Isaiah Zierden (#21 / G / 6-2 / 180 lbs / R-So.)
Isaiah Zierden can create plays (WBR/Mike Spomer) $ CLICK TO BUY $
Thinking about Creighton’s loss at Xavier on last March churns my stomach for a lot of reasons. Sure, that loss coupled with one a few nights later in D.C. cost the Bluejays a regular season championship in the school’s first season in the Big East.
Worse, though, was the physical loss suffered in Cincinnati. Zierden dislocated his right patellar tendon, missing Creighton’s final 7 games. Thankfully for Zierden he didn’t need surgery, which still shocks me considering how bad the injury looked on Fox Sports 1 that Saturday afternoon.
Zierden, who worked himself into the rotation of an offensive juggernaut before he hurt his knee, spent all summer rehabbing. Known as a lights-out shooter from long range in high school – Rivals named him a top-10 three-point shooter in the class of 2012 – he spent a redshirt in 2012-13 and the subsequent summer adding to his game. Zierden has an outstanding feel for the game. And while he made just 33% of his three-point attempts as a freshman in 2013-14, he brought a savvy set of intangibles to the court when he’d spell backcourt mates.
In fact, my favorite play of Zierden’s last season, and one that gives fans a glimpse of his nose for the game, was the screen he set during Doug McDermott’s game-winner against St. John’s. Getting trucked by Chris Obepka is no one’s idea of a great time. Yet with one of the nation’s best shot-blockers on the heels of McDermott, Zierden had to give up the body to keep Obepka from altering the attempt.
Isaiah Zierden tries to seal off Chris Obepka during Doug McDermott’s game-winner on Jan. 28, 2014 (WBR/Mike Spomer)
Now fully healed from the injury that cut short his freshman season, Zierden will have the ball in his hands more often as a sophomore. While Austin Chatman has dealt with his own knee issues during fall practice Zierden has spent time at the lead guard spot. At 6-2 and with great hoops IQ, Zierden offers Greg McDermott a solid option in a few different lineups. And his ability to #LetItFly gives Zierden a chance to be a difference maker for the Bluejays this season.
Photo Gallery (here) and Slideshow (below) of Isaiah Zierden:
Zierden’s Creighton Career Stats:
Freshman – 3.2 ppg, 26 assists: 4 turnovers, 304 minutes (10.9 mpg)
Head Coach Greg McDermott on Zierden:
“He’s back to where he was when he got hurt, which is great news. I thought he was playing the best basketball of his career when he went down, and he came out of the rehab in really good shape.”
5-on-5 with Isaiah Zierden:
Q: What have you learned in your first couple years in the system, and have you changed as a player?
A: “I think I’ve developed a lot of different areas of my game. I came in just strictly as a shooter, and I’ve developed my game to be able to handle the ball more. I’m a better defensive player and I know where I need to be. I think I’m also a better passer than I was coming in.”
Q: What did you take away from your first year in the Big East?
A: “It is a great conference. We didn’t really know what to expect, but the second time going through we do. Great teams, great coaches, so we have to play our best night in and night out.”
Q: What is one area of your game you’ve focused on the most since your freshman season?
A: “I think my strength has been one thing. Just developing and being able to take a hit, keep my dribble, and still be able to finish.”
Q: How do you feel about the team being kind of under the radar?
A: “I think it’s good. People don’t think we’re going to be any good, and that’s fine. We use that as motivation. We’re going to be the underdog and that’s always fun.”
Q: What position on the floor do you think is the best fit for your game?
A: “I keep telling people either the one or the two. I don’t really have a certain preference. I feel perfectly comfortable at both. Whatever the team needs.”