Basketball practice is in full swing for both the Creighton men and women.
Here’s a breakdown of what went on during the men’s session on Wednesday
Mitch Ballock and the young Jays looking to make some noise (Williams / WBR) CLICK TO BUY
The Jays were off on Thursday, but there was plenty evaluate on Wednesday as Greg McDermott’s hit the practice floor for the second day in a row. The session started as all the early ones typically do with the implementation of quarter-court sets. McDermott introduces anywhere from the 3-5 per day depending how quickly the team, especially the newcomers, pick up the plays.
After stretching, the coaches gathered the team together for a film session to go over some select sequences from the previous day’s practice. Some of it was good, some of it was bad, all of it was teachable. Areas that stood out during this portion were loading to the ball with numbers disadvantage in transition, effort on the offensive glass, and guards getting back in position to stop the ball after giving up a defensive rebound. On-ball full court defense, closeouts, box outs, and gap discipline were some of the other areas the team drilled before jumping into 5-on-5 work.
Notable observations:
- Martin Krampelj was held out of certain portions of practice as the staff continues to manage his workload. The junior forward is coming up on eight months post-surgery.
- Damien Jefferson hasn’t had the smoothest first couple of days, but that’s to be expected to a degree when a player goes from the skill development transfer year to being under the microscope more for the first year of eligibility. His effort on the glass was challenged during the film session and he showed an improvement there during the scrimmage portion of practice. One offensive board in traffic eventually led to a three by Ty-Shon Alexander. Those kinds of plays are going to be there for Jefferson to make as he vies for playing time at three, and the four in smaller lineups.
- Grad transfer Connor Cashaw has looked like a solid addition so far. He’s not spectacular in any one area, but the mistakes are few and far between. He’s a strong communicator on defense, especially in transition, and showed off an impressive motor when he made a good read to deflect a lob at the rim and chased down the ensuing loose ball and saved in bounds along the sideline to start a fast break.
- Through two days, point guard Marcus Zegarowski and big man Samson Froling have thus far decided to skip that whole “head spinning” thing that most freshmen deal with during their introduction to Division 1 basketball. Zegarowski had an impressive day on Wednesday in particular. He knocked down a pair of corner threes and a mid-range jumper off the bounce. He also led the team in assists when he got his chance to run the show during 5-on-5.
Meanwhile, the Creighton women’s basketball team started their official practices on Thursday.
Jaylyn Agnew sat out on the first day, but will be ready to play this season (Spomer / WBR) CLICK TO BUY
Day one for Jim Flanery’s crew was Thursday afternoon. The Bluejays are a little banged up right now, but they healthy players to introduce some sets, do some drills, and doing quite a bit of 4-on-4 work in the half court. The first day was heavy on ball screen defense. Communication was obviously a big emphasis as the team worked a lot on switching and defending mismatches, as well helping off the ball to close up driving lanes.
Notable observations:
- Offseason injuries and rehab work limited Jaylyn Agnew, Olivia Elger, and Jade Owens on day one, although Elger did go through a shooting drill and some 5-0n-0 work towards the end of practice. No need to run anyone into the ground at this stage, especially since all three players are veterans and won’t need much time to get back up to speed once they do return to the full activities.
- Freshman guard Rachael Saunders played with a lot of energy on Thursday. She appears to have a natural nose for the ball and no off switch. It won’t be surprising to see her in the mix for quite a few 50/50 balls this season.
- Sophomore guard Tatum Rembao has impressed on numerous occasions during summer workouts, and that was the case again for the first official practice of the season. She’s at her best when she’s putting her head down and driving to score. She can finish at the basket with both hands and has really nice touch when she puts on the emergency brake and throws up floaters in the lane.