We continue our brief profiles of each member of the 2010-11 Creighton women’s basketball team. Join us each weekday from now until the women’s season opener against Liberty at the Wolfpack Invitational for an introduction to this year’s Bluejays, from freshmen to seniors.
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Sometimes it’s tough to get a college basketball player to explicitly list the team’s goals and expectations. Most of the time, he or she will tell you that they’re just taking it one practice at a time, one game at a time, trying to get better every day. Sam Schuett – your thoughts?
“We need to be league champions; we need to be tournament champions; we need to be in the NCAA Tournament. Nothing less than that will be acceptable this year.”
The fifth-year Creighton women’s basketball senior from Millard West is aware of the things that get teams to where she wants the Jays to be (“We need to try to get better each day,” she says. “It’s important for us to develop some consistency”), but, this being her last go-round, she’s not shy to state what every player is thinking at the beginning of every year anyway.
Schuett’s an old veteran on a young team. After redshirting in 2008-2009 due to an ankle injury that required surgery, she averaged 12.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last year and was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team. She’ll be an MVC Player of the Year Candidate this year and is one of 30 finalists nationally for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, given annually to the senior NCAA Division I student-athlete of the year in different sports.
She’ll also be called upon to lead a class of six freshmen, a talented group that will have to contribute immediately and often if the Jays are to be successful. With all of that, maybe she’s stressing out a bit?
“I can honestly say I’m having more fun than I’ve ever had,” said Schuett. “Our freshmen bring a new energy to the team. The last few years have kind of been the same team, so it’s different. It makes me feel young again.
“One day we look really good and the next day we look not so good. There are growing pains that come with having so many freshmen, but these kids are not freshmen talent-wise – they’re going to come in and play right away and contribute right away. There will be some rocky moments, but overall, they’re going to help us a lot.”
The freshmen would be wise to listen to Schuett. In addition to all of her on-the-court accomplishments, she’s also got a teaching edge some other players might not have.
“Sitting out a year, you see some things from the sidelines and you kind of learn to slow down,” she said. “I think it was really helpful for me just to see it from the sidelines.”
This year will be Schuett’s final chance to avenge another MVC Tournament championship game loss – the Jays have suffered back-to-back such losses.
“I feel like every year we come in having ended the previous season with a heartbreaking loss,” she said. “I just think that we need to use it as motivation.”
There will be plenty of opportunities for the Jays to gauge just how motivated they are. Once again, while most of the rest of the Valley will rack up wins against a cupcake-filled non-conference schedule, head coach Jim Flanery has chosen to test his team early and often.
Marquette, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Kansas are a few of the opponents Creighton will face after getting started this weekend at the Wolfpack Invitational, where the Jays could get a matchup with North Carolina State.
“I think we pride ourselves on playing the toughest schedule,” said Schuett. “It helps when we get to the conference season, which is obviously the most important part of the season. I feel like we’re already battle-tested by that time, which is probably part of the reason we’ve done so well in past seasons.”
The Jays get started on Friday with a 1 p.m. showdown against liberty in Raleigh, N.C.
