Category: college basketball 365

Jays Edge #18 Oklahoma in "Jekyll n Hyde" Game

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365
Improbable 2nd Half Rally lifts Jays to Victory. 


In a game which will get better over the years and become a focal point when referring to great Creighton rallies, the Hilltoppers survived a nightmarish “Bayloresque” first 25 minutes of basketball Wednesday evening.  The baskets, the “bank”, and all other hoops outlets seemed closed as the Bluejays couldn’t buy a bucket.  It eerily resembled the NCAA debacle of last March.

However, Creighton has learned from past history.  In a furious 2nd half rally, reminiscent of the 2003 NCAA rally vs Central Michigan, the Bluejays stopped digging their hole and rallied in this early season contest.  I feared the team would quit.  They didn’t, and Won!

This game, which very few gave Creighton any chance to win, featured an Oklahoma team which is picked to do major damage come next March and is ranked in all the major polls.  Creighton, conversely, has been tabbed a cellar-dweller in the post-Doug McDermott “era”, by both the media and the majority of our own fans (unfathomable).  A handful of Jays fans, including yours truly, were lambasted for even suggesting the possibility of a Jays victory vs the #18 ranked team in the country.  A pocket of outside support was found amongst BE brethren fans at the Holyland of Hoops board online.
This is a good resume builder win early in the season.  As much as I’d like to think this win would catapult CU into the rankings, with the strongly engrained media projections and league predictions, it will probably take another win over a ranked team (Nebraska) to do so.  This Jays team now knows they have “the right stuff” and will move forward with confidence.  Definitely a great win and a game to remember.

Links:

http://www.gocreighton.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209773381&DB_OEM_ID=1000

http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/story/creighton-rallies-past-no-18-oklahoma-111914

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/11/19/creighton-comes-from-18-down-to-knock-off-no-18-oklahoma/

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=65095

http://dataomaha.com/quick-hit/275#video-creightons-locker-room-celebration-after-beating-no-18-oklahoma

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/11/19/creightons-toby-hegner-dives-for-loose-ball-gets-drenched-in-beer-video/

http://www.omaha.com/creighton/shatel-newjays-find-identity-prove-they-can-be-clutch-without/article_8a71db0d-9406-5919-a19a-84fe2875dedb.html?mode=jqm

https://creighton.rivals.com

http://whiteandbluereview.com

https://bluejay.zone

Go Big Blue!

Creighton Basketball – 2015 NLI Signees

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365

 The Class of 2015


Another successful men’s basketball recruiting season has run the gamut and the Jays have received verbal commitments from 3 top national recruits.  Beginning last June with the surprise offer/commit from then relatively unknown Omaha recruit C/PF Justin Patton, to the September commit of Iowa PG Marlon Stewart, then the surprise signing day commit of Slovenian post-grad SF Martin Krampelj, it has been a roller coaster ride.  

Creighton has 1 scholie spot remaining.  The Jays have some 2015 offers on the table, mainly for guards, including a recent re-offer to former 2012-now Juco PG Jonathan Milligan and KU transfer PG Conner Frankamp . This is a good class for the Jays 3rd year in the Big East Conference and will set the table for continued success in the conference and nationally.  As their senior high school/prep seasons play out future Jays Patton, Stewart, and Krampelj should see a rise in their respective national standings.

Recruiting is work – hard work at this level.  Creighton’s staff has put in tons of hard work and thousands of road miles this past recruiting season, in order to capitalize on their new Big East status, and it has paid dividends.   Coaches DeVries, Lutz, and Sellers are to be commended for their ceaseless recruiting efforts.
 
Creighton Basketball NLI Signees:



Photos: Rivals, QC Times, Basketkski.si 

C/PF Justin Patton, 6-10, 215  Omaha, NB  Rivals-#48, Scout-#42, ESPN-Unranked 4-Star

PG Marlon Stewart, 6-2, 195   Eldridge, IA Rivals-Unranked 3-Star, Scout-NR, ESPN-NR
SF/PF Martin Krampelj, 6-8, 205 Grosuplje, Slovenia, PostGrad @ Impact Academy/FL, NR

The 2015 Men’s Basketball Class is ranked in the Top 60 nationally, depending on the service you look at – 247Hoops, VerbalCommits, Scout, Rivals, ESPN, NBCSports, etc., and should rise up the rankings based on player performances this season.  This class is a bellwether class – as it was seen as crucial to field a great class this year, going forward in the BE – to set the bar as a consistent player in both Big East championships and nationally.  The perception was that this class would certify not only the Jays ability to continue to compete in the league, but also to potentially win the conference and have legitimate postseason success in the foreseeable future.  The caliber of this 2015 class does that, but also throws down the gauntlet – that Creighton, both can and will compete with the so-called ‘elite‘ for top level recruits.  The Big East conference has grabbed 8 Top 100 and 11 Top 150 (Rivals) recruits to date, with Creighton’s share being 1 Top 50 player and 2 soon to be Top 150.

Coach Mac’s comments:  http://www.gocreighton.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209763208&DB_OEM_ID=1000

The Jays have had good to great recruiting classes in the past.  This 2015 recruit class continues that trend by securing 3 Top 150 players thus far.  A hale and hearty “Well Done” to Creighton Coach McDermott and his excellent staff.