We are profiling each member of the 2012-13 Creighton women’s basketball team. Join us weekdays leading up to the regular season tip-off against Oklahoma (November 10) for an introduction to this year’s Bluejays, from freshmen to seniors.
Janning gets to run the show for the Creighton women this season (Spomer/WBR)
The past couple of seasons, the Creighton women’s basketball team has seemed to have most of the pieces in place to be successful. Name player? Carli Tritz. Inside presence? Sarah Nelson. Deadeye shooters from behind the arc? Ally Jensen and Jordan Garrison. A slasher? McKenzie Fujan. Those players have all filled their roles perfectly. The key ingredient that has been missing is a solid point guard. Jim Flanery may have found that piece this season with freshman Marissa Janning.
Janning is the most prolific player of the incoming freshmen class this season. After scoring 30.1 points a game, dishing out 135 assists, and collecting 150 steals as a senior at Watertown-Mayer High School in Watertown, Minnesota, the Minnesota Miss Basketball 2012 now gets the keys to the Creighton offense.
For her varsity career that started in seventh grade, Janning scored 3,587 points and a state record of 458 three-pointers. She also excelled in volleyball, cross country, and track in addition to her basketball career.
Janning fits the role of the true point guard in the offense. Flanery has tried to open up the offense with Tritz, Garrison, Jensen, Fujan, and Jasmin Corbin each taking their turn as the instigator of the offense. The key will be integrating Janning among the returning veteran players with a few seasons under their belt.
“It is hard just because everyone is bigger, faster, and stronger,” said Janning. “You just have to adapt to that. I’m not very strong, so I am working getting stronger and quicker and adjusting to the quicker speed of the game.”
Many fans got to see Janning for the first time at Bluejay Madness. She participated in the three-point contest to show off her shooting skills and in the scrimmage she showed her versatility with some drives to the basket and distribution of the ball.
“There were so many people there compared to my high school. It is a real small town, so I kind of got used to it and had a good game.”
What has been nice so far for Janning is that she can get a lot of advice and help from her veteran teammates. But being able to direct the offense takes a little pressure off of her to have to be the scorer. She can score when needed, but that’s not her top priority right now.
“I’m [trying] to be a true point guard. I’m supposed to come in and take care of the ball and not have any turnovers. The biggest adjustment is learning the other players’ strengths and what they like to do. I need to know as a point guard how they want the ball delivered to them whether it is a bounce pass or a chest pass, little things knowing how they play.”
The Creighton College of Business Administration student will look to take care of business on the court. She is excited for the challenge and is looking forward to the start of the season.
“It was fun scoring 30 points a game, but it will be nice to be contributing in different ways here instead of being the focus. We have grown really well as a team so far, so I don’t feel as much pressure. We mesh really well together.”
See Janning’s game debut against Southwest Minnesota State next Wednesday night at D.J. Sokol Arena.