Spring Recruiting Period – Update

 

 

Ah, Spring Recruiting.  Nothing better to brighten the spirits and breathe in the fresh air of renewed hope for the season ahead.  The Jays are hard at it and have their sights on a slew of potential new Bluejays.  Let’s get to it.

Only one fall signee in Shereef Mitchell, 6-0/160 PG, from Omaha.

A current board theme is that Creighton is looking for a 4, a play now grad wing, and a sit 1 wing.  We have 3 open spots (Froling back to Australia/pro career) with a potential for a 4^th.

 

New Frosh –

Tristan Enaruna, 6-8/215 F, Netherlands/Wasatch Academy  Enaruna is CU’s primary target this spring.  Brief CU visit in mid-February.  Stock has exploded recently and has KU, Miami offers.  Duke, UK, Texas interest.  On his list for a visit, but no date set as of now.  “Hopes to” begin visits this month.

LE 14 Apr 19:  Matt DeMarinis tweets that Enaruna has set a official visit to Creighton on 26-28 April 2019.

 

Caleb Grill, 6-3 SG, Kansas  Decommit from So Dak St.  Grill visited unofficially last week and is setting up officials.  Expect a visit and fast close.  KSU, ISU, UNLV offers, other interest.

 

Jalen Windham, 6-5 SG/SF Indianapolis, IN  Decommit from Georgia St.  In home visit last week, Official visit scheduled for 22Apr19.  Another fast close.

 

 

Grad Transfers –

Bryce Moore – 6-2 Combo Gd, Indianapolis, IN  Grad. Trans. from W. Michigan.  Top defender, excellent 3pt shooter.  On official visit to CU 13-14Apr19.  Visited Xavier on 11-12 Apr 19.  Should be a fast close.

 

Jays looking at several GrTransfer Wings.

SF Chris Clarke, 6-7, VA.  Trans from VT, Imm Eligibility.  Suspended this past season.  Jays interest?  Had huge interest 1st time around.

Akron stretch forward Daniel Utomi, 6-7

William & Mary SG Matt Milon, 6-5.  Creighton interest 1^st time around.

 

Regular sit 1 Transfers –

Jays looking at several Transfer Wings.

Eric Williams Jr of Duquesne Sit one, play 2. He’s 6’6 and averaged 14 and 7  Shoot’s 37% from 3.

Kevin Easley of Chattanooga, a 6-6 wing who averaged 14-7

 

Juco, others –  ??

None that we know of or that have been talked about.

My fav…Dimon Carrigan, 6-9/220 F/C, Boston, MA  Odessa College.  Shot Blocker/rebounder.

 

Stay tuned here and on the regular Creighton sites.  BluejayBanter.com bluejayundergound.com and gocreighton.com

The Case for the Next Level, here at Intermission.

 

 

In 2013 Creighton was amongst the trio of schools accepted into the reconfigured Big East Conference.  It was a shining moment in CU’s history to finally make it to the “bigtime” as a basketball school.  Fr. Lanning worked tirelessly, canvassing, cajoling, selling CU, calling in markers and favors, sidebar caucusing, like a master salesman.  Finally, it was done and Creighton was now a big boy school.

Back then optimism was high as were expectations that CU would gradually rise to competitive levels of recruiting, play, and rewards.  Goals of winning exempt tourney championships, Big East Championships (both RS and BET), and making Sweet 16 and better NCAA runs- with an eye to eventually compete towards a national championship, were our optimistic and long-term goals. Fortunately we had a senior-led team with an All-American and excellent support cast, Creighton hit the ground running.

The next year with the loss of 4 seniors and some supporting members, Creighton experienced a sharp dropoff, and we’ve been rebuilding ever since.  While Jays recruiting has experienced a rise over the last six years, our performance has not kept pace.  Our 17 and 18 recruiting classes were very good (top 100) and we have promise of another good class in 2019.

We have recently completed year six in the Big East Conference.  Most years it is a struggle to reach the 20 win platform and we have grown accustomed to repeated double digit loss accumulation annually.  Creighton has settled in as a mid-tier performer in a major conference:  a middling major player.  We strive to be .500 or better in conference (83%), reach the 20 win platform (83%), to compete for the conference crown.  We strive to be good enough to get a 7-11 seed bid in the NCAA tourney each year.  The Jays have accomplished the NCAA goal 50% of the time these last 6 years.  Creighton has performed pretty well as a mid-tier team.  However, becoming a mid-tier major was not among our original goals.

Most of Creighton fandom are of the opinion to continue the course with Coach McDermott in spite of the record he has built.  Most are happy with the results to date and think CU will make a marked improvement, given the talent onboard, during the tenure of the ’17-19 classes.  While that is a distinct possibility, I hesitate to jump on the bandwagon as the record to date indicates more of the same old stuff, not a profound leap to top tier status.  For the majority, only failure to produce significant results with the current talent over the next 2-3 years would awaken calls for change.  Some will admit that it seems that coach has become a bit too “comfortable” and perhaps complacent.

2019 goes on record as having several upper tier coaches available and less of a coaching carousel in job availability.  I am on record that we need to upgrade our coaching acumen/talent now, as Mac has given us a 9 year record of what he is capable of.  My opinion is that Mac has hit his ceiling and is not the coach to elevate our program to the next level.

Creighton has a current campaign in progress to raise monies for coaching salaries.  I submit to you, that campaign money along with contributions from our deep pocket donor base, be used to hire an available upper tier coach.  Pitino, Sr., Matta, Dixon, S. Miller, Beard, others, are available for hire to revive the goals of taking CU to the next level with regards to basketball achievements.

With Bruce Rasmussen at the Athletic Director spot, it seems highly unlikely that any such change will be made, as Coach McDermott is held in good stead with the AD.  Coach already has a 2-3 year extension on his contract in place.  That places his tenure at 13 years – out to 2023.  Unless issues from an unforeseen source arise (FBI investigation, Mac takes a better job or retires, bottom falls out, Rasmussen retires, Pres. Hendrickson override, etc.), our program will remain in Mac’s hands for the next 4 years at minimum.

Therefore here at the end of year nine overall, is a good time for an intermission1, a pause for a reality check.  A time to reaffirm our commitment to striving for Creighton’s ascendance to the next level of college basketball achievement.

 

 

 

1. Psychologically, intermissions allow audiences to pause their suspension of disbelief and return to reality, and are a period during which they can engage critical faculties that they have suspended during the performance itself.