In almost every season since it was first uttered, Creighton’s “Let It Fly” mantra has served as a warning to opposing defenses of what they could expect to deal when they square off with the Jays. This year, it has morphed into more of a necessity for opposing players who would prefer to get downhill and attack the basket.
In a typical season, Creighton’s defensive principles consist mostly of plugging gaps, staying in front of the ball, and closing out to the perimeter with a necessary amount of aggression to break shot rhythm and prevent getting blown by off the dribble. Through nine games in the 2021-22 campaign, seeing a breakdown of any of those defensive components that involve the dribble isn’t always an undesired result. That’s due primarily to the presence of center Ryan Kalkbrenner.
The seven-foot, one-inch sophomore out of St. Louis, Missouri has created a no-fly zone on the interior of Creighton’s defense. What has normally been a weakness that opposing teams have often looked to exploit has been transformed into a place where highlight reel finishes go to die.
“In the past, our advantage was at the 3-point line,” Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said. “We were scoring 12-15 points more at the 3-point line than our opponents. But because we haven’t shot the three as well this season, we have to create a gap somewhere, and that’s where we’ve been able to create our gap.”
According to Synergy, Creighton is shooting 67.4% and allowing opponents to shoot 45.8% inside five feet through the first nine games of the season. Since joining the Big East, that’s the lowest opponent conversion rate in that range by six full percentage points, and on the offensive end it marks Creighton’s second-highest success rate over that same span.
Creighton’s Offensive Field-Goal Percentage Inside 5 Feet (through first 9 games):
- 2021-22: 67.4%
- 2020-21: 62.1%
- 2019-20: 60.8%
- 2018-19: 60.1%
- 2017-18: 68.3%
- 2016-17: 66.1%
- 2015-16: 59.6%
- 2014-15: 52.2%
- 2013-14: 59.1%
Creighton’s Defensive Field-Goal Percentage Inside 5 Feet (through the first 9 games):
- 2021-22: 45.8%
- 2020-21: 51.9%
- 2019-20: 57.1%
- 2018-19: 58.6%
- 2017-18: 58.2%
- 2016-17: 53.7%
- 2015-16: 53.8%
- 2014-15: 54.2%
- 2013-14: 52.5%
It’s not a coincidence that two of Creighton’s four best marks on the offensive end have been in Kalkbrenner’s first two years as a Bluejay. As a freshman, he was 13 made baskets shy of qualifying among the Big East leaders in field goal percentage. Had he met the criteria, his .645 would have ranked second behind only teammate Christian Bishop’s .681. So far this season, he’s leading the league at .714, a full eight percentage points ahead of Providence’s super senior big man Nate Watson.
Kalkbrenner’s impact also shows up in the team’s overall production. Creighton ranks second in the Big East in offensive field goal percentage (.496) and fourth in defensive field goal percentage (.396) despite sitting in last place in 3-point shooting (.314) and eighth place in defending the 3-point line (.337).
He ranked seventh as a freshman with 1.23 blocks per game in 31 appearances. And despite the fact that he’s nearly doubled that average with 2.44 blocks per game as a sophomore that stat doesn’t properly encapsulate how he has impacted Creighton on the defensive end of the floor.
“We’ve changed our ball screen coverage at times this year to kind of just funnel guys in there, because good luck scoring over the top of him,” McDermott said. “And even when we’ve made a mistake, he’s been able to take care of it.
“The shots that he blocks are such a small percentage of the shots that he impacts. I would say that if he blocks three shots per game, he’s changing eight or nine — three times what he’s blocking. In the Virgin Islands it felt like he had seven blocks a game and then you look at the box score and he had two. He’s doing a lot for our defense, and his communication has gotten a lot better from last year to this year. He’s learned the importance of talking early, talking loud, and how that makes his teammates’ job so much easier.”
Most prospect evaluators knew that Kalkbrenner possessed the attributes to be a game-changer at the rim for Creighton. In his final season of AAU, he was named Nike EYBL Defensive Player of the Year by D1Circuit.com after leading the summer circuit with 4.5 blocks per game. But while being long, strong, and athletic are prerequisites, the secret sauce to Kalkbrenner’s ability to change shots is something that Greg McDermott believes is almost impossible to teach.
“It’s kind of an innate ability, and fortunately for us [Ryan] has it,” McDermott said. “His judgment is really good. He knows when to leave his feet and when to stay on his feet, and that comes with intelligence … and a work ethic. He’s got both.
“I was always impressed, watching him play AAU, with his ability to block shots without taking himself out of the play. We saw signs of it last year at times, but we’re really seeing what he’s capable of this season.”