This could be the start of something special.
No, not the 2011-2012 Creighton men’s basketball season. I mean, sure, this could be the year the Bluejays get back to the Big Dance after four long seasons of waiting. And yeah, Doug McDermott and Gregory Echenique might be the second coming of the Dynamic Duo. But one 39-point exhibition win doesn’t do anything but get different combinations of players on the floor for Greg McDermott and his staff to evaluate. Plenty of good teams play poorly in exhibition games. Plenty of not so good teams disguise themselves in these meaningless games, too.
Nope, I mean taking my newborn son to Creighton basketball games. Sunday marked my first CU game as a dad, a time to work out the kinks and nuances of watching and analyzing a basketball game amidst changing diapers and burping babies. The following are a few observations from in between trips to the changing station.
Last season, following Creighton’s 12-point exhibition win against Northern State, I wrote about my excitement in preparing to watch a new Bluejays program grow, along with all of my friends’ children in our tight-knit section at the Qwest Center. I mean, who knew that the Doug McDermott who showed so well in that meaningless game last November would have the type of season he did as a freshman?
While the reviews of Greg McDermott’s first season at CU were mixed, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of positive momentum as the Jays ended last year and transitioned to the second under Coach Mac. Gone is the newness of an Altman-less Creighton basketball program. Here is a team with one scholarship senior amidst six scholarship newcomers who saw their first action as Bluejays yesterday. Perhaps the illustration of watching kids grow up is better meant for this season.
Patrick shared his thoughts on each individual’s contributions during the blowout. I’ll add mine, too.
I thought it was interesting that Grant Gibbs started, for all the right reasons. Talk to people around the program, and to a man they will tell you that few people work as hard as Gibbs does. He didn’t stuff the stat sheet against Rockhurst, but he didn’t need to. If he can be the conduit through which Antoine Young and the other perimeter players get the offense in its right place — namely, in the post to McDermott and Gregory Echenique — then he will be doing his job.
Grant Gibbs was one of six scholarship newcomers to see his first action as a Bluejay (Mike Spomer/WBR)
Newcomer Avery Dingman did stuff the sheet. He scored 11 points in 11 minutes, connecting on three 3-pointers. We’ve heard about his shooting ability from long range, and he didn’t disappoint. But he also fought for a loose ball with a Rockhurst player, ultimately tumbling to the court but unrelenting in his fight for the ball. Coaches know Dingman can fire from the perimeter. They want to see instances of fight; that showed well for the freshman from Missouri.
Nevin Johnson, another first-year Bluejay, also hit the deck for a loose ball. But unlike Dingman, the wing player from Houston didn’t look as comfortable on offense. The athletic ability isn’t in question, but Johnson looked a bit tentative. Not surprising, of course, given the time of year.
The opposite of tentative? Austin Chatman. Nicknamed “Dash” by fellow guard Young, the heir apparent to Antoine at the point played like a flash of speed and energy. Chatman was perfect from the field en route to 6 points, but it was his team-high 6 assists to just 3 turnovers that bode well for the freshman. He’s got another gear, and I’m not sure there are many guards in the Valley who can keep up with him.
Post players Will Artino and Geoff Groselle won’t be confused with Chatman’s quicks anytime soon, but they both showed promise in limited minutes. Groselle recorded a couple of blocked shots while Artino tied for the team lead in rebounds (6) and also blocked a few Rockhurst attempts. Greg McDermott may be able to conjure up a multitude of frontcourt combinations as the season wears on and Artino and Groselle get in a rhythm off the bench.
As for the returners, was anyone really surprised that Doug McDermott scored 19 points in 22 minutes? Just like last season, I looked at the scoreboard in passing after a nifty finish in the paint by the sophomore as grinned when it was clear he was again leading the team in scoring. He is so efficient, and takes so few shots to get his points. Creighton fans will gladly take 19 points and 6 rebounds in 22 minutes, especially since now it seems McDermott has some help on the wings in Dingman and Ethan Wragge.
Remember him? Wragge spent last season grappling with injury, and ultimately chalked the year up to a medical hardship. The redshirt sophomore sharpshooter connected on a couple of 3s, scoring 8 points while also getting physical for some rebounds in traffic (although the Flagrant 1 foul he picked up looked suspect to me). As Greg McDermott said after the game, the team wasn’t going to run any sets for Wragge to get looks — and for other teams to get a picture of those plays — and it was great for him to pick his spots to take those shots. He easily could have hoisted a few more bombs, but instead worked the ball through the offense a bit further.
Jahenns Manigat did the same. The sophomore guard had a great day, scoring 10 points (one of four Jays in double figures) and dishing 4 assists and collecting 2 steals. I’m sure Manigat’s always been confident in his game and in his abilities, but the difference in how he looked on the court Sunday compared to his first action last season leaves me excited for his ceiling as a player. He’s already established himself as a vocal leader and a positive presence. If his game continues to improve there’s no telling how popular he’ll become with Bluejays fans — or how much of an impact he’ll make on this team’s success.
Conversely, redshirt junior Josh Jones failed to impress. He missed badly on all three 3-point attempts, and he logged only 11 minutes. His slow starts to the past two seasons are well documented. Here’s hoping Jones can get on track sooner than later, as he’ll have competition for playing time from the various guards now in the fold on the Hilltop.
Antoine Young has to be ecstatic, right? Two seasons ago, Young watched as Justin Carter played injured most of the season and P’Allen Stinnett’s personality problems cost the Bluejays consistent offensive production. Young began to shoulder the load, along with Kenny Lawson. Last year’s emergence of McDermott as a star helped Young distribute a bit of the responsibility to score, and a roster ripe with a growing group of offensive talent will do nothing but make Young’s job even easier. He didn’t take a ton of shots Sunday, and he didn’t have to play a lot of minutes. Unlike last season, when Greg McDermott didn’t have the luxury of a back-up point guard, Young won’t have to play nearly 40 minutes a game for Creighton to win — nor will he have to score nearly 15 a night. Still, with teams paying increased attention to McDermott and the team’s other wings and Gregory Echenique, the lanes should open nicely for Young to continue driving the lane and finishing at the hoop.
I almost didn’t recognize Echenique. To say he’s in better shape than last season is a gross understatement. A summer of tough practices under Venezuelan national team coach Eric Musselman and a healthy start to this season seems to have allowed the Bluejays’ starting center to redistribute his weight while maintaining his natural strength. He played just 12 minutes Sunday but scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He finished one attempt with a flush, displaying a combination of strength and agility that will be tough for many MVC teams to match.
Speaking of flushes, how about that dunk by Mogboluwaga “Mo” Oginni? Talk about a highlight for the freshman walk-on from St. Louis. It was great to see him and Taylor Stormberg, Alex Olsen, Derek Sebastian, and Ross Ferrarini on the court toward the end of the game. Felt bad for Matt Dorwart, though, who was in warm-ups with an injury. It would have been a great opportunity for the senior walk-on to log a few more minutes in his Creighton career.
Again, I’m sure I missed some things. In fact, walking back from a diaper change I didn’t see Chatman’s sweet bounce pass to McDermott for a finish. But if this exhibition drubbing proved anything, it is only that there will be more great plays to come as the season progresses.