John Shurna sets NU career scoring mark
From the moment he received a standing ovation during pregame introductions, it was clear that no matter how important Northwestern's game against visiting Minnesota was — and was it ever in the postseason scheme of things — this was a night that belonged to John Shurna and John Shurna only.
Needing only 16 points to tie Billy McKinney as the top scorer in school history, the Glen Ellyn native had the spotlight pointed directly at him from the word go.
And it never left during the Wildcats' 64-53 victory Saturday night.
Every time Shurna touched the basketball, it seemed the collective heart rate of the packed house at Welsh-Ryan Arena went through the roof.
And that was just when he passing it off to a teammate. Imagine what it was like when he actually took a shot.
Ÿ Jumper ... No!
Ÿ Layup ... blocked!
Ÿ Three-pointer ... in and out!
For the first 16 minutes against the Gophers that's the way it went ... until Shurna stole a pass and cruised in all alone for a one-handed slam to finally get on the scoresheet.
“It was really nice to see the ball go in the basket,” Shurna said with a laugh.
The slam was all the crowd needed to up the crazy meter, and maybe all Shurna needed as well — because he followed with 10 more points over the final few minutes to finish the first half with a dozen.
“I had the hot hand going there for a while and it's a credit to my teammates for getting me the ball,” he said.
After adding his 15th point on a free throw, the magic moment of the night came with 10:45 left when he let fly a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Bingo.
“They were in a zone and I got the ball at the top of the key and I thought I was open and I shot it,” said Shurna, who finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals.
High-fives, hugs and even giant cutout Shurna heads bobbing up and down in the student section ensued.
It didn't end there.
When he tried to leave the court after the Cats' sxith conference win, Shurna was blocked by a large group of kids waiting to get an autograph from the new Northwestern scoring king.
“The fans tonight were great,” he said. “We had a great student section.”
Despite all the hoopla surrounding Shurna him and his new title, it was his teammates who were on his mind.
“With scoring records like this it's a lot more than just individuals.” he said. “The (record) is nice, but it felt good to get the win against Minnesota,”
“That's the kind of kid he is,” Wildcats coach Bill Carmody said of the senior's team-first approach. “John's a quiet, humble guy who cares about his teammates.
“I'm happy for him.”