Courtney Aitken Season 2012-13

Honors & Awards

• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2012; Spring 2013)
• First-Team Class C-2 All-State (Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, 2012)
• Honorable-Mention Class C-1 All-State (Omaha World-Herald, 2010, 2011)
• Honorable-Mention Class C-1 All-State (Lincoln Journal Star, 2011)
• Honorary Captain All-Heartland Super Squad
  (Grand Island Independent, 2011, 2012)
• Three-Time All-Heartland Super Squad
  (Grand Island Independent, 2010, 2011, 2012)
• 12-Time Academic All-State Selection (Basketball, Volleyball, Track)

Freshman (2012-13)
Freshman Courtney Aitken added depth to a young Husker backcourt in 2012-13. Aitken chose to walk on to Nebraska over a scholarship offer from Nebraska-Kearney after an impressive career at Centura High School. She was awarded a basketball scholarship following the opening weekend of the regular season.

Aitken was one of the state of Nebraska’s top all-around seniors in 2011-12, averaging 17.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, while also providing solid defense.

The 5-9 guard from Dannebrog, Neb., played in six games, averaging 1.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists, before being knocked out of action for the season with a stress reaction in her foot. She will be eligible to apply for a medical hardship and regain her freshman year of eligibility. Her final game of the year came at Creighton on Dec. 5.

Aitken grabbed two rebounds against both Temple and Idaho State. She dished out three assists against Northern Arizona.

In the classroom, she earned a spot on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters of 2012-13.

Aitken finished her high school career as the Centurions' No. 3 all-time scorer with 1,423 points, while leading Centura with 918 career rebounds from her guard spot. She also notched the second-best assist total in school history with 539. Aitken's career assist mark trailed only former Husker starting point guard Jina Johansen (2002-05), who was also from Dannebrog.

Aitken's cousin Drake Beranek from Ravenna, Neb., was also a part-time starter on the NU men's basketball team in 2010-11.

"Courtney loves Nebraska basketball, and she is already proving herself as a great teammate," Yori said. "She is pretty athletic and gives us more size at the guard spot. She is a solid rebounder, and a pretty good passer and defender. She is also an outstanding communicator."

High School
Aitken earned first-team Class C-2 all-state honors as a senior, after claiming honorable-mention Class C-1 all-state accolades as both a sophomore and junior from the Omaha World-Herald. She was also a first-team Class C-2 all-state pick by the Lincoln Journal Star in 2011-12.

She was a three-time member of the Grand Island Independent's All-Heartland Super Squad (2010, 2011, 2012), while serving as the team's honorary captain her final two years of high school

Aitken led Centura High School to a 24-2 record for Coach Kathy Mettenbrink as a senior. Aitken averaged 17.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in 2011-12. She closed her high school career ranked among the top three players in school history in points (1,423, 3rd), rebounds (918, 1st) and assists (539, 2nd).

She averaged 13.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 7.1 steals per game as a junior, while leading Centura to the Class C-1 State Tournament. She scored 21 points in a first-round loss to eventual champion Sandy Creek.

Aitken capped her high school basketball career by scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead the Blue team to a 67-55 victory over the White in the Pinnacle Agency's Central Nebraska All-Star Game in June of 2012. She was also selected to play for the Red Team alongside fellow Husker freshman Sadie Murren from Wahoo in the Nebraska Coaches All-Star Game in Lincoln in July.

An outstanding all-around athlete, Aitken was also an honorable-mention Class C-2 all-stater as a middle hitter in volleyball as a senior for the Centurions in 2011. She was a four-time All-LouPlatte Conference selection in volleyball. Aitken was also a four-time state qualifier in track and field, focusing primarily on the 200 and 400-meter events, while also competing in the 4x800 relay. A standout as a student as well, Aitken was the co-valedictorian of her senior class along with her twin brother, Cameron.

Personal
Courtney is the daughter of Tim and Cindy Aitken and was born Jan. 13, 1994 in Grand Island, Neb. Courtney has a twin brother, Cameron, who is a team manager for the Huskers. She also has two older twin brothers, James and Josh, who both attend the University of Nebraska. Courtney is majoring in nutrition science and earned a spot on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters of 2012-13.

Five Facts About Courtney

1. Courtney spent her first day of kindergarten in the principal's office because she was talking too much.
2. She took clogging lessons for four years.
3. Courtney loves Elvis, peanut butter, giraffes and Buzz Lightyear.
4. She broke her left foot while running the 400-meter dash at the Nebraska state track and field meet her freshman year of high school, but still qualified for the finals.
5. Courtney traveled to Germany to visit the family of a foreign exchange student that her family hosted during the 2009-10 academic year.

Aitken's Career Statistics