March 10, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern sophomore forward John Shurna (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) continues to rake in honors for his outstanding season as Wednesday he was named the nation's Most Improved Player by Sporting News.
After averaging 7.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game a year ago as a freshman, Shurna has raised those norms to 18.5 points and 6.4 boards per game in 2009-10. The increase in scoring average by 11.2 points is the seventh-highest in the nation and second-biggest jump of any player in a BCS conference. Only Ashton Gibbs of Pittsburgh, Shurna's teammate last summer on the United States' U-19 team which won a gold medal at the world championships in New Zealand, has raised his average more (11.9) of a player in one of the six major conferences.
A consensus second-team All-Big Ten selection, Shurna has more than stepped up in the void left by seniors Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan who were lost for the season due to injury. His emergence has helped Northwestern earn a school-record 19 victories this season.
A complete writeup of Shurna's award announcement can be found here or in Wednesday's online edition of Sporting News Today.
Seventh-seeded Northwestern (19-12, 7-11 Big Ten) opens play at the 2010 Big Ten Tournament at approximately 4 p.m. Central time Thursday as it takes on 10th-seeded Indiana.