James Milliken (#23 / G / 6-3 / 185 lbs / Sr.)
James Milliken came into 2014-15 waiting for his turn after unexpectedly sitting out the season before when Grant Gibbs received a sixth year of eligibility. The season watching no doubt helped Milliken understand the offense, but he struggled initially on the court last season.
Milliken played an average of 15-20 minutes a game through the first five games of the season, but with struggles both offensively and defensively, his minutes shrank. The low point was at Nebraska where he saw just six minutes of action, a clear indication he’d yet to earn the trust of his coaches. However, in the following game against South Dakota, Milliken got his chance when Devin Brooks exited with an injury, and he seized the opportunity, going 9-of-14 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point land, and played 34 minutes in a double-overtime victory. Suddenly, it appeared the Bluejays had another weapon in their arsenal heading into an important game against St. Mary’s.
Unfortunately, Milliken showed up late for shootaround for that game, was benched for the first half, and played just five ineffective minutes in the second half of a loss to the Gaels. His problems escalated from there, as he was suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules. The suspension was originally for the remainder of the first semester, or six games, but wound up lasting just two games, as Coach Greg McDermott had a change of heart over the Christmas break and decided to give him another chance as Big East play started.
The player that emerged post-suspension showed that the game against South Dakota was no fluke. He logged three of their top five scoring games last season, and led them in scoring in six of 20 Big East games, including 39 points in the Big East tourney. In conference play, he played the second-most minutes on the team, took the second-most shots, led the team in both total points and points per game, and committed the fewest turnovers of the five players that started the bulk of the games.
And as the season wound down, he scored in double figures in 11 of the team’s final 16 games, averaging 12.2 points over that stretch (the only player to average in double figures). He started seven of the last eight games, bowing out of the starting five only on Senior Night to allow Avery Dingman to get the start in his final home game.
Milliken heads into his senior season as the team’s top returning scorer. With more weapons around him, including a great distributor in Mo Watson and other new faces, Milliken should have the opportunity to build on last season’s performance while not being the sole focus of opponents’ defensive game plans. Combined with his playmaking ability, it should be a big year for the senior.
Check out a gallery of James Milliken photos here!
Creighton Career Stats (2014-15)
9.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 95-234 3FG (.385)
Q&A With James Milliken
Q: How are things going for you coming into this season and what adjustments did you make in the offseason?
A: “Practice is going really good. I worked on defense for more lateral movement and offensively just keeping my shot consistent.”
Q: Last season you came on strong towards the end of the season. Was there anything in particular that happened that got you going and more involved in the offense?
A: “I think it was more of just getting more shots in practice. I came in and worked out, and it translated over to the games. The coaches trusted me and ran a lot of plays for me down the stretch.”
Q: With all the new faces on the team this year, how much are you being looked upon to be a leader to help everyone adjust.
A: “Me and Geoff are the only seniors here. We consider Maurice a senior as well because he is a great leader. Teaching these younger guys to not be discouraged when coach yells at them and if they don’t understand just ask the questions and not feel down on themselves. It is a learning experience and having a lot of people in my position, the 2 and 3 position, helps a lot to work with some of the younger guys.”
Q: What is it like to have a little more depth on the team this year? Is it more competitive in practice?
A: “I think it is pretty good because it is really competitive at practice. We all get equal reps. Come game time, I feel like it won’t be a real drop off if some of the starters got subbed and the bench guys came in. I feel like they can handle the load just as well as we did. That is big for us because for runs, they can carry runs just like we can.”
Q: Any particular team you are excited about playing against that maybe you struggled with a bit last season?
A: “The team I’m excited to play is Georgetown. I feel like they got the best of us twice out of the three times we played them. I feel like we were a completely different team the last time we played. I feel like we will give them our best shot. And then Villanova too because it is really fun playing against them.”