By Andrew Hanson, UNK Student
 
Kearney, Neb. – Tipoff was set for 5:00 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

The clock for pre-game warm-ups was ticking.

There was one problem, though. The University of Nebraska at Kearney men's basketball team hadn't reached Hays, Kan., yet.

"Our bus broke down in Alma on our way to the game," recalled Dusty Jura, who was a junior at the time. "We had to wait there for a couple people to come down with vans to take us the rest of the way.

"Instead of waiting for us, they started the clock for warming up. We walked in with 16 minutes left on the clock. We had to get ready then still to go out and play."

Fort Hays State was the No. 1 ranked team in the country and boasted a nearly unblemished 25-1 record.

There wasn't a ticket to be found in all of Hays, either. The last regular season game of the year, it also was the Tigers' final game as an RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) member.

"It was their senior night. We were playing in front of 7,000 people; it was standing room only," Jura said.

Despite barely having enough time to get dressed, the Lopers jumped out to a 32-30 lead at halftime. Jura had an average night by his standards scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds and having three steals.

"I didn't even play that great that game," he added.

James Lane did, though. The junior guard sank three 3-pointers for the Lopers while scoring 22 points on the late February night in 2006 to help the Lopers hold off FHSU, 70-66, in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,167 spectators.

"It was a big game rivalry. Hays was the No. 1 team in the country, and we ended up going into their place and beat them by four," Jura said. "It was awesome."

The Lopers went on to win the RMAC Tournament, only the second time in program history UNK won that event. The year ended with a 23-8 record a loss to Minnesota State in the NCAA Tournament

Jura was a two-time All-American and Academic All-American. The 2007 RMAC Player of the Year, he played from 2004-07 and led UNK to three NCAA appearances. Today, Jura is the Director of Development of UNK's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
 
The following is from an interview with Jura reflecting on his basketball career:
 
What brought you to UNK?
"I played my freshman year at the University of Northern Iowa, but I left for a couple reasons. I got homesick and lost a lot of confidence because the talent level was a little more than I anticipated. I was a big fish in a small pond, and I went to a big pond and couldn't take it right away. I transferred back to UNK because of the teammates that I would have and the success that they'd had in the past."
 
What was it like joining a program that had experienced a lot of recent success?
"It was a good situation because not only had they had a lot of success, but they'd had some really good players in Nick Svehla, Mike Gitt and Richard Dionne that had just left who all played my position. They had a lot of good players coming back. The opportunity to play and be able to do that on a successful team was awesome."
 
What was your professional career like?
"I was fortunate enough to have a lot of offers to go overseas to play in a lot of areas. I chose to go to Spain because it was a good contract. I played my first year there. It was an eye-opener. The talent level was very good. The guys I played with were very professional and very good players, but it wasn't the most enjoyable experience because I had a hard time adjusting to the culture and style of play in Europe. After, that I went and played in Australia for three years for the remainder of my career. I had some good honors down there. I met a lot of really great people and just enjoyed it a lot more."
 
How did you become the men's basketball team's graduate assistant?
"We (Jura and his wife) made a quick decision to move back to the U.S. and be finished with playing. Basketball was always the only thing I'd known. I knew I wanted to get my master's degree, so the situation was good timing."
 
 How have you seen athletics at UNK evolve since you played here?
"It has changed so much. I've seen a lot of things that I wish I'd had as resources when I was a player here. It's good that it's that way because it shows that we're evolving and keeping up with the times."
 
Were there things you took away from your basketball career that now help you in your current job?
"Really, to basically just enjoy it. It was good in the fact that it taught me to really enjoy what you're doing and to enjoy the people that you're around. In Australia, I had such good friends that I still have to this day."