I’m curious (worried?) about a few things in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2014-15 Creighton Bluejays men’s basketball season. So, I’m asking some questions and avoiding most answers, all in an attempt to avoid biting my nails off the cuticle waiting for the season to start.
#10 — Can the Bluejays stay healthy?
#9 — What can we expect from Creighton’s newcomers?
#8 — Can seniors Devin Brooks and Avery Dingman put it all together?
Thirteen times last season, Devin Brooks was the first Bluejay off the bench. Twelve times, Avery Dingman took that role. They were valuable pieces of one of the best teams in program history. But leave no doubt, they both displayed plenty of room for improvement and consistency.
The flashes are there. For both of them.
For Avery Dingman, the first flash was early in his freshman season.
It happened in Des Moines, against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Sure, he hit a few shots against North Carolina A&T and Chicago State. But in a blowout win on a neutral court against the Hawkeyes, Dingman was untouchable in 11 power-packed minutes. Four three-pointers, in four attempts. Quick, smooth release. Watch it for yourself:
It was the shot we’d all read about before he stepped on campus. Dingman, the kid who knocked down 89 threes as a senior in high school. He once went 10-12 from deep as a junior. The shot was there. Just ask the Hawkeyes.
He’d play in all 35 games as a freshman, shooting 42% from distance. And when he got extended minutes (10-plus), he more than doubled his scoring average (from 2.9 to 7.7 ppg). His team doesn’t beat Evansville in Omaha without his season-high 19 minutes and another 14-point performance (4-5 from three). Watch for yourself:
Avery Dingman drives against DePaul (WBR/Mike Spomer) $ CLICK TO BUY $
By the end of the season, Dingman would have a MVC Tournament championship and appear in two NCAA Tournament games.
Eight games into his sophomore season, things changed for Dingman. Up until a road tilt at Nebraska, he was sharing minutes with fellow swingman Josh Jones. Dingman averaged about 12 minutes per contest, going 9-20 from three-point range (45%) and averaging a shade under 5 points per game. Then Jones collapsed before the game in Lincoln, effectively ending his college career. Suddenly, Dingman was on the court nearly double the time. In Creighton’s 10 games following the win against the Huskers, Dingman played 20 minutes per game. He went off for a career-high 21 points against Tulsa right before MVC play started. He went 17-35 from three-point range during the 10 games (48.5%). He played 22 minutes in a close road loss at Wichita State.
And then, another shift. During Creighton’s next dozen games, leading into Arch Madness, Dingman’s playing time went the other direction. He logged an average of 10 minutes per night. His shot was off (6-20 from distance, 30%).
Still, his team was winning. Another MVC Tournament championship, just like his freshman season. Two more NCAA Tournament games, too. Oh, and a regular season Valley title, the program’s first outright championship in more than a decade.
Last season would end with two more NCAA Tournament games for Dingman. But no conference championships in the school’s first season in the Big East. Dingman would play in every game for the third consecutive year. He’d start seven games for an injured Grant Gibbs, having his best offensive performance in relief of Gibbs the night he injured himself at DePaul. Watch for yourself:
He made two three-pointers that night against the Blue Demons, en route to a season-high 16 points in 18 minutes. But from that point on, in Creighton’s final 20 games, Dingman connected on just three three-pointers total.
Still, he adjusted his game. Athletic at 6-foot-6, he started slashing to the hoop more frequently on offense. Defensively, he focused in on the tough matchups posed by his fellow swingmen in the Big East. He found a role, created a niche. Still, he can shoot. We know he can. We’ve seen it. And it’s important: Creighton’s 15-0 all-time when Dingman connects on multiple three-pointers.
For Devin Brooks, the flashes came early and often – along with some turnovers.
In his Creighton debut, the 6-foot-2 guard from Harlem went for 15 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 hiccup in 16 minutes. But they were an entertaining 16 minutes. Watch for yourself:
He kept Creighton in a road game against Saint Joseph’s, scoring an aggressive 16 points and willing the Jays to hang around long enough for Doug McDermott to hit the game-winner.
Two games later, in California, he torched Arizona State for 23 points in 19 minutes, not exactly taking a backseat to his fellow speedster in the ASU backcourt Jahii Carson (15 points on 5-12 shooting).
Devin Brooks against Butler in 2014 (WBR/Adam Streur) $ CLICK TO BUY $
Brooks proved to be quick, strong, a solid rebounder for his position, and deft with the dramatic. The no-look dish. The extra umpf that kept the crowd buzzing after a particular play. His sense and vision seemed above average, which made the turnovers and mistakes so frustrating.
For the year, Brooks posted a 1.53-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Not bad. But on a team with Austin Chatman (2.58-to-1), Grant Gibbs (2.07-to-1), and Jahenns Manigat (4-to-1) in the backcourt, Brooks’ numbers stuck out a bit. Especially on a team with exceptional offensive firepower. Just get Doug and Ethan open looks, right? Don’t get too flashy.
But Bluejays fans knew that Brooks was the type of player they’d need to succeed in the Big East. Tough, with the ability to finish at the rim and rebound his position. Quick, to stay in front of and get past the guards that Villanova, Georgetown, and Marquette will roll out night after night, season after season. Savvy, with the vision and feel for the game that’s difficult to teach.
Still, there are risks to consider. Trying to fit a pass into too fine a window. Speeding up when the right move might be slowing down.
It’s hard to remember, at least for me, that last season was Brooks’ first year at Creighton, out of junior college. The learning curve is sharp. He no doubt improved from the time he stepped on campus until the end of the season, especially when you consider an injured arm in the months before fall practice started in 2013 and a mid-season sickness that seemed to take a toll on his energy.
There’s no doubt that the 2014-15 version of the Creighton Bluejays will need Brooks performing well if the team wants to outperform preseason prognostications. With a year inside the system, and hopefully a better understanding of what his coaches need night in and night out, Brooks could be the breakthrough returner in the Big East.
Dingman and Brooks have the abilities. Now’s the time, during their final collegiate seasons, to put those flashes together into bright and shining senior years.