[dropcap]It’s[/dropcap] been awhile since Creighton had so many question marks entering an exhibition game. In 2011-12, they started Gregory Echenique, Antoine Young, Doug McDermott, Grant Gibbs and Jahenns Manigat in their lone (official) tuneup. In 2012-13, Echenique, McDermott, and Gibbs once again got the start, along with Austin Chatman and late addition Josh Jones because of a minor injury to Manigat (by the season opener, Manigat was back in the lineup). And in 2013-14, McDermott, Gibbs, Manigat, and Chatman were joined in the starting five by Will Artino.
That’s basically one new starter a year, which is the exact opposite of this year, when just one returning starter will hear his name announced to the crowd prior to tipoff. Chatman is back, but he’ll be joined in the lineup by seniors Will Artino, Devin Brooks and Ricky Kreklow and freshman Toby Hegner — well, maybe. The lineup remains in flux, and when Coach Greg McDermott gave the media those five names as his starters on Thursday, he did so with a smile and a one-word comment: “Probably.”
Thing is, that’s not just a sly remark. In the secret exhibition against Iowa, it was sophomore Zach Hanson who started in the middle, not Artino, and there’s been speculation that would be the case tonight as well. My guess is not even McDermott is entirely sure who his starters will be from game to game, and the lineup might vary every night depending on matchups. For a staff renowned for their ability to scout an opponent and preparing their team, the starting five will be something fun to watch evolve.
The rotation got even more murky when senior Avery Dingman sprained his ankle in practice earlier this week, keeping him out of Friday’s game and potentially longer than that. It’s unfortunate for the senior, who figured to finally get a chance to start regularly, but he’s a known commodity at this point — a solid defender with an erratic jump shot, a good rebounder with a hard-nosed ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the rim, a nice passer with good instincts — in other words, a solid supporting role player.
While frustrating for himself, his absence in an exhibition game isn’t the worst thing for a team trying to sort out roles for the rest of the roster. Dingman not playing tonight opens up minutes for Toby Hegner and Rick “Don’t Call Me Ricky” Kreklow, among others. In Hegner’s case, he hasn’t played since the exhibition game a year ago, a superbly efficient effort where he scored nine points on 4-4 shooting, including 1-1 from three-point range, with two rebounds in just six minutes of action. And Kreklow? The fifth-year senior transfer hasn’t suited up for the Jays at all yet. That’s 10-15 minutes tonight that players like Hegner, Kreklow, and perhaps even freshmen Leon Gilmore III and Ronnie Harrell can take, giving all of them a bit more court time to make an impression.
If Hegner does indeed get the starting nod, he’ll be the first freshman in 24 years to start the exhibition opener. Latrell Wrightsell was the last, scoring eight points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists in 31 minutes of a 75-66 win over Turkey in November of 1988. Since then, two freshmen have started the regular season opener (Ryan Sears and Doug McDermott) but neither started the exhibition opener. Whether he starts tonight or not, Hegner has impressed in practice this fall, and is the player I’m most intrigued to see in action tonight.
With all the question marks and newcomers — seven eligible players who have yet to appear in a regular-season game — the hope is that the game isn’t terribly close, and Coach Mac has every opportunity to experiment and get meaningful minutes for as many players as possible. In other words, not like the scare St. John’s got from Humboldt State earlier this week, where they trailed 45-44 at the half and won 95-83 in a game that was way too competitive for comfort.
To that end, it’s worth noting that Sioux Falls hasn’t played in an environment anywhere remotely like the CLink; they averaged 676 fans per home game last season, and played before a grand total of 14,298 total fans in 13 games away from home last year…or about three thousand fewer than the Jays averaged PER GAME last year. As most DII teams do in such environs, it seems likely they’ll come out with a ton of adrenaline, keep things close (or even lead) for a while, and then fade late in the first half. If that scenario comes to pass, it would be an ideal situation — the game would be close long enough to get the top players their first taste of a competitive game since last season ended, and a comfortable lead late would allow plenty of time for the rest of the guys to see the floor.
This is a night for players like James Milliken, Geoffrey Groselle, and Toby Hegner to show they deserve to be part of the rotation, an opportunity for Isaiah Zierden and Devin Brooks to show they deserve a bigger role than last year, the last chance for Leon Gilmore III and Ronnie Harrell to show they can contribute this season rather than redshirt, and a night for the walk-ons to see their most significant PT of the season. Most of all, it’s a night to get the butterflies out before the season begins for real one week from tonight. It has been over six months since they last played a game in front of fans, after all.
Catching Up with the Cougars: Sioux Falls went 15-12 last season, including a 12-10 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference … They return four starters and six lettermen from that team, including leading scorer Charles Ward (13.6 ppg., 5.1 rpg.), leading rebounder Jordan Stotts (9.6 ppg., 5.8 rpg.) and leading shot blocker Bryan Kielpinski (1.8 bpg.) … One reason for their pedestrian record? Defense. The Cougars averaged 80.9 points per game last season, but allowed 82.4 per game … They’re coached by Chris Johnson who has a 116-71 record in six seasons at the helm. He has led USF to four 20-win seasons, three postseason appearances, two conference tournament titles and one regular-season crown.
One Big Paragraph with Lots O’Dots™: Creighton senior Will Artino and Sioux Falls junior Jordan Stotts both hail from Waukee, Iowa, and were teammates for one year at Waukee High School during the 2009-10 season … Creighton was picked to finish ninth in its second season in the Big East, according to a preseason poll of league coaches. The ninth-place prognostication is the program’s lowest mark since being tabbed 10th of 11 Missouri Valley Conference teams in 1995-96 (a team that ultimately tied for fifth in The Valley), and it also snaps a streak of 14 straight years being picked fourth or higher in its league … This is just the sixth time in the last 20 years that Creighton did not have a first team all-conference honoree in the preseason.
The Last Time They Played / The Series: Creighton and Sioux Falls have never met.
Creighton is 39-6 since 1987 in fall exhibition games, and has won 13 straight. Of course, exhibitions now are a far cry from exhibition games of the past, where barnstorming squads like Global Sports or Athletes in Action traversed the country providing exhibition opposition to teams in early November. Those teams, comprised of former D1 players who hadn’t latched on professionally yet, had the talent, athleticism and depth to really push their opponent. Heck, Global Sports actually beat the Jays three times, in 1999 (77-73), 2000 (82-74) and 2003 (66-65).
More impressively, Greg McDermott has never lost an exhibition game as a coach —- despite his horrid early teams at UNI. He’s 21-0 overall, including a 10-0 mark at UNI, a 7-0 record at Iowa State, and a 4-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs has been by double-digits.
Gratuitous Linkage: Over on Grantland, Mark Titus takes an informative and entertaining look at the Big East. Scroll three-fourths of the way down to see his quick take on the Jays.
This Date in Creighton Hoops History: On November 7, 2012, CU alum Kyle Korver scored 13 points in the Hawks win over Indiana, chipping in three treys and grabbing five boards. Creighton has never played on November 7, so this is as good as it gets.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day: It’s time to start it up, and as is tradition in the Primer before the first exhibition, we go with the song that blared right before tip of mid-nineties games at the Civic. Hit it, Keith!
The Bottom Line: Creighton scuffles early, pulls away late, and gets free pizza for the season ticket holders on a ferocious dunk by Mogboluwaga Oginni in the waning seconds.
Jays 75, Sioux Falls 60