Last Year: 25-10; 14-6, Second in the Big East Conference, lost in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament
Head Coach: Greg McDermott (Fifteenth Year; 325-160 at Creighton, with nine NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
PG Steven Ashworth – 6’0″, 175 5th-year Senior
G Pop Isaacs – 6’2″, 180 Junior
W Jamiya Neal – 6’5″, 190 5th-year Senior
F Mason Miller – 6’9″, 195 Junior
C Ryan Kalkbrenner – 7’1″, 270 5th-year Senior
Experienced Reserves
F Jasen Green – 6’8″, 230 Sophomore
F Isaac Traudt – 6’10”, 225 Sophomore
C Fredrick King – 6’9″, 250 Junior
Freshmen
G Shane Thomas – 6’3″, 195 (redshirt)
G Larry Johnson – 6’4″, 200
G Sterling Knox – 6’4″, 210 (redshirt)
W Fedor Žugić – 6’6″, 215 (eligibility TBD)
F Jackson McAndrew – 6’10”, 220 / Top 50 recruit
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s been 15 years now since Greg McDermott took over as the head coach at Creighton, and they’ve been 15 strong years. Back at the beginning of his tenure in Omaha, NE, McDermott took over the reins from Hall of Famer-to be Dana Altman and hoped to measure up to his predecessor’s success. Now, McDermott is three wins away from passing Altman as Creighton’s all-time winningest coach.
Despite a glut of his star players moving on to play professional ball over the years, McDermott has managed to consistently hold key pieces of his roster in place to overlap with the transfusions of new talent the Bluejays attract. This season will be no different, but there may be a sharper focus on the overlap. After what feels like a half-decade of relying on the outstanding star trio of Baylor Scheierman, Trey Alexander, and Ryan Kalkbrenner, only Kalkbrenner remains.
These new Bluejays still have plenty of experience on their side; McDermott also retained point guard Steven Ashworth, who arrived last year from Utah State, and has brought aboard more veteran transfers. It feels inexorably as though a torch is about to be passed to a new Creighton core. Just how well will this new mix work out? Well, McDermott is still the coach, so…
It seems silly to say after all he’s accomplished, but now we will find out exactly how big a star Kalkbrenner is in his own right. A three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and all-league pick the past two seasons, Kalkbrenner is a career 1,771-point scorer whose name is already scrawled all over the Big East’s record books. The 7’1″ pivot has for years been one of the nation’s most outstanding shot blockers, and the rest of his game has matured and become consistent upon the foundation of Kalkbrenner’s defensive skills. Kalkbrenner posted the most beneficial disparity between his shooting percentage near the rim – 74.8% – and the percentage opponents made on shots he contested near the rim – 32.8% – of any player in America last winter. His jumper became more of a threat last season, and paired with his devastating efficiency near the rim, Kalkbrenner scored 20+ points in 11 games. He also canned 16 triples, but they came at just a 29.6% rate; this year Kalkbrenner is looking to make his deep ball into a genuine threat.
Kalkbrenner only failed to score in double figures twice last year; he tossed in eight at Marquette, and had put up nine points in the season-opener. There are few players in the nation who can more reliably finish a good setup close to the basket. Kalkbrenner is the all-time Big East leader and ranks sixth in NCAA history with a 66.0% career field goal rate, and last season, Kalkbrenner threw down 85 dunks – the third straight season he’s posted at least 70 of them. The added range on his jumper is an important new wrinkle to his game. Though highly effective inside, Kalkbrenner may never be the most fluid big man of all. Though his incredible length is intimidating defensively, he’s had to hone his ballhandling skills and become stronger and more coordinated to fully maximize his potential. This year, he’s looking to put everything together with a thoroughly dominant campaign as this team’s featured piece.
The experienced guard Creighton added last year – Ashworth – will pair up with this spring’s most exciting addition to lead McDermott backcourt. It was a turbulent sophomore campaign for Pop Isaacs at Texas Tech, and he’s looking for a fresh start in Omaha. A terrific outside shooter, Isaacs put up quality numbers in scoring and assists, but did so at volume with poor percentages as a sophomore. On addition, the matter of a civil lawsuit accusing Isaacs of sexual assault emerged and remained unsettled over the course of the season. The parties involved in that lawsuit have now dismissed it, and Isaacs remained officially in good standing throughout his time at Texas Tech. Now, his focus is firmly upon becoming a key piece in continuing Creighton’s success.
