Jett Canfield may get his opportunity at the start of the season (Juszyk / WBR)
Every now and then I get a day mixed up and show up an hour or two before practice is supposed to start. The last two times it has happened — once at the Championship Center on Creighton’s campus and the other at the CHI Health Center Omaha formerly known as, well, lots of different things — I wasn’t the only person in the gym. At the Championship Center, former walk-on point guard Tyler Clement was already dripping in sweat at the tail end of a shooting workout. A few years later at the arena, another walk-on was emerging from the tunnel and heading towards the ball rack to get up extra shots before diving into the playbook of the opponent for that upcoming game.
That player was current redshirt freshman Jett Canfield, so it should come as no surprise that Creighton head coach Greg McDermott brought up the former player when describing the one currently on the roster.
“This is the ultimate compliment because you all remember how I felt about Tyler Clement, and Jett has developed into that,” McDermott said. “He’s dependable. Some young guys you put out there and you just don’t know what you’re going to get. When Jett goes out there, we know what we’re going to get. We know that he’s going to talk probably better than anybody on the floor. We know that he’s going to bust his tail. We know that he’s going to take good shots and he’s not going to force the issue.”
If anything, the issue has forced him these days. With Jacob Epperson sidelined for an extended period of time, Davion Mintz nursing a high ankle sprain, Damien Jefferson sidelined with a lower leg injury, and Denzel Mahoney waiting for the calendar to flip to December, the 5-foot-10, 155-pound point guard is likely to be thrust into a role that not many expected to see him at this point in his career. But that doesn’t mean he’s shying away from the challenge as the Bluejays open their 2019-2020 regular season on Tuesday night against Kennesaw State.
“It’s just one of those things where you have to stay ready no matter what’s going on,” Canfield said. “I know my role and I know what I can do for this team. Some guys went down so it’s kind of a next man up mentality, and I’m just here to do my part.”
His role in last Friday’s exhibition win over McKendree required him to play 23 minutes — fourth-most on the team behind Ty-Shon Alexander, Marcus Zegarowski, and Mitch Ballock — during which he scored six points and dished out three assists. He only played around 14 minutes in the team’s closed scrimmage at Missouri, but, according to McDermott, Canfield’s performance wasn’t much different despite the higher level of competition.
“He did some good things,” the 10-year Bluejay coach said. “He understands who needs to shoot on this team, and he understands ball movement and how to get a guy a shot. He makes up for his lack of stature with a huge heart.”
Canfield provides energy from the bench and cheered on teammates while redshirting last season (Williams / WBR)
Whether is an SEC squad receiving votes in the preseason Associated Press Poll or a Division II team from Illinois, the Topeka, Kansas native wasn’t losing sleep about having his number called for extended minutes.
“Going against [my teammates] every day gives you a lot of confidence, because I know they are some of the best dudes around,” Canfield said. “Building that confidence helps a lot, and then on top of that you get in there and see you can keep up with those guys in the SEC, and hold your own, and yeah, my confidence just keeps growing.”
Don’t let appearances deceive you either, because there is a lot of basketball ability packed into that 70-inch frame. He is also as smart as he is scrappy, and he has a plan for the opponents who take one look at him and start licking their chops.
“My big thing on defense is just getting back in transition and getting everybody in a spot where we can guard the other team,” Canfield said. “Once we’re set, we can talk our way out of a lot of situations and matchups. Whether for me that means switching from a big to a guard, or whether I have to hold my ground for a little bit until we can get backside help — a lot of it is just communication.”
No matter if it’s an open jump shot that needs to be knocked down, or an extra pass required to get someone else going, or a set that needs to be run, or a ball screen coverage that has to be executed, he believes that he has prepared himself for whatever the situation requires of him.
“I’ve always had that mentality of just pounding the stone every day since I got here. I wanted to get a little better each day and felt that it would eventually pay off. I didn’t know when, but I stayed ready.”