Creighton Crazy

Snap Reaction: Saint Joseph's

2011-12-10T13:10:00.001-06:00

I'm an optimist at heart, and games like this make me glad for that. In a noon road game halfway across the country against a very good team with a penetrating point guard and an athletic frontcourt, a game in which their shots weren't falling and the Joes were getting every roll, a game in which the officials were as inconsistent as you'll see (and didn't seem to understand simple concepts like "charging" and "travelling"), the Jays were still within 6 points with over a minute to go.

Think about that. A game in which everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and Creighton easily could have won it.

So yes, there is lots of work to do, but let's not react to a few raindrops by saying the sky is falling. Saint Joseph's is a team that seemed expressly constructed to beat the Jays. They have a lightning-quick point guard, Taye Jones, who penetrated at will (despite some good defense at times from Jahenns Manigat). They have tons of size in the post, and a hidden gem in sixth man Ronald Roberts. All we heard about prior to the game was Aiken and his blocks, but Roberts is a legitimate stud in the making. He swatted Greg and Doug like it was nothing. He unleashed some slick moves with his back to the basket. Oh yeah, and he threw down an insane monster dunk that you'll surely see on Posterized soon enough.

Every team has bad games over the course of a long season. Creighton today was sloppy on offense and lackadaisical on defense, with a certain lack of effort on the boards, something we haven't seen this year. This team will need to find a way to hold its own down low, and it has to figure out a way to contain the dribble-drive. These are the kinds of things that any elite team invariably is tested on, and it's good that the Jays got one such test this early in the year, particularly with the lack of bite from teams like Iowa and UAB.

The Jays were not going undefeated this year. They probably weren't going to stay in the Top 25 all year. But they're still undefeated in Missouri Valley play, and they're still on track for the NCAAs. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Bluejay Stats Breakdown

2011-12-03T05:05:00.000-06:00

At various points throughout the season, I'll crunch the numbers and take a look at where the Jays stand using advanced metrics. Many of these come courtesy of statistician Ken Pomeroy's indispensable kenpom.com.

The Last Game

How special was Creighton's 85-83 victory at San Diego State? According to Pomeroy's forecast, the Aztecs entered with a 58.7% chance to win the game. You know the Jays fell behind 31-14, but you may not know that their chances of winning at that point were only 10%! It's just one of the many ways to put this special performance into perspective -- it's not easy to come back to win on the road, certainly not against a good team, and unheard of in a place as loud as Viejas Arena. Props to the team once again for refusing to succumb to the odds.

The Next Game

Pomeroy's model gives Creighton a 71% chance of beating the rival Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Clink on Sunday. This is a significant advantage in the world of probabilities, and I believe it's clear that the Jays are the more talented team, let alone the cohesive one. However, Nebraska will be determined to play hard, coming off two heartbreaking losses, most recently to a hapless Wake Forest team that hadn't won on the road in over a calendar year. Creighton, meanwhile, will find it tough to duplicate the emotion of Wednesday's thriller, even against an in-state rival.

A key factor in this game will be tempo. The Huskers like to slow things down, grind out buckets in the half-court, and clamp down on defense. The Jays are a more flexible team, but they'd rather get out in transition as often as they can. Pomeroy expects the game to proceed at Nebraska's favored pace, but if Creighton can ratchet up the intensity, the odds tilt even further in their favor. I wouldn't be shocked to see some pressing defenses from Coach McDermott in an effort to speed the Huskers up and get the ball out of playmaker Bo Spencer's hands.

The Offense

We've all seen how prolific the Jays can be at scoring. Their raw offensive efficiency sits at 124.4 points per 100 possessions -- third in the entire country! Taking opponents into account puts the Jays at 114.6, still an impressive 12th nationally and trailing only such renowned offensive teams as Ohio State, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, and North Carolina. Interestingly, upcoming opponent Northwestern checks in one spot ahead of Creighton, despite playing at a Nebraska-slow tempo! However, it's likely that the tempo numbers for the Wildcats are skewed by some of the cupcakes they've played -- the Cats' wins over top 100 teams LSU and Georgia Tech were played faster than average. Still, it looks like we can expect a shootout when these two teams hook up. Like the Jays, Northwestern rarely turns the ball over. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Speaking of turnovers, ball control has been an understated key to the Jays' success this year. We've talked about the amazing assist-to-field goal ratio (currently 7th in the nation), but just as important are the passes that don't lead to scores. Creighton turns the ball over only 16.8% of the time, good for 29th nationally and almost 5% below average. This means over the course of a standard 70-possession game, the Jays are getting three extra chances to score compared to the average opponent. And when you've got the country's best effective field-goal percentage at 61.6, those additional looks can make a huge difference in a close game, as we've already seen (only one turnover in the second half at San Diego State). Even the team's offensive rebounding, a longtime Creighton bugaboo, has been above average thanks to the presence of Greg Echenique and the furious activity of Doug McDermott.

But there's one nit to pick with the Jays' offense, and it's a really big one: free-throw shooting. The Jays don't get to the line a lot, and when they do, they haven't been converting. Their 63.8% make rate is dangerously low, a full 4% below average. Not only that, two of the biggest culprits are also the two players that can expect to see the most trips to the stripe: point guard Antoine Young (62.1%) and center Echenique (34.8%!). Indeed, the pair has combined to take an astounding 41% of the team's free throws. Young is a senior who has worked hard on his stroke, and I expect him to rebound from a rough shooting start. Echenique is a bit more of a concern, especially if teams decide to dust off the old Hack-a-Greg routine -- and let's be honest, at this point, why wouldn't they? Amazingly, the Jays' opponents have been even worse at the line (62.3%), a number we can expect will regress to the mean as the season goes on. What does that portend? Creighton will be working at a massive free-throw disadvantage if things continue to play out this way, and we know this is crucial to winning in March.

