John William Shurna (born April 30, 1990) is an American–Lithuanian
professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player for
Herbalife Gran Canaria of the
Liga ACB. He is the
2012 Big Ten scoring champion. He played in the 2012
NBA Summer League with the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
. He then signed with the
New York Knicks, but was waived at the end of the preseason.
He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the
Northwestern Wildcats
The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the only private university in the conference. Northwestern ...
. He has been a three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection (
2010–2nd team;
2011–3rd team coaches/honorable mention media; 2012–1st team) and the Northwestern statistical leader in several categories. He was the 2010 ''
Sporting News'' Most Improved Player. He holds several Northwestern all-time records, including single-season and career scoring. He was selected as an honorable mention
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
2012 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American. He won the State Farm College 3-Point Championship three-point shooting contest at the 2012 Final Four.
In high school, he was the 2008
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fe ...
(IHSA) Class 4A Slam Dunk Champion. He was a member of the gold-medal-winning
USA Basketball team at the
2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.
High school career
Shurna was a 2007 and 2008 ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' All-State boys basketball team special mention selection. As a junior, in March 2007, he led
Glenbard West High School
Glenbard West High School is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Ellyn Avenue and Crescent Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Glenbard Township High School Distri ...
to the Class AA supersectional for the first time since 1938, but they lost to
Lockport Township High School 53–50 despite 27 points by Shurna, according to the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...
'', but only 21 according to the ''
Daily Southtown
The ''Daily Southtown'' (formerly ''SouthtownStar'') is a newspaper of the Chicago, Illinois, United States metropolitan area that covers the south suburbs and the South Side neighborhoods of the city – a wide region known as the Chicago S ...
'' and ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
''. He committed to
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
on May 13, 2007, but he did not sign his
National Letter of Intent until November 14.
As a senior, he was selected to the IHSA 4A all-state second-team by
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
and the 3A/4A all-state first-team by Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. In addition, he won the 2008 IHSA 4A slam dunk championship at the state tournament,
[ but finished second to Marland Johnson by a point in a contest of the winners of the four classes. As a senior, he finished 8th in the Illinois Mr. Basketball voting. Following his senior season, he participated in local and regional All-Star contests such as the 34th annual Foundation For Student Athletes city-suburban all-star event. Although ]ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
ranked Shurna as the 53rd best high school basketball power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
in the national class of 2008, he was not among the ranked players by state or position according to either Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
or Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
.
College career
Freshman
As a true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
, he started all 31 games for the 2008–09 Northwestern Wildcats.[ Shurna was a member of Team USA basketball during the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship competition held in ]Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
from July 2, 2009 until July 12. He played in all 9 games, starting 2. Despite averaging the fewest minutes (12.2), he was fifth on the team in rebounding with (3.9). The USA team earned the gold medal.
Sophomore
He played forward for the 2009–10 Northwestern Wildcats and led the team in scoring
Score or scorer may refer to:
*Test score, the result of an exam or test
Business
* Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio
* Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company
* Score Media, a former Canadian m ...
and rebounding. Following the 2009–10 All-Big Ten Conference regular season, he was named a second-team All-conference selection by both the coaches and the media. He was twice named Big Ten men's basketball player of the week during the season. He was recognized as an All-District second-team selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, head men's basketball coach at the University ...
making him eligible for the State Farm Division I All‐America teams. He finished his sophomore season among the Big Ten leaders in many statistical categories: 3rd in scoring, 7th in rebounding, 10th in free throw percentage, 8th in blocked shots, and 6th in minutes played. He was recognized by ''Sporting News'' as the Most Improved Player after raising his scoring average from 7.3 points as a freshman to 18.5 as a sophomore, while improving his rebounding average from 2.6 to 6.4. During the season, he established new Northwestern Wildcats basketball single-season records in both total points (619), surpassing Evan Eschmeyer
Evan Bruce Eschmeyer (born May 30, 1975) is an American retired professional basketball player who was selected by the New Jersey Nets in the second round (34th pick overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft. He spent six years on the Northwestern Univers ...
, and field goals
A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
made (217), surpassing Dale Kelly. In so doing, he helped Northwestern establish a new school record for single-season wins with 20.
Junior
As a junior, he was a preseason top 50 candidate for both the John R. Wooden Award
The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...
and the Naismith College Player of the Year
The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball.
History an ...
. In the first game of his junior season, Shurna tied his career-high with 31 points on his way to Big Ten Player of the Week honors. On December 20, in week 6 of the season, Shurna repeated as conference player of the week. Following the 2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
The 2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Big Ten Conference members that began in 1904. The non-conference portion of the 2010–11 NCAA Division I m ...
, he was a third team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and an honorable mention by the media. ''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'' named him as one of the ten best players in the Big Ten Conference.
