Kearney, Neb. - Starting in May 2014, a new feature called "Loper Reconnection" will profile former UNK student-athletes. Student Andrew Hanson asks the chosen Loper a series of questions.

The sixth subject is former men's basketball standout Nick Svehla. Wrestler Brian Hagan, softball player Darcie Berry, football player Justin Coleman, volleyball player Jenni Luke and softball/volleyball team member Diane Davidson Rouzee were previously profiled.

Svehla, from Omaha, scored 1,983 points and grabbed 894 rebounds between 2000-03. He was a part of two NCAA Tournament teams, including the 2003 squad that reached the Elite 8. Individually, he was tabbed as the RMAC Freshman and Player of the Year in his tenure, as well as earning All-American and Academic All-American honors.


Name: Nick Svehla
Hometown/High School: Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep H.S.
Years: 2000-03
Sports: Basketball
Current Residence: Omaha


After hitting arguably the biggest shot in University of Nebraska at Kearney men's basketball history all that Nick Svehla, could think about was staying calm and composed.
 
The Loper senior had just drilled a three pointer to tie up Metro State in overtime during a regional final of the 2003 NCAA Tournament game in front of a sold-out Health a& Sports Center.
 
With the first extra period winding down, MSU's Patrick Mutombo put the Roadrunners up three on a late bucket.
 
Then, UNK's Chad Sheffield played the role of facilitator. "I just remember running down court and heading to the corner," Svehla recalled. "Sheffield threw me a bounce pass, and I just took a three from the corner and it went in.
 
"I remember then going over to the bench and it was like OK, now we're in double overtime. We've got to keep our composure and keep playing."
 
Just under halfway through the second overtime, Svehla scored six straight points for the Lopers and helped put away MSU 94-87 and advance to the Elite Eight.
 
None of this may have happened had it not been for a little reassurance from UNK head coach Tom Kropp during Svehla's recruiting process.
 
An Omaha native, Svehla was choosing between UNK and the University of Nebraska Omaha. "The reason I chose Kearney was basically that Coach Kropp said, 'We really want you to come to UNK, but if you choose to go to UNO we're going to wish you the best and hope you do well,'" said Svehla.
 
After that, his choice was simple. Svehla said, "When he told me that I knew that I'd be fine either way and I knew I wanted to play for a guy like that."
 
So, Svehla came to Kearney prior to the 1999-00 season and put on a Loper uniform alongside freshman Joey Cochran and redshirt-freshman Mike Gitt, who were all on the 2002-03 team – a team that was recently named a UNK Team of Distinction.
 
Over the next three years players entered the program that became a part of that team. On the 2002-03 team that went 30-3, Svehla said, "It was pretty incredible how for whatever reason we just got a group of guys together that were just a tight bunch and good group of guys."
 
Kropp had similar feelings about the squad. "That team was extremely close. They had a lot of chemistry on that team, which made them really special," he said.
 
While UNK got the best of MSU in 2003, that hadn't always been the case. "When I was a freshman Metro State won it (the national title)," Svehla said. During the 2002 NCAA Tournament, MSU knocked the Lopers out and prior to the 2002-03 season, they had won 12 of 16 against UNK.
 
"What helped the most and probably hurt the most was that we knew Metro State," Svehla added. "We kind of knew what the bar was for winning a national title.
 
"We knew we had to get better, but we knew we could at least compete."
 
And compete they did.
 
Svehla's senior season UNK won all three matchups against the roadrunners including the double overtime thriller in the NCAA Tournament.
 
A two-time All-American Svehla ended his career with 1,983 points and 894 rebounds. The 2013 UNK Athletic Hall of Fame inductee said, "It's really special because sometimes when you're in the moment you just kind of go through it and don't think about it a lot.
 
Today, the 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-American continues to be involved with the game at his alma mater, Creighton Prep, where he teaches math and serves as the team's JV coach and varsity assistant.
 
He's incorporated teachings he learned from Coach Kropp, too. "Coach Kropp was so big into relationships rather than the outcome of games so I bring a lot of that," Svehla said. "He always preached a positive attitude and being unselfish and I stress these things all the time."
 
That's not to say Svehla's lost his competitive edge. "We have a lot of talent and I know we're going to win some games, but I tell my guys I'm not overly concerned with the scoreboard," he added. "I want to play the right way and play hard that to me is more important than what the final score is, because I know in the back of my mind that we're going to win most of our games."
 
This weekend, Svehla and the rest of the 2003 team are going to be back in town for UNK's home opener Saturday, Nov. 15 against Colorado School of Mines as they get recognized as a Team of Distinction.
 
A public reception with the team starts at 6 p.m. on the south concourse in the Health and Sports Center with tipoff set for 7 p.m. The team will be honored at halftime.