Creighton comes into Monday night’s game against Western Illinois looking to build on the new look the team added Saturday night. With one game under their belt with Gregory Echenique in the lineup, the Bluejays will continue to work the big man into the rotation this week with gamest against Samford and Western Illinois. With school being out for the semester and the holiday season in full swing, this means a little extra instruction on the court at practice as well as games.
The Leathernecks are an interesting team. They are currently just below the RPI 300 and have wins against Centenary, Savannah State, Prairie View A&M and a couple of non-Division I schools. In addition, Centenary will be moving to Division III next season. Not the greatest resume of wins and some Bluejay fans may already be licking their chops wondering how many Creighton is going to win by. However, the Leathernecks are known for their hard-nosed defense and have historically defended well around the three point line and keeping opponents under 60 points per game.
It isn’t too often that you find a Division I basketball program with radio play-by-play being done by a current student. However, that is the case with Kyle Schassburger and the Western Illinois broadcast team. Schassburger is a broadcasting major about to finish his final semester at Western Illinois, but is in his second year of being the radio voice of the Leathernecks. So he will be available for a job come May. Some media outlets may want to check into him. In the meantime, Kyle gave us some insight on Western Illinois and what the Bluejays should expect on Monday night.
White & Blue Review: Tell us a little bit about Western Illinois basketball and what kind of expectations in the Summit League this season.
Kyle Schassburger: The Summit League is an extremely underrated league. Three teams seem to always hang near the top: Oakland, Oral Roberts, and IUPUI. And in Coach Molinari’s third year now at Western, he is looking to push his team closer to that pack of three. Molinari ideally would like to dismiss the idea of a rebuilding year in 2010-2011, and last year’s 13-17 team is a testament to that. The marquee win last season came at Oral Roberts, and thus far has been the defining victory for Molinari in his Western career. So Western looks to build on this and continue to compete each night in the mighty-competitive Summit League. Western lost a tough one at 14th-ranked Missouri to open the Cancun Challenge this year, and league favorite Oakland just took down #7 Tennessee. The firepower is there around the conference, and if Western can stay healthy, they may continue to surprise this year.
WBR: The Leathernecks haven’t played a game in nine days, their last one a tough loss against Eastern Illinois. I know if was final exam week, but was it better for them to have the nine days off, or would it be better to have games closer together?
KS: The nine days off is just what the doctor would have ordered for Western Illinois. They came at a perfect time because finals began December 13th, with the Eastern game on the 11th being the final contest before. The ‘Necks needed to rehab some important injuries and rest their bodies. The reigning defensive player of the league in the Summit League, Ceola Clark, has missed the last three contests due to injury. Hopefully the All-Summit League selection can go against Creighton, otherwise one would hope he would recover by December 30th when conference play resumes against IUPUI. The stretch of nine days has also allowed this team to evaluate where they are in the season, and go back to some fundamentals in the practice gym such as free throw shooting. Problem is, Western has not been able to practice in their own gym all week because of the graduation set-up taking place in Western Hall.
WBR: Western Illinois is 5-5, but their wins have come against teams like Savannah State and Centenary and it appears they also have several non-Division I schools on the schedule. What is the scheduling philosophy for the school?
KS: The scheduling philosophy for Molinari is to solidify some type of home court advantage. If Western would not play the non-division 1 opponents, or have the home and home with Savannah State, or have North Carolina Central come after going to Durham last year, then Western would face a beastly road schedule. The Leathernecks need these games to balance the schedule and play close to half of their games in Macomb. Otherwise, the road would be the norm, and it is already hard enough for Western Illinois to make headway and gain respect in the college basketball ranks. The Cancun Challenge was a tremendous leap for the team. Playing two games in the states, then two in Cancun, was a huge learning experience. Molinari was pleased with how his team handled the trip overall.
WBR: Defense appears to be a mantra for this team as they hold opponents to about 27% from three-point range and only allowing 59 points a game. What kind of defense do they usually play?
