Men's Basketball

2012-13 Creighton Men’s Basketball Profiles: Avery Dingman

We are profiling each member of the 2012-13 Creighton Bluejays men’s basketball team. Check in weekdays leading up to Creighton’s regular season opener against North Texas (November 9) for an introduction to this season’s Bluejays, from freshmen to seniors.

Avery Dingman (#22 / G / 6-6 / 205 lbs. / So.)

Check out our photo gallery of Avery Dingman (courtesy Adam Streur and Mike Spomer for WBR)

Bluejay sophomore Avery Dingman came to Creighton saddled with the label of a shooter. That’s not bad, of course; plenty of true freshmen would love to step in and play in 35 games for an NCAA Tournament team. Dingman carved out minutes in his first year at CU thanks to a great shooting stroke and solid size and athleticism for this position. But despite shooting 41.9% from three-point range, his lack of consistency on defense coupled with experience ahead of him in the backcourt limited Dingman to 7.2 minutes of playing time per game.

That’s not to say Dingman didn’t make the most out of his minutes. He averaged nearly 8 points per game in the 10 games when he played 10 or more minutes. He set a career high with 14 points against Iowa in Des Moines last November, and then matched it with a clutch shooting performance in an overtime win against Evansville in Omaha in late February. In both games Dingman made 4 three-pointers.

Jays fans are expecting big things on offense from Dingman as he enters his second full season at CU. But talk around practice this fall has been focused on his ability as a defender. At 6-6, Dingman can challenge shots and passing lanes; his athleticism allows him to stay in step with the guys he’s trying to guard. If he’s the consistent defensive stopper on the perimeter the Bluejays missed last season, chances are Dingman will get plenty of opportunities to shoot as a sophomore.

We caught up with Dingman at Creighton’s Media Day:

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