Dear John,

By Lake The Posts on February 17, 2012

Dear John,

Let me start this open letter that it may seem a little odd that a grown man who you have never met is using a blog to write a personal letter in a not so personal manner. I hope you understand that this letter represents the general sentiment of the thousands of Northwestern basketball fans across the globe.  I know that you know that you’re just 16 points away from becoming Northwestern basketball’s all-time leading scorer. I’m pretty confident it will happen tomorrow night against Minnesota (6pm ct, BTN). When it does, it will cement the next-to-last bullet in your incredible collegiate basketball resume. The beauty of all this? I know that you don’t give a care about the personal accomplishment as your selfless style, team-first always attitude and class act ways preclude you from even thinking like that.

It’s very clear that you realize this is it. For all of us who at any level have played competitively, we can relate on the base level of a senior year and the sense of urgency and “I can’t believe it is coming to an end” feeling. You’re mindset is likely 100% geared on whatever it takes to win, one 4-minute mini-game within the game between timeouts to get you to a “w”. The laser-beam focus of getting four more wins and getting an NCAA bid are pretty apparent for all involved. Sometime in March, or if I know your mindset, April, you’ll be able to reflect on your career. However, as we get to the make-or-break stretch of the Wildcat basketball run for immortality, I felt it was appropriate to express my deepest and heartfelt thanks for what you’ve done in Evanston.

My original plan was to save this post for senior night – your final home game at Welsh-Ryan Arena (vs Ohio State). However, with the Wildcats at 15-10, 5-8 and an assumption that 4-1 the rest of the way is necessary to land our first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, I felt the eve of what will kick off a stretch of must-win after must-win games was a more appropriate time.

It’s been an absolute joy to watch you through your four seasons at Northwestern. The team statistics and individual statistics speak for themselves:

• 16 points away from becoming Northwestern’s all-time leading scorer (Billy McKinney, 1900 points)
• Anchor for most wins in four year stretch in school history.
• Led team to first 20-win season in school history and then did it in back-to-back seasons.
• Three straight NIT appearances after school had three NIT appearances in school history.
• Scored 20+ points 40 times in your career, best among all active Big Ten players
• Scored 30+ points 7 times in your career
• Top ten all-time at Northwestern in following categories: Games played (#2 – 7 behind Juice Thompson), Games started (#2 -9 behind Juice Thompson), Minutes played (will finish at #2), FGs (#2), FGA (#3), 3-point FG (#3), 3-point FGA (#3), FTs (#8), Assists (will finish #7 at worst),3-point FG % (#8),career scoring average (#10 at 15.4 ppg), and of course #1 all-time in scoring.

Those stats are nice, but they don’t tell the full story and why the appreciation is so high. You’ve endured quite a bit of adversity in your time in Evanston. I’ve never heard or read one negative comment from you in your four years, despite the fact you’ve given everything you’ve had and been a part of so many last minute heartbreaking losses. Your junior season was plagued with a severe ankle sprain that would have sidelined many players. Yet, you knew that at 50% of your health you could still be an asset to the team and help win games.  You suffered a concussion at Minnesota after being shoved in to the stanchion. No complaints. It was a year of complete sacrifice to do what it took to win and you led Northwestern to its most successful season of the modern era and the NIT quarterfinals. Before that, you endured the Kevin Coble departure, which I’m sure challenged the notion of team.  My only selfish regret is that we did not get to see the potential magic of you, Juice, Drew and Kevin all playing together.

The white elephant, however, has been playing with the shadow of your head coach’s future.  Your freshman year was on the heels of a 1-17 Big Ten season and 8-22 overall disaster. It was part of a two-year stretch that saw NU win only three Big Ten games (3-33).  While you may not have been the leader of the team as a frosh, you were a key factor in helping with the dramatic turnaround to helping NU go to 17-14,8-10 and give fans hope that perhaps the ‘Cats could make it to the dance. The last three seasons have been filled with fans leaning in to really, authentically believe, THIS is the year. With each passing season, you’ve become that centerpiece of an entire generation of fans and players’ hopes and dreams. Yet, I’m sure somewhere in your brain, you also unjustly feel like you’re carrying another burden, playing for your coach’s future. I truly hope you don’t carry this – you shouldn’t.  

Throughout your career, you’ve been pegged as almost too nice. You were deferential to upper classmen and opponents. Robbie Hummel tells a great story about how you accidentally elbowed him in a game and every time down the floor you were apologizing to the point where he had to tell you to shut up.  I can’t remember a time when you’ve ever lost your cool on the floor. I don’t know how you do it. As fans we might as well have an updated version of the old-school TV tactc of a laugh track. However, it would be called the Shurna-unspoken-white-man-stereotype. I can’t remember a television broadcast that didn’t include some version of “John Shurna, he’s the guy you’d likely pick last in the pick-up game based on appearance and then one minute in to the game you realize he’s going to eat you for lunch”. I’ve gone from abhorring it to embracing it.