The Defense

Here's where Coach Greg McDermott has traditionally made his bones, and where we expected the biggest improvements this season. Sure enough, while there have been a few bumps, the Jays' defense does look to be significantly better than in 2010-11. Let's start with causing turnovers, where Creighton was just one spot above dead last a year ago. They're still below average, but the improvement here shows that McDermott's team is doing a better job of making opponents work to run their offense.

While the team's overall defensive efficiency is almost precisely average, the individual defensive numbers paint a better picture. For instance, Creighton has ranked very well in preventing offensive rebounds and keeping opponents off the free-throw line, both of which are among the more difficult defensive skills to master. The improvement on the boards is especially encouraging -- Echenique's presence in the paint has rectified a long-time thorn in the Jays' side, and helped fans (and surely the coaches) feel so much more at ease when the ball's on the rim.

Statistical Outlook

Despite their impressive 6-0 start, the Jays sit just 50th in Pomeroy's comprehensive outlook. This is much lower than the human polls, and even many other computer models, have the Jays -- Massey's aggregate rankings have CU in 23rd. This is certainly due to the underwhelming starts from big-name opponents UAB and Iowa, who were supposed to provide ballast for the Jays' schedule strength but instead have helped drag it down into the country's 40 easiest slates.

The good news is that this will change quickly, with 6 of Creighton's next 7 opponents ranked in Pomeroy's top 100. Of course, the flip side is that the Jays' goose egg in the loss column will be under serious threat. While I've heard many fans compare this team to the 2003 Jays in Kyle Korver's final season and toss out that magical 30-win total, Pomeroy's statistical projections are vastly more modest about the team's prospects. According to the model, there is a greater than 50% that Creighton will finish somewhere between 20 and 23 wins this year -- a great season, but not what the Jays and their fans are looking for. However, after only 6 games, the models are definitely susceptible to large swings, and a strong finish to the non-conference schedule against higher-quality teams will cause these probabilities to rocket skyward.

Of note is how the statistical outlook squares with Omaha World-Herald beat writer Steve Pivovar's prediction of an 8-3 non-conference record. While Piv is often ragged for his realist takes, he's been around long enough to know that in college ball, a team can look unbeatable one week and inept the next. Some fans don't hesitate to state their expectations that Creighton will enter the Valley schedule undefeated, but Pomeroy's projections align with Piv's take, giving the Jays only an 8% chance of making it to 11-0.

Certainly, the projected record of 21-8 (12-6) does seem conservative if you apply the "eye test" to Creighton's victories thus far. But while the numbers and the play on the court both look great, it's important to emphasize that the Jays' biggest tests are yet to come, and it's far too early to rest on their laurels. I believe that the strong leadership of Coach McDermott, his son, senior point guard Antoine Young, and the indispensable Grant Gibbs can prevent that from happening. As Pat Marshall noted following Wednesday's euphoric victory, this has the look of a special team, and while a 30-win season may be an ambitious goal, I'm absolutely not ruling it out.

I believe we just won that game

2011-12-01T02:29:00.001-06:00

That was the chant in the Creighton locker room tonight. San Diego State's slogan is "I believe," and they've backed it up by going 41-4 since last season... entering tonight, that is.

"The Show" was in full force at Viejas Arena, and the Aztecs fed off the crowd's energy early. They shoved the Jays around under the boards and put the clamps on Run-DMD. Xavier Thames, the burly SDSU point guard, was getting into the lane at will. At one point, it was 31-14 for the Aztecs; the Jays called a timeout to regroup. A lesser team, maybe even last year's team, would have written this game off.

From that point on, though, the Jays were a completely different team. Doug McDermott attributed the team's calm demeanor to Grant Gibbs, the Gonzaga transfer who has personified Creighton's new-found toughness and resilience. Gibbs was all over the court once again: crashing the boards, diving for loose balls, finding the open man. The Jays held a hot Aztec offense in check heading into the second half, and when they looked at the scoreboard at the break (39-35 'Tecs), the team knew they could (nay, would) come out with the win.

"When someone else scores," said Antoine Young after the game, "it's like you scored." What a great way to sum up this year's Bluejays. Taking their cue from Coach Greg McDermott and Gibbs, the Jays have shown a willingness to pass the ball that you just don't see from a college team. This mindset led to the game's key play, when Jahenns Manigat drove to the rim on a busted play and found Ethan Wragge for a floater off the glass. The bucket put the Jays up 84-81 with less than a minute to go.

A Team Effort

Everyone stepped up and played well at times for the Jays. Gregory Echenique was ineffective in the first half, but he stayed confident and played some great D in the second half after the underwhelming Aztec frontcourt muscled him around early. Antoine Young kept the team in it with his offense in those tough first-half sequences, and made several slithering drives to the hoop when the game was in the balance, shredding San Diego State with his hestitation move. His stand-still three-pointer coming out of a timeout put the Jays up 65-62 with seven minutes to go, and from that point on AY had the game under control.

But the player of the game tonight was Ethan Wragge. He went off for 19 points, which included several clutch second-half treys. More importantly, he held his own on defense and on the glass, and he made the play of the game when he dove after Manigat's missed free throw, tipping it away from two Aztecs into the waiting arms of the Canadian Red Bull. (Not only did Ethan attempt his first non-three-pointer of the season, he made no fewer than three huge baskets inside the arc.) After the ensuing timeout, the Jays were able to run out the clock to preserve their hard-earned 85-83 victory.

Early Jitters

Let's go back to discuss the Jays' struggles in the first half. SDSU was by far -- by freaking far -- the best defense Creighton has seen this year. The Jays were playing sped up and weren't getting into the flow of their offense. The Aztecs are long and athletic, and their strategy early on was to send relentless double-teams at Doug McDermott. Dougie got frustrated, picking up a cheap offensive foul at one point, until he found Avery Dingman for an open 3 out of a double and realized that he didn't have to carry the team by his lonesome.

