Lourawls Nairn Jr.

Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. (born October 8, 1994) is a Bahamian basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Bowling Green Falcons of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, where he would return as a graduate manager in 2019. Nairn began his coaching career as head coach at his alma mater, Sunrise Christian Academy, in the 2021–22 season. He moved to the collegiate ranks when he was appointed as an assistant coach for the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in 2022.

Lourawls Nairn Jr.
Nairn with the Michigan State Spartans in 2015
Bowling Green Falcons
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueMAC
Personal information
Born (1994-10-08) October 8, 1994
Nassau, Bahamas
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolSunrise Christian Academy
(Wichita, Kansas)
CollegeMichigan State (2014–2018)
NBA draft2018: undrafted
PositionPoint guard
Coaching career2021–present
Career history
As coach:
2021–2022Sunrise Christian Academy
2022–2023Southern Utah (assistant)
2023–presentBowling Green (assistant)

Early life

Nairn Jr. was brought up in Nassau, Bahamas.[1][2] He started playing basketball at the age of twelve.[3]

College career

Nairn Jr. enrolled at Michigan State in 2014. He appeared in 137 games for the team, including 65 starts, averaging 2.5 points in 19.5 minutes per game. As a freshman, he was member of the 2015 Final Four team.[4]

National team career

Nairn Jr. was a member of the Bahamas junior national basketball teams program from the age of 16. On June 28, 2018, he played for the Bahamas senior national basketball team in a 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifying game against the U.S. Virgin Islands, scoring 13 points on 7-for-10 shooting in an 84-74 loss.[5]

Post-playing career

In 2018, Nairn joined the Phoenix Suns front office with a role in player development.[6][4] On September 6, 2019, he was returned to Michigan State as a graduate manager.[7]

On April 19, 2021, Nairn announced that he was appointed as head coach of the prep basketball team at his alma mater, Sunrise Christian Academy.[8]

On September 7, 2022, Nairn was announced as an assistant coach for the Southern Utah Thunderbirds under head coach Todd Simon.[9] On April 15, 2023, Nairn followed Simon to the Bowling Green Falcons and joined his staff as an assistant coach.[10]

Personal life

Nairn shares the same name as his father, Lourawls Sr., who was named after the singer Lou Rawls.[11] Nairn's nickname, "Tum Tum", is based on a character in the film 3 Ninjas because he had a large appetite as a child.[3]

Nairn is the older brother of LaQuan Nairn who represents The Bahamas internationally in long jump.[12]

References
  1. "Lourawls 'Tum Tum' Nairn Jr. Bio". MSUSpartans.com. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  2. "Tum Tum Nairn Jr". RealGM. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  3. "Introducing '14 PG Lourawls Nairns Jr., the Bahamian 'Tum Tum'?". NBC Sports. July 24, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  4. Renaldo Dorsett (October 22, 2018). "'Tum Tum' In Phoenix Suns' Player Development Role". Tribune 242. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  5. Nathaniel Bott (July 14, 2018). "Tum Tum Nairn, fresh off playing for the Bahamas, ready to continue helping MSU players". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  6. Jake Fischer (December 27, 2018). "Tum Tum Nairn Masters the Rare College Player-to-NBA Assistant Transition". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  7. "Michigan State hires Nairn as graduate manager". USA Today. September 6, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  8. "Lourawls Nairn Jr head coach of Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas". The Tribune. April 19, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  9. Austin, Kyle (September 7, 2022). "Former Michigan State captain gets start in college coaching". MLive. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  10. Brewster, Andrew (April 15, 2023). "Former Michigan State basketball PG Lourawls 'Tum Tum' Nairn Jr. joining Bowling Green staff". Yahoo!. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  11. Trey Iles (March 30, 2015). "Michigan State guard Lourawls "Tum Tum Nairn Jr. has funny name, great game". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  12. "Laquan Nairn, graduating as a Razorback track star at the University of Arkansas, joined big brother Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn - a former basketball player with the Michigan Stated Spartans". The Tribune 242. Retrieved March 12, 2022.


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