Having two “RJ’s” on the Georgia basketball team was bound to be confusing, so RJ Sunahara laughed that he took it upon himself to do the right thing and allow RJ Melendez to keep his first name.
“I just let him have it,” joked Sunahara, who now goes by a new nickname, Sunny. “I was going to be the bigger person. I’m getting used to it.”
Sunahara qualifies as one of Mike White’s more intriguing additions.
The 6-foot-8 Sunahara was named Division II Player of the Year and won the Bevo Francis Award as the nation's top small college player following Nova Southeastern's perfect 36-0 campaign, which it capped by winning Division II National Championship.
In 34 games, Sunahara averaged 18.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. Although he likely will not reach such totals with the Bulldogs, the Ohio native is anxious to show he can be a success at a higher level.
“I feel a little bit of pressure. A lot of people don’t think Division II is that good, and I’m trying to prove that it is,” Sunahara said. “It's something I’m trying to prove every day, to prove that I belong here, and help the team win.”
It didn’t take him long once he got to Athens to learn the difference.
“Oh, 100 percent. I think the third practice playing three on three, they throw a lob to MA (Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe), and he throws it in for a dunk right on the top of my head. I’m like ‘Oh man, it’s a little bit different.’ But other than that, it’s been good.”
Color head coach Mike White impressed.
“Talk about a guy that's just out there trying to make winning plays and gel and fit. He's glue. He's a very, very accountable player,” White said. “Like, he's flying to the offensive glass, he's closing out with high hands, he's blocking out, he's sprinting the court. Defensively, he's where he's supposed to be at all times. He's a hard-nosed, dependable, accountable player."
According to White, Sunahara will play primarily the four but has also practiced at the three for the Bulldogs, who host Eastern Kentucky in an exhibition Monday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
“As a bigger three, he’s working on his ball security, learning how to continue to develop with playing within himself as we’re setting a lot of ball screens,” White said. “But he’s a guy who has learned how to save his bounces and pick his spots doing some of those things. He brings the competitive nature, what it takes to run the court; things carry over pretty easily for him and his ability to play more positions, which he’ll need to do in the SEC. He’s got the capability of doing so."
Sunahara said he’ll be ready for whatever his team needs from him.
“Whatever role they give me. D2 to D1 is a big jump. There’s going to be some road bumps for me,” he said. “But whatever this team needs me to do in order to win, I’m going to do that.”
A higher level of competition isn’t the only adjustment Sunahara has needed to become accustomed to. Being a player at a Power-5 school has other perks previously unavailable.
“At my school, we didn’t even own our own gym. We had to rent it out, so we couldn’t just get on it whenever we wanted. That’s’ a huge bonus here,” Sunahara said. “And of course, the meals. You get fed, what, two or three times a day? Plus eating on my own, and gaining weight is a big difference.”
With a weight that now fluctuates between 216 and 218, Sunahara says the added bulk has not affected his game. In fact, he feels better than he has before.
“I think Coach Crane (Director of Athletic Performance Collin Crane) does a good job of making sure we put on good weight, and not weight that slows you down, but the weight that gets you ready to play, especially SEC opponents, day in and day out, while keeping you at the same speed or faster,” added the 23-year-old Sunahara, who fielded numerous other offers from Power 5 programs.
“When I started at Division II, I always wanted to win a national championship. I never had any personal goals. I just always knew I wanted to win,” he said. “So, when that came true and the individual accolades came along, I had done what I wanted to do at the Division II level, so it was time to take the next step.”
