We are profiling each member of the 2013-14 Creighton Bluejays men’s basketball team. Check in daily leading up to Creighton’s regular season opener against Alcorn State Nov. 8 for an introduction to this season’s Bluejays, from newcomers to seniors. Check out all the previews here.
James Milliken (#23 / G / 6-2 / 180 lbs / Jr.)
In April, with their season over after a 1-1 trip to the NCAA Tournament and a quick transition to the Big East Conference underway, Greg McDermott and the rest of the Creighton Bluejays coaching staff stared squarely at an immediate need: backcourt scoring punch.
Enter junior college sharpshooter James Milliken from North Carolina. A few days before Milliken signed with CU, Doug McDermott announced he would return to the Hilltop for his senior season. The race was on to surround McDermott with more firepower. Coach Mac made signing Milliken, who averaged more than 18 points per game his second season at Cowley Community College, a priority. The 6-2 guard also drilled 79 3-pointers his last season at Cowley, representing a proven touch from behind the arc.
Milliken was far from a one-season wonder at Cowley. He scored nearly 18 points a game as a freshman, too, earning second-team All-Jayhawk Conference honors and being named Jayhawk East Freshman of the Year.
While he was a go-to scoring threat his last two seasons, he joins an interesting backcourt situation this year. Creighton returns its entire starting backcourt, including Grant Gibbs (30.8 minutes per game) and Jahenns Manigat (27.9 mpg), and those letterwinners look to be locks for a ton of minutes again. But Nevin Johnson transferred after his redshirt freshman season, and Avery Dingman averaged only 3.7 points and 13.8 minutes per game as a true sophomore. Fellow junior college transfer Devin Brooks joins Milliken in the hunt for immediate playing time and scoring opportunities.
For his part, Milliken introduced himself to Creighton fans Friday night, taking home the Bluejay Madness 3-point Contest Championship. Here’s what WBR’s Max Univers had to say after watching Milliken for a few minutes during the Bluejay Madness event:
James Milliken showed off the ability to create his own shot, and to knock down open looks. It’s impossible to gauge defense in scrimmages like this, so while that will ultimately go a long way toward determining how many minutes he gets in a crowded lineup, the only thing we really have to base a playing-time prediction on is his offensive ability. On Friday night, he showed good athleticism in the scrimmage and tremendous shooting in the three-point contest; if that carries over to games, my guess is he’ll be a big part of the rotation early in the season.
We caught up with James Milliken at Creighton’s Media Day: