College basketball officially begins Friday, October 12. In the days leading up to Creighton’s Bluejay Madness event, we’ll try to pose (and answer) some of the most pressing questions surrounding the 2012-2013 Creighton men’s basketball team.
#10: How well will Austin Chatman replace Antoine Young?
#9: Can Creighton handle being the hunted?
#8: How will the minutes shake out?
#7: What will the newcomers bring to this team?
#6: What will Doug McDermott do for an encore?
As a freshman, Doug McDermott went from potential redshirt candidate to the first freshman to start the season-opener since Ryan Sears in 1997 to the first frosh to earn first team all-Missouri Valley Conference honors since 1952. He finished fourth in the league in scoring, second in rebounding, third in field goal percentage, third in defensive rebounds per game, fifth in offensive rebounds per game, and sixth in three-point shooting percentage. He was the MVC Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
A few weeks before his sophomore season, I had a chat with a long-time WBR reader who frequents Creighton’s practices. The buzz was beginning to build around the Bluejays, and I asked him an innocent question: who in his opinion seemed most improved from the 2010-2011 season. His answer shocked me: Doug McDermott.
His assertion proved prophetic. As a sophomore, McDermott last season became the first Creighton player to earn first team All-American honors from the Associated Press, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and ESPN.com. He was tops in the nation in field goals made, third in scoring, and seventh in field goal percentage.
Doug McDermott followed up his Player of the Year award with the Most Outstanding Player honor at the 2012 MVC Tournament (Streur/Spomer/WBR)
He became the first sophomore in Missouri Valley Conference history to win the league’s Larry Bird Player of the Year award. One season after setting the CU record for most points in a freshman season, McDermott tallied the most points in school history by a sophomore. Only two sophomores in Valley history scored more points: Bird and Oscar Robertson.
McDermott’s per-game averages last season are enough to make a grown Jays fan cry happy tears. His 22.9 points per game led the league and was the highest average in CU hoops history since Bob Harstad in 1989-1990. His 8.2 rebounds per game were 2nd in the Valley 75th best in the country. He shot 60.1% from the field, 48.6% from three-point range, and 79.6% from the free throw line.
And he did all of this while being the primary target for every defense Creighton ran across during 35 games. Games at Bradley and at Tulsa were prime examples. Against the Braves in Peoria, McDermott scored a career-high 44 points (31 in the second half) on 18-of-23 shooting. At Tulsa, he made 16 of 23 attempts en route to 35 points.
Where does his natural progression take McDermott as a junior? Any basketball analyst who matters has McDermott on his or her preseason All-American list. When the Valley poll comes out, he will be the preseason pick for Player of the Year. He spent the summer resting, but only after working on his individual game at camps hosted by Amare Stoudemire and LeBron James. And his comfort level in the team’s offense has to be at an all-time high, considering the Jays lost only one player from last year’s 29-win squad.
Perhaps his most pressing area for improvement is on the defensive end. The flow of the offense seems destine to get McDermott plenty of looks, so his should continue to capitalize on his scoring opportunities. But if he can continue to control the glass while becoming a better defender, McDermott could lead the Jays deep into the NCAA Tournament.
Is this possible? I talked to the same WBR reader a few weeks ago. I’ll let you guess who he told me is the most improved Bluejay this year over last.
Yep.