San Diego State also flustered the Jays a bit with a three-quarter court press off of stoppages. Austin Chatman, the true freshman, came up huge with some slashing drives into the lane, causing the Aztecs to back off a bit. He even joined starter Antoine Young on the court late in the first half -- that's a backcourt that can really get by you.

Aztec Firepower

It says a lot that San Diego State, coming in at 7-1, scored a season-high 83 points at home -- and still lost the game. I thought this would be a defensive struggle, in the 60s, but the Aztecs made it a shootout early. Chase Tapley, the lone returning starter from last year's 3-loss team, was absolutely on fire early, but the Jays were able to hold him down in the second half. I'll have to go back and look at the tape to see whether this was due to better defense from Creighton or a lack of aggressiveness from Tapley. At any rate, he all but disappeared during the game's crucial stretch.

One Aztec who wasn't afraid to shoot was freshman Jamaal Franklin. This kid can jump out of the gym, and he has no fear when it comes to scoring. He was aggressive -- maybe too aggressive at times -- shooting awful contested threes on one possession and driving the length of the court for a clutch layup on the next. In the end, San Diego State may have been better served going to Tapley for some of those shots.

But it was Thames who almost willed the Aztecs to a win. Using his size advantage against Young and Chatman, Thames continually got inside off high ball screens and made Creighton pay. He even hit a huge stand-up three when Antoine gave him a bit too much space. I thought SDSU would need to rebuild this year after losing, among many others, their gutty point guard D.J. Gay. Xavier Thames has clearly shown that this notion is bollocks.

Dougie Fresh

Once again, what can you say about Doug McDermott? This was one of his toughest games as a Jay -- he fought double teams and frustration with equal aplomb to finish with his customary numbers (a cool 25 and 12). His defense (2 charges taken!) was key in shutting down the paint after the Aztecs had such success there early. And his scoring run at the end of the first half kept the Jays in the game. His dad Greg drew up several nice out-of-bounds plays in which Doug came off a screen and effortlessly flicked his shot up and in.

Coach McDermott summed it up best postgame: these players trust him, and he trusts them. What's more, they trust each other. They truly enjoy playing the game, something we haven't seen from a Creighton team in several seasons. It's simply a joy to watch, and after tonight's win that nearly wasn't, the excitement surrounding the Creighton program will be at massive levels.

Bring on Nebraska.

Jays exceed high expectations early

2011-11-21T03:09:00.000-06:00

Creighton punctuated their 4-0 start with an impressive 82-59 beatdown of the Iowa Hawkeyes in Des Moines. This looks like a team on a mission, and it has all the ingredients to continue this success through non-conference and into Valley play. After beginning the season in the honorable mention section of the Top 25 polls, now the Jays are knocking on the door. I predict we'll see a number next to Creighton's name on Monday.

Now that head coach Greg McDermott has settled on his 10-man rotation, let's take a look at how each player fills a key role for Creighton, with an eye to how the season might progress. The excitement is in the air!

The Starters

No asset is more valuable to a college basketball team than a senior point guard, and Antoine Young is one of the best. He's come a long way since he was a wide-eyed freshman. Young once hesitated to drive the lane and had no real jump shot or free-throw stroke to speak of. 'Toine is off to a slow shooting start (8/23 FG, 9/14 FT), but his scoring is gravy for the Bluejays. His defense and floor leadership set the tone for everyone, and he's even improved his rebounding to a career-high 3 per game thus far. And if there's such a thing as clutch, Antoine Young is it. He's the guy you want with the ball in his hands and the game on the line.

I'm incredibly impressed with Grant Gibbs, the Gonzaga transfer who sat out last season. Nabbing a starting spot immediately, Gibbs is already a crucial cog, moreso than I expected. Gibbs looks like the ultimate glue guy. He's almost a clone of former Jay (and my fellow Westside High alum) Matt West, contributing on both ends of the floor and making effort plays left and right. Like West, Gibbs is a sneakily-good shooter. His size will help him guard the Valley's dangerous swingmen. Like Young, anything from Gibbs on offense should be gravy, but he can pitch in and help carry the load if needed. With lines like the 8 boards, 6 assists, and 2 steals he put up against the Hawkeyes, he could become the Jays' best all-around player. Well, maybe the best player who isn't related to the head coach.

What can you say about the shooting thus far of Jahenns Manigat? He cooled down in Des Moines, but that stroke is for real. Hot or not, the thing you always get from the Canadian Red Bull is maximum effort. Jahenns isn't the most chiseled athlete, but he continues to improve on defense through sheer force of will. This is the kind of player coaches kill to get.

Doug McDermott is Doug McDermott. Enough said.

Gregory Echenique is the man who can make this a truly elite Valley team. The immense Venezuelan simply dominates the paint; he just needs to become a more consistent finisher and rebounder. Opponents fear his monster swats, but they don't fear putting him on the foul line. Greg needs to improve his 22% rate, which shouldn't be too difficult. Still, this is a potential concern, as the Hack-a-Greg strategy will come into play this year.

The Reserves

Nobody outside of Young has improved more at Creighton than his old AAU buddy, Josh Jones. He's become a fearsome slasher, providing instant offense and energy off the bench. Josh has such pep, in fact, that he tends to get loose with the ball at times. If he can corral those instincts and pick his spots to attack, Jones ought to win Sixth Man of the Year going away. He's a classic stat-sheet stuffer.

Everyone in town is happy to see Ethan Wragge healthy again. Before the season began, I'd have called Ethan the team's best long-distance shooter, but after seeing what Jahenns and Dingman have done, I'm not so sure. And that's high praise for the latter two players, because Wragge does nothing but knock down treys (43% his freshman year). This year, Ethan's started to contribute in other areas, playing solid defense and grabbing nearly 5 boards per game despite averaging just 18 minutes.

