Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Signs Chicagoland Duo to Letters of Intent
11/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern men's basketball head coach Bill Carmody has announced the signing of a pair of local recruits to National Letters of Intent. Nick Fruendt (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) and John Shurna (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) will join the Wildcats for the 2008-09 season.
Both players are rated among the top 150 recruits in the country for the class of 2008 by ESPN.com, with Shurna ranking No. 141 and Fruendt coming in at No. 149. The duo will enter NU with immediate playing experience withone another as they competed together on the Illinois Wolves AAU program.
"We're real excited about the addition of Nick and John to our program," Carmody said. "This is a continuation of our emphasis on recruiting Chicagoland players."
Fruendt, a 6-5 guard/forward, is a sharp-shooter who averaged over 20 points per game during his junior season. His standout year earned him first-team Class AA all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) and second-team honors from the Associated Press.
"In Nick we're getting one of the better all-around guys in the state," said Carmody. "He does everything really well. He fits into our system because of his versatility. He can dribble, shoot and pass and has a good understanding of the game. Plus, at the end of the day, he can put the ball in the hole."
Shurna, a 6-8 forward, is known as athletic big man who climbed up the recruiting charts following a junior year that saw him average a double-double. His 31-point, 16-rebound effort allowed Glenbard West to claim its first sectional title in nearly 70 years.
"John is one of the real underrated players in the state of Illinois," Carmody said. "He's very quick and active. As a junior, he averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds per game. We feel he'll be a very strong post presence for us over the next four years."
The two signings bring the total number of Chicago-area signees in the last four years to seven. Fruendt and Shurna join Mike Capocci (Glenbard East), Michael Thompson (Lincoln Park), Sterling Williams (Whitney Young), Jeremy Nash (Marist) and Jeff Ryan (Glenbrook South) as Chicago natives to sign on to attend NU recent years. Also hailing from the Chicago area is senior transfer Jason Okrzesik (Fenwick) along with junior transfer Marlon Day (Whitney Young) and sophomore Matt Steger (Loyola Academy).
Northwestern opens its 2007-08 season at 8 p.m. Thursday as it hosts No. 20 Stanford at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Nick Fruendt
6-5, 190, Guard/Forward
Batavia, Ill./Batavia
High School: Posted averages of 21.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game during junior season ... Ranks as the 149th-best national recruit by ESPN.com ... Named to the Associated Press Class AA all-state second team last season ... First-team all-state selection of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association junior year and a third-team pick sophomore year ... Three-time All-Western Sun Conference pick ... Named to Chicago Sun-Times all-area team each of the past two years ... All-state pick of the Chicago Tribune as a junior ... Twice named to Daily Herald all-area team ... Two-time Player of the Year pick of the Kane County Chronicle
Personal: Born Nicholas Kenneth Fruendt on Oct. 2, 1989 ... Son of Joel and Suzanne Fruendt ... Father played collegiate basketball at Illinois Wesleyan ... Ranks first in high school class of 456 ... National Honor Society member ... High honor roll student ... Attends same high school as NBA great Dan Issel ... Chose Northwestern over Bradley, DePaul, Southern Illinois, Dayton, Wisconsin and Xavier
John Shurna
6-8, 205, Forward
Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West
High School: Earned all-state special mention honors from the Chicago Tribune after averaging 19.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game as a junior ... Named to Daily Herald all-area team ... Ranked as 141st-best national recruit in the class of 2008 by ESPN.com ... Two-time All-West Suburban Conference selection ... Helped guide the Hilltoppers to their first Class AA sectional championship title since 1938 with 31 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocked shots in a win over East Aurora ... Also competed in volleyball, earning special mention all-area honors from the Daily Herald
Personal: Born John William Shurna on April 30, 1990 ... Son of Antanas and Suzy Shurna ... Chose Northwestern over Washington State, Loyola, Green Bay, Davidson and Penn
