University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Men's hoops adds pair of dynamic guards
4/14/2021 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNC men's basketball signed Dru Kuxhausen.and Zach Bloch
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado men's basketball added a pair of dynamic guards on Wednesday in Dru Kuxhausen and Zach Bloch.
Dru Kuxhausen | 6-0 | 180 | Guard
Bombs away! Northern Colorado men's basketball added the most prolific 3-point shooter in Division I basketball over the past two seasons to their roster with the signing of graduate transfer Dru Kuxhausen. The Scottsbluff, Nebraska native is coming back out west after playing his past two seasons at McNeese State.
"Securing the commitment of Dru Kuxhausen is a really big deal for our program. Dru will help add to our core group with his veteran presence and four years of experience in playing college basketball. Most recently, Dru proved himself to be one of the best shooters in all of America at the Division I level after making almost 200 3pt shots at McNeese State in the past two seasons," head coach Steve Smiley said. "Dru broke several records at McNeese, and his ability to shoot from deep range will only help our offense to create more space and put more pressure on opposing team's defenses. More importantly, Dru has a toughness and competitive nature that is infectious on both sides of the ball."
Kuxhausen made 199 three-pointers over the past two seasons while at McNeese State to lead all of Division I. He led the nation with 125 threes in 2018-19 and did so efficiently ranking third with a mark of 45.8%. He followed it up this past season with 74 threes at a clip of 40.0%. He averaged 13.5 points a game at McNeese.
"He grew up in Scottsbluff, Nebraska and previously played for two of our current assistant coaches in Coach Reed at Chadron State and Coach Fehringer at Western Nebraska before going to McNeese," Smiley added. "We've seen Dru play for several years and know what he can bring to our program. At the end of the day, Dru is a winner that will be a really big part of our team's success next season. We're thrilled that Dru has chosen to finish his career at UNC!"
Prior to playing at McNeese State, Kuxhausen played for now UNC assistant coach Cory Fehringer at Western Nebraska Community College. He connected on 51.0% of his three pointers making 119 of them to rank fifth in the nation. He averaged 19.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in helping the team to a Region IX tournament semifinal appearance.
The Scottsbluff High School graduate scored 2,110 points to rank 17th all-time in Nebraska high school history averaging over 20 points his junior and senior season.
Zach Bloch | 6-2 | 165 | Guard
From the Jayhawk State to the Centennial State, The Kansas 2A Player of the Year is making his way to Greeley to suit up for Northern Colorado men's basketball. Guard Zach Bloch signed his letter of intent on Wednesday to join the Bears from his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas.
"I'm really excited to add Zach to our roster for a variety of reasons. Coach Dorian Green and our entire staff did a great job of identifying Zach as exactly the type of player that we want to recruit in our program. First and foremost, Zach is a great kid that comes from a great family, and he's exactly the type of young player that we want to add to our roster to build for our future.
The 6-2, 165 guard was the 2A Player of the Year his senior season and two-time All-State selection. In his final year averaged 18 points, six rebounds and six assists shooting 43% from behind the arc. He helped his high school Bishop Seabury Academy to the final four before COVID shutdown the tournament in 2020.
"Zach has proven himself on the court at the prep level in many ways, being named not only the Kansas Player of the Year but also most recently, proving himself as an elite player in one of the top prep leagues in the country in the Grind Session with Colorado Prep. Zach also has had an accomplished career in the Under Armour Circuit playing with one of the top club teams in the country in KC Run GMC. Zach's skill set as a guard will translate to winning basketball in the Big Sky with his ability to shoot the basketball and to relentlessly attack defenses with the ball in his hand. Zach plays with a passion and contagious energy on both sides of the court and he is a winning player in so many ways. Off the court, Zach is a tremendous student and will be a great member of our UNC and Greeley community for the next several years. We're thrilled that Zach has decided to become a Bear!"
Bloch chose Northern Colorado over East Carolina, Wyoming, Montana State, Montana, Colorado State and Utah State.
What others are saying about Bloch
"Zach is a winner. He's a leader, and he can flat out shoot it. He makes big shots. I won't be surprised when he's making game winners in a bear uniform, and I also won't be surprised when I see him playing in a tournament in late March." – Xavier Silas, Colorado Prep Coach
To stay up to date on all things UNC Men's Basketball, visit UNCBears.com, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the new UNC Athletics app by clicking here.