Austin Chatman is like the second coming of Antoine Young. Like Young, Chatman is thrust into a significant role as a true freshman, and like Young he is cat quick in the lane. But if anything, Chatman has showed more confidence than Antoine as a newbie. I see no fear in his game, and he drives the lane any time he can. Yet he is a true freshman, after all, as his 6 turnovers against Iowa showed. Could he run the team if Young went down? He could, but he'd obviously be better served spending a year as the understudy.

Having the 6-11 Will Artino on the bench is a luxury few Valley teams have ever had. I think he could start for a lot of other teams, but he's perhaps even more valuable as insurance against any Greg and Doug foul trouble, which has been known to occur. Defenses can't let up when Artino hits the paint, although as a redshirt freshman, he'll likely make some mistakes, too.

Last but not at all least, the freshman sharpshooter Avery Dingman has had an impact reminiscent of Wragge's two seasons ago. His 4-4 performance from distance was a big part of the Jays' domination in Des Moines, and it's no fluke. This kid has a stroke as pure as anyone this side of Kyle Korver. Having this kind of scorer on the bench, especially in the Valley, is an enormous advantage.

And a special shout out to Ross Ferrarini, Matt Dorwart, Derek Sebastian, and Taylor Stormberg. The more playing time they get, the better things are going for Creighton, and they've played quite a bit already this year. Don't underestimate their contributions to this team. All but Stormberg are upperclassmen, quality guys who exude professionalism.

It's still too early for prognosticating, but the Valley sure looks ripe for the taking. Greg McDermott has proven that his teams play with energy and care about defense. Add depth and size perhaps unlike anything Jays fans have seen, and you've got a recipe for success. But execution is everything, and even the greatest Creighton teams have had their stumbles during conference play. It remains to be seen where the 2011-12 version will rank among them, and I couldn't be more psyched to find out.

Jays send Altman packing

2011-03-28T23:51:00.000-05:00

We came to see the Jays try to win a championship. We came to bid Kenny, Kaleb, and Wayne farewell. But really, we came to see Dana Altman. We needed catharsis. And the Bluejays obliged.

Dana Altman was cheered; not wildly, but respectfully. He strolled out from the visitor's tunnel as late as possible, and he hung his head as he slunk back in, seemingly refusing to acknowledge the crowd's appreciation. He squatted on the sidelines, and he lit into his team during timeouts. It was just like any Creighton game from the past 16 years, except Altman was on the other bench.

No matter. Tonight was our night, Creighton's night. The Jays exorcised any lingering demons from the Altman era with a convincing victory over his new team.

It was at times a dominant offensive performance. The shots were falling early, especially for Jahenns Manigat, and Creighton's interior defenders walled off Oregon's top scorer Joevan Catron throughout the first half. But the Jays often failed to secure the three-point line, and a Dana Altman team will make you pay for that.

Oregon's guards kept them in the game from long range, and the Ducks ran a very familiar press that gave Creighton some problems. It wasn't quite the vintage Altman attack (this is still a cobbled-together Oregon team), but the Ducks extended their defense to blunt the Jays' early scoring, and they used a tricky matchup zone to discombobulate McDermott's boys for long stretches.

In the end, though, it was the Jays' hustle, size, and superior offensive talent that won the day. Gregory Echenique had a couple monster second-half blocks, Manigat chased down a steal and threw a crosscourt pass from his backside, Antoine Young merely came back to the game after being knocked nearly unconscious by a teammate, Josh Jones played with confidence and nailed a dagger 3, and Doug McDermott sealed the win by dashing downcourt to block Singler's would-be layup and preserve a 6-point lead.

Can the Jays win a game in Oregon? Absolutely. The 3-game series is quite rare in college basketball. The Jays certainly don't want to stick around Eugene until Friday, so they'd better bring everything they have on Wednesday and put this thing away. And please, guard that three-point line!

A proper goodbye: the case for cheering Dana Altman

2011-03-24T17:16:00.002-05:00

Dana Altman left us twice. The first time, in April 2007, it was a sudden shock. Arkansas plucked him from Creighton out of the blue -- within a day he was going through the motions of his infamous "Pig Sooie" in Fayetteville, while fans in Omaha were still struggling to process it all. I was a year out of college. I had never known a Creighton coach other than Dana Altman.

But then he quit. What a whirlwind it was. The most pressing question was answered quickly -- could he come back to Creighton? Coach Altman's close relationship with Bruce Rasmussen and the athletic department ensured that he could indeed. Then our thoughts quickly turned to how we felt about him now. Would he come back? Would we want him back?

What we learned is that Altman's reservoir of goodwill in Omaha was seemingly bottomless. Creighton fans began to grasp the enormity of the task ahead -- trying to replace a legend, the greatest coach in team history. Dana Altman made Creighton basketball into a local power, a respectable and hard-working outfit that contended for titles every season. The team was thrilling; it played at a fast pace, and it pressed its opponents relentlessly, daring them to make a mistake. Creighton's best basketball teams entertained us and burnished the credentials of the entire university. It inspired pride throughout the city of Omaha.

How could we survive without the coach who made it all happen?

But something wasn't right. Altman's teams played differently somehow after his return. They slowly abandoned their trademark pressing defense. The team's depth thinned, but Altman's voluminous substitutions remained. Instead of playing together, the team took sides. Some players seemed to care more about starting and scoring points than helping the team win. These teams were coached by Dana Altman, but they were not truly Altman teams.

