Once again, White & Blue Review caught up with some of the talented broadcasters that bring Creighton athletics into your cars, homes, and offices via local media. For women’s basketball, that means learning about the Bluejays’ season through the eyes of Brad Burwell and Sara Cizek, who call CU games for KOIL 1180 AM (www.koilam1180.com).
WBR talked with Burwell about the Bluejays’ past two games, wins on the road against Evansville and Southern Illinois. Plus, we look ahead to home games this weekend against Bradley and Northern Iowa at Sokol Arena.
White & Blue Review: Another week of Valley play, another set of blowout victories for the Bluejays — and on the road, no less. I know Evansville and Southern Illinois are among the worst teams in the MVC through the midway point, but just how well did the Jays play together this past week?
Brad Burwell: It was a coach’s dream — set a game plan and watch as your team executes the plan to perfection. While not shooting well against Evansville and playing without Megan Neuvirth for the second half of the game, they never strayed from the plan and in the end that proved to be the difference.
WBR: As you mentioned, Megan Neuvirth left the Evansville win with an apparent knee injury. How worried were you when you saw it in person? She obviously must be fine, having logged 32 minutes and posting a double-double in the win at Southern Illinois. How did she look physically when she came back against the Salukis?
BB: Not wishing to speculate on the air, it was concerning, but seeing her walk off the court and then rejoin her teammates on the bench was a positive thing. The walk-through on Friday was limited but her numbers speak for themselves on Saturday.
WBR: Kellie Nelson dominated the Aces and the Salukis, and she was rewarded with the MVC Player of the Week award. But over the Bluejays’ past 5 games, she’s been the team’s leading scorer (17.2 ppg during that span). Can you talk a little bit about Nelson’s week and what allowed her to continue her improved play?
BB: Kellie probably benefited the most from the tough non-conference schedule, playing against some key post players (i.e., Nebraska’s Kelsey Griffin) and gaining valuable experience. Not having seen all the posts in the league yet, I would dare say Nelson has moved into the top tier of 5-spot players in the MVC. She has developed a turn-around shot from the post to compliment her jump hook and she is getting to the charity stripe a lot and shooting over 70%, far better than last year.
Kellie Nelson won MVC Player of the Week and Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors
WBR: With four players averaging between 11.2 ppg and 12.7 ppg, it seems a different player can pick up any slack there might be during any given game. How cohesive is this team right now? How in tune with each other do the Jays seem on the court?
BB: Having Megan go out for a half in the Evansville game showed the strength of the team both physically and mentally. Kelsey Crites had a great weekend off the bench, as did all the reserves, and Flan has confidence in everyone on the team to put them in at key spots. Their communication is good and they seem to have a growing ability to know where their teammates are at any given time.
WBR: Based on who you’ve seen so far in conference play, if the season ended today, what would your All-Conference team look like? What Bluejays would warrant consideration?
BB: Only having seen half the teams, Missouri State and Creighton have played the best and so have their players. Casey Garrison and Jaleshia Roberson from MSU are terrific, but you could make a case for any of three Jays — Neuvirth, Nelson, and Schuett. Others that will be there at year end are Maggie Krick of Illinois State, either Jordann Plummer or Rachael Hackbarth of Drake, and Stephaney Neptune of Southern Illinois, although they are going to have to win a few more games. Kelsey Luna of Indiana State is plagued by the same issue — no wins in conference play. Ask me again at the mid-point in the season.
WBR: Creighton has a half-game lead over Illinois State in conference play and a full game on Missouri State and Drake. Bradley, Friday’s opponent, is 3-2, while Sunday’s opponent Northern Iowa is 2-3. What should the Jays expect from these two games? Are either of these teams, from what you can tell, poised to make a run at the Jays? What teams do you think will be neck and neck with Flan’s squad come March?
BB: Bradley has some veterans on the team but the Braves were hurt by the loss of their top shooter Michelle Lund. Northern Iowa actually scares me more. They have the potential to come out and put a lot of points on the board. Jacqui Kalin is a very talented player and they are very deep on the bench. Also, I have all the respect in the world for former Jays assistant, Tonya Warren. I think she can get her team up for any game.
WBR: And finally, I know you’ve got a few home games in front of you right now, but what is your favorite road trip or place to visit when travelling to broadcast games throughout the Valley? Any must-see places or must-try restaurants for you each year?
BB: My overall favorite road trip is Missouri State and Wichita State. Great facilities and very good sports information departments. Illinois State is always a great atmosphere to play a game. The best restaurant is Riverside in Ozark, Missouri, just about 12 miles south of Springfield. The best trip, though, has to be St. Charles for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. There’s plenty of basketball for 3 days and you can go to any restaurant on the “Hill” (best is Cunetto’s) or the Central West End (Duff’s) or Lafayette Square (11-11 Mississippi or SqWires). And a lot of opportunities to sightsee in St. Louis.