A glance back… Now Onward.

Alas, Oh the Times…they are a changin’
Gotta go back sometimes…and touch the stones.
Know where you come from, in order to get to where you want to go.
 
 
 
 
 
 
I must have had a (another) brain lapse.  I went looking for some of the old sports sites I used to browse, back in the day (early to late 2000’s).  Alas, many of them are no more.  Chief among the missing is the Mid-Majority…Kyle Whelliston’s site.  The Mid-Majority was an institution over its’ 10 year run, being many things to the small, the obscure, and the underestimated conferences and universities that are the “other 26” conferences.  And possibly most well-known for his Articles on “The Red Line” in college basketball.  Mr. Whelliston closed down shop in March of 2014. 
 

“We’ve lost the precious feeling of scarcity. With everything so available everywhere anytime we want, and so easily replicable, anticipation and appreciation are the primary casualties. In digital 2014, there are so few remaining opportunities to have a tiny analog moment all your own, to discover something small, to place and protect it in your heart. Love carries with it an undercurrent of pain. Your beloved might disappear forever, so you must cherish it.”

“Our final act is to make ourselves scarce.”   –  Kyle Whelliston

        

 
Here is a link to one of his articles…  “You have to see the MVC in person.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
I miss Kyle.  I miss the Mid-Majority.  I miss the Missouri Valley Conference, and I am nostalgic irt our many historic past victories and glory. 

No, I do not wish to return, nor to regress, or to live in the past.  However, our history “is what it is” and I recognize the impacts and import of who we were, of who we have been, in the making of who we are today. 

 
In moving ahead in this latest Big East chapter of Creighton Basketball…let us not forget where we came from.  Let us not forget the history, tradition, and legacy that has helped shape Creighton (us) into who we are today.  Reach back every now and then – to touch our historic stones – to remind us of how we crossed over our Jordan.  Reach back and touch the stones to recharge our energies, whilst forging onward to new victories, new glorys, new achievements ahead. 
 
Love ya Creighton University.  Love ya Creighton Bluejays.  Let us recharge our energies while knowing that what lies ahead of us is greater than what we have left behind. 
Creighton’s Best…is yet to come! 
Let’s go Blue!
 
gtmo
 
 


Bluenotes Short Riff – 11 November 2015

Short Riff
Stay focused…Stay hungry!

Courtesy: Creighton Athletics

2015-16 Previews:  WBR MBB player bios. www.whiteandbluereview.com  
Great profiles by the WBR team.  My comments;

GG-  Great profile. IMO GG has a Stainbrook type of breakout year…for the Jays this season. He’s healthy, he knows he can play with the big dogs, and he’s hungry. Go Geoff. As for ingame durability – as long as he paces himself, 20 minutes should not be an issue. Hopefully ZH and JP can squeeze in a few minutes. 
wink emoticon
jMilli- Great profiles…good stuff guys. James’ game should improve due to experience, confidence, and greater team depth. He won’t have the burden of “carrying” the team, which will allow him greater flexibility and less pressure to perform.

Zach Hanson- Imo ZH can be an impactful player by doing the things he stated. Bring energy when he comes in and with aggressive rebounding and defensive play. Impact is more about what you do with the minutes you get, rather than the amount of minutes. It’s a team game and ALL of the players need to contribute to the overall team effort. I am looking to see him show improvements and aggressiveness…which will be an asset to the team play.  

IZ- IZ is a Phoenix…he gets burned…but “again I rise”. He rises from the ashes again…in triumph!  He will be a spark for the squad with his shooting and his leadership.  
Chase perfection – catch excellence. 

Maurice– Absolutely, refreshingly candid, direct, and to the point. A leader and a team 1st guy. He’s in the right place at the right time, thank God. Talented – no fear. Poised, confident, experienced – the ‘coach’ on the court come crunch time. Luv this guy! 

THeggs– Sounds as though THeggs has his confidence back, enthusiastic and excited for the season. The quality and depth of our bigs should reduce / eliminate any thoughts of having to carry the team.  He can contribute and just play the game.  He should have a good frosh to sophomore jump in his stats. 
CoopDreams (Malik)- This young man, along with Khyri…are the wildcard players. Malik is a scoring machine (in the Marcus Foster vein) and is a good PG to boot. Should injuries mount at either guard spot Leek can come in, augment the team, and boost production. Humble but talented. He was and is a great late pickup, who will pay big dividends this season.

@colehoops– Altadena, SoCal… Go get it big guy. he’s a team guy – no showboat or “I” in his game. Time to go to work. 
Ronnie Harrell “I feel like I can do a little bit of everything like starting the break and I’ve been doing a pretty good job rebounding, or knock down open shots if needed. I definitely want to win the Big East Championship. I want to be able to say I played in the Final Four, and be able to put Creighton and the city of Omaha up there with all the big level schools.” RH has improved and continues to do so and will be a good team asset this season.
JP– And there has never been a finesse ctr in the BE? Patton has more talent than those in front of him-the RS will not last all season. PS: Creighton wins 12 games in the non-conf portion (incl. @ Indiana) and at least 23 games in the Regular season.




Rush the Court – BE Previews- 3 section preview on the conference.  Jays in the also ran section. 
http://rushthecourt.net/2015/11/09/big-east-season-preview-the-outsiders-7-10/

 

8. Creighton
Sorrow, devastation, “not again!”: the three most common thoughts going through the heads of Creighton fans last season. To be fair, it wasn’t entirely the team’s fault. Following a mass exodus, the Bluejays had some rebuilding to do. Down the stretch there were a significant number of heartbreaking losses: Eight of the team’s 14 conference defeats were decided by five points or fewer. The progression of junior James Milliken and sophomore Isaiah Zierden (pre-injury), however, was encouraging, and Greg McDermott added a number of intriguing pieces to his balanced, pro-style offense. The two most exciting newcomers are Nevada transfer Cole Huff and freshman Justin Patton. Huff is a wiry 6’8″ forward who will likely be utilized on the wing where his three-point shooting and ball-handling will be on full display; Patton, a 6’10” center, will provide depth on the interior. Even though the Bluejays are ranked eighth here, there is certainly some upside given the talent on the roster as well as McDermott’s coaching ability. A November 19 non-conference test against Indiana will provide Creighton an early chance to prove it.

 NCAA;  Jays among group of five set to bounce back to the Dance in 2015. 
http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2015-11-11/college-basketball-5-teams-bound-bounce-back?cid=ncaammsocial_tw_sf15177938 

Omaha World Herald – new article

New 2015-16 WBR Viewers Guide…
http://whiteandbluereview.com/creighton-mens-basketball-2015-16-viewing-guide/

CBS Sports – Maurice is #6 on the under-the-radar transfers (Jon Rothstein)
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25367295/under-the-radar-transfers-watch-for-louisvilles-trey-lewis

I added Malik Albert (in the comments) to the top Juco transfers…
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25367392/top-juco-transfers-arizona-counting-on-kadeem-allen

indigdoc49 minutes agoMalik Albert . Creighton
The former 2014 JUCO AA at MottCC redshirted last season for academics and should be a major piece to Creighton’s puzzle in 2015-16. A 6-2 guard, Malik avd 25 ppg, 4 apg, and 4 rbg at Mott.  Albert’s scoring and experience should come in handy for a team that lost four starters from last year’s squad and missed the NCAA for the 1st time in 4 years.

A couple of new articles on BECB

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Courtesy: Creighton MBB