Family Commitments : Nunnery Cousins Have Picked Up Where They Left Off Two Seasons Ago

They are alike in many ways and yet so different.

One is relatively quiet, reserved, shy. The other is more talkative, gregarious, outgoing. They have distinctively different hobbies and interests, but there is something they readily share: a basketball court.

Wherever one goes, the other is sure to follow.

That’s how it is for cousins Tim and Wendell Nunnery, catalysts of the Moorpark College basketball team. They have become, in essence, a package deal.

“We’ve been close all along,” Wendell said.

The Raiders should be grateful for that. On a team with only one returning player, the cousins have provided stability, leadership and a desperately needed scoring punch.

Either Wendell, a 6-foot-4 forward, or Tim, a 6-foot guard, has led the team in scoring in nearly every game.

They have shined, despite a self-imposed hiatus after playing at Oxnard College two seasons ago, and have helped Moorpark (5-8) remain competitive in a rebuilding and transitional season.

“They understand the game,” said Del Parker, in his first season as head coach and 27th with the Raider program. “They are both capable shooters, especially Tim.”

Any doubts about that were erased Dec. 8 at the Cuesta tournament. In a 92-84 victory over Cuesta in a semifinal, Tim ignited the Raiders with a career-high 40 points and, stepping out of character, gave fans who were taunting him a piece of his mind.

“I was pretending I was Reggie Miller and they were Spike Lee,” said the usually docile Tim, flashing a mischievous smile. “I gave them the choke sign and everything. They were trying to hassle me but it didn’t work. Coach told me not to do it anymore, though.”

Most everything else they do on the floor, however, is fine by Parker. Without them, or 6-8 sophomore center Brady Mertes (the only connection to last season’s team that finished 22-12), the Raiders would be fodder for most opponents.

Through Monday’s games, Tim was averaging a team-high 16.7 points and was the Raiders’ best three-point shooter, having converted 19 of 63. Wendell, averaging 14.8 points, had a team-high 45 rebounds. They rank among the top three in virtually every team category.

The same thing happened two seasons ago, when they joined forces at Oxnard after successful high school careers, Tim at Rio Mesa High and Wendell at Hueneme. Tim averaged 13.2 points and Wendell averaged 12.3 in WSC North Division games for the Condors, who struggled and finished 12-17, 3-5 in division play.

They left Oxnard after that season and might have stayed out of school if not for Remy McCarthy, a first-year Moorpark assistant, who persuaded Wendell to play for the Raiders.

McCarthy was the Oxnard coach for five seasons and at one time coached Wendell’s brother, Paul. He recruited the cousins but resigned after the 1992-93 season and they wound up playing for McCarthy’s replacement, Ron McClurkin.

Once McCarthy convinced Wendell, 21, that he should play at Moorpark, the lure was cast for Tim, 20. The two come from a tight-knit family--Wendell’s father is the uncle of Tim’s father--and they enjoyed playing together at Oxnard and in men’s recreational leagues afterward. But the switch to Moorpark was no cakewalk.

“We didn’t do a lot to make it easy for them,” Parker said. “They had to make up a lot of classes [to become eligible]. It’s a credit to them. They have worked hard.”

McCarthy also had a tough time trying to find out about Tim’s plans, especially from Wendell.

Although tight-lipped, Tim is friendly, personable and surprisingly blunt when prodded by Wendell to talk about his favorite pastime--the one he takes up Sunday nights.

“I like to go to clubs to dance and watch people dance,” Tim said. “It’s funny. I didn’t know there were so many people who have no rhythm.”

His cousin’s favorite hobby is, predictably, quite different.

“I train dogs,” Wendell said. “Mostly for my friends and family. I have three Rottweilers.”

Still, the cousins spend lots of time together, on and off the floor. Wendell jokes about liking Tim primarily for one reason.

“You know he doesn’t talk and he listens,” Wendell said, “so I can get in what I have to say.”