behind Oklahoma freshman Trae Young (28.3 ppg) and Central Arkansas senior guard Jordan Howard (25.6).

Nunn also ranks second nationally with 4.42 3-pointers per game, and with 115 made 3s this season, he has an outside chance of surpassing the record 162 3-pointers made by Curry, the ex-Davidson star, in 2007-08 (if Oakland can qualify for a postseason nonconference tournament).

The Grizzlies (17-3, 9-8) conclude the regular season Saturday, then play at Little Caesars Arena in the Horizon League tournament March 2-6. .

NBA scouts see Nunn as a player capable of taking over a game. They watched him do that against Michigan State on Dec. 16.

"He's super talented," said one NBA scout, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to speak publicly about college prospects. "He can get to the rim. He shoots threes at a pretty good percentage."

A lingering ankle injury nearly prevented Nunn from playing against No. 1-ranked Spartans at Little Caesars Arena. He was a game-time decision, but after being cleared to play, he showed he's capable of being more than a fringe NBA draft prospect.

Nunn scored a game-high 32 points in the 86-73 loss, a performance he hopes will pay dividends down the road. Kampe remains optimistic an NBA team will take a chance on Nunn in June's NBA draft, but he knows a franchise will have to weigh drafting a player with a troubled past.

"He might be a guy that goes overseas or the (Gatorade) League and works his way back," the scout said. "A kid with his skill set and talent, I wouldn't count out, that's for sure. I think he'll definitely be on a Summer League roster."

Jonathan Givony, a draft analyst for ESPN, said with the way Nunn is scoring, he'll get invited to workouts and the NBA combine.

"He's an NBA prospect," Givony said. "Whether he gets drafted or not is another story."

What happened that March 2016 night?

Some details remain murky, but police reports paint a clearer picture of the night of March 16, 2016.

When police arrived at the Champaign, Ill., apartment, after a neighbor reported hearing a male saying, "give me money" and a woman saying, "get off me" and "let me go," they found the woman with a small amount of blood on her right hand and with faint red marks on her neck and chest.

The statements given to police initially jelled.

Nunn went to the woman's apartment to recover the $100 he said she owed him. When she refused to pay, claiming their debts were even because she had paid for meals and shoes for him over the course of their friendship, an argument ensued.

“She owed me something,” he said. “I felt like ‘I’m going to get it back.’ At the time, I felt like I’m going to win everything. I was entitled to that.”

Nunn said he interrogated her, and he ignored her requests for him to leave the apartment. She threw a Jenga set at him, and he poured water over her head.

At some point, she grabbed his car keys and when Nunn snatched them out of her right hand, it caused a small cut. A mark on the woman's neck, she initially told police, happened as she nervously rubbed her chest area, including while giving her statement.

But the woman's account changed when she called police hours later to amend her statement.

Police records show the woman later "started crying and stated she was stressed over the relationship with Kendrick (she wanted one but he said he did not) which she again stated was not a romantic relationship." She revealed more marks that weren't seen in the initial visit.

She later told the police she had known Nunn for a year, and that they were in a sexual relationship.

She accused Nunn of chasing her down, knocking her in the back of the head and "grabbing her by the throat when she was trying to get her wallet back from him."

Nunn denies choking the woman. She told police she lied because she was afraid the incident would get media attention. She compared it to another domestic violence case involving an Illinois basketball player around that time, and said she was worried her name would get "dragged through the mud."

On March 17, police issued an arrest warrant for Nunn. He was charged with domestic battery, and after being advised by Groce, Nunn turned himself into police. His bond was set at $5,000, and he was dismissed from the team.

Hard lessons

Nunn kept to himself after his arrest. He'd ask teammates to bring him food because he didn’t want to go out in public.

“I tried to keep a low profile, just because I knew what was going on,” Nunn said. “Everyone was going to make assumptions.

"I kind of stayed in my room, tried to hide. When I left the house, it was with my hood on.”

He was the fourth Illinois basketball player arrested in a span of nine months and the second charged with misdemeanor domestic battery.

The other player, Jaylon Tate, who was a teammate of Nunn's at Simeon, pleaded not guilty and had his charge dropped by the state attorney's office, according to the Chicago Tribune, because the state didn't have enough evidence to convict him.

Nunn, however, pleaded guilty to the single count of misdemeanor battery on the accusation he hit the woman and poured water on her.

He had taken the plea agreement, Nunn and his father, Melvin, say, at the urging of his attorney. Because Nunn admitted to pouring water on the woman, he figured he’d be found guilty of simple assault, also a misdemeanor.

