From the moment Wragge set foot on the court for Creighton, he was a gunslinger from long range. In his very first game in a Creighton uniform — a road tilt at Dayton (a 90-80 loss), he played 11 minutes off the bench and made 3-4 from three-point range, already displaying the sort of prowess from behind the arc that would endear him to Bluejay fans. And in the home opener the following week against Florida A&M, he did one better, going 4-8 from three-point range. After two games, he was already building a resume as a shooter to be reckoned with; very few true freshmen before or since have had that kind of production in their first two games.
Over his five-year career, he’s grown from a lanky, foul-prone shooter into a bearded assassin capable of making threes from anywhere on the court. He wasn’t a regular starter until about a third of the way through his senior year, yet despite a part-time role he’s provided a ton of great memories for Bluejay fans. Here’s his ten best, as voted on by the editors of WBR.
Top Ten Games and Moments
Ethan Wragge looks to shoot against St. Joseph’s in December of 2010. (Photo by Adam Streur for WBR)
#10 | December 11, 2010 | Wragge Drops Six Threes on St. Joseph’s
On a snowy Saturday night in the midst of an injury-riddled sophomore campaign, Wragge provided the home crowd — and CU legend Bob Harstad, in attendance to have his jersey retired — with the first of many memorable shooting displays. Wragge scored 18 points in 22 minutes, going 6-9 from three-point range with five of them coming in an amazing four-minute stretch that saw him also assist on another.
Ethan Wragge was a beast defensively against North Texas. (Photo by Mike Spomer for WBR)
#9 | November 9, 2012 | Wragge Blocks Three Shots against North Texas
During his first three years on the Hilltop, defensive shortcomings kept Wragge from logging as many minutes as his coaches would have liked — first Dana Altman, then Greg McDermott. By his junior year, though, he’d made huge strides on defense, and he showed off his improvement in the season’s very first game by blocking three shots. Here’s what WBR’s Creighton Otter had to say about the defensive display:
“Wragge stood out for more than just his shooting touch. Coaches and players alike have raved about the improvements to all parts of his game entering his redshirt junior season. And Wragge made the most of his minutes Friday evening; recording 3 blocked shots and 7 rebounds in addition to his one made three-pointer and one free throw. Coach McDermott mentioned in the postgame radio interview that Wragge didn’t play as much Friday as he would most nights, since Echenique’s strength and athleticism were needed against the UNT frontcourt. But he legitimately blocked three shots, something that Coach Mac and Wragge joked about last night.”
Ethan Wragge bombed Wisconsin in the first game in Las Vegas. (Photo by Mike Spomer for WBR)
#8 | November, 2012 | Wragge Scores 73 Points in 90 Minutes
During the first month of the 2012 season, Wragge was on fire, making three-point shots at an unparalleled pace even for him. On November 14 against UAB, he made 4-8 from behind the arc for 12 points while corralling two steals. But he was just getting started. Three nights later in a win against Presbyterian, he made six of eight to tie the CenturyLink Center record for most threes in a game. Against Longwood, he was a perfect 3-3 from three-point range and 4-4 from the free throw line, and then he took his hot shooting to Las Vegas, where he torched Wisconsin and Arizona State on back-to-back nights — going 4-7 against the Badgers for 17 points, and 3-7 for 13 points against the Sun Devils en route to all-tournament team honors. Over that five-game stretch, he scored in double figures in all five, totaling 73 points in just 90 minutes of action.
Ethan Wragge celebrates a four-point play from the floor after being knocked down on a three-point shot against Northwestern. (Photo by Adam Streur for WBR)
#7 | December 22, 2011 | Wragge’s Four-Point Play against Northwestern
When the Big Ten’s Northwestern Wildcats visited in December of 2011 — a legit NCAA Tourney threat that year — it was one of the highlights of the home slate. And the game lived up to it’s billing, going back and forth all night in an exciting battle. Northwestern’s Drew Crawford put his team ahead with 16 minutes to play, and then Doug McDermott scored six straight to give CU back the lead. Crawford and the Wildcats hung around, and tied it with eight minutes to go. Jahenns Manigat hit a three from the corner to put Creighton back in front, and then Ethan Wragge came up with a steal on the defensive end. Running in transition, Grant Gibbs found Wragge in front of the bench. He launched a three and was fouled in the process; the shot went in, and after making the free-throw, he’d given Creighton a seven-point lead. It was the key play of what wound up being a signature win for the 2011-12 team, and the normally reserved Wragge responded with a celebratory scream and fist pump as the sold-out crowd did the same. The photo that WBR’s Adam Streur captured of that moment is one of my favorites of the Lumberjack, because it perfectly captures that moment.
#6 | November 16, 2013 | Wragge Makes Seven Threes at St. Joseph’s
The win at St. Joseph’s is remembered mostly for the first game-winning shot of Doug McDermott’s career, but Ethan Wragge had a transcendent performance of his own that night, making seven 3-pointers. Ott described it thusly:
“With McDermott struggling to get good looks and the Hawks making open shots from long range, Creighton needed a spark off the bench. Senior forward Ethan Wragge stepped in and started doing what he does best — shooting from deep. In a three-minute span of game time in the first half, Wragge made four of five three-point attempts. Frankly his shooting kept Creighton in the game; despite his flurry of triples, Wragge watched as Saint Joseph’s kept responding with their own offensive production to keep the Jays at bay. Wragge ended the first half with a team-high 12 points, and his deft shooting touch helped stem the tide for the Bluejays while McDermott (8 first-half points) wiggled his way free.”
