Two to three more years.
Earlier this week, Greg McDermott told Jon Rothstein that’s how long he intends to continue coaching before handing over the reigns to Al Huss. And though McDermott typically lets his assistants run the show during summer workouts, that dynamic has taken on a little different look with the future coach running those drills.
“I mean, that’s why we (brought Al back) is so that there’s some continuity, so that we can hold on to the culture we’ve built when the time comes,” McDermott said. “Like I’ve done in the past, the assistant coaches kind of run the summer stuff and I’m a cheerleader. And he’s done a great job with that.”
Summer workouts have been a challenge because the Jays don’t have a healthy ‘5’ on the roster. Owen Freeman had surgery to repair his meniscus, and is out until late September or early October. One of his expected backups, 7’1” freshman Aleksa Dimitrijevic from Serbia, is not yet on campus. The other, 6’10” transfer Liam McChesney, just got to Omaha this week and is still working himself into game shape.
“We’re thin up front right now. So Jasen Green’s had to play there a lot and he’s done a great job,” McDermott said. “I don’t think defensively it impacts what we’re doing at all. I’d love for those guys to be out there getting reps offensively but, you know, it is what it is. You can’t control injuries.”
While depth is a real problem in the middle, they have the opposite situation at the guard position. There’s a plethora of talent to try and find minutes for. Iowa transfer Josh Dix has stood out to McDermott so far.
“He’s done a great job and I think most importantly his voice has been really consistent in practice. Those leadership components are so important, and we lost a lot of that with Steven and Kalk and Jamiya,” McDermott said. “Ty (Davis) and Jackson (McAndrew) have really embraced that, too, and have done a good job with it.”
Then he joked, “Ty spent a year with Steven Ashworth, and Josh probably got tired of listening to him, so he decided to do it on his own.”
McDermott noted that Davis has emerged as one of Creighton’s leaders on and off the floor. “He’s really embraced our culture and he got to know all these guys during the recruiting process. A lot of times, he and Jackson were the two guys that hosted our recruits when they came to campus. He sets the tone with his voice on a daily basis. He’s really worked on his on his jump shot. It’s much more consistent and obviously the second time through everything’s a lot easier. He’s had a great spring and summer so far.”
Another guard who’s stood out is Blake Harper. “He’s got some Baylor Scheierman-type characteristics offensively with his ability to see the floor and make plays both for himself and for other people,” McDermott said. “He doesn’t get sped up. Generally with a young player that’s not the case, but he really plays within himself offensively and I think he’s someone that can really create opportunities for our team with his ability to see the floor and make plays. Defensively it’s going to be a challenge coming from the MEAC to the Big East. It’s a little different world, but he’s going to adjust to that.”
Fedor Zugic has also embraced a leadership role in trying to fill the huge void left behind by Ashworth, Kalkbrenner and Neal.
“I’ve got a lot of experience playing before getting here. I think I can teach our young guys a couple things about adapting and help them be ready faster than than I was,” Zugic said. “There’s a lot of young guys and I try to remind them to just keep their head up, you know, bad practice, bad game, it doesn’t matter. Keep going because everybody’s been through it and it’s their first time going through all of this. So, I think I think me being there will help them a lot.”
Zugic’s return was unexpected, and raises Creighton’s ceiling quite a bit. The last time McDermott talked to local media in May, he was pessimistic about that happening and said the staff had recruited with the idea Zugic would not be back.
“But, you know, sometimes when you threaten lawsuits, why all of a sudden things change a little bit,” McDermott noted on Wednesday. “We’re excited to have him back, and the fact that he’s got two years is great for him. I think everybody saw what he’s capable of late in the season last year and the impact that he can have when when he’s healthy. It’s awesome to have him back.”
Zugic played in 22 games a year ago, and wasn’t cleared until four days before Christmas. It took a full month before he had a firm enough grasp of his role to be trusted with double-digit minutes; it took until the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament before he scored in double figures for the first time.
He didn’t officially commit until late August last year, missing out of most of Creighton’s offseason program. And he mostly practiced as part of the scout team until he was cleared to play in December. This year, he’s been a full participant in offseason drills since the season ended. He said the difference is huge.