“I’m remorseful of just going over there the way I did, pouring water on her,” Nunn said. “It cost me a lot. A lot of time, (being) out of school, my image.”

Nunn was sentenced to 18 months of court supervision, ordered to perform 100 hours of public service, enroll in a partner abuse intervention program and write a letter of apology to the woman. He also was fined $200.

As part of his plea agreement, according to the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, two counts of domestic battery were dismissed.

Nunn thought the plea deal was the best path to a resolution, and he wanted the incident to go away. He thought he’d get suspended for a few games the next season. But Groce and Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman released a joint statement on the decision to part ways with Nunn. "Relationship violence is of significant concern at our University and we expect Fighting Illini student-athletes to be leaders in promoting healthy, respectful, caring relationships," the statement read. "We wish Kendrick all the best as he prepares for the next chapter of his life."

Groce, before a game against Eastern Michigan in late January, cited student confidentiality laws when asked about Nunn's dismissal.

“It was a dark moment in my life,” Nunn said. “I didn’t know what to think. I thought possibly I wouldn’t be able to play college basketball again.”

Second chances

Nunn, sitting across from Kampe at Oakland last month, nodded as Kampe recounted one of their first conversations. “I told him, ‘Kendrick, I have a ring for every finger on my hand.’ ” Kampe said. “I don’t need any more rings. I didn’t bring you here because you’re really good. I brought you here to grow up and learn and become a model citizen and get a degree.’ ”

Kampe said he determines with due diligence whether a player with baggage can play at Oakland. Nunn isn't his first case study.

Martez Walker, a senior guard from Detroit Pershing, played at Texas in 2013-14 before misdemeanor assault and trespassing charges forced him to transfer. Kampe had recruited Walker out of high school, and after investigating the incident, he decided Walker was worth the risk. Now, Walker is close to graduation.

But not every story involves basketball success. Kampe points to ex-Saginaw standout Tommie McCune, who transferred in from West Virginia but was eventually kicked off the team at Oakland for a number of incremental issues, including racking up parking tickets. But Kampe and McCune stayed in touch, and before McCune's mother, Latricia Mitchell, died of lung cancer in June 2014, Kampe promised her McCune would graduate. Which he did.

“He’s got a job and is doing well,” Kampe said. “I’m still in contact with him. Just because basketball didn’t work out, that’s not what this is about.”

But critics will say Kampe, who posted his 600th career victory on Feb. 16, is motivated by basketball wins. Kampe dismisses the notion.

“I don’t think Joe Fan looks at it (as trying to help kids)," Kampe said. "I think they think, ‘Oh, they just took him so they can win’ and he’s a bad (kid).' That’s not the truth.”

Former Oakland assistant Cornell Mann, now an assistant at Missouri, had a significant role in Nunn coming to Oakland. Mann had previously recruited players from Chicago Simeon when he was an assistant at Iowa State.

So he remembered Nunn and knew he could find out what happened by talking to his high school coach, Robert Smith. Mann recommended Kampe take a chance on him.

“If I thought for one second that Kendrick was capable of being demonstrative and crazy or beating women or anything like that, there’s no way I would have touched him,” Mann said. “I could have just said, ‘Nope, I don’t want to be a part of that’ and never said anything to Kampe. But because I did know the kid somewhat, because I did know his high school coach and I knew I would get to the bottom of what I felt was the truth, then I was willing to put myself on the line.

“Coach did his due diligence. We went up and down and around about it. We decided it was OK, the kid was OK and the incident was behind him.”

Playing for more than himself

Kampe, a fiery coach, saw entitlement when Nunn first arrived at Oakland. Kampe said he was particularly tough on Nunn during the transfer year, just to see how he'd respond.

“It wasn’t easy for Kendrick,” Kampe said. “I was tough on him. He had to prove to me that he understood everything that happened to him.”

Part of Nunn’s maturation is due to additional responsibilities as a father. Nunn's father and grandparents take care of a 9-month-old son back in Chicago.

“I love being a dad,” Nunn said. “He’s everything to me. Now I have more responsibility. And that made me more mature. I’m not doing it for myself.”

Nunn visits his son as much as possible, including when Oakland played in Chicago last month.

Nunn said several family and friends attended the game at UIC Pavilion, and so did the woman from the 2016 incident. He didn’t know she would be there. Nunn said they spoke briefly that night and he “gave her a hug.” Nunn's father said the woman said "hello" to him.

Groce, the former Illinois coach, said he keeps in touch with Nunn and is happy to see him excelling now at Oakland.

“You got one of two choices," Groce said. "You’re going to either get up and fight and learn and be better from the experience, which is what I hope for him, because I love Ken.

"Or you allow that to define you. He chose not to do that."

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