Creighton hosts Northern Arizona on Sunday afternoon at the Qwest Center. This is only the second time these two schools have met in men’s hoops. The last time they got together was in Red McManus’ first season at the helm on the Hilltop. It was 1959, and McManus’ version of the “Traveling Jays” played a rare home game against the Lumberjacks that year.
Back then, the Bluejays walked away with a blowout victory. Today’s casual Creighton fans probably think this year’s matchup will be a runaway CU win, as well. But beware, Northern Arizona is likely better than people think and likely a lot better than the Alabama State team that came into the Qwest Center on Friday night. The Lumberjacks have been picked by many publications to be at or near the top of the Big Sky conference. They also took a trip to Canada before the season to build some cohesiveness. This is a veteran team.
To get a better feel for what to expect from Northern Arizona Sunday afternoon, we talked with Mitch Strohman, who is the “Voice of the Lumberjacks.” Strohman has been around the program for several decades and has some great insights on the team.
White & Blue Review: I have been reading in a lot of magazines and websites that Northern Arizona is predicted to finish pretty high in the conference. Why might they be so tough this year and what is their history in the Big Sky Conference?
Mitch Strohman: What should make NAU tough this season is a solid, veteran group of four returning starters, mixed in with a couple of instant-impact newcomers. Among the starters returning is All-Conference guard Cameron Jones, who dropped 19 points per game last season. Among the newcomers is center/power forward Austin Smith, a Tucson product who sat out last season after transferring to NAU from Liberty.
The Lumberjacks are coming off a sixth place finish in the nine-team Big Sky Conference last season. Between the 2005-06 and the 2007-08 seasons, NAU went a combined 34-13 in Big Sky Conference play, reaching the Big Sky Tournament Championship game in all three of those seasons. The Jacks have played in two NCAA Tournament games, in 1998 and 2000.
WBR: The Lumberjacks play in the Big Sky Conference, which some Creighton fans may not take as seriously as others. Tell us a little bit about the history of the Big Sky Conference and its impact in the world of college hoops and why Creighton should be concerned about Northern Arizona come Sunday.
MS: This will be the 48th year of existence for the Big Sky Conference, so we have a lot of history. Boise State, Nevada, and Gonzaga were once members of the Big Sky. The Sky has had some great coaches over the years like Jud Heathcote, Ben Howland (former NAU Head Coach), Mike Montgomery, Herb Williams, Jamie Dixon (former NAU Assistant Coach), Stew Morrell, and several others.
In the 2000s Montana won a pair of first round NCAA Tournament games. In 1995 and 1999 Weber State was a few points from advancing to the Sweet 16. Idaho State in 1977 beat mighty UCLA and nearly made it to the Final Four. NAU as a 15-seed in 1998 and 2000 nearly pulled off huge first round upsets over two-seeds.
WBR: To prepare for the season, the team took an early trip to Canada to play a few games. How did that trip benefit the team?
MS: The trip north of the border featured five games in five days against Canadian universities. From the game experience, to the extra few weeks of practice, to the time spent bonding over the summer, the trip had a huge benefit. The team is much further along at this point in the year than it would have been without the trip to Calgary.
WBR: Who are a couple of players that Creighton needs to be on the lookout for in Sunday’s game?
MS: See the answer to question #1 above and add senior center Shane Johannsen and forward Eric Platt to the list. Shane can shoot 65-75% from the field and Eric (a transfer from Wyoming) is a very dangerous 3-point shooter.
WBR: The only time Creighton played Northern Arizona was over 50 years ago and it was a lopsided win for the Bluejays. Are there many around the program anymore that would have any recollection of that game?
MS: 50 years?!? Oh dear! Really? Well it’s close, but I wasn’t around half a century ago. I’m honestly not sure anyone close to the program today was around here back in the late 1950s.
WBR: How did Northern Arizona become part of this Global Sports Hy-Vee Classic?
MS: Well, these things are usually about having connections and Head Coach Mike Adras (pronounced A’ – drus) has a connection with someone associated with the event.
WBR: Looking at the Lumberjacks schedule, there appears to be couple non-Division I games scheduled. How hard is scheduling for the Lumberjacks? Do they usually play the other large conference schools like Arizona and Arizona State?
MS: Scheduling is always a challenge for mid-major schools like those in the Big Sky Conference. Getting quality teams to play at our schools usually requires us to play in things like BracketBusters where you get a guaranteed return game. Upper-tier mid-majors and the BCS schools very rarely will agree to play at mid-major schools like those in the Big Sky.
For NAU it’s even more difficult to attract big time programs to play in Flagstaff because of the altitude (7,000 feet above sea level) and being a two-hour drive from the closest major airport (Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix). We usually play a few BCS schools every season like Arizona, USC, and Iowa State this season.
WBR: What is your final prediction?
MS: Great question! Hopefully an upset win for the Lumberjacks to avenge that 91-64 loss at Creighton back in 1959, a loss that still stings to this day!