NU Eagles Sign Four to Play in 2011-12 Season
KIRKLAND, Wash. – Northwest University head men’s basketball coach, John Van Dyke, announced four players committing to play for the Eagles this coming season. 6’-6” Ryan Dornik (Vancouver, Wash.), 6’-8” Nemanja Grujicic (Ratkovo, Serbia), 6’-0” Cody Shackett (Puyallup, Wash.) and 6’-9” Nikola Djokovic (Belgrade, Serbia) have signed letters of intent to play for the Eagles.
Ryan Dornik (Vancouver, Wash.) is a 6’-6”, 200 lb. forward and a transfer from Yakima Valley Community College. Dornik was team co-captain at YVCC and was a NWAACC All-Star this past season. His team finished 5th in the 2011 NWAACC Tournament and was a semi-finalist in 2010. At Evergreen High School, Ryan was a 4-year varsity letter winner and team co-captain in his senior year, averaging 13.9 ppg and 4.5 rebounds per contest for the Plainsmen. He was also named first team, 4A Greater St. Helens all-league and an all-region honorable mention in his final year at EHS.
“Ryan knows how to play the game,” said Coach Van Dyke. “He is one of those guys who is always in the right spot at the right time. He led his team in minutes played at Yakima CC. I like the way he will stretch defenses with his ability to shoot 3’s; he shot 41% from the 3 point line. Ryan is an excellent addition to the program.”
Nemanja Grujicic (Ratkovo, Serbia), is a 6’-8”, 210 lb. forward who redshirted last season at College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. Grujicic played for Team Mega Basket in the Amateur League in Serbia and averaged 20 points per game. He led his team in 3-point field goal percentage. Nemanja was also a member of the Serbian U15 National Team and was rated one of Serbia’s top 20 players.
“Nemanja is adjusting to basketball in the United States,” commented Van Dyke. “He wants to improve as a player and I feel if he can spend time in the weight room and work on developing his game, he will be a big part of our program. Like many European players he can really shoot the ball from the perimeter.”
Cody Shackett (Puyallup, Wash.), is a 6’-0”, 180 lb. guard who played his prep basketball at Cascade Christian High School. Shackett was first team, Nisqually all-league all four years of his playing career at CCHS, a two-time state tournament MVP and was 2011 1A AP Player of the Year. His Cascade Christian team won back-to-back 1A state championships in 2010 and 2011. The 2011 team finished with a record of 25-2 with their only losses of the season to Class 3A state champion, Lakes and to 2A tourney qualifier Fife High School. Shackett scored 115 points and averaged 28.8 ppg in the 2011 state tournament.
“Cody is fearless,” commented Van Dyke. “He plays with a mentality that he will not back down from anyone. It’s great to bring in another person along with our returnee Michael Greene (Soph., Squalicum HS, Bellingham, Wash.) who has won multiple state championships. Cody will have a great career at NU.”
Nikola Djokovic (Belgrade, Serbia), 6’-9”, 255 lbs., attended Seattle Prep Academy for the past two years and averaged 3.6 ppg. Seattle Prep finished the season with a 22-7 record, winning a Mountain Division championship in the Seattle Metro League and a second place finish in districts. Prep qualified for the final eight in the WIAA state tournament. This year was a shortened season for Nikola due to a broken foot. He also played for Emerald City Pioneers in the summer of 2010. Djokovic’s mother is a professor at Belgrade University and his father is architect in Belgrade.
Stated Coach Van Dyke, “I am excited to have Nikola join our program here at Northwest. I feel his best basketball days are ahead of him. He can knock down the open jump shot and has a strong physical frame. Before he graduates, I think he has a chance to be an impact player in our league.”
The new players will join a returning veteran core consisting of seniors Rich Skillman, Ahmaad Cook, Jordan Call, Tyler Mendezona and Jason Waltman along with sophomore, Michael Greene. The 2010-11 Eagle team finished tied for third in the Cascade Conference with a league record of 12-6 and a season mark of 22-9 which included a trip to the 2011 NAIA Division II National Championships in Missouri. NU finished ranked 23rd in the NAIA national poll and were nationally ranked all eleven weeks of the season as they climbed as high as #11 in the week of December 13.