Category: college basketball 365

2014-15: A Season to Remember…and Grow from.

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365
Rip Van Winkle here…
 
Hello?  Anybody still there?  I had this strange nightmare…that the Jays had their worst January since 1995, that we lost 9 STRAIGHT games, that my Jays were the conference cellar-dwellers!  Wow, am I glad it was only a dream…wait.  Wait a minute…huh?  It’s Wasn’t a dream?  Oh Holy sh_t! 

It seems that the Jays nuclear winter is over. Wow, what a January.  The Jays have had January (even February) slumps before, but this one was a doozy.  What a ride, but glad to have it behind us.  Some blowouts, some close losses (close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes) – but losses none-the-less.  Team play has been up and down, inconsistent, and fan frustrating.  But the fanbase is still with the team and showing up in droves at the CLink.

February is looking up:  Jays have won a couple including Saturdays game over the Warrior/GEagles of Marquette.  Recent OWH article and video (Marquette) about this season…from T. Shatel no less.

I have been spouting Creighton Run on the WBR and BJB sites.  The most important aspect of the season to date is that the fellas on the team still have great team chemistry, are still fighting hard, and have not quit on themselves or each other.  My guys…Luv ’em. 

Five regular season tilts left – 3 at home and 2 roadies. 

Butler on Tuesday
@ DePaul
@ Seton Hall
Villanova
Xavier (Senior Day) 
All are winnable…we shall see.  Of course I am praying for a typical February Creighton Run and for the Jays to do their normal conference tourney run.  All is not lost.  This will be a memorable season either way, yep…no 25 W’s this year, but I am pulling for the Jays to end on high notes with a good run and the BET Tourney title.  Far fetched?  Perhaps.  But as I noted at both our boards and over on the Holyland of Hoops…stranger things have happened in college hoops. 
Injury Report: 

         Resultado de imagen para Leon Gilmore photos

Images Courtesy of Creighton Basketball


SG Isaiah Zierden injured his knee and is/will go to Wash, DC to get it fixed. 
PF Leon Gilmore also is hurt and we are awaiting more info on his status. 
But, there is good news also: 

The Jays filled their 4th and last 2015 scholie.  Local star and 2014 Nebraska HS POY Khyri Thomas (3*), currently at Virginia Military Prep School, verbally committed to the Jays last Thursday, 12 Feb 2015 and will sign in April.  Plenty of talk and links by the WBR, www.whiteandbluereview.com and BJB, www.creighton.rivals.com  http://whiteandbluereview.com/local-pro … turns-home
Courtesy Omaha Sports Academy (OSA)
The Jays 2015 class jumped up to #49 in the 247 team rankings and also to #5 in the Big East recruiting rankings.  The coaches continue beating the bushes for recruits.  The staff has been hard at work looking at both HS and Juco SGs and PGs over the last several weeks.  The Khyri Thomas verbal was a surprise this week, a very good surprise. 
Now that I have sufficiently recovered from shock and depression…I will resume a close following of the end of the regular season and the BET @ MSG.  It ain’t over, til its’ over. 
 
Creighton Baseball has begun and is off to a 2-0 lightning strike of a start.  Good luck moving forward into the season guys. 

Courtesy Creighton Athletics

Let’s go Blue.

gtmo

Merry Christmas

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365
Holiday Break Update

1. Arabic – I’d Miilad said oua sana saida
2. Chinese – (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
3 Croatian – Sretan Bozic
4. Danish – Glædelig Jul
5. Dutch – Vrolijk Kerstfeest
6. Filipino – Maligayang Pasko
7. Finnish – Hyvaa joulua
8. French – Joyeux Noël
9. German – Fröhliche Weihnachten
10. Greek – Kala Christouyenna! 
11. Indonesian – Selamat Hari Natal
12. Irish – Nollaig Shona Dhuit
13. Italian – Buon Natale!
14. Japanese – Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
15. Korean – Sung Tan Chuk Ha 
Swahili – Kuwa na Krismasi njema 
No matter the region, culture, or language…Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays! 
It has been a rollercoaster ride this December.  See specifics at www.gocreighton.com
Both Men’s Soccer and Volleyball won Big East RS Championships and made the NCAA Tourneys.  Congrats to both squads.  These 2 titles are the 2nd and 3rd BE Championships for Creighton.
MSoc made a run to the Elite Eight prior to bowing out.  Volleyball was eliminated in the 1st Round of play.
The basketballers also had an up and down month, losing unexpectedly to Mississippi, beating the Huskers, losing at Tulsa (expected), losing at home to St Mary’s (expected), and surprisingly at North Texas.  I had predicted a11-2 OOC récord…reality is a 9-4 tally.  Not bad given the reduced firepower on the current squad.  I had expected reduced percentages in shooting, efficiency, effective FG%, 3pt shooting, in the 5-6% range.  The current reductions are a bit larger than I had predicted thus far at 9-10%.  None of the fanbase expected to maintain the high levels of efficiency from last season, furthermore, such dependence on the 3pt shot and high efficiency tends to limit the amount of overall shots taken, leading to disaster when the team has an off night.

No reason for panic, as at the current rate a bit more effectiveness; feeding the post more, making rather than missing many open layups, and hitting 2-3 more open shots, and increasing our FT rate, the Jays would be 12-1.  I’d rather they commit to high effectiveness, be more effective by taking more primary and 2nd break shots, feeding the post early, rebounding for 2nd/3rd chance opportunities, and take the ‘good shot’ rather than hunt for the ‘great’ shot.  Increased effective play, rather than increased efficiency, is key for success moving ahead.  I submit the team should be taking 60-70 shots/gm rather than the 48-55 shots/gm while trying to play high efficiency ball.  With team percentages down, an effective offense outperforms an efficient offense. 

The conference appears stronger this season.  So there will be no easy games, no room for taking a day off.  The Jays have their work cut out for them in conference play, opening with 2 road trips to a up and down Providence and a resurging G’twn.  Both hostile environments where we took L’s last season.  I look for the Jays to win at both locations enroute to a 4-0 jumpstart to the conference season.  Still holding to my prediction of a 14-4 conference slate for Creighton.  

Happy Holidays!
gtmoBlue