I’m curious (worried?) about a few things in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2014-15 Creighton Bluejays men’s basketball season. So, I’m asking some questions and avoiding most answers, all in an attempt to avoid biting my nails off the cuticle waiting for the season to start.
#10 — Can the Bluejays stay healthy?
#9 — What can we expect from Creighton’s newcomers?
#8 — Can seniors Devin Brooks and Avery Dingman put it all together?
#7 — Who is going to #LetItFly?
#6 — How well will the Bluejays defend?
#5 — How will Austin Chatman go out as a Bluejay?
#4 — What different lineups will Creighton fans get accustom to seeing this season?
With last year’s starting lineup and collective experience came consistency for the 2013-14 Creighton Bluejays. Roles were well defined. Aside from the experimentation with Will Artino starting the team’s first seven games before giving way to Ethan Wragge in the opening lineup, responsibilities were clear.
Ethan, stretch the defense and fight for a few rebounds.
Austin, keep a steady hand and pick your spots offensively.
Grant, keep everything in control and moving effectively. And get in guys’ heads.
Jahenns, hound ‘em on defense and hit some triples when they sag off.
Doug, be your All American self.
During crunch time, those were the guys. Sure, Artino and Devin Brooks and Isaiah Zierden would provide sparks off the bench. And Avery Dingman would defend and slash when he got the chance. But when the games were on the line, everyone inside the CenturyLink Center knew who Greg McDermott and his staff would count on.
Doug McDermott (WBR/Mike Spomer) $ CLICK TO BUY $
Tonight, Bluejays fans get their first taste of Life After DJEG. And the coaches get their public tune-up to replace 55.4% of last year’s minutes.
How will they do it? With so much gone, production-wise, from the last few years, the glass is naturally half-empty for Jays fans. But for the eternal optimists, there’s a new opportunity on the horizon: to see how Coach Mac and his staff experiment with rotations and personnel pairings while trying to find the best fits for the non-conference games, the Big East slate, and ultimately the season overall.
Will Artino scores against Marquette (WBR/Mike Spomer) $ CLICK TO BUY $
Working redshirt freshman Toby Hegner into the mix will be exciting, especially because at 6-foot-10 he’s more of a wing than a natural post. Seeing Rick Kreklow assimilate to the lineup will be interesting, seeing as he’s got guard abilities at 6-foot-7 and can guard multiple positions. And with Artino, Geoffrey Groselle, and Zach Hanson in the mix in the paint, the combinations are intriguing if Coach Mac wants to go long on the blocks or throw some lengthy zone defenses at opposing offenses.
In a league with so many great backcourt players, count me among the Creighton fans keenly wondering how the staff will surround Austin Chatman. With a talented playmaker like Brooks and a heady combo guard like Zierden, there are certainly options. Dingman is a known entity, but James Milliken is not – at least to the fans seeing his game for the first time tonight. But with Avery out with an ankle injury, Milliken will get a chance to play in various situations tonight and in the team’s first few games.
I haven’t even thrown the freshmen into the mix. Ronnie Harrell’s abilities as a 6-foot-7(ish) guard who can shoot should have the coaches’ minds spinning relative to how he can be used. Meanwhile, fellow 6-foot-7 frosh Leon Gilmore III offers the staff a potentially versatile wing who can defend and rebound with high energy.
WBR’s Matt DeMarinis has been following the Bluejays during practices the past few weeks. Here’s what he says when asked about the different lineups the Jays have been working with to prepare for the season:
“In practice they have used Will [Artino] and Zach [Hanson] at the same time. Will is a good passer, especially when the Jays run that high-low lob over the defense,” DeMarinis said. “I don’t know how he feels playing extended minutes at that position, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him there at times.
“On the flip side, the Jays could also go small with Ricky [Kreklow] at the four spot. Not so much for his ability to stretch the defense, per se, but because of his athletic ability and playmaking skills.”
“Against bigger lineups he would be a tough match-up on the offensive end. The concern there would of course be rebounding, but he has shown to get some of those sneaky Grant Gibbs-type deflections despite not always being in the best position for the rebound,” DeMarinis said.”
Luckily for players, coaches and fans, the season begins in earnest tonight. With one ‘official’ exhibition against Sioux Falls, after a ‘secret’ scrimmage against the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Bluejays have just a single public-facing tune-up before Central Arkansas comes to town next Friday.