No matter the cause, careful observers had to admit that the program was stagnating. No, the lingering resentment from Altman's Arkansas dalliance had not completely died, and it resurfaced through the team's increasing stumbles. The 2010 season ended with a whimper, and this time when Altman's name was floated for job openings, people didn't recoil in horror. It was a sign that something needed to change; for everyone's benefit.

I still remember the panicked feelings of April 2003, when Altman's name was on top of the list to replace Bill Self at Illinois. A great job, a Big Ten job. A job his Missouri Valley rival, Bruce Weber of Southern Illinois, was eager to get. All accounts were that it was Dana's, if he wanted it. But he stayed in Omaha. Weber moved to Champaign. Which program is better off now?

Dana Altman gave us Rodney Buford, Ryan Sears, and Ben Walker. He gave us Kyle Korver and Terrell Taylor. He gave us Nate Funk, Anthony Tolliver, and Dane Watts. He gave us exciting, quality basketball. And he gave us a brand-new arena, a state-of-the-art home for a private school in a baseball town in a football state. That's a legacy that will stand the test of time.

He also didn't leave the cupboard bare, as I have seen suggested. His parting gifts included Antoine Young and Kenny Lawson, who have led the team's turnaround on the court and helped reunite it off the court. He even left us the biggest body in the Valley, Gregory Echenique.

There's no need for sour grapes. Creighton is back in the ascendancy. Greg McDermott will have success here, and I believe he has the potential to take the program to even greater heights -- namely the Sweet 16, Altman's biggest bugaboo. But for Dana Altman, and for us too, it's a shame things went sour at Creighton. Omaha was his home, a place he felt comfortable, a place he stuck up for time and again. There are some things I don't miss about his coaching style, but there are more that I do. He proved his worth once again this season by taking a ragtag bunch of Ducks to the postseason, a team that was barely expected to win a couple games in its conference.

He also said he would retire at Creighton.

There are still strong negative emotions associated with the way he left Omaha. I get that. But for all of you planning to attend the CBI final on Monday night (and I do hope that is all of you), I strongly encourage you to cheer for Dana Altman. Give him the standing ovation he deserves, from the fans to whom he brought so much basketball joy over the years.

It won't be easy for Altman. It will be plenty awkward, coming back to Omaha so soon with his new team, shaking hands with the coach who replaced him and rejuvenated the program (once his program, unequivocally). Hopefully -- no, inevitably -- when Altman walks off the court at the arena he helped build, after watching his new team get waxed by his old one, it will be excruciating. Perhaps the Oregon coach will even have one of his customary snappy retorts for an interviewer.

But before that happens, let's at least give Dana the hearty thanks he deserves for all he's done for Creighton. Let's give him a proper goodbye. After that, once the game has begun and Dana Altman becomes the opposing basketball coach at Creighton University for the first time, I'll look the other way when the "Pig Sooie" starts flying.

Photo credit: Chicago Now

It's the Valley, stupid!

2009-12-04T17:01:00.004-06:00

Sorry, didn't mean to call you stupid. It's just that everyone is so worked up about this Orlando debacle. It was bad, sure, and I don't mean to detract from the awfulness of the Jays' showing. However, it's also important not to overreact. If you're in a huff, I'm here to tell you that the situation is not as dire as it seems. It's way early, and Altman teams have rebounded from slow starts before. Just last year, the Jays recovered from a woeful Valley start to take a share of the regular season title. There is plenty that the team needs to work on, but a poor showing in November doesn't mean they're toast. Here's why:

Lots of newcomers: Altman's system is famously difficult to learn on both ends of the court, particularly the press defenses and offensive set plays. The most-used players must have crazy endurance, and they all must be able to play at maximum effort for several minutes at a time. This all takes time to develop, especially on defense. When teams use a lot of risky gambits like the full-court press, there's little margin for a error. A mistake leads to a layup, period. While players like Wragge and Runnels are ready to help on offense right now, the same guys will hamper what Altman can do on defense until they master his principles. Then remember that Creighton's best defender (Josh Dotzler) is gone, and one can see why the Jays are having problems.

Lack of leadership: Here's the other thing Dotzler provided in spades. He was the unequivocal floor leader last season, and that is a gaping void a year later. Justin Carter was annointed the leader in the media over the offseason, but any such pronouncement before the games begin is wishful thinking at best. I love Carter, but the truth is that neither he nor anyone else has assumed command of this team. College players need a peer to help hold them accountable; the coach can't do it alone, because he's relatively isolated. At Creighton, as is typical, the basketball players spend most of their time among each other. That's where the real leadership work gets done. And on the court, of course. The lack of it results in disorganization and aimlessness, especially during the home stretches of games, on the road, and after the opponent has made a big run. Any of that sound familiar? The good news is that this is not a surprise. Leadership takes even longer to develop than a press defense, and again, it's simply too early to declare the Jays a hapless band of individualistic laggards, as many people have all but done.

Seen the Valley record lately: I just checked: it's 0-0, and the Jays are tied for first. If you missed it up above, I snuck in links to the 2000-01 and 2004-05 teams. In 2000, the Jays infamously lost their first exhibition game to Global Sports and stumbled to a 3-2 start with losses to Toledo and Wyoming. Major conference teams? Sort of, yeah, but they sure weren't Dayton, Michigan, and Xavier. That team went on to beat Tulsa and Nebraska, go 15-5 in a strong Valley, and earn a Tournament berth. In 2004-05, the Jays went through a winter break stretch during which they lost 6 of 9 games. That team won the Valley tournament and took eventual Elite Eight participant West Virginia to the buzzer in a game they could (should?) have won. I think most people would agree that the talent on this team is at a similar level. So what's so different about this year that a 2-4 start against excellent competition is a death knell?

