February 27, 2007

Jura Named RMAC Player of the Year

Three Other Lopers All-RMAC

            Kearney, Neb. –  Senior Dusty Jura has been named the 2007 RMAC men's basketball Player of the Year. Overall, Nebraska-Kearney has four players on the all-conference team.

      The team, voted on by the leagues head coaches, was released today.

      Jura (Columbus) follows fellow forwards Eric Strand (1998 & 1999), Nick Svehla (2002 & 2003) and Nick Branting (2004) as Lopers to be named the top player in the conference.

      Jura also earned first-team All-RMAC honors and first-team East-Division accolades. He is an All-RMAC selection for the third straight season.

      Joining Jura on the RMAC first-team were Metro State guard Michael Bahl, Fort Lewis forward Tim Bieri, Colorado Christian forward Brian Stamer and Mesa State forward Stephen Soriano.

      Other UNK players to be honored were senior forward Chad Burger (2^nd-team East Division), senior guard James Lane (H.M. East Division) and freshman wing Drake Beranek (H.M. East Division).

      Burger and Lane earn All-RMAC honors for the second straight season.

      Jura ranks in the RMAC top 10 in eight different categories. He currently is at 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 56 percent from the field and 70 percent at the line.

      Tied for the RMAC lead in double doubles (15) with Stamer, Jura also has blocked 16 shots and is 21 of 47 (44.7 pct.) from the three point line.

      Burger is 2^nd on the team in scoring (12.2), rebounds (6.7) and threes made (46). Making 75 percent of his free shots, the Colorado Springs native also hands out 2.7 assists per game.

      From the point guard spot, Lane is first on UNK in assists (3.4) and is 7th in the RMAC in assist-to-turnover ratio. Another Springs native, Lane is at 12.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game and has made 36 threes this year.     

      Beranek (Ravenna) has arguably better numbers then the RMAC Freshman of the Year, the 6-11 Justin Neuhaus of Colorado Christian (8.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg). Neuahus also redshirted last season at Division I Texas State.

      Missing five games due to injury, Beranek is at 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 52 percent from the floor, including 49 percent from the three point line (28 of 57), and 80 percent at the line.

      Finally, Co-head coaches Tom Kropp and Kevin Lofton were named RMAC East Division Coaches of the Year and with Adam State's Larry Mortensen the West Division Coach of the Year.

      Kropp wins the coaching award for the fourth time while Lofton, in is second year as co-head coach, wins it for the first time.

      Rounding out the top awards, Terrell Burgess was named RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and Bieri was named the RMAC West Division Player of the Year.

  The complete release can be found at www.rmacsports.org.