For years, a sect of Creighton fans has clamored for a little more glitz and glamour to kick of the official college basketball season. Friday night, history will be made as the men’s and women’s basketball teams host the first ever Bluejay Madness.
Bluejays coach Jim Flanery has always thrown a morning open house, a sort of Breakfast Madness, with his women’s team each year to kick off the basketball season. But new men’s coach Greg McDermott is also embracing an opportunity to entertain some of the diehard Creighton hoops fans. Thus, the night of dunks, 3-point contests, and autographs.
The Sokol Arena doors open at 6:30 p.m. tonight, with the event beginning at 7:30 p.m. How busy will it be? I’d get there early, if you want to catch the scrimmages, the dunk contest, and the 3-point shootout.
Scrimmages
Both the men’s and women’s teams will partake in separate 15-minute scrimmages. It will be interesting to see if the teams are evenly distributed or if projected first and second teams face off. In fact, during the women’s scrimmage, it may be the six newcomers taking on the veterans.
Three-Point Competition
Players from the men’s and women’s teams will pair up and take part in a bracketed 3-point shootout. Here’s the field:
Now, if you have watched either team, you have to think that the sophomore duo of Ethan Wragge and Ally Jensen are the favorites in this one. Wragge was deadly from downtown last season and Jensen hit big 3s all season. But don’t be surprised if the team of Kaleb Korver and Sam Schuett are the ones to walk away as winners. Schuett led the women’s team in 3-pointers made (65) and 3-point FG percentage (42%), while Korver is looking to prove he is an outside threat heading into his senior season.
For a little bit of fun, a few White & Blue Review contributors took a guess as to who will win.
- Creighton Otter: Kenny Lawson and Kelsey Woodard
- Danny O’Byrne: Ethan Wragge and Ally Jensen
- Patrick Marshall: Kaleb Korver and Sam Schuett
- Paul Liberty: Kenny Lawson and Kelsey Woodard
- Panon: Ethan Wragge and Ally Jensen
- Max Univers: Ethan Wragge and Ally Jensen
Dunk Contest
Everyone loves a great dunk, right? Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, and Dr. J. set the standard for the dunk contest in the NBA. Others have always looked for the next great dunk. Could it come from a Bluejay? Here are the contestants for this contest:
- Will Artino
- Darryl Ashford
- Kenny Lawson Jr.
- Wayne Runnels
- Jahenns Manigat
- Antoine Young
Will there be rounds? Will it be best dunk wins? Will they hand out those fun Gatorade numbers cards? Will Charles Barkley or a celeb de jour show up to harp on the contestants? I don’t know those answers, but I do know that Ashford can take it to tin and Runnels is explosive. But don’t sleep on Young; he is an amazing athlete with great leaping ability, regardless of his size. Here are our picks:
- Creighton Otter: Wayne Runnels
- Danny O’Byrne: Antoine Young
- Patrick Marshall: Will Artino
- Panon: Darryl Ashford
- Paul Liberty: Jahenns Manigat
- Max Univers: Jahenns Manigat
Autographs
You can’t have an event without autographs for the kids! After the contests and scrimmages end, the autograph sessions with both teams will begin. Happy hunting!
White & Blue Review
We’ll be at Bluejay Madness tonight, too.
- Stop by our information table in the Sokol Arena concourse to pick up some promotional items.
- Join Mac’s Militia and purchase your own limited edition shirt to show support for McDermott and his new regime.
- Or just hang out and talk Creighton sports with us. A few of us will be there; one is bound to know something about Bluejays athletics, right?!
Have fun, and GO JAYS!
