Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. (born October 8, 1994) is a Bahamian
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
coach and former player who is the associate head coach for the
Bowling Green Falcons
The Bowling Green Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Bowling Green State University (BGSU), in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The Falcons compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Divi ...
of the
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...
(MAC). He played
college basketball
College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
for the
Michigan State Spartans
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 Varsity team, varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan Army, Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the sc ...
, 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
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors thirteen teams including five men's sports: basketball, cross country, f ...
in 2022.
Early life
Nairn Jr. was brought up in
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...
.
He started playing basketball at the age of twelve.
College career
Nairn Jr. enrolled at
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
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.
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
The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...
, scoring 13 points on 7-for-10 shooting in an 84–74 loss.
Post-playing career
In 2018, Nairn joined the
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...
front office with a role in player development.
On September 6, 2019, he was returned to Michigan State as a graduate manager.
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.
On September 7, 2022, Nairn was announced as an assistant coach for the
Southern Utah Thunderbirds
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors thirteen teams including five men's sports: basketball, cross country, f ...
under head coach
Todd Simon
Todd Andrew Simon (born April 21, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre.
Biography
As a youth, Simon played in the 1985 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Young Nationals minor ice hockey team.
...
. On April 15, 2023, Nairn followed Simon to the
Bowling Green Falcons
The Bowling Green Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Bowling Green State University (BGSU), in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The Falcons compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Divi ...
and joined his staff as an assistant coach. He was promoted to the position of associate head coach for the 2024–25 season.
Personal life
Nairn shares the same name as his father, Lourawls Sr., who was named after the singer
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American baritone singer. He released 61 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably the song " You'll Never Find Another Love like Min ...
. Nairn's nickname, "Tum Tum", is based on a character in the film ''
3 Ninjas
''3 Ninjas'' is a series of action comedy family films about the adventures of three young brothers who are trained by their Japanese grandfather in the art of ''ninjutsu''. Victor Wong is the only cast member to appear in all four films.
C ...
'' because he had a large appetite as a child.
Nairn is the older brother of
LaQuan Nairn
LaQuan Nairn (born 31 July 1996) is a male long jumper from Nassau, Bahamas. He attended C.R Walker High school in Nassau, Bahamas before going on to compete for South Plains College, and University of Arkansas. Nairn broke the L ...
who represents The Bahamas internationally in
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
.
References
External links
Profileat realgm.com
Michican State profileat msuspartans.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nairn, Lourawls Jr
1994 births
Living people
Bahamian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Bahamian men's basketball players
21st-century Bahamian sportsmen
Basketball coaches from Kansas
Basketball players from Kansas
Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball coaches
High school basketball coaches in Kansas
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players
Point guards
Basketball players from Nassau, Bahamas
Sportspeople from Wichita, Kansas
Phoenix Suns personnel
Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's basketball coaches