We are profiling each member of the 2013-14 Creighton Bluejays men’s basketball team. Check in daily leading up to Creighton’s regular season opener against Alcorn State Nov. 8 for an introduction to this season’s Bluejays, from newcomers to seniors. Check out all the previews here.
Geoffrey Groselle (#41 / C / 7-0 / 250 lbs / R-So.)
To say there are big shoes to fill in Creighton’s frontcourt is an understatement. The Bluejays must replace Gregory Echenique in the middle of the paint. Echenique was the Jays’ second-leading scorer and rebounder last season and swatted 62 shots, an effort that helped him earn his third straight spot on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Defense team.
Enter seven-footer Geoffrey Groselle. Along with fellow post men Will Artino and Zach Hanson, Groselle will get a shot to see the court in place of Echenique’s 22.9 minutes per game from last season. He played in 17 games last season following a redshirt year in 2011-2012, making four of seven attempts from the field and grabbing 12 rebounds in 47 minutes of action.
Groselle has battled nagging injuries, including an Achilles issue. The opportunity to contribute is there; in a Big East Conference full of big-bodied centers, Groselle’s size is an attribute only a select few possess. And with Doug McDermott and other capable scorers surrounding whoever earns playing time at center, there’s not much pressure to have to put points up in bunches. If the big man from Plano, Tex., can hold his own defensively in the post and stay healthy in the process, CU fans will quickly acclimate to Groselle’s game.
We caught up with Groselle at Creighton’s Media Day:
