NU’s Shurna to explore NBA draft

Northwestern junior forward John Shurna has submitted the paperwork to declare for the 2011 NBA draft but has not hired an agent, school officials said Tuesday.

Shurna, a Glen Ellyn resident and graduate of Glenbard West, is eligible to return to Northwestern for his senior season if he withdraws his name from draft consideration by the May 8 deadline.

“This is an exciting opportunity for John and I fully support his decision,” Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody said in a statement released by the university. “It’s a chance for him to pursue his dream and we look forward to helping him gather information throughout the process.”

A third-team All-Big Ten selection of the media his junior year, Shurna led the Wildcats with an average of 16.6 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds per contest. He averaged 23.3 points per game over Northwestern’s first 10 contests before suffering an ankle injury that limited him over the remainder of the season. Shurna’s was one of the nation’s top 3-point shooters in 2010-11 and finished with a .434 percentage from beyond the arc.

Shurna has helped the Wildcats to a school-record 20 wins in each of the last two seasons. Northwestern has participated in the National Invitation Tournament in each of his first three years, including reaching the NIT quarterfinal round in 2010-11.

Shurna’s 1,150 points over the last two seasons are the second most in consecutive campaigns in school history. He tallied a Northwestern single-season record 619 points as a sophomore while earning second-team All-Big Ten recognition. Along the way, he was named the nation’s Most Improved Player by Sporting News. Shurna currently ranks 10th on NU’s career scoring list with 1,377 points.