Throughout his career, Isaacs has established his reputation as a marksman. He splashed 135 triples in two years at Tech, but last season, Isaacs dropped from 37.8% to 29.3% on attempts from the land of trey. Quick and daring with the ball in his hands, Isaacs is audacious off the bounce and doesn’t just settle for jumpers. He made 127 foul shots last winter, good for fifth in the Big 12, and Isaacs can really get cooking from the outside following a couple of successful drives into the paint. He’s a natural playmaker, but McDermott will want to see Isaacs cut out a few of his wilder turnovers without sacrificing the unpredictability that makes him such an exciting player.
He spent part of his Creighton debut as the target of considerable consternation, but Ashworth got things rolling after the new year. Now, he returns as a steady, proven fifth-year senior who knows how to operate McDermott’s offense and get Kalkbrenner the ball in position to succeed. Across the first 16 games he played as a Bluejay, Ashworth averaged 8.1 points and 3.6 assists while making just a third of his triple tries and looking hesitant and rattled at times. Entering Big East play, the folks in Omaha weren’t exactly sold on him helping to lead the team, but then, Ashworth found his groove. Over Creighton’s final 19 contests, Ashworth put up 13.7 points and 4.8 helpers per game, and he sank 53 triples over that span.
This year, Ashworth is ready to hit the ground running, and the Bluejays will need his scoring more than ever. Over his four previous seasons, Ashworth has racked up 284 made triples, and he holds a 39.0% career mark on those attempts. Opponents will have to commit valuable resources to covering both of the Bluejays’ top guards whenever they cross halfcourt, and it’s an advantage that both Ashworth and Isaacs have the vision to make teams pay for spreading out their defense. Ashworth ought to pair nicely as a smooth and steady perimeter facilitator next to the drive talents of Isaacs, and both of them make their foul shots; Ashworth has cashed in 88.4% of his career free throw tries.
With the post and point settled, the Bluejay staff turns its focus to a pair of young forwards who, it’s hoped, are ready to step forward as key contributors. Former Virginia transfer Isaac Traudt was mostly a reserve last season as a redshirt freshman, while Mason Miller secured the fifth starter’s job last season and showed off a silky jumper from the outside. Both will be needed to make significant contributions this year, and thankfully for McDermott and his staff, the talent is there to be molded.
By far the most noticeable thing Miller has done so far for the Bluejays is to make triples. The lanky forward has a quick, repeatable release, and Miller often makes it look easy to shoot the three. Playing in a lineup full of proven veterans, even ones who shared the rock as well as Creighton did a year ago, did not afford Miller a great many chances to stand in the spotlight. Still, the junior-to-be owns a 42.6% career rate from downtown, and now he’s going to have a very green light from the coaching staff to fire away. His ballhandling is good for his size, and Miller’s strength and defense have improved, as they needed to in order to play big minutes in the Big East. With proven scorers and distributors around him and a need for secondary scoring, the stage is set for Miller to step forward as one of the new faces of the Bluejays.
With the skillset and size to be the intermediary between Kalkbrenner and Miller, Traudt projects as possibly the first guy off of McDermott’s bench. The Grand Island, NE, native is, like Miller, a former 4-star recruit, and Traudt can be a matchup problem in his own right. While Kalkbrenner is a genuine pivot, Traudt is more of a face-up power forward who is more likely to be seen launching from distance than elbowing his way through the post. Traudt has some quickness inside, though, and good touch scoring around the rim. If Traudt can prove that he’s ready to absorb the punishment doled out by the league’s big men and give some back in kind, the path towards 15+ minutes per game will be laid out before him.
Neal turned in the best performance of his career last winter, and should fill an important role on the wing.
With so much veteran production lost from last year, McDermott also landed former Arizona State starter Jamiya Neal to help out. An athletic guy who’s comfortable in and around the lane, Neal turned in the best performance of his career last winter, and should fill an important role on the wing. Though there are still rough edges to his game, Neal can slash to the rim for easy points off of good passes or by thundering home a putback dunk. When he’s not rambling through the lane, Neal has been productive as a spot-up shooter, but he’s streaky, especially from the land of trey. A good passer and unselfish player, Neal chucked some jumpers last year that McDermott may not have approved of, but the senior will now be surrounded by a deeper cast which could allow him to better pick his spots. The value Neal will bring defensively will be an asset to the Bluejays, and he should absorb tough matchups against the Big East’s better perimeter scorers.