#5 | November 30, 2011 | Wragge Keys Comeback at San Diego State
In what might be his best all-around game as a Bluejay, Wragge scored 19 points, made 4 of 6 three-pointers and 7 of 10 overall (making THREE layups in one game!) and was the key catalyst in a comeback from a 17-point road deficit. Wragge scored three baskets in the final four minutes, including a three to break a 69-69 tie, a putback off a McDermott miss to break a 74-74 tie, and a miraculous layup in the final seconds to increase their 82-81 lead to three points.
Ethan Wragge drains one of his five threes in the 2013 MVC Title game. (Photo by Mike Spomer for WBR)
#4 | March 10, 2013 | Five Three’s in MVC Championship Game
With both Creighton and Wichita State struggling to score (gross understatement; the two teams combined to start the game 0-15 from the field), Ethan Wragge checked in with just less than 13 minutes to play in the first half and CU up 6-3. In the next 4 minutes, Wragge made three threes and missed a fourth by an eyelash. While Doug McDermott sat on the bench, Wragge shined. His third three-pointer gave the Jays a 19-7 lead and forced Gregg Marshall to take a timeout.
The Shockers chipped away at Creighton’s double-digit lead, though, and capped their comeback with a go-ahead layup by Malcolm Armstead with just less than 2 minutes to play in the first half. Then, with McDermott on the pine again, Wragge unleashed a #wraggebomb that gave the Bluejays a 30-28 lead. Creighton wouldn’t trail again.
Wragge finished with 15 points in 16 minutes off the bench.
Ethan Wragge was on fire early in the Jays’ NCAA win over Cincinnati. (Photo by Mike Spomer for WBR)
#3 | March 22, 2013 | Four Straight Threes in NCAA vs Cincinnati
In the first half of Creighton’s 2013 NCAA win over Cincinnati, Wragge got red-hot from downtown, torching the Bearcats for four 3-pointers, including a stretch of three straight that had TV analyst Reggie Miller — himself no stranger to big threes — impressed. The #wraggebombs were deadly, stretching Cincinnati’s defense and allowing Doug McDermott a little more room to maneuver down low, where he took the game over.
One of Ethan’s long-range #wraggebombs against Xavier. (Photo by Mike Spomer for WBR)
#2 | January 12, 2014 | Long-Range Wragge Bombs
In their first meeting of the 2013-14 season, Xavier led by as many as 13 early in the first half, but Creighton chipped away at the lead. And when Ethan Wragge, The Lumberjack, chopped down the Musketeers lead with a long three at the 9:04 mark to give CU a 23-22 lead, the place went berserk. Little did they know he was just getting started.
In the opening moments of the second half, Wragge got into one of his patented #wraggebomb zones, making three treys in a span of 62 seconds, each one further away from the basket than the last. After the third, the noise inside the arena was deafening — louder than at any point on New Years Eve against Marquette, louder than at any point during last March’s wild game against Wichita State, maybe louder than at any point in the 10+ years of the CenturyLink Center. Heck, it was so loud Xavier couldn’t communicate on offense, leading to Wragge getting a steal (a steal!) from a befuddled Matt Stainbrook. It’s probably a good thing his outlet pass to Doug McDermott didn’t result in a made three — Doug’s shot hit the rim and bounced off — because it allowed the nearly 19,000 fans in attendance an opportunity to catch their breath and appreciate what they’d just witnessed.
#1 | January 14, 2014 | Wragge makes Seven Straight at Villanova
Was there any doubt what would be#1? On January 14, 2014, Ethan Wragge had a shooting display for the ages as the Bluejays ambushed the #4 team in America on their home court. Villanova won the opening tip, and James Bell put up a three which missed; JayVaughn Pinkston corralled the rebound, put up a second shot, and when it missed, too, Doug McDermott cleared. They ran in transition and found Ethan Wragge open for a three, which he swished. 40 seconds later, he nailed a second three after a turnover by Ryan Arcidiacono to give CU a 6-0 lead. Three pointers by Jahenns Manigat and Doug McDermott followed on the next two possessions, while Villanova tried to keep up with buckets by Daniel Ochefu and Darrun Hilliard. It was 12-5, Creighton, when Wragge nailed his third three-pointer to grow the lead to 10, prompting a timeout by Jay Wright in an attempt to slow down The Lumberjack.
Unfortunately for Wright and the Wildcats, there were still a lot of t(h)rees left to be chopped down, and The Lumberjack had barely broken a sweat. Wragge buried a three at the 16:13 mark and another with 15:49 to go, sending the teams into the first media timeout with Creighton in front 21-5.
Would he cool down after a break? Nope. On the Jays’ first possession after the timeout, Wragge swished another three — his sixth straight without a miss — and 44 seconds later, he buried another.
After Ethan Wragge hit his 7th three-pointer in the first half, Bill Raftery commented on the FS1 broadcast, “That’s a joke, I mean it’s absolutely comical. Sheesh!” But it wasn’t a joke. At that point, Creighton had taken a 27-7 lead in the first six minutes of the first half.