Creighton Basketball 2021-2022

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 10:29 am

Finally some good news to report for next year.

4* Mason Miller officially signed today. The son of Mike Miller, the former NBA player from S. Dakota. He should provide a much needed boost to the morale of Creighton fans right now.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:17 am

Agreed...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:26 am

skinzfan23 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 10:29 am Finally some good news to report for next year.

4* Mason Miller officially signed today. The son of Mike Miller, the former NBA player from S. Dakota. He should provide a much needed boost to the morale of Creighton fans right now.

Collective exhale.

Now...if we could only get his dad as a coach.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 12:08 pm

MadMartin8 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:26 am
Now...if we could only get his dad as a coach.

That would be awesome. I think that it could really help out recruiting as well.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 12:41 pm

Might be a long shot, but hey...fingers crossed?

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 1:58 pm

MadMartin8 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 12:41 pm Might be a long shot, but hey...fingers crossed?

That would be a major coup if the Jays could pull this off as well..

Yes- fingers crossed

...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

ita · Post by **ita** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:04 pm

Landing Miller's 4-star teammate would be awesome. Good luck to the Jays!

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 3:09 pm

skinzfan23 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 12:08 pm
MadMartin8 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:26 am
Now...if we could only get his dad as a coach.
That would be awesome. I think that it could really help out recruiting as well.

Pardon, it's his (Mason's) UNCLE, Ryan Miller, who is the coach at TCU that I was thinking of rather than his dad.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Thu Apr 22, 2021 9:42 am

Pardon the double post, but it looks like we might have our first new assistant coach:

Jalen Courtney-Williams

https://twitter.com/coachjcwilliams

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu Apr 22, 2021 10:15 am

ita wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:04 pm Landing Miller's 4-star teammate would be awesome. Good luck to the Jays!

That would be awesome, the rumors from today are that it is a strong possibility. He decommitted from Dana Altman at Oregon.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Thu Apr 22, 2021 10:19 am

skinzfan23 wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 10:15 am
ita wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:04 pm Landing Miller's 4-star teammate would be awesome. Good luck to the Jays!
That would be awesome, the rumors from today are that it is a strong possibility. He decommitted from Dana Altman at Oregon.

Unfortunately....I don't know

Edit: Commited to Memphis it sounds like. Bummer.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu Apr 22, 2021 10:36 am

Lawson had scheduled a zoom meeting with Creighton today, but has cancelled it. He still has one scheduled with Memphis and Penny Hardaway.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu Apr 22, 2021 10:55 am

Well, so much for that. Lawson just committed to Memphis.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Thu Apr 22, 2021 11:19 am

skinzfan23 wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 10:55 am Well, so much for that. Lawson just committed to Memphis.

Indeed. He and his Brother are heading to Memphis. We didn't recruit his brother, may have been a deal breaker but who knows. In addition, they appear to have some pretty good family connections, so that probably explains it further.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:27 am

Creighton announced the hiring asst coaches:

Jalen Courtney-Williams

Ryan Miller (brother of Mike Miller, who is Mason Miller's dad)

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:28 am

Both are EXCELLENT. Ryan is a known huge recruiter and Jalen is as well.

When it comes to Asst coaching hires, this was a home run.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:34 am

I agree. Both great hires. I am sure that we will see Mike Miller at quite a few games then too.

This just goes to show that everyone was in panic mode a few weeks ago with TyTy decommitting and losing 2 asst coaches. You could argue that these 2 are better coaches than the 2 we lost.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:56 am

skinzfan23 wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:34 am
This just goes to show that everyone was in panic mode a few weeks ago with TyTy decommitting and losing 2 asst coaches. You could argue that these 2 are better coaches than the 2 we lost.

Honestly, I was thinking the same thing, this is likely an upgrade from what we had.

Now we need to close the deal on either a few transfers to shore things up, or maybe an out of the blue HS/JC recruit.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:02 pm

MadMartin8 wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:56 am
skinzfan23 wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:34 am
This just goes to show that everyone was in panic mode a few weeks ago with TyTy decommitting and losing 2 asst coaches. You could argue that these 2 are better coaches than the 2 we lost.
Honestly, I was thinking the same thing, this is likely an upgrade from what we had.

Now we need to close the deal on either a few transfers to shore things up, or maybe an out of the blue HS/JC recruit.

I needed some great sports news to sustain me until NFL Draft weekend this Thursday (an annual 4 day weekend for yours truly)..

This news was just what the Dr ordered...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:54 pm

Nick Bahe has a wonderful interview with new Creighton Coach Jalen Courtney-Williams:

I appreciated that Nick approached the comment McDermott made during the season, and I was even more happy to hear Coach Courtney-Williams' response to them.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:35 pm

Such a great podcast. I enjoyed every second..

Thanks for posting it Martin

...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:08 am

MadMartin8 wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:54 pm Nick Bahe has a wonderful interview with new Creighton Coach Jalen Courtney-Williams:

I appreciated that Nick approached the comment McDermott made during the season, and I was even more happy to hear Coach Courtney-Williams' response to them.

I don't normally listen to podcasts simply because with 3 little kids, I don't have the time, but it is good to hear that he addressed the issue and there is open dialogue about it.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Mon May 03, 2021 3:08 pm

Creighton picked up a commitment from one of the top transfers from DIV II in Ryan Hawkins who played at Atlantic, IA but most recently played at Northwest Missouri St.

He averaged 22.6 pts and 8.8 rebs last year and 22.7 pt and 7.4 rebs the prior year.