Expectations are a good thing: This team has suffered a (hopefully brief) crisis of confidence. It's young, it's expected to do great things, and its fans are hungrier than ever. Whether it is perception or reality, the Creighton basketball program is in a stagnation period for the first time in many years. I think the players feel this more than they let on. And I think they're not yet ready to chew what they've bitten off, much like last year's team in the early conference season. The talent is here. The coaching and effort aren't. Not yet. As I explained above, there are good reasons to expect that Dana and his team will figure some things out. As much as we love Dana, and as emphatically as I want to declare that he is not on the hot seat, poor preparation ultimately falls on his head, and his alone. If it continues into the Valley season, some of the pointed questions being asked now will become perilously sharp.

Missouri Valley Preview: Drake

2009-11-25T10:00:00.003-06:00

The preview is ordered according to Rush the Court's preseason rankings, and will now appear each Wednesday as we approach the conference season. Drake is No. 183.

Drake had a magical 2007-08 season, as everything came together around a tough group of seniors and a ready-for-prime-time coach who knew how to use his talent. I'm still wrapping my head around it. But of course, last year the Bulldogs returned to their traditional straggling ways. After a promising 4-1 Valley start, Drake suffered an atrocious string of defeats, salvaged only by fluky home wins over the Jays and Northern Iowa. Even worse, several key players are gone, including versatile forward Jonathan Cox and scrappy sixth-man John Michael Hall (I hated that little brat). One thing Drake does have is an identity, built around the Joshes Young and Parker, two small, quick guards who can break down a defense and find the open man. The only problem is the lack of shooters to fill the open spots on the court when those two get inside. Last year, the Bulldogs chucked up a three 45.9% of the time, good for 10th most in the entire country. But Cox was their best and most prolific shooter, so someone will have to fill that void. Parker shot 43% last year from distance, but their next most voluminous guy was Adam Templeton at 32%. Yes, this is still a team in search of consistently good play, and this season will tell us whether Drake is at least headed in the right direction.

2008-09 Record: 17-16, 7-11 MVC, 8th place

2008-09 Rankings: Kenpom (146), RPI (163), Massey Comparison (134)

Outlook: The advanced metrics seemed to like the Bulldogs last year, and I think they can stay out of the Valley basement thanks to their style alone. And Drake will again have a very strong identity: they'll play stingy zone defense, they'll run long half-court sets, and they'll rely on dribble penetration and clever cuts to the basket to get open shots. That leaves the Bulldogs vulnerable to any team with a halfway-decent post presence, or a team with good perimeter defense. Sure enough, already this year Drake is 339th in offensive rebound percentage (which isn't last, believe it or not), and they aren't getting to the free-throw line despite hitting at an 80% clip from there. Unsurprisingly then, the Bulldogs are 1-4, and not against stellar competition. A bright spot has been 5'11" sharpshooter Ryan Wedel, an Arkansas State transfer, who has filled some of Cox's offensive role, but obviously lacks his stature. We'll see how well he shoots against tougher Valley defenses. And that will be the key against Drake this year: don't let up against them, stick with their guards, and just get out with a win.

Top Returner: Young has been around forever, and the senior is still one of the Valley's best at driving the lane. Experienced and savvy, if Drake surprises at all this year, he'll be a big reason why.

Top Newcomer: Wedel has a great shooting pedigree, but he'll need to get stronger and improve his ball-handling skills to become a more well-rounded player. How will he fare in his first Valley action? Even experienced players usually need an adjustment period.

X-Factor: I don't know much about freshman Ben Simons, but at 6'8" with a nice outside game, he's the logical next Jonathan Cox. He seems a bit thin yet, but this kid has serious potential.

Coach: Mark Phelps enters his crucial second year, eager to get Drake back to the top after their ever-so-brief taste under Davis. Particularly after their conference slide in early 2009 (despite having one of the country's most experienced teams, by the way), Phelps needs to quickly assimilate his first batch of newcomers into his system, or things could get bleak. It helps that he's running essentially the same offense that Keno Davis left him, and I think that shows Phelps' pragmatism. At Drake, you get wins however you can.

Dog Facts

Wedel once scored 25 points in 2 minutes for his Kansas high school.
Phelps had been an assistant under Herb Sendek since 1996 at both N.C. State and Arizona State. Not much variety there.

Snap Reaction: Dayton

2009-11-14T14:16:00.001-06:00

The Jays played an inspired game to open up the season in raucous Dayton. The 10-point margin does not indicate the competitiveness of this game. Creighton had plenty of opportunities to win, or at least extend to a comfortable lead, after they caught fire midway through the first half. Wayne Runnels was perfect in the first 20, and Stinnett and Witter also produced on the offensive end. Meanwhile, the Flyers were cold from outside and couldn't crack the Jays' tight zone.

In the second half, Dayton coach Brian Gregory made excellent adjustments, getting his team to take the ball inside more often, and the smaller Creighton players had trouble stopping Chrises Wright and Johnson. Wright in particular was much improved from last year's Omaha disappointment. He's an absolute tank when he drives to the rim, and he even hit a couple from distance. The Jays, on the other hand, weren't as effective as Dayton's defense got downright sticky.

Look, this is a tough game to lose, no doubt. But I'm looking at all the bright spots and thinking this team has a real chance to win the Valley. The Dayton announcers continually insisted that the Jays will be a Top 25 team before the season is out. I'm still not sure about that, but without its leader, Justin Carter, this team showed a lot of heart and skill in perhaps the toughest opener any team in the nation will play.

What basketball (and Tyler McKinney) can teach us about proper hygiene

2009-11-11T19:10:00.006-06:00

Please welcome our new contributor, Ashley!

