John Shurna, Senior, Power Forward, Northwestern
Overview:
It is easy to forget, but John Shurna started every game during his freshman campaign for Northwestern. But with players like Kevin Coble, Craig Moore and Michael Thompson on the team, Shurna was really nothing more than a role-player. He averaged 7.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and was not a very effective shooter. Yet, even the threat of a 6-8 power forward shooting did open up space for his teammates.
It was during the 2009-2010 campaign when Shurna turned into a household name. He led the Wildcats with 18.2 points and 6.4 rebounds. But on top of that he proved to be a very good passer and a pretty good outside shooter. He was even good for about one block and steal per game. Shurna’s scoring and rebounding output dropped a bit during his junior campaign, but that should not mean much when it comes to his draft status.
Final Projection:
What does mean a lot is his shooting percentage. Shurna went from a decent outside shooting as an underclassman to connecting on an impressive 43.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc during his junior campaign. In any league he is tough to defend. He will simply shoot over smaller defenders or get around slower defenders. Add in his ability to pass and play defense and Shurna has many of the skills necessary to be a power forward in the NBA who can stretch out the defense. His lack of rebounding will hurt his draft stock, but he could provide a nice spark off of the bench on most teams.
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