Leon Gilmore and Ronnie Harrell made their Summer League debut last week (Tom Nemitz/WBR)
The NBA draft will be in full swing as we head into the second week of the Metro Summer Basketball League on Thursday night. The players in the league will be keeping one eye open to see where Doug McDermott ends up getting drafted. The basketball community in Omaha is pretty tight, so everyone will be excited to see what might be in store for his future. In the meantime, fans can keep track of the draft and watch some basketball.
Will all the Creighton players be playing on Thursday night? There is no guarantee that everyone will be there each night. But for Thursday, we have confirmed that all the players should be there, with the exception of Cole Huff. California transfer Ricky Kreklow is expected to make his Omaha debut.
Projected Games of the Night
There are some intriguing games during the 8PM and 9PM session between teams that notched a win during the opening week and look to make an early statement during the pool play building upon last week. These games also include players Creighton fans will be watching next sesason.
8:00 p.m., Court 4–Paragas Law (1-0) vs. Zurlo’s (1-0)
Bluejays to Watch: Will Artino, Ricky Kreklow, Toby Hegner, Mo Watson
This game will feature the debut of Ricky Krekow, fresh off of graduating from Cal, on the basketball court paired with Will Artino who last week looked more like a point guard than an inside presence. However, Artino did come up with some big plays against former teammate Kenny Lawson in the win over Judd Knispel Agency last week.
On the other side of the court, the debut of Mo Watson opened some eyes last week as he and Toby Hegner helped lead Zurlo’s to the upset over Bank of Nebraska. Both teams are looking to get an early leg up over the rest of the competition with a win
9:00 p.m., Court 3–John Higgins Weatherguard (1-0) vs. Narmi Group @ Baird (1-0)
Bluejays to Watch: Geoff Groselle, Devin Brooks, Avery Dingman, Ronnie Harrell
Brooks put on a show last week for John Higgins Weatherguard as he dumped in over 40 points in their victory. The flash was back and a little extra in his step after the first grueling season with the Bluejays. Avery Dingman and Ronnie Harrell were solid for Narmi in their win last week. Harrell, making his first appearance in Omaha, looked really comfortable on the court.
Creighton Heavy Games
8:00 p.m., Court 3–Judd Knispel Agency (0-1) vs. Bank of Nebraska (0-1)
Bluejays to Watch: Nick Bahe, Jahenns Manigat, Matt Dorwart, Austin Chatman, Justin Carter, Gregory Echenique
Nick Bahe and the Judd Knispel Agency lost a tough game last week and hope to rebound, but they will have a tough road ahead of them. Bank of Nebraska will be pretty fired up after losing their first game in two summer sessions last week. We can’t confirm, but don’t be surprised if Gregory Echenique steps on the court Thursday night. They may need him.
9:00 p.m., Court 4–Shanks Law Firm (0-1) vs. EQ School of Hair Design (0-1)
Bluejays to Watch: James Milliken, Tyler Clement, Zach Hanson, Leon Gilmore
Milliken had a nice game last week going back and forth against Devin Brooks, but came up just a little short. Hanson, Gilmore and the EQ School of Hair Design came out firing early but ran out of gas down the stretch. If you aren’t over at court 3, you may want to walk across to court 4 to see this one.
The Rest
7:00 p.m., Court 1–Andy’s Lawncare (1-0) vs. BD (1-0)
For those coming early, this should be a good game to watch. Jason Dourisseau should be back this week for Andy’s Lawncare even though they didn’t need him last week. BD came up with a somewhat surprising victory over UNO Alumni last week but they have a pretty solid team that could continue to surprise people.
7:00 p.m., Court 2–Bruins (0-1) vs. Lopers (1-0)
A nice matchup between Bellevue University and UNK in this one. The Lopers won their game on a last second double-overtime win last week, while the Bruins lost a tough one by four against Cape Truck Acc (Midland University)
8:00 p.m., Court 1–Winning Mentality (0-1) vs. UNO Alumni (0-1)
Bluejays to Watch: Antoine Young
It is nice to see Antoine Young play on the court again. With a team full of veteran players, they should give a pretty good test to UNO Alumni. The Alumni need to rebound after last week where they look like they struggled. A veteran team themselves, they should rebound pretty well for a very competitive game.
8:00 p.m., Court 2–Cape Truck Acc (1-0) vs. Apex Foster Care (0-1)
Cape Truck Acc (Midland University) made it to the championship game last summer and there is no reason they are not on their way again. They are always pretty tough. Apex Foster Care (Peru State) came up just short in a double-overtime contest last week. This should be another good matchup with in-state college teams.
9:00 p.m., Court 1–Mustangs (1-0) vs. ABIDE (0-1)
Bluejays to Watch: Steve Ferarrini
The Mustangs from Morningside jumped out early last week against the Big O Boys leading the game from beginning to end. They will try to do the same this week against ABIDE.
9:00 p.m., Court 2–Big O Boys (0-1) vs. Northeast (1-0)
If you want to watch a fun team that will just push it up and down the court and try to dunk it every time, then stop over at court 2 to watch Northeast play. Last week they jumped out to a huge lead and then tried to put on a dunk contest in the second half of their victory. Don’t be surprised if they do that again this week against the Big O Boys.