In early March of 2004, Tyler McKinney - former Creighton point guard - learned that he had a nasty infection of Acanthamoeba keratitis. Acanthamoeba is a small parasite, only an amoeba, but it was enough to almost cost McKinney the ability to see out of his right eye. He endured two cornea transplants. He had to be administered an intravenous antimicrobial agent (pentamidine) that’s normally reserved for patients with severely depressed immune systems, such as from chemotherapy. How could something so serious happen? The answer: contact lenses. It’s believed that he acquired the parasite while in Canada where he used tap water to clean his contact lenses. The incidence of Acanthamoeba is normally quite small, but due to increased use of contacts, physicians and ophthalmologists are also seeing an increased rate of eye infections caused by that tiny little parasite. In fact, 85% of patients that have Acanthamoeba are contact-wearers.

How can people prevent such a terrible infection from occurring? All one needs to do is follow proper hygiene and common sense. Contacts should only be cleaned with special contact solution. Solution in the storage case should be thrown out every day, not “topped off”. Contacts should never be worn while swimming or taking a shower, since Acanthamoeba is spread via water. Contact storage cases should be replaced every three months.

Recently, Kenny Lawson got over having H1N1. It’s reported that Harriman has been very sick since last Thursday with what Coach Altman says is probably also H1N1. Harriman rooms with Korver so here’s hoping he doesn’t get sick, too. How can Korver or any other Bluejay fan (okay, maybe even Saluki fans) help to protect themselves against getting the dreaded H1N1? Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands after coughing, before preparing food, after sneezing, before eating, after using the toilet, and in pretty much any other situation. Cough into your elbow. Isolate yourself if you do start to feel sick. Get plenty of sleep. Drink plenty of water, not pop. Take a multivitamin. Get the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines. When washing your hands, wash under your nails and use soap, not just water. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

When in doubt: wash your hands.

Missouri Valley Preview: Missouri State

2009-11-07T15:54:00.003-06:00

The preview is ordered according to Rush the Court's preseason rankings. Missouri State is No. 233.

This once-great Valley program has fallen on hard times after Barry Hinson was finally sent packing; he had some successful teams, but it was clear that after failing to pierce that NCAA tournament bubble, the Bears had shrunk away from the effort. Hinson didn't leave a lot for new coach Cuonzo Martin, and Missouri State finished last in the league despite plenty of experience and a couple talented youngsters. Injuries played a part, and it's possible the team simply underachieved with a first-year head coach, but that wouldn't bode well for the future either, as the Bears are now a much younger team with lots of new players. Make no mistake, this is a new team, and it will be interesting to see if the well-schooled Martin is able to make progress (read: not finish last) with this group, or if it will take longer - I believe he will get this program back on track eventually.

2008-09 Record: 11-20, 3-15 MVC, 10th place

2008-09 Rankings: Kenpom (197), RPI (210), Massey Comparison (197)

Outlook: This team could be worse than Evansville. The Bears excelled at just about nothing last year, and they lost three of their six key players. One thing they may have on Evansville is scoring talent; 6'6" sophomore Kyle Weems is an emerging Valley star, and he has plenty of room for improvement (28% from three, yikes). Missouri State did fairly well on the defensive boards, and they return their best man, 6'9" junior Will Creekmore. But all-around dynamo Chris Cooks is gone, and so are the Laurie brothers and the Bears' only other big man, Wade Knapp. Size is going to be a serious problem, and teams (such as Evansville) should be able to harass Creekmore down low. Stretch the defense with deep shooting, you say? Not going to happen. Missouri State shot 31% last year, 275th in the nation. An inability to shoot will kill you in the Valley, unless you have a major advantage in the paint. Unfortunately, the Bears have neither right now. There are several talented newcomers who can help rectify either area, but there's no telling whether they will be able to gel in one year.

Top Returner: Weems. He's a bit small to be a traditional power forward, but in the Valley we know that doesn't matter. If he can improve his jumper (or refine his shot selection) and become an even better interior defender, he could carry the Bears to a few extra wins.

Top Newcomer: Adam Leonard is a 6'1" junior transfer from Eastern Kentucky who is the Bears' best hope for improvement behind the arc. As a former starter on an NCAA tournament team (2007), Leonard has the experience that can really help the Bears, who are weak in the backcourt in a backcourt-driven league.

X-Factor: Caleb Patterson bears a striking resemblance to Leonard in his profile picture, but he's also 10 inches taller. That kind of size gives this sophomore transfer from Colorado big-time Valley potential. His development will be important to watch. He didn't play much for the Buffs.

Coach: Cuonzo Martin is the latest Purdue guy to join the Valley coaching ranks, which means a reputation for strong defense. The Bears struggled last year with Hinson's players, finishing 9th defensively in conference games. Now that Martin has brought in a slew of his own players, we can start to look for his style to emerge on the court. I wouldn't be surprised to see the trusty defense-and-threes approach that has won so many Valley games this decade. He's certainly getting the players he needs to succeed; in addition to the aforementioned Leonard and Patterson, JUCO player of the year Nafis Ricks is in tow, and he plucked talented freshman guard Keith Pickens from the middle of St. Louis. There's a reason Bears fans are excited about Cuonzo.

Bear Facts

Hinson is now the Director of External Relations for Kansas. Nice landing!
Recruit Lane Adams backed out to sign with the Kansas City Royals, this unfortunate blogger's favorite team.
No more facts, because Missouri State doesn't have their media guide online yet. Boo!

Missouri Valley Preview: Evansville

2009-11-07T03:42:00.005-06:00

The preview is ordered according to Rush the Court's preseason rankings. Evansville is No. 243.

Evansville was good last year? Well, so much for that. Evansville is no longer a Valley powerhouse, but for the past few seasons they were lucky enough to have both a big-time scorer (Shy Ely) and a three-point bomber with nearly unlimited range (Jason Holsinger - 13 ppg, 39% from three against Creighton). But the Purple Aces averaged a lousy 5.5 conference wins during those four years; while some of the blame for that falls on the previous regime, the results are still disappointing. So it should be a strange season in Evansville; last year's quick rise to legitimacy may raise expectations higher than they should be, given what has been lost (and given six true freshmen). However, the Aces also have a chance to shock the Valley if they can sustain that success. Just don't count on it.

