The Creighton women’s basketball team might have turned a corner after their weekend wins against Evansville and Southern Illinois at Sokol Arena. They handled the Purple Aces pretty easily and then worked hard to get the win against the Salukis. They now hit the road for a two game swing against Indiana State and Illinois State.
As the team was preparing to head east, we had a chance to catch up with women’s basketball coach Jim Flanery to talk about his team and where they are at this season.
White & Blue Review: At this point in the season do you think your team is where you want it to be?
Jim Flanery: “I don’t think we are as good as we can be when you have a young team. We haven’t underachieved, but there is more there. I mean we are 8-8. However, we have been in every game except Notre Dame. We just ended a stretch of 4 losses in a row. But right now we haven’t been consistent enough. All of that is to be expected with one Senior. Yes, I wish we were 11-5 but I am also optimistic about this group. Despite the inconsistency, they are getting better and I like their fight. I give a lot of credit to their fight. But back to your original question, we are probably about where we thought we would be. We could be better, but we are getting better.”
WBR: After getting the wins this past week against Evansville and Southern Illinois, what kind of confidence boost does that give the team and is it a springboard for the rest of the season?
JF: “Wins are big, but they bigger after you had lost four in a row. We have been in all of those games that we have lost within a few points. The trip to Missouri State and Wichita State is toughest road trip, at least this season for sure. I had them first and second in my ballot. I have told the team we are not far away. We probably got the best of both worlds with beating Evansville pretty easily but then working to beat Southern Illinois. This road trip is huge. These are games we can win. These will be a great test for the team.”
WBR: McKenzie Fujan has had her ups and downs this season. How is she coming along only being a sophomore? Is she the third option needed after Carli Tritz and Sarah Nelson?
JF: “I’ve been pleased with her the past 3 games. After Missouri State loss, we decided to play her more as a true point guard. We have to have a little more structure with the team. Since that change, she has made a bit of a jump. She needs to continue to get better. She got nine rebounds against Southern Illinois. The rebounding is something we have encouraged. She has also been more consistent. Physically, she has a lot of tools and we need that on the court.
As far as options, I think you also have to put Ally Jensen in there as well. Ally has improved a lot and been more than just a shooter. She has become a better all-around player. We need her experience and decision making. She is definitely an important player on this team.”
WBR: On the injury front, how is the team doing?
JF: “Right now we are in good shape. Riley Norman is out for the year. She has had three knee surgeries now and it is a possibility she won’t play again, but that is her and her family’s decision. It is also a decision she doesn’t have to make right away. Other than that, everyone is doing pretty well.
Carli’s situation is a little unique since she has some bad arthritis in her knee and we need to keep an eye on that. Her knee needs the extra time. So if we give the team a day off, we probably give Carli the next day off too, similar with that Coach [Greg] McDermott does with Grant Gibbs. We see a benefit in being able to rest her that extra time.
WBR: What is the road trip like to Indiana State and Illinois State and what kind of challenges do they give you this weekend?
JF: “Over 9 hours to Terra Haute. Both of them from a style standpoint are very similar with four guard lineups where we can matchup pretty well with. Indiana State has three senior starters that play a lot. One advantage that we have is that neither team particularly deep. We might have an advantage there and that is very important with an 18 game league. I don’t think there is any other team in the league that plays as many players we do more than 10 minutes a game.”
WBR: From the team’s Facebook page that the team went to read to students at an elementary school this past week and helped in the classroom. Can you talk a little bit about the outreach that the team does on a regular basis off the court?
JF: “They are unbelievable. They get asked do something and are genuinely excited about it. They are blessed in lot of ways and are able to give back and do their part of the Creighton mission. I can’t speak highly enough how much our kids embrace that mission and responsibility. When you coach the type of kids I do, you feel pretty fortunate. They are excited to go do things and I can’t say enough about it.”
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Notes:
- Both games this weekend can be heard on 1180 KOIL AM. Friday night is a 6:00 p.m. tip and Sunday’s game is at 2:05.
- Creighton has swept the Indiana State-Illinois State road trip in two of the previous four seasons.
- Carli Tritz enters the weekend having scored at least 10 points in her last nine games, the longest double figure scoring streak by a Bluejay since Sam Schuett scored in double figures in 15 straight games in the 2009-10 season.
- Creighton is second in the league in steals with 9.2 a game.
- The Bluejays have won five straight against Indiana State and four of the last five against Illinois State.
- After this weekend, the women’s basketball team will have a four game homestand before playing five of their final seven games on the road including the final three games of the regular season.