Rahim Bunch, a senior guard on the Johnson State College Men’s Basketball team, has been named the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) player of the week, while also earning JSC student-athlete of the week for the second consecutive time.

In January, Bunch led the Badgers to wins over the University of Maine-Farmington, Thomas College, Maine Maritime Academy, New England College, and Lyndon State College. During this stretch, he has posted an impressive stat line of 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.

After graduating from Egg Harbor Township High School in New Jersey, Bunch played for the University of Rutgers-Newark during his freshman and sophomore years. His junior year, he transferred to Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where he played for the current head coach of JSC men’s basketball, Miles Smith. When Smith accepted the job offer from his alma mater, JSC, Bunch decided to follow him and transfer again. “My senior year I transferred here and decided to stay with coach Miles Smith because I enjoyed his coaching style at Wilson College,” said Bunch.

Aside from being able to continue playing for Smith, Bunch enjoys the athletic facilities at JSC and the fact that they are open almost all day. However, he is not very fond of the cold, snowy weather, and said, “[JSC] is not as big as my first school, so socially things could be better and everything is far away, such as McDonalds.”

When asked what his accolades mean to him, Bunch said, “Being back-to-back player of the week is a good feeling. I didn’t know I had it the second week until one of my teammates texted me and told me. But it’s a good feeling being acknowledged for playing well.”

Bunch models his game after many National Basketball Association (NBA) stars like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, and Jamal Crawford. “My professional team is the Chicago Bulls and my favorite player in the NBA is Jamal Crawford,” he said.

When discussing his excellent play, Bunch said, “I attribute my success to my mother because she always pushes me to my full potential and also to a lot of people who doubt me… I like to prove people wrong, so all the people who doubt me keep me going as well.”

For the remainder of the season, Bunch said he wants to continue the team’s recent success and lead the Badgers to their first ever NAC championship. “After that, I want to go to the NCAA tournament with my team because none of them have ever been there,” he said. “My freshman year, I went to the NCAA Division 3 tournament and it was a great feeling, so I want them to get the same experience.”

After he graduates, Bunch wishes to continue his basketball career by playing professionally overseas.