Childhood friends reunite for senior year leading Gregori basketball team
In a close game against Clovis East, Gregori scrambled to gather a loose ball near the Timberwolves’ basket.
Kobe Nunes gained possession, took one dribble and found Kyle Monk sprinting along the right sideline past midcourt. Monk caught the ball in stride at the free-throw line, took a gather step and exploded to the rim, extending the ball in his right arm over a jumping defender and finishing with a thundering poster dunk.
Why did the defender jump? We will never know.
But we do know the connection between Nunes and Monk is evident.
Their chemistry started in elementary school. The duo of 6-foot-2 combo guards first started playing together on the Central Valley Hornets AAU team
“Our families have been cool, we’ve been cool, we’ve been able to establish a great relationship ever since grade school,” said Monk.
When high school came, the two split up. Nunes went to Oakdale and Monk stayed local at Gregori.
Both made their respective varsity teams as freshmen and though they didn’t play with each other during the regular season, their stocks continued to rise in the summer on the AAU circuit with West Coast Elite. They kept in contact, texting and working out together in the summers.
When Nunes decided he wanted a change of scenery, his running mate had already done all the work he needed to bring him to Gregori.
“We always loved playing with each other in middle school and AAU,” Monk said. “I just told him that we have a great program at Gregori and he could come and we’d work really good together. He came and it was awesome.”
The two are similar in more ways than one. Both guards have unique athleticism for guards their size and enjoy getting their teammates involved as much as they do scoring themselves.
“I call him my twin,” Monk said. “We both like to play fast, we’re both athletic and can shoot. We know each others’ weaknesses and strengths.”
As seniors, the two are ready for their first full season together.
Nunes sat out the team’s first eight games and the team went 1-7. In his first game against Oakland Tech, he scored 36 points.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Nunes said on playing with his childhood friend. “We’ve been waiting for this forever since we were young. It’s been a goal to go to playoffs and make a run.”
Their chemistry is evident. The two sit atop the Jaguars’ 2-3 zone defense and move in tandem, playing passing lanes and dropping down to snag rebounds once their opposition attempts a shot.
The Jaguars have gone 3-4 since Nunes’ return and are starting to see their potential a few weeks before they start Central California Athletic League play.
“It’s fun watching them … you can see the players love playing with them,” Gregori head coach Ryan Green said. “Once we harness what their strengths are, we give ourselves a chance every night.”
Nunes and Monk are excited to play their final season of high school basketball together before going their separate ways for college.
“I can’t wait to see what we do this year,” Nunes said. We’ve been working hard. We’re ready to keep working and try to make a playoff run.”
