We continue our brief profiles of each member of the 2010-11 Creighton men’s basketball team. Join us each weekday from now until the men’s exhibition game against Northern State for an introduction to this year’s Bluejays, from freshmen to seniors.
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Creighton basketball fans have a number of reasons to be excited for this year’s team, new head coach Greg McDermott’s first at Creighton. But there is no bigger reason than Gregory Echenique.
The 6’9, 270 pound redshirt sophomore won’t play his first game for Creighton until December 18. But judging by the applause for him during summer league games and the Bluejay Madness event last weekend, few Jays are as popular as the transfer from Rutgers right now.
And for good reason. Rarely does a top ten national high school recruit come to Creighton, either originally or via transfer. Rarely does a player who led all freshmen in the Big East in rebounding (offensive and defensive) and blocks become a Bluejay.
Before anointing Echenique the Next Great Bluejay, it is important to know where he comes from and what he’s walked into. In 2008-2009, playing for Rutgers in his adopted home state of New Jersey, The big Venezuelan averaged 8.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game as a freshman. During his first year at Rutgers, Echenique matched up against the following players: Tyler Hansbrough, DeJaun Blair, Hasheem Thabeet, Lazar Hayward, Arinze Onuaku, Yancy Gates, Samardo Samuels, Mac Koshwal, Greg Monroe, and Luke Harangody, among others.
Seven games into his sophomore season, Echenique suffered an eye injury that would lead to a medical redshirt year in 2009-2010. He transferred to Creighton in the middle of that season, sat out the second semester, and will sit out this fall, the first semester of his redshirt sophomore season. He’ll be transitioning to a new league, less than one year after transferring to a new school. But according to Echenique, the transitions have gone smoothly.
“The transition from Venezuela to the United States was obviously a tough one, but I adapted well. Also, I counted on the support of the Smith family in New Jersey. Scott Smith was one the assistant coaches there and he pretty much took me into his family while I needed help. He and his wife Eileen have been like second parents to me.
“The transition from Rutgers to Creighton was not too hard because I’m kind of use to moving and changing places. Creighton received me with open arms so I never had any struggles trying to meet people and just fitting in,” Echenique said. He also adds that the coaching change didn’t affect him as much as maybe others. “Obviously it wasn’t what I wanted to hear [Dana Altman leaving] since I had just transferred, but I had a connection with the people here including my teammates and everyone at school, so I knew I wouldn’t leave to go somewhere else.”
Creighton fans are happy he decided to stay. And Echenique is excited to play for McDermott, a former post player. “I’m glad he is our coach now, it’s always good to have a coach that played your position. The last coach I had that was about my height was my dad back in Venezuela, so it has been a good fit for me,” Echenique said, adding that he has already learned a lot from Creighton’s first-year head coach.
It will take about a month and a half, but the rest of the Missouri Valley Conference teams will learn a lot about Echenique – up close and personally. When asked to describe his game for someone who hasn’t watched him play, Echenique says simply, “My game is very physical. I like to use my body to get the basket and finish with contact. I like dunking the ball, and I try to every time I can. I also like to play defense and block shots. Creighton fans can expect me to play hard and give it my best every time I get an opportunity to step on the court.”
Echenique is confident that his early playing time at Rutgers will bode well for jumping right into his Creighton career during the middle of this season.
“I feel like I’ll be able to do well in the Valley. I think being able to play in the Big East and seeing a lot of minutes as a freshman acted as a boost on my confidence and definitely helped to improve my game,” Echenique said.
“I think that the work I have been putting this year, together with my that of my teammates, should have us ready to accomplish a lot. I’m not too sure what big men other schools have, but I know that I’ll be ready for the challenge.”
Creighton fans are counting on it.