James Milliken (#23 / G / 6-2 / 180 lbs / Jr.)
James Milliken vs. Sioux Falls (WBR/Mike Spomer) $ CLICK TO BUY $
When James Milliken committed to Creighton in May 2013 some thought he would contribute right away as a versatile scorer and help the Bluejays combat the athleticism in their first in the Big East. That’s why it was also surprising to see Milliken sit the year out and redshirt after only playing in the exhibition game. Why would a junior college transfer want to switch schools just to sit out and wait?
The answer was so he could get better and have an even bigger role with two years of eligibility to play it out. Though Creighton has a relatively deep and capable back court entering the 2014-15 season, they still need someone to replace the stellar defense and long range shooting of Jahenns Manigat. Though the Big East has a reputation for being big, athletic, and physical in the paint, it’s not without talented back courts. In fact, nine of the 13 players selected to All-Big East preseason teams are guards. And that doesn’t include McDonald’s All-American and freshman guard Isaiah Whitehead of Seton Hall.
Check out a gallery of James Milliken photos here!
Milliken is an inch taller than Manigat, and will be given chances to see what he can do against the opposing team’s best perimeter player. On the offensive end, he has looked like a perimeter threat in the brief time he’s been able to show it. His shot is difficult to block because of how high and quickly he gets off the ground to let it go.
Of all the guards in Creighton’s back court, Milliken’s role is probably the most simply defined: score and defend.
High School Stats
Senior – 30.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg
Junior – 29.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg
Cowley County Community College
Sophomore – 18.4 ppg
Freshman – 17.0 ppg
Head Coach Greg McDermott on Milliken:
“He’s improved, without question, especially his ability to go to the basket. He’s got a slight injury on his shooting hand that’s kind of slowed him down from shooting the basketball, which is obviously what he does the best. But he’ll be part of our rotation as long as he keeps practicing the way he has.”
Q&A with James Milliken:
Q: How has practice and preseason preparation gone for you so far?
A: “It’s helped me a lot. I’ve gotten in a lot better condition, and I’ve learned the plays and the system and stuff like that.”
Q: What do you think of the Championship Center and how has it helped you improve?
A: “It makes things a lot easier because it’s right across the street and we get 24-hour access to the gym. We get up as many shots as we want anytime we want. It helps a lot.”
Q: What did you focus on during the redshirt year?
A: “I just looked at it as a way to get better. It helped me offensively and defensively, because it gave me more strengths to pick up playing as other team’s best player. It helped a lot.
Q: What were some of the things you noticed that you needed to improve?
A: “Just team defense and being aggressive on offense from the jump. Just learning the system and doing what the coaches ask to make things a lot easier.”
Q: What were your initial thoughts on being picked ninth in the Big East preseason poll?
A: “I think it helped, because it made us want to work even harder in practice and just prove everybody wrong. It gave us a chip on our shoulder.”
Q: What do you think is this team’s ceiling?
A: “I think we can do the same thing as we did last year. I think we can go back to the conference championship and go back to the NCAA Tournament. We just have to put in the work to do it.”