Sammy Jensen (#5 / G / 5-5 / Sr.)
Jensen has worked hard to make it where she is today (Spomer/WBR)
Sammy Jensen is a great example of how hard work can pay off. As she heads into her senior season, this newly minted team captain has a lot to be proud of in her time as a Bluejay.
Jensen came to Creighton four years ago in the shadow of her sister, Ally. While her sister ascended lists in the Creighton record books, Sammy sat at the end of the bench working for an opportunity to get into games and get experience. As a freshman, Jensen came off the bench in 30 of 33 games, averaging just over 6 minutes a game.
Jensen has doubled her minutes per game each season: she averaged 12 mpg as a sophomore and 24 mpg as a junior. She cracked the starting lineup last year as well, getting the nod in the first five on the floor for 24 of 34 games. Jensen has been a nice complement to Marissa Janning, manning the point guard position at times while also sliding over to the shooting guard spot.
Jensen’s biggest game came late in the season against Xavier. The Musketeers didn’t check the scouting report and dared her to shoot threes. She went 5 of 11 that day from distance, scoring a career-high 17 points in Creighton’s win against the Musketeers. Her transformation from the bench into a starter is a testament to the Bluejay program and what the coaching staff has done with these players.
Head Coach Jim Flanery on Jensen:
“Sammy is just solid as always. We played her at point guard last year and we’ll play her there again this year, but we’ll also move her off the ball some. She’s really good at setting a tone in practice and being a voice for the younger kids, which I think is important. She’s going to get on the floor because she can talk and she doesn’t make mistakes, and she can hit an open three.”
5-on-5 with Sammy Jensen:
Q: How has practice and preseason preparation gone so far?
A: “Good. I think every day you can tell that we’re improving. I think that’s important and gives us confidence going forward. It’s all good to see that I can see the improvement in the freshmen and everyone. Just working to get better as a team is important.”
Q: How would you contrast the difference between playing in the Big East and playing in the Missouri Valley?
A: “Every night every game is important. You can’t take anyone for granted. You have to be ready to play, focused, and you have to know you’re scout. You have to know your assignment and be ready to get the work done on the court.”
Q: What are your thoughts on the Championship Center and how has it helped your workouts?
A: “It’s amazing. Just being able to go lift or come in the gym I think it brings a little more energy just being in a nicer facility. I feel like we practice better and just have more energy. It’s nice having the ability to just come and shoot anytime or workout.”
Q: What is one thing you honed in on and tried to improve the most over the summer?
A: “Just getting a faster release on my shot and being more confident in my shot. Last year if I missed one or two I would doubt myself into shooting the next one, so thinking next shot and not last shot, I guess.”
Q: Any thoughts on being picked fourth in the preseason poll?
A: “Yeah, I think that was good for us. We lost a lot from last year, but I think a lot of our players had to play underneath somebody; Lex under Sarah [Nelson], and MC under McKenzie [Fujan], so it’s good for us moving forward. It gives us a lot of confidence and hopefully at the end of the season we’ll be higher than four. We’ll see how it plays out.”
Q: What do you think this team is capable of, and what do you hope to achieve?
A: “Obviously we want to make it to the NCAA Tournament. That’s a big goal of ours. The non-conference is obviously super important, getting some wins against some good teams because our non-conference is difficult. And just getting better every game, making jumps, and that will prepare us as conference comes around.”