Shurna submitted the paperwork to declare for the 2011 NBA draft following the season, though he did not hire an agent. He withdrew his name prior to the May 8 deadline and chose to return for his senior year. He was one of 20 players who tried out to represent USA Basketball at the 2011 Summer Universiade, but did not make the team.
Senior
As a senior, he repeated as a preseason top 50 watchlist selection for the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award. He was also a ''Sporting News'' Preseason All-American (2nd team). When Shurna scored 37 points on November 17 against it heralded a career-high and tied for the most points scored by a Northwestern player during the 12-year Bill Carmody
William D. Carmody (born December 4, 1951) is a retired American men's college basketball coach, formerly the head coach at the College of the Holy Cross. He was the head coach of the Wildcats men's basketball team at Northwestern University ...
era. On December 18, he scored 32 points as Northwestern defeated . Shurna earned Co-Big Ten Player of the week on February 6 after averaging 26 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in wins over Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
and Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
on February 2 and 5, respectively. On February 12, he posted his third 30-point game of the season against Purdue. With three 30-point games as a senior, he brought his career total to six. On February 18 he became Northwestern's all-time leading scorer in a game against Minnesota, passing Billy McKinney's record of 1,900 points. He was selected as a first team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media. He was selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to its 10-man 2011–12 Men's All-District V (OH, IN, IL, MI, MN, WI) Team. Shurna was a first team selection to the National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, head men's basketball coach at the University ...
Division I All‐District 7 team on March 14. Shurna finished the season with a 20.0 point per game average, which led the Big Ten Conference. He was named an honorable mention Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
All-American. He competed in the 2012 State Farm 3-Point Contest, beating Juan Fernandez 21–20 in the final round by making his final seven shots.[ Shurna was also selected to participate in the NABC 2012 Reese's Division I All-Star Game at the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament final four. Shurna had 12 points in the game.
]
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft
The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...
, Shurna signed a 2012 Las Vegas NBA Summer League contract with the Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
. On September 10, 2012, Shurna signed a 1-year partially guaranteed contract with the New York Knicks. He was waived at the end of the preseason. By the beginning of December 2012, he had made his professional debut with Strasbourg IG of LNB Pro A. Shurna was originally signed as an injury replacement for Nicolas de Jong until the end of 2012, but was signed longer term as it became apparent that de Jong would be out for an extended period.
After he played on the Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
' 2013 NBA Summer League
The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...
team, Shurna signed a 2-year contract with Joventut Badalona
Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two teams ...
. He signed with the Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
for the 2014 NBA Summer League
The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA Draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...
and posted 21 points on 6-for-9 field goal shooting including 5 three point shots in his July 11 debut. In August 2014, he signed a one-year contract with Turkish Basketball League
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and ...
team Darüşşafaka. He played in the 2015 NBA Summer League
The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League.
Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League at ...
with the Cleveland Cavaliers. On July 27, 2015, he signed a one-year contract with Valencia Basket
Valencia Basket Club S.A.D., commonly known as Valencia Basket (), is a professional basketball team based in Valencia, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, with home games played at the Fuente de San Luis. The club is spon ...
of Spain. On November 13, 2016, Shurna signed with Croatian club Cedevita Zagreb for the rest of the season.
On July 27, 2017, Shurna signed a one-year deal with MoraBanc Andorra of the Liga ACB. On August 18, 2018, Shurna re-signed a one-year deal with MoraBanc Andorra of the Liga ACB. On July 27, 2019, he signed with Herbalife Gran Canaria. Shurna was re-signed to a two-year contract with the team on June 11, 2021.
Personal life
Shurna was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, to Tony and Suzy Shurna. At Northwestern, he was a double major in sociology and learning and organizational change.[ On July 11, 2014, Shurna acquired Lithuanian citizenship per ]Lithuanian nationality law
Lithuanian nationality law operates on the jus sanguinus principle, whereby persons who have a claim to Lithuanian ancestry, either through parents, grandparents, great-grandparents may claim Lithuanian nationality. Citizenship may also be granted ...
.
Notes
External links
*
French League profile
Shurna's profile
at ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
FIBA.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shurna, John
1990 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Croatia
American expatriate basketball people in France
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American men's basketball players
American people of Lithuanian descent
Basketball players from Illinois
BC Andorra players
Expatriate basketball people in Andorra
American expatriate basketball people in Andorra
CB Gran Canaria players
Darüşşafaka Basketbol players
Forwards (basketball)
Joventut Badalona players
KK Cedevita players
Liga ACB players
Lithuanian expatriate basketball people in Spain
Lithuanian men's basketball players
Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball players
People from Glen Ellyn, Illinois
SIG Basket players
Sportspeople from DuPage County, Illinois
Valencia Basket players