This year is such an unknown with players, but is really shaping up to be a great year.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Mon May 03, 2021 3:25 pm

Nice pick up for the Jays

...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Mon May 03, 2021 4:31 pm

Fantastic pick up, he can definitely shoot lights out...plus he was defender of the year in DII twice. I'll gladly take that pickup anyday.

Kansas was interested in him as well.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Wed May 05, 2021 1:44 pm

Some quotes from KMA and Hawkins regarding his recruitment:

The 6-foot-7 Hawkins became a hot commodity on the Division I market when he entered the transfer portal on April 26th with Creighton, Kansas and Villanova vying for his services.

"My phone kept ringing," he joked. "It's a good problem to have, but this whole week has been a blur."

Many programs were interested, but Hawkins says it was always going to be Creighton because the Bluejays checked all the boxes."

"I feel like the way they spread the floor will help me because I like to shoot," he said. "I also think I can bring a new leadership role since I'm older than most of the guys."

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Wed May 05, 2021 9:13 pm

Awesome..

And it really sounds like Ryan wants to be here.. I also really like the player talking about taking a leadership role..

Hawkins appears to be just what the Dr ordered for the Jays

...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu May 06, 2021 9:14 am

The Jays picked up a walk-on from Mason Miller's high school.

Zander Yates 6'8" PF who averaged 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds during the state tournament.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu May 13, 2021 1:41 pm

Nice acclaim for Coach Mac:

Sales Pitch discussion: Who's the most underappreciated coach in the Big East?

Name a coach in the Big East you think should be appreciated much more than he is by his own fans for his ability to construct a winning roster.

Borzello: I think there are two clear picks: Creighton's Greg McDermott and Cooley. The state of Nebraska rarely produces an abundance of high-major players, which has forced McDermott to get creative in recruiting. And he's found gems outside of his region, namely Marcus Zegarowski and Ty-Shon Alexander, while also developing an international connection. The Bluejays play a free, unique style on the offensive end, which is attractive for a lot of kids.

Gasaway: Greg McDermott gets the nod here. His win percentage at Creighton is actually superior to that posted in Omaha by his predecessor, Dana Altman, and McDermott's done so while the Bluejays have played their last eight seasons in the Big East. (To be fair to Altman, he inherited the program at a low ebb and required a few seasons to rebuild. Duly noted.)

Last March, CU reached its first Sweet 16 since 1974 under McDermott, and the Blue Jays have won better than 70% of their conference games in each of the last two seasons. There wasn't a lot of buzz when McDermott was hired at Creighton in 2010, but it's fair to say the coach has exceeded expectations in Omaha.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Sun May 16, 2021 4:10 pm

Top 50 Arthur Kaluma commits to Jays!

ita · Post by **ita** » Sun May 16, 2021 4:53 pm

MadMartin8 wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 4:10 pm Top 50 Arthur Kaluma commits to Jays!

Wow, I am impressed. They beat out a couple of high power schools.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Sun May 16, 2021 6:04 pm

That is awesome news, I heard Creighton was in the mix but I didn’t think it would work out. He is likely the highest ranked recruit in Greg McDermott’s tenure.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Sun May 16, 2021 6:08 pm

Just looked and according to 247 Creighton is ranked number 7th nationally for recruiting after this pick up!

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sun May 16, 2021 9:27 pm

Fantastic news

...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Wed May 19, 2021 1:46 pm

From today’s W-H-

“Creighton informed season ticket holders Wednesday that it plans to host full capacity crowds for men's basketball games at the CHI Health Center next season.

CU also announced that it will not be raising season ticket prices or increasing the per-seat donation requirements.”..

I can’t wait to get out and attend a game this season!..

The complete W-H story link:

https://omaha.com/sports/college/creigh ... op-story-1

Ciao..LiO...Peace

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Wed May 19, 2021 1:57 pm

That is great news. I was hoping that was the case with full crowds. I am so excited to have the season back and especially with all the recent additions to the roster. I feel bad for last year's squad that they didn't get the full experience, but at least they got to have some crowds.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Wed May 19, 2021 2:21 pm

skinzfan23 wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 1:57 pm That is great news. I was hoping that was the case with full crowds. I am so excited to have the season back and especially with all the recent additions to the roster. I feel bad for last year's squad that they didn't get the full experience, but at least they got to have some crowds.

Right on!

...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu May 20, 2021 4:13 pm

Great article about all the height the Jays should have next year:

Creighton's roster is getting longer, and that's by design

The specific measurements of Creighton's newcomers for the 2021–22 squad aren’t available just yet.

But consider the fact that CU could have 6-foot-6 senior Alex O'Connell, 6-foot-6 junior Antwann Jones, 6-foot-7 transfer Ryan Hawkins, 6-foot-8 freshman Arthur Kaluma and 6-foot-9 freshman Mason Miller earning playing time on the wings next year. Those are the 3s and 4s. The versatile, forward-sized athletes with guard-like abilities. Interchangeable parts. The Khyri Thomas-like guys.

It was just three years ago that Creighton’s four-guard lineup required Ballock to match up against the opponents’ power forwards. He held his own but it wasn’t ideal.

Next year’s team should have multiple options there, and everywhere.

Plus, the 6-foot-5 Rati Andronikashvili and the 6-foot-4 John Christofilis profile as traditional shooting guards. Add them into the mix, too.

And there's Ryan Kalkbrenner and his 7-foot-4 wingspan manning the middle.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu May 27, 2021 10:56 am

The Jays added another big in 6'9", 235 lb transfer from McNeese St, Keyshawn Feazell. Averaged 13pts and almost 10 boards per game last season.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Thu May 27, 2021 1:16 pm

That closes out the immediate need for downlow. Now just to close out and get Trey Alexander and this class is...well, beyond all expectations to say the least.