The last man to wear Double Zeros for the Creighton Bluejays was arguably the most dominant low post player to ever don the White and the Blue. The next man to pull on the “00” jersey has a chance to be a great one, as well (as long as Josh Jones gives the new dude his number).
Numerous sources report former Rutgers Scarlet Knight Greg Echenique will enroll at Creighton this week and transfer to Dana Altman’s program. Altman and the Bluejays couldn’t convince Echenique to come to Creighton out of high school, when the Venezuela native and New Jersey resident instead signed on to lead local Big East member Rutgers. But according to multiple reports, the 6-9, 265 lbs. sophomore will join the Jays later this week.
After playing in a handful of games as a sophomore for RU, Echenique injured his eye and hasn’t played since the Knights’ 76-67 win against Colgate on December 6. In that game, Echenique scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 26 minutes. Rumors surround the situation, indicating Echenique will apply for a medical redshirt and be able to join the Bluejays’ roster midway through the 2010-2011 season. He would have 2.5 seasons worth of eligibility.
What can Creighton fans expect during those 2.5 years? If his freshman season production is any indication, Echenique could be a dominant force in the Missouri Valley Conference. I don’t put a lot of stock into recruiting sites or their rankings, but consider for a minute the following information from Rutgers’ 2009-2010 media guide section about Echenique:
The nation’s 15th rated overall prospect by Hoop Scoop and the Basketball Times … Was an honor student rated by ESPN as the No. 2 center and 9th best overall prospect for 2009 …Was listed among the top 2009 players at his position nationally by virtually every recruiting outlet, including Rise Magazine (4), Rivals.com (6), and Slam Magazine (4).
Recruiting conjecture is all well and good, but what about his on-court performance? That’s where, as a Creighton hoops fan, you might start salivating a bit. I did.
As a freshman, in 28.4 minutes per game (27.5 minutes per game in 19 Big East games), Echenique posted averages of 8.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per contest. He led Rutgers in rebounding, blocks, offensive rebounds, and defensive rebounds. In fact, he led all Big East rookies in those categories.
That’s right; Echenique broke onto the scene in what is arguably considered the best basketball conference in the country. As a freshman in conference play, Rutgers catapulted Echenique into playing major minutes in the low post against some of the nation’s best frontcourt players.
During 2008-2009 Big East conference play, Echenique finished 10th in total rebounding per game (7.8 rpg). Trying to clear the paint and win the battle of the boards against guys like Luke Harangody (12.8 rpg), DeJaun Blair (12.3 rpg), and Hasheem Thabeet (10.5 rpg), Echenique was one of just two freshmen (Devin Ebanks of West Virginia being the other, at 8.2 rpg) to finish the 08-09 season in the Big East’s top 10 rebounding list.
As for altering opponents’ shots, few were as dangerous as Echenique during the 08-09 Big East conference season. Thabeet’s 4.9 blocks per game, best in the Big East that season was an outlier; Echenique finished second (as a frosh) with his 2.4 blocks per contest average.
But forget for a second in what conference he honed his skills as a freshman. Nationally, his 8.4 rebounds per game was the fourth highest average among freshmen. His 2.4 blocks per game? Third-best average nationally among frosh. Extrapolated to all of the country’s Division I basketball players, he finished 23rd in blocks per game and 60th in rebounds per contest.
Someone familiar to Valley fans who might shed some light on trying to guard Echenique is Keno Davis, head coach at Providence. It was against the Friars that Echenique scored 14 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, blocked 7 shots, and swiped 5 steals last March. He is a member of the Venezuelan Senior National Team and he helped his high school (St. Benedict’s Prep) to a 24-1 record and a top 5 national ranking as a senior. Simply put, he’s an advanced low post player who has experienced individual and team success in the high school, collegiate, and international levels of basketball.
If you see Greg on campus or at the Qwest Center in the near future, make sure you say hello, hola, or just give him a big hug. Based on his statistics and previous experiences, he’s as important a newcomer as Altman and the Bluejays basketball program has ever had.
