[Photos]
Key Stats:
Take the salt shaker from your kitchen and dump it on these numbers (metaphorically speaking), because that’s the only way to look at stats from an exhibition: with a huge grain of salt. CU outrebounded Wayne State 52-23, including 15-4 on the offensive glass overall and 9-0 in the first half. CU outscored WSU 44-12 on points in the paint, 12-2 on points on turnovers, 19-2 on second-chance points, 21-0 on fastbreak points, and 44-25 on bench points.
No matter where you look up and down the stat sheet after this one, it was all Bluejays.
Standout Performance:
Ronnie Harrell, Jr., the at-times enigmatic sophomore who struggled to find consistency (or playing time) as a freshman, looked — and played — like a completely different player. All offseason, we heard reports from our own Matt DeMarinis and others that the lightbulb had seemingly turned on for Harrell, and if Friday night was any indication, that couldn’t be more true.
In 16 minutes of action, Harrell was everywhere, and almost had a double-double. He was 5-6 from the field, scoring on an array of jumpers, drives to the rim, and putbacks in traffic. He grabbed eight rebounds, and was the Bluejays’ most active player on the glass. Mostly, he had the look of a player who’s figured it out.
“He seems to raise the level of energy on the floor, and he’s playing more within himself this year — in practice and what you saw tonight and against Missouri,” Coach Greg McDermott said after the game. “He was trying to make too many plays in the past, and sometimes foolish plays. He’s learning to make the simple play. He’s improved defensively, and all around Ronnie has been a different guy since the end of last season.”
Elaborating on why Harrell has turned the corner, McDermott continued, “He’s changed his habits off the floor, some life habits that needed to change frankly, and it’s carried over onto the floor. Some of those directions that maybe were in his life that were causing him and I not to get along very well, he’s eliminated, and it’s amazing how much you can grow as a basketball player if you take some of those distractions out of your life. To his credit, he’s done that.”
Perhaps the best example of the “new” Ronnie Harrell came in the second half. While battling for a rebound, he fought off two Wayne State players without fouling, tipped the ball out away from the paint, then dove head-first over the courtside table to attempt to save the ball. That kind of controlled, aggressive play was not part of Harrell’s game a year ago. If it continues, he’ll be a very valuable weapon off the bench for the Jays.
Recap & Analysis:
Creighton’s had exhibitions against DII opponents in the past that were competitive, closely-contested games. Friday was not one of those games. The Bluejays held Wayne State scoreless for nearly six minutes to open the night, and took a 13-0 lead right off the bat, which ballooned to 36-12 after a dozen minutes of action as they completely controlled the game.
Marcus Foster, playing for the first time in a Bluejay uniform, wasted little time getting into the scoring column by draining a three-pointer on the game’s first possession. He’d go on to score a team-high 13 points, and even in the limited time he saw, gave Jays’ fans a glimpse at his offensive skillset — from three-pointers to step-back jumpers to drives at the rim, Foster has a lot of ways to create his own shot, which should frustrate opposing defenses all year long.
The Jays took a 51-20 lead to the locker room, led by Mo Watson’s 11 points and two steals, and the big lead gave them an opportunity to get the entire roster acclimated to the bright lights of CenturyLink Center on gameday.
“It’s hard to do it beforehand,” McDermott noted after the game. “You just try to get them to relax and breathe. With Justin (Patton) I was constantly telling him to just slow down. He feels like he has to make the play so quick and that’s where some of his turnovers came. He is a talented passer and we want him to be able to use that ability to our advantage, but he’s just got to slow down and make the easy play. I think too often tonight at times he and Davion (Mintz) in particular maybe tried to make the great play instead of the simple play.”
Patton played in last year’s exhibition game against Upper Iowa, so the CLink was not totally new to him, but he’d not seen action since that November 6, 2015 game. At least initially, he had a nervous energy that prevented him from showcasing his immense ability. After a rough first few minutes that included a missed layup, a pair of missed free throws, and a turnover, Patton returned to the game a bit more relaxed and ended the night with six points, seven boards, and two assists.
“It felt good. I hadn’t played a game in two years,” Patton noted after the game. “Marcus has had that experience before, but for me I feel like I did okay for a freshman, but I have high expectations for myself, so I want to come out looking better next time.”
Davion Mintz, expected to take the lions’ share of the backup point guard minutes, also made his Bluejay debut Friday night. The true freshman seemingly struggled to find his place, which is to be expected. By the end of the night, he looked more comfortable, and made a pair of slick passes that resulted in baskets.
“In Davion’s last run there before we substituted,” McDermott said after the game, “I told him to just worry about trying to get your teammates shots and then everything else will fall into place. He made a nice pass to Ronnie on a back-cut, and a nice pass underneath to Martin, so he’s got to continue to play that way, because there are going to be times where we’re going to need him.”
The talent is obvious, and on a team where Mo Watson will play 30+ minutes a night at the point, Mintz doesn’t have to carry a heavy load — he can learn on the job in the 8-10 minutes a night that he gives Watson a breather. By the time Big East play rolls around, Mintz should give the Jays a security blanket at the backup point guard spot that they didn’t have a year ago in the event Watson gets into foul trouble.
And then there’s Kobe Paras, the other true freshman, whose debut was cause for celebration not only in Bluejay nation but in the nation of the Philippines, where he’s their most famous basketball export. The host of CNN Philippines’ nightly sports show practically live-tweeted the action when Paras was in the game, and he thrilled his legions of fans with a breakaway dunk in the first half.
Paras scored seven points in 19 minutes, and added five rebounds and a steal. He wasn’t immune from the first-game jitters that affected Patton and Mintz, either, as teammate Cole Huff mentioned after the game.
“I think they got a little down on themselves when they missed a shot or turned the ball over or something like that, but that just comes with experience. I think they’ll be fine — they are going to help us a lot. They were hyped. They were hyped yesterday. That’s good, though. You’d rather have people overly hyped than not ready to play at all.”
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