Bluejay Men’s Basketball – Season Review

On By gtmoblueIn college basketball 365
Post Season Review:  Creighton Bluejay Basketball
 

Everything must change…  Stevie Wonder



 
  

Another great season in the docket for the Creighton Bluejays.  In the afterglow of the season,  Bluenotes assesses the Jays productivity, from the standpoints of: 
 
 Creighton Basketball: Tradition and recent history 
 2013-14 Season:  Achievements and Statistics  
We add in a realistic preview of the outlook for and talent of next year’s squad.  Given that the Jays have not yet concluded recruiting for 2014, this prognosis should change.: 
 
General prognosis for the 2014-15 Men´s Basketball campaign

 
Creighton Basketball:  Tradition and recent history 

Creighton has built a winning basketball legacy throughout its’ 96+ year history.  Beginning with early Mills-Mulholland-Kearney-Schabinger-Hickey eras, the post WW2 period of the Hickey-Belford-Salerno-Thomsen regimes, through the turbulent period of the late 50s to the early 80s with the McManus-Sutton-Apke eras, and the so-called (post 1979) Modern Era which saw the Reed-Baroni-Johnson eras.  Finally, and most importantly, the recent Altman Era teams of the late 1990’s-2010, and continuing on in the McDermott Era of the last 4 years(2010-11 season onward) were the final push.  

The Creighton Men’s Basketball program has seen continuous successes from the late 1990’s through the current season.  The program has sustained a superior level of performance and winning (20+ wins) in 15 of the last 16 years.  The Altman teams performed at a 65% winning clip during his 16 years at the helm.  The McDermott teams have increased that mark to a 74% win rate in his first 4 years.  Creighton’s remarkable achievements over this period have been documented by the NCAA, the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), the Big East Conference (BE), CU, and others. 


Creighton, through the efforts of 3 University Presidents(SJ), Father Morrison (1981-2000), Father Schlegel (2000-2011), Father Lannon (2011–Current), along with longtime Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen, and others, has built a program for the development and achievement of all of Creighton Athletics. The Creighton program has risen to the level of being an athletics model for universities small in size and budget. 

The efforts of these leaders, their staffs, and the university community as a whole, garnered large fruit when Creighton was selected to join the Big East Conference in March of 2013.  Creighton has long fought the good fight in its’ efforts to move up the NCAA Division 1 hierarchy.  Excellence and persistence won the day.  Thanks to the tireless work of the CU Leadership and all of the university staff, faculty, students, and Creighton’s loyal and ardent fanbase – the Jays won!  In July of 2013 Creighton University Athletics officially became a member of the Big East Conference.  
 

A new era has begun.