CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University men's basketball program and Head Coach Todd Simon have announced the addition of Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. to the staff as an Assistant Coach.
"Coach Nairn will be an excellent addition to our staff," said Simon. "He brings an infectious energy and strong leadership. His experience in player development at the NBA, college, and prep school levels is going to benefit our program. He has been a winner everywhere he has been from playing and coaching at Sunrise Christian Academy, to playing and working for Coach Izzo at Michigan State and also as a EYBL coach for Mokan Elite."
Nairn Jr. makes his way to Cedar City after spending the past year as the Head Coach of the postgraduate men's basketball team at well-renowned Sunrise Christian Academy. In his lone season at the helm of the program, Nairn Jr. led Sunrise Christian to an overall record of 24-2.
Prior to his time at Sunrise Christian, Nairn Jr. spent two years as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Michigan State. Before joining the staff at Michigan State, Nairn Jr. spent a season coaching in the NBA as a player development coach with the Phoenix Suns.
Nairn Jr. also served as an assistant coach for AAU club Mokan Elite this past summer, helping lead the team to a 26-4 record throughout the 2022 summer circuit, and concluding the season with a Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Championship.
Nairn Jr. was a standout player for the Michigan State basketball team from 2014-18 before launching his coaching career. During his time competing for the Spartans, Nairn Jr. was a three-year team captain. He appeared in 137 total contests, making 66 starts and posting career averages of 2.5 points and 3.0 assists per contest.
In his freshman season, Nairn Jr. became the fourth Spartan freshman all-time to start at point guard in the NCAA tournament. He also became just the second Michigan State freshman to start in the Final Four, joining Magic Johnson as the only two Spartans to accomplish the feat. In his sophomore and junior seasons, Nairn Jr. finished the year ranked first in the Big Ten Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Nairn Jr. also played for the Bahamian National Team throughout his career, first representing his country at the age of 16. In 2018, he played for the Bahamian Senior National Basketball Team in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifying round.
Follow Us
For all the latest on Southern Utah men's basketball, follow @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Basketball Facebook page.