A late addition to the roster may end up being one of the keys to Creighton’s success. Fedor Žugić will be 21 years old early in his first campaign with the Bluejays, and the team isn’t even certain how the NCAA will class him in terms of eligibility. What’s known, though, is that Žugić can hang in European professional competition, and that he has grabbed the attention of NBA scouts. The Montenegran swingman played big minutes and played them well for a German pro squad last winter, and has plenty of other international experience. Big and strong, Žugić has a college-ready frame and versatile perimeter skills to go along with. He shoots the three well and knows how to get to the rim, and Žugić has some shimmy on his way through the lane. There are still questions about Žugić, but also plenty of excitement from a variety of sources to see his debut.
To back up the top guys, Jasen Green and Fredrick King are also returning up front. A stout, wide-framed pivot who’s been Kalkbrenner’s reserve the past couple of years, King has been solid in that role. It’s going to be very difficult to grow his role much with the fifth-year star still ahead of him, but King’s experience is valuable. Green only averaged 7.2 minutes per game last year as a freshman, but he made the most of his opportunities. After shooting 78.9% on two-point attempts as a rookie and showing developing range out to the three-point arc, Green figures to carve out more minutes if he can keep playing such an efficient game.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 80.4 – Points Per Game (32nd) |
| 3.8 – Steals Per Game (360th) |
| 11.5 – Personal Fouls Per Game (1st) |
| 10.7 – Made 3FG Per Game (6th) |
| 11.7 – Made FT Per Game (304th) |
All of the veterans up front will have to contend with a new arrival, though, and he just so happens to be the highest-rated recruit in Bluejays history. Big and skilled enough to play right away, Jackson McAndrew is another classic Creighton shooting forward. As a prep star, he’s shown the touch and confidence of positioning and off-ball movement to become a featured piece at the Big East level.
“McAndrew is a pure shooter. He has a feathery touch and easy deep range well beyond the arc. He’s capable of heating up and making shots in bunches, and when that happens he can also make tough shots off his back foot,” Adam Finkelstein analyzed for 247 Sports. “He’s also mobile for his size, able to run the floor, has predictably soft hands, and some signs of being able to put the ball on the floor.”
Though lanky and in need of strength, McAndrew has a veteran’s savvy already on the offensive end which will get him going. His drive and post-up scoring might take a bit to blossom, but McDermott knows how to feature shooters and McAndrew ought to be a quality reserve scorer for the Bluejays. Tough-minded two-way guard Larry Johnson will be counted on for some important minutes off the bench as a freshman, too. He’s long and possesses quick feet defensively, and Johnson should be able to guard at a high level right out of the gates. He’s also shown real explosiveness in getting out ahead on the break or finishing near the rim, and Johnson can use either hand to convert around the paint. While he’s not as natural a shooter as some of his young teammates, Johnson has skills which will translate right away. Sterling Knox and Shane Thomas took developmental redshirts last year, and will battle for their share of the backup minutes also.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| @ Alabama – December 14 |
| vs Kansas – December 4 |
| N Texas A&M – November 27 |
| N Oregon – November 30 |
| vs Nebraska – November 22 |
As they look to get rolling again without some departed stars, Creighton will be facing one of America’s most vicious non-conference schedules. In addition to appearing at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, the Bluejays will host Nebraska, Kansas, and UNLV – a team that’s had their number lately. In their final contest before Big East play tips off, Creighton will also travel to Alabama. It’s the sort of slate that will prepare McDermott’s squad for March and, it’s hoped, will bring the rookies quickly up to speed.
The floor of expectations has risen for Creighton the past couple of years, and it will be up to Kalkbrenner and Ashworth – and their new friends – to make sure Creighton doesn’t backslide while they’re still around. This group might not have three obvious stars this fall in the same way they did a year ago…but by season’s end, they may. The Bluejays will also be more seriously counting on the young talent that McDermott and his staff have been developing lately, and it will be important that the underclassmen take a collective step forward. Attrition is the law of the land in college basketball, but Creighton has prepared to stay strong. Now, the Bluejays will get to prove their staying power.
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