Dru Kuxhausen | 6-0 | 180 | Guard
Bombs away! Northern Colorado men's basketball added the most prolific 3-point shooter in Division I basketball over the past two seasons to their roster with the signing of graduate transfer Dru Kuxhausen. The Scottsbluff, Nebraska native is coming back out west after playing his past two seasons at McNeese State.
"Securing the commitment of Dru Kuxhausen is a really big deal for our program. Dru will help add to our core group with his veteran presence and four years of experience in playing college basketball. Most recently, Dru proved himself to be one of the best shooters in all of America at the Division I level after making almost 200 3pt shots at McNeese State in the past two seasons," head coach Steve Smiley said. "Dru broke several records at McNeese, and his ability to shoot from deep range will only help our offense to create more space and put more pressure on opposing team's defenses. More importantly, Dru has a toughness and competitive nature that is infectious on both sides of the ball."
Kuxhausen made 199 three-pointers over the past two seasons while at McNeese State to lead all of Division I. He led the nation with 125 threes in 2018-19 and did so efficiently ranking third with a mark of 45.8%. He followed it up this past season with 74 threes at a clip of 40.0%. He averaged 13.5 points a game at McNeese.
"He grew up in Scottsbluff, Nebraska and previously played for two of our current assistant coaches in Coach Reed at Chadron State and Coach Fehringer at Western Nebraska before going to McNeese," Smiley added. "We've seen Dru play for several years and know what he can bring to our program. At the end of the day, Dru is a winner that will be a really big part of our team's success next season. We're thrilled that Dru has chosen to finish his career at UNC!"
Prior to playing at McNeese State, Kuxhausen played for now UNC assistant coach Cory Fehringer at Western Nebraska Community College. He connected on 51.0% of his three pointers making 119 of them to rank fifth in the nation. He averaged 19.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in helping the team to a Region IX tournament semifinal appearance.
The Scottsbluff High School graduate scored 2,110 points to rank 17th all-time in Nebraska high school history averaging over 20 points his junior and senior season.
Zach Bloch | 6-2 | 165 | Guard
From the Jayhawk State to the Centennial State, The Kansas 2A Player of the Year is making his way to Greeley to suit up for Northern Colorado men's basketball. Guard Zach Bloch signed his letter of intent on Wednesday to join the Bears from his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas.
"I'm really excited to add Zach to our roster for a variety of reasons. Coach Dorian Green and our entire staff did a great job of identifying Zach as exactly the type of player that we want to recruit in our program. First and foremost, Zach is a great kid that comes from a great family, and he's exactly the type of young player that we want to add to our roster to build for our future.
The 6-2, 165 guard was the 2A Player of the Year his senior season and two-time All-State selection. In his final year averaged 18 points, six rebounds and six assists shooting 43% from behind the arc. He helped his high school Bishop Seabury Academy to the final four before COVID shutdown the tournament in 2020.
"Zach has proven himself on the court at the prep level in many ways, being named not only the Kansas Player of the Year but also most recently, proving himself as an elite player in one of the top prep leagues in the country in the Grind Session with Colorado Prep. Zach also has had an accomplished career in the Under Armour Circuit playing with one of the top club teams in the country in KC Run GMC. Zach's skill set as a guard will translate to winning basketball in the Big Sky with his ability to shoot the basketball and to relentlessly attack defenses with the ball in his hand. Zach plays with a passion and contagious energy on both sides of the court and he is a winning player in so many ways. Off the court, Zach is a tremendous student and will be a great member of our UNC and Greeley community for the next several years. We're thrilled that Zach has decided to become a Bear!"
Bloch chose Northern Colorado over East Carolina, Wyoming, Montana State, Montana, Colorado State and Utah State.
What others are saying about Bloch
"Zach is a winner. He's a leader, and he can flat out shoot it. He makes big shots. I won't be surprised when he's making game winners in a bear uniform, and I also won't be surprised when I see him playing in a tournament in late March." – Xavier Silas, Colorado Prep Coach
To stay up to date on all things UNC Men's Basketball, visit UNCBears.com, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the new UNC Athletics app by clicking here.
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