KS: The calling card for Molinari is lock-down defense. And he has brought just that to Western Illinois. The perimeter defense, led by junior Tommie Tyler, is relentless. It is rare for a team to score in the high sixties against WIU because of their philosophy of getting to the basketball and contesting every shot. Molinari always spoke last season about finding an identity, and The Fighting Leathernecks have found that in defense. Last year’s squad was a top ten defensive team to holding opponents to under 60 points per game. The script is no different in 2010-2011. Defense, and getting better every day is what Coach Mo preaches.
WBR: Matt Lander seems to be the scoring leader for the Leathernecks. What will Creighton need to do to stop him?
KS: Matt Lander’s performance has been no surprise in Leatherneck camp, but others around the league may not have seen it coming. With much of the preseason focus on the team’s playmaker and most versatile, Ceola Clark, Lander quietly has stepped up as the ringleader. But in hindsight, he is doing what a senior should be doing, leading. Lander is a true 2, but has proven capable at the point. Nonetheless, his comfort zone is the dribble-drive. He looks to attack, and get to the foul line (leads the team in attempts and makes). He is strong, quick, and shifty. He can knock down open shots as well. For Creighton, they must defend the drive and prevent him from getting inside. Make him shoot the ball form 15 feet out, with a hand in his face each time. But like any great guard, Lander has the vision to find his teammates in congestive areas.
WBR: Who else do the Bluejays need to look out for? How will players matchup against Kenny Lawson and Gregory Echenique?
KS: Sophomore Jelani Johnson is coming off a career high in minutes played against Eastern. He is extremely long and athletic at 6’4″, and can play any position 1-3. Junior Kaimarr Price has proven to be a force down low for Western, and he is going to have take it up a notch against Kenny Lawson and Gregory Echenique. Price is outweighed by 35 pounds in comparison to Echenique, but may have the intangibles on him since Echenique will only have Saturday’s game under his belt for experience in a Creighton uniform. Any time you are dealing with the preseason player of the year in a conference, it is going to be more than what you bargained for. But for Western, they thrive in shutting down big-time players. The one exception was Dominique Morrison of Oral Roberts earlier in the year, but I don’t believe Molinari will stand for another opposing player going off the way Morrison had.
Who will step up defensively in the post next to Price? Sophomore David Gebru, 6’10”, is likely out with a knee injury. So Junior Emeka Okafor Jr., 6’6, must be the x-factor that Molinari has demanded for in him. Creighton must also watch out for Sophomore Jack Houpt, who may remind Omaha of a Korver. At 6’7, the three ball is his weapon.
WBR: Have you ever been to Omaha? If not, how do you picture it? If so, what has been your experience?
KS: My only experience in Omaha was driving through with the team on the way to Sioux Falls for the Summit League Tournament last year. The city looked phenomenal from the roadside, and I am amped up to experience it on this trip. Of course, the city is iconic for college baseball and Rosenblatt Stadium, I often wonder what the mood is around Omaha on the new building and if it will take away from the tradition.
WBR: What are you final predictions for the game? Can Western Illinois walk out as winners?
KS: This will be another big test for the Leathernecks, one that, despite the outcome, will tell a lot about where this Western team stands and what areas need improvement or more focus. Like OU, ORU, or IUPUI of the Summit League, Creighton is the cream of the crop and an upper division team in the Missouri Valley Conference. Greg McDermott is a fine fit for Creighton to carry on the rich history that Dana Altman developed. But for Western, a team with no tradition, they can’t get caught up in the hype of facing a historic program on their own home floor in front of 17,000 people. They must stick to their game, defense. If they can do that, shots will open up. Molinari always preaches you must score off your defense. The ‘Necks must force turnovers and score off of those. Creighton is terrific at free throws, so Western must, somehow, be just as good. WIU has missed 73 FT’s over the last 7 games. Big games are needed from Kaimarr Price and Emeka Okafor Jr. to stop Kenny Lawson. If these things can happen, Western wins 64-59. If Lawson goes for big numbers, Western continues to struggle at the line, and Lander can’t get anything going offensively, then Creighton prevails at home, again, 72-58.