More importantly, he said having certainty on his eligibility status — Zugic now knows he has two more seasons at Creighton — is like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
“I was not in a good place mentally last year at the end,” Zugic said. “We were playing important games, but in the back of my mind there was always the thought that ‘this might be my last game and I haven’t really showed you guys what I can do yet.’ There was a lot of stuff in my head constantly throughout the whole season with having to earn my role coming in so late and everything. It was the most mentally challenging year I’ve had in my career so far. And right now that I don’t have that, you know, I feel like I feel free basically. I feel so light. I just go out here, work, and get ready for the season with no uncertainties. I know what’s ahead of me and that’s it.”
Further weighing on him last year: worrying about his family. As he waited for the NCAA to make their decisions both last fall and this spring, they were half a world away in Montenegro.
“We talked on the phone, but that’s not the same. I know my mom and my dad and my sisters went through hell just thinking about me here struggling and not knowing what my future is,” Zugic said. “And the first thing that came to my mind when I heard I was cleared was that I’m glad my family can finally sit at home and watch games and not worry about completely unimportant stuff.”
Despite just 22 games as a Bluejay, Zugic’s age and international experience give him a veteran vibe — something the Jays will desperately need on a roster stocked with newcomers. His advice to the new Jays? Kill your ego. Zugic told them to remember they’re starting from scratch — they’ve changed the level of competition they face, their environment is different, the system is different.
“Mostly, just listen whatever Mac has to say even though sometimes it’s not going to be pretty,” he said. “Stick with it. Got to trust the process because these people, they know what they’re doing and the results speak for themselves.”
One of those newcomers is Charlotte transfer Nik Graves. He averaged 17.5 points per game a year ago, scoring at least 20 in 12 games, and was used to being The Guy — he was their leading scorer, the player they looked to when they had to have a bucket. But beyond adjusting to being part of a roster full of players like that, he’s moving up a level in competition and adjusting to a radically different style of play.
“I think I’ve adapted pretty good, but it was really different at Charlotte. We were one of the slowest teams in the country. Here, I mean obviously, it’s a much faster paced offense,” Graves said. “But I like to play fast personally anyway, so I think it’s been good for me. Obviously it’s still a learning curve at the end of the day.”
He said the hardest part is remembering it’s not only okay to push tempo — it’s inherent to the Jays’ success.
“Being one of the slower teams, we walked it down the court a lot of the time,” he said. “Getting used to having the freedom to play fast has been an adjustment.”
That’s where summer workouts become vitally important, according to McDermott.
“I just think it speeds up the process when practice starts in September. Especially with the terminology and the positioning that often times is different from where they played before,” McDermott said. “Whether you’re a freshman or you’re a senior that’s transferring in with one year left, everything’s different here. What we do defensively or our spacing or our terminology is different than where they came from.”
While Graves has collegiate experience to help him acclimate to Big East hoops, highly-touted freshman Hudson Greer does not. But the youngest Bluejay looks ready to contribute right away — partially because he’s just that good, and partially because he was in constant communication with Greg McDermott and his staff after committing to the Jays, asking them for advice on how to grow his game so that he’d be ready to hit the ground running.
“I knew what this program is about, the way they like to use their guys, especially moving off the ball and shooting the ball. So I’d ask the coaches like, ‘Hey, what do I need to work on? What would we do in this situation?’”
Talent aside, the trait that usually holds freshmen back at the Big East level is strength. It generally takes players a year or so to get their bodies conditioned both for the physicality of conference play and for the speed Creighton wants to play at.
“I think I feel like I stack up pretty fair. I don’t feel like I’m getting pushed around out there,” Greer said. “I mean, our strength and conditioning coach (Jeremy Anderson) does an amazing job with me in there. Since being here, I’ve easily put on 10 pounds.”
“Hudson’s been great,” McDermott added. “You know, his body’s really filled up from when we first started recruiting him until now. He’s gotten much stronger and he can really rebound the basketball. He’s shot it at a high level. He’s picking things up defensively. There’s a lot of guys at that wing position, but you know, Hudson’s going to be a really really good player in this program.”
Greer has leaned on veterans Issac Traudt and Jasen Green for guidance, knowing that their experience with Mac’s system, cadence and personality will expedite his growth.
“I move without the ball pretty well and I’m a really good athlete, but I also feel like I have a good basketball IQ. I know where to be in certain spots. I know certain things that I need to do and get better at. The first week (Isaac and Jasen) were kind of on my tail about certain things and certain lingo that we use on the court. I’ve built a connection off the court, even with the older guys, really, I feel like Isaac’s done a really good job of talking to me. Honestly, all the guys have. I’ve built a relationship with all of them and it’s been awesome.”