I must say, this year has been something truly special.  The context of this season might get lost for future generations as it relates to your level of play, but not for me. The passion and grit this team has showed, fielding six players more often than not is such a remarkable handicap for any Big Ten team. However, this isn’t just any Big Ten season. It’s the best RPI ranking in memory, statistically making the backdrop of your season among the toughest.  Yet, there you are atop the Big Ten in scoring with a 20.3 ppg average. The amazing thing is that you can go 6-7 minutes without scoring in a game, leveraging the coverage your getting to be so unselfish to setup your teammates.  You’ve played with tremendous heart and are playing nearly every minute of every game – and here is the underscore – with every Big Ten coach spending the majority of their time building their defensive gameplan with the sole mission of finding ways to stop you.

The past week you’ve taken your game to new heights. The talent, determination and relentlessness has gone up a notch and I can see and feel the sense of urgency. You’ve gone in to takeover the game mode and refuse to lose mode posting ridiculous 29 point and 30 point performances ON THE ROAD at Purdue and Indiana, two  very good defensive teams with hostile crowds. It’s been head-shaking. I can see the senior urgency and you so close to being the centerpiece of a team that would go down in the history banks forever. Yet, somehow, you seem to have more fun than anyone else on the floor. You smile. You laugh. You celebrate team. It’s freakin’ awesome and inspirational. 

Let’s face it. Every player that has signed up to play at Northwestern has come to campus with “the dream”. You can’t compete at this level without the mentality that “I want to be the one who helps us make the dance for the first time”.  A little ego can be a very good thing.  I feel like I can see that thought bubble above you on every trip down the floor. Fans are big fans of stats and my favorite John Shurna stat is your record for minutes played in a game – 45, but you’ve done it FIVE TIMES.  You really seem like the consumate team player and have set the gold standard for what it means to be an all-time great at Northwestern. You’ve been the key reason that Northwestern basketball is now at least respected in the best conference in America. You’ve done something very right when you have quotes from media members and fellow competitors like this:

John Shurna is my favorite player. You can have anyone else in the nation. I want Shurna. Good luck to your team.”—Tom Dienhart  BigTenNetwork.com senior writer

“He’s one of those guys you see and you say there’s no way he plays basketball, but he’s one of the best players in the country. He’s an unbelievable player. It’s fun and honor to play against him.” —Jordan Taylor, University of Wisconsin guard

I’ve scanned some of the alleged college basketball experts’ projections for national player of the year honors. Your name has not come up on many of the lists. It’s a travesty. You’ve put together one of the more remarkable seasons in Big Ten memory when you account for all of the variables.  The beauty is we get the sense you could care less.

John, it’s time we step up and make sure you know how much you are appreciated. On Saturdays in the fall I still get a good feeling when I see hundreds of players and even kids sporting the #24 Northwestern football jersey. It sends off an unspoken chain of memories of Darnell Autry for all of us that experienced that magical Rose Bowl season. The tension and excitement around NU basketball is that it could be the same type of blow-the-lid off the program euphoria. We want this as much as you do. However, regardless of the outcome of the next five regular season games and the Big Ten Tournament, you deserve to have your #24 hanging in the rafters at Welsh-Ryan Arena. I don’t believe a number has ever been retired in NU basketball history. But, as you’re trying to prove, there is a first time for everything. Ten years from now when a little kid is wearing a #24 NU basketball jersey, we’re all going to have that same kind of internal reaction knowing that you represent doing things the right way.

Best of luck,

LTP Nation

Go-U, N-U Continues Mastery Over UNL

If there is one collective fan base that is currently holding Northwestern Athletics up in the highest regard it would have to be Nebraska. Congratulations to the Northwestern women’s basketball team for their 63-51 upset of #16 Nebraska last night in Lincoln.  Coach McKeown has been suffering a disappointing season of major proportions (I thought we’d be NCAA Tourney bound) as he too has been stung by the injury bug. However, Northwestern entered the game 13-12,3-9 and thanks to Kendall Hackney and Danielle Diamant, escaped with a shocking win.

In this calendar sports year Northwestern upset #9 Nebraska in football in Lincoln, upset national women’s volleyball power Nebraska in Evanston, beat the men’s basketball team in our sole match-up and now this. Bring on the Huskers!