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.
CU freshman Isaiah Zierden (Spomer/WBR)
Isaiah Zierden (#21 / G / 6-2 / 175 lbs. / Fr.)
Freshman Isaiah Zierden comes to Creighton from Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, where he earned First-Team All-State accolades and All-Metro Team honors as a senior. He averaged 19.7 points per game last season, improving from 18.8 ppg as a junior and 16.1 ppg as a sophomore.
Zierden also earned a reputation nationally as one of the best shooters in the class of 2012. That reputation gained him a spot in the nationally televised High School 3-Point Championships, where he was runner-up after leading the field in the first two rounds. Then, at Bluejay Madness, Zierden and partner Sammy Jensen defeated Doug McDermott and Ally Jensen — Sammy’s sister — in the 3-point shootout.
Exhibition shootouts not withstanding, Zierden’s role for 2012-13 is undefined. The Bluejays return plenty of guys who can score, including successful shooters with tons of collegiate experience. But talk to people close to the program, and they’ll tell you that Zierden is much more than a shooter.
We caught up with Zierden at Creighton’s Media Day: