Recap:
Creighton began the night worrying about the health of Alex O’Connell’s ankle and Arthur Kaluma’s knee, and what their rotation would look like if one or both were unable to play. As it turned out, both were cleared to go — O’Connell in his customary starting spot, Kaluma off the bench with a minutes restriction.
They ended the night worrying about the health of starting point guard and likely Big East Freshman of the Year Ryan Nembhard. After a collision with Posh Alexander at midcourt with 12:55 left in the game, Nembhard fell to the floor in agony holding his wrist. FS1’s cameras caught him yell the words “I broke it” to Creighton’s bench; their production truck made the wise decision to cut away from the baseline camera as soon as the grisly extent of the injury (and the stomach-turning view of the break) was apparent. Trainer Ben McNair was joined by training staff from St. John’s bench and head coach Greg McDermott; Mac held Nembhard’s head in his hands, trying to console his inconsolable floor general the best he could.
A courtside picture tweeted by a St. John’s fan showed the moment from a distance.
A picture Creighton shared told the rest of the story.
FS1’s Kevin Kugler, with an extremely concerned tone in his voice, looked at the scene and between long periods of silence could only add, “Oh my…Oh my.” to the pictures.
Radio Voice of the Bluejays John Bishop, with a similar sound in his voice, uttered the words “Oh no” five times between his own long periods of silence. And then he summed up the thoughts of Jays fans everywhere with his next sentence.
“Oh…man alive. That may have just altered this season permanently.”
At 11:50pm, Creighton announced that after X-rays revealed the extent of the injury, Nembhard was officially ruled out for the rest of the season. He’ll undergo surgery in the coming days.
His freshman season ends after averaging 11.3 points, 4.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game, playing over 35 minutes per game. He won the Big East Freshman of the Week award six times, and is the odds-on favorite to win the Freshman of the Year Award at seasons’ end. And the real shame of it is that Wednesday’s game, prior to the injury, might have been one of his best. In 27 minutes against St. John’s harassing defense, he had seven assists and zero turnovers. His passes were crisp, his decision-making was lightning-quick, and it looked like he — and the Bluejays — were peaking at exactly the right time.
And now his season is over.
“We are heartbroken for Ryan, who has been such an integral part of our success this season,” said Creighton head coach Greg McDermott in a statement posted to social media. “He will remain a key part of our team while he is sidelined, but I know he will come back stronger than ever and we look forward to his healthy return.”
***
The start of Wednesday’s game showed how far the young Bluejays have come since the start of practice in September. Their offense looked phenomenal, using pace and ball movement to get St. John’s off-balance. They had just two turnovers on their first 17 possessions, averaged 1.18 points per possession, and doubled up the Red Storm 20-10.
Alex O’Connell, in the starting lineup after being a gametime decision to play at all, hit a three-pointer just three minutes in.
Arthur Kaluma returned to the floor after missing four games, and he too wasted little time making his presence felt. He battled for an offensive rebound on this missed three, fought through two defenders for a putback and drew a foul, then hit the free throw.
The middle of the game showed there’s still work to do. CU committed eight of their 10 first-half turnovers in the final 10 minutes, and it fueled a 27-11 St. John’s run where the Johnnies scored on eight of nine possessions. Trailing 48-39 after St. John’s began the second half with a dunk by Esahia Nyiwe, the Jays bullied their way back into the game with three baskets in the paint in 75 seconds — two from Trey Alexander, one from Ryan Hawkins.
And the end of the game showed the path forward without Ryan Nembhard. Trailing 58-57 when he went down, things could easily have gone south in a hurry.
“It was definitely hard for me, especially the first couple of minutes after it happened,” Alexander said on the postgame radio show. “You hate to see stuff like that, especially your brother that you hang out with every day. For someone you work out with everyday and create a special bond with, it was hard to see.”
McDermott said it was hard on everyone.
“It’s hard to coach in a game like this, because you’re human. I was over there with R2 trying to help him through a very emotional and difficult time, and then you have to flip a switch and get back to coaching the team,” he said on the postgame radio show. “My staff did a terrific job while I was over there of refocusing the guys, and by the time I got back to the huddle the guys were ready to play.”
In that moment, Alexander used the lessons he’s learned over the last six weeks as a secondary ball-handler and sometimes-point guard to take control of the team. After a first half with zero points and four turnovers, he flipped the script — he had 16 points and zero turnovers in the second half.
“Trey was really disappointed in his play at halftime,” McDermott said. “For him to elevate his play on both ends of the floor at a time when his team needed him the most…he’s growing up before our eyes.”
He assisted on a layup for Ryan Kalkbrenner to cut the deficit to 63-59, then hit a jumper on his own to make it 63-61 and converted a three-point play. He assisted on a jumper for Hawkins the next time down to make it 66-64 St. John’s. And then he hit a three-pointer 25 seconds later to give CU a 67-66 lead.
Virtually all of the biggest plays down the stretch had Alexander’s fingerprints on them, too. He assisted on Kaluma’s three-pointer at the 7:16 that put CU ahead 71-70. He drove into the paint off the dribble and stuck a jumper a minute later to give CU a 73-71 lead.
He rebounded a missed shot on St. John’s next possession, leading to a layup for Ryan Kalkbrenner. And in the final minute, nursing a 77-76 lead, he corralled a loose ball near center court and created a good shot for Kalkbrenner from about 10 feet out. The shot missed, but Hawkins was there to clean it up and put the Jays ahead 79-76.
About the only thing he did wrong was miss the front-end of a one-and-one with 23 seconds left, but it didn’t cost them and Creighton held on for a 81-78 win.
McDermott said as he walked into the locker room after the game, he told his assistants that they’ll never experience another game like the one they just participated in.
“It was incredible. I wish every one of our fans could experience what I had the opportunity to experience in those huddles tonight. There was a belief in one another, and a desire to fight for their brother that went down with an injury that I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced in my 33 years as a coach.
It’s hard enough to have something like that happen to a veteran team. When you’ve got a bunch of freshmen, and guys who are new, that are able to step up it’s really, really incredible. To think about where this team was when we started at the end of September, and how much not only they’ve grown on the floor but their relationships and level of trust they have with one another — it’s how you win a game like tonight.
I’m really proud to be their coach.”
Asked by John Bishop what exactly was said in those huddles, McDermott said it was less about what was said and more about the look in the eyes of his players.
“It was as impressive as anything I’ve ever been a part of. It wasn’t just the five guys in the game — it was everybody that was on that bench. Coaches, staff, players. Totally locked in, trying to find a way to do this together. In 33 years, I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced anything quite like that. I’m certain that I haven’t been as proud of a group as I am tonight.”
Thursday they begin the plan forward without Nembhard. With three regular season games remaining, they sit at 19-8, 11-5 in the Big East, with an NCAA Tournament bid in their sights. Those three games — at Providence in a game where the Friars can clinch their first-ever Big East regular season title, and UConn and Seton Hall at home — will tell us, and the NCAA Tournament selection committee, plenty about what the Jays have left in the tank.
Inside the Box:
The Jays’ 17 turnovers jump off the stat sheet, as does the Red Storm’s 26 points off turnovers. But CU survived because of 20 assists on 33 made baskets, showing great ball movement and shot creation — even after Nembhard’s injury.
Ryan Hawkins continued adding to his legend, scoring 25 points with 12 rebounds. It was his 10th double-double of the season, and he’s had one in all six of CU’s road wins. He’s scored in double figures in 20 of Creighton’s 27 games.
Ryan Kalkbrenner continued dominating the paint, blocking at least one shot for the 25th consecutive game. He’s closing in on Benoit Benjamin’s record of 28 from 1984-85. He had 19 points, and clinched the game with two free throws in the final seconds.
Kaluma scored 12 points in 19 minutes in his return, making 4-of-6 from the floor with six rebounds. And in his return to the lineup, Alex O’Connell had just three points in 33 minutes — after hitting a three early on, he missed his next seven shots. But his defense on All-Big East guard Julian Champagnie was every bit as effective as it was in the first meeting in January. Champagnie scored only eight points on 3-of-16 shooting.
“We weren’t even sure if he was going to play until right before game time, and he certainly should not have played as many minutes as he did,” McDermott said. “But he gutted it out because we needed him. We forced Champagnie into some tough shots. Our plan, as it always is, is to make his life as difficult as possible. If we’re going to get beat, it’s going to be by someone else.”
