Career Honors
- 2010-11 Paul Velander Hustle Award Winner
- 2008-09 First-Team Division II All-North Central Region
- 2008-09 First-Team Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
- 2008-09 Second-Team Division II NABC All-Central Region
- Led RMAC in points per game (21.9,2008-09)
- 2007-08 First-Team Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
- 2007-08 First-Team Division II All-North Central Region
- 2007-08 Second-Team Division II NABC All-Central Region
Overview
Drake Beranek spent two seasons at Nebraska after starring at the Division II ranks for Nebraska-Kearney. He played in 113 career games, totaling 1,586 points and 643 rebounds.
2010-11 (Senior)
Beranek played an important role in helping the Huskers win 19 games and reach the postseason for the third time in four years. He appeared in all 32 games, including five starts, and averaged 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest. Beranek was selected as the 2011 Paul Velander Hustle Award winner by the coaching staff, as he ranked among the team leaders in floor burns and charges taken.
He reached double figures three times while coming off the bench, including a pair of times in conference action. He had 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and a season-best three assists at Baylor on Feb. 9, while also totaling 10 points, four rebounds and two assists in a win over Colorado on Jan. 18. His other double figure effort came against Jackson State when he hit 4-of-5 shots from the field, including both of his 3-point attempts.
Beranek made four of his five starts in Big 12 action, including a start against Iowa State when he had nine points and seven rebounds while limiting Scott Christopherson, who was leading the Big 12 in 3-point percentage at the time, to just six points on 2-of-7 shooting. He keyed a Senior Night win over No. 22 Missouri, scoring all seven of his points in the second half of a 69-57 win over the Tigers.
2009-10 (Senior)
Beranek sat out the 2009-10 season under NCAA transfer guidelines.
Before Nebraska
Beranek walked on at Nebraska for the 2009-10 season with the goal of trying his hand at Division I basketball. He had a tremendous opportunity after being one of the top players in Division II his first three years at Nebraska-Kearney when he led the Lopers to a 51-35 record.
Individually, Beranek was a three-time all-conference selection after averaging 17.9 points per game over his career. A two-time all-region selection, he ranked 15th on the UNK career scoring chart with 1,453 career points in 81 games.
As a junior, Beranek led the conference in scoring at 21.9 points per game, an average that ranked 11th in Division II. He hit 49.5 percent (211-of-426) from the floor - including an impressive 43.3 percent (52-of-120) from beyond the arc - while draining 82.1 percent (96-of-117) at the free throw line. He also averaged 6.9 rebounds per game and more than three assists per contest.
He posted a season-high 40 points in a win at New Mexico Highlands and had a career-best 41-point effort against Metro State as a sophomore when he averaged 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. In his career, he posted 11 games of 30 or more points and had 18 double-doubles.
In high school, Beranek was coached by his father, Paul Beranek, at Ravenna High School. The younger Beranek helped the team to a 73-7 record over his final three seasons, including a 41-game win streak along with a state championship and a state runner-up finish. As a senior, Beranek ranked in the top 10 in the state in 10 categories. He averaged 24 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, while connecting on 47 percent from 3-point range.
Beranek also was a member of the honor roll and the National Honor Society at Ravenna High School.
Personal
Drake is the son of Paul and Brenda Beranek, and was born April 24, 1988. He has two brothers, Riley and Connor. Drake majored in communication studies at Nebraska and graduated with degree from Nebraska in May of 2011.
Nebraska Career Highs
Points
10 three times (last, 2/9/11)
Rebounds
7 vs. Iowa State (1/8/11)
Field Goals
4 three times (last, 2/9/11)
Free Throws
5 vs. Colorado (1/18/11)
3-point FG
2 two times (last, 2/9/11)
Assists
3 at Baylor (2/9/11)
Steals
2 five times (last, 2/16/11)
Blocks
1 three times (last, 2/26/11)
Minutes
32 two times (last, 2/9/11)