2008-09 Record: 17-14, 8-10 MVC, 5th place

2008-09 Rankings: Kenpom (129), RPI (95), Massey Comparison (128)

Top Returner: No question it's James Haarsma, a hustle guy off the bench last year who will take on a vastly enlarged role. Haarsma isn't explosive, but he's a solid player who doesn't make mistakes and should grow into a team leader.

Top Newcomer: Bryan Bouchie sat out last year after transferring from Valparaiso. He's 6'10", has Division I experience, and has a year in the program. He should help fill the scoring void and bang down low with the Eglseders and Lawsons of the league.

X-Factor: Monie Hudson is a 6'0" JUCO from Southeastern Illinois. Don't know much about him, but I hear he can shoot, and he'll actually be one of the most experienced players on this team.

Coach: Marty Simmons is on Evansville's all-time team as a player. Whether he'll end up there as a coach remains to be seen. In his first two years, Simmons has rescued the Aces from the depths of the Valley cellar, and it's easy to look at his turn-around job (9 wins to 17) and expect even more this year, if you ignore the context. But we know the truth: if Simmons can keep Evansville even close to where they were last year (and out of that cellar), he will earn much respect.

Outlook: Not good. But you knew that. This year will likely be about figuring out which of those myriad young'uns is going to help the team down the road. The Purple Aces lost their top four players in usage rate, which is a huge blow in a conference filled with experience. Making matters worse, the returning players don't offer much hope. Center Pieter van Tongeren is tall, sure, but his number were down across the board last year, and he recorded a mere 9 blocks. That's bad, folks. Haarsma is actually flying under the radar, as he managed to crack the top 400 last year in offensive rating, offensive rebound percentage, and turnover rate. Too bad Evansville doesn't have five of him.

Ace Facts

Creighton is 21-9 at Roberts Stadium. That's called ownage, my friends.
Evansville won 5 national championships in Division II from 1959-71.
The entire basketball team was killed in a plane crash in 1977, the same year Evansville joined Division I.

The season is here! (Sort of.)

2009-11-04T20:04:00.001-06:00

I've never gotten too into exhibition games. I always enjoy seeing the Jays in their game duds, of course, but really I'm just bummed that the game doesn't count. However, the games do provide a chance to see the newcomers. And this season, there are an awful lot of newcomers. Here's what I'm looking for from tonight's game (already in progress! woohoo!):

Bock and Wragge behind the arc: These guys put on a show during open practices; can they do it in a game? We all knew Kaleb Korver could shoot the rock when he got to Creighton, but it took him a long time to get comfortable releasing his shot against D-I competition. Whether they struggle or not, expect the two shooters to show excellent shot selection; one of Dana's greatest strengths is teaching shooters when to shoot. Think about all the gunners that have arrived in recent years. Can you think of any who were undisciplined on offense by the time they got on the floor?
Runnels on the boards: As you might expect, the Griffons are a short team. Wayne should be prepared to make a statement that Creighton's rebounding woes of last year will ease with him under the glass.
Can anyone get to the rim? We've seen Creighton's newcomers (non-Antoine division) struggle to learn when to penetrate the lane and how to finish. Justin Carter showed glimpses last year, but not until the last few weeks. The Jays could use some explosive drives from Josh Jones and Daryl Ashford.

Links: the debut

2009-10-16T16:45:00.004-05:00

Every blog has a perpetual links feature, right? So here's the debut of "Links," my ingeniously named links feature! These posts shall consist of anything interesting I find on the series of tubes (it's not a big truck!) about Creighton basketball.

Today's post brought to you by Ted Stevens.

Creighton

NET-1 has picked up two games: 2/3 vs. Evansville and 2/9 vs. Indiana State. Riveting, huh? (GoCreighton)
On that note, check out the updated schedule, including all TV coverage - that we know about. (GoCreighton)
The Dayton game will have an early, noon start. Clear your calendars now!(WHIO)
Preseason news and notes from around the MVC. (White and Blue Review)
Dana still searching for leaders. (World-Herald)
Piv goes in depth on Ethan Wragge. (World-Herald)
What if Creighton had Midnight Madness? (White and Blue Review)
Don't call us mid-major! (Searching for Billy Edelin)

The Enemy

A brief look at the Michigan Wolverines. (Livingston Daily)
... and an even briefer look. (Detroit Free Press)
Dayton trying to top last year. (Flyer Connection)
Check out this sweet-ass concept video for the proposed Nebraska basketball arena. Can't wait to win there in 2012 - did I just engineer a jinx with a 3-year lead time?. (Corn Nation)

CollegeHoopsNet: Jays are No. 41

2009-10-10T15:51:00.004-05:00

The optimism is spreading. Joel Welzer of CollegeHoopsNet, in the site's preseason countdown, predicts an NCAA tourney appearance and ranks the Jays tops in the Valley. While I like where this is going, the article makes some minor assumptions that I believe are still questions.

Welzer is impressed with Creighton's incoming backcourt talent, along with Stinnett, Carter, and Witter, whom he is high on. In fact, the predicted starting lineup has Witter at the 2, with Carter remaining at the 4. He's right that the Jays can go small if they need to, but I think they'd prefer to see the bigger Wayne Runnels emerge as a starter at the 4, whom the article seems to treat as an exclusively outside player (there's not much on Wayne here, but that's the context he's mentioned in).

Of course, he's right to question the lack of size, because it's obvious. Improvements in Kenny's endurance and Harriman's rebounding contributions are given as possible solutions, but Welzer recognizes that this team has gotten used to playing small, and they are capable of winning that way, if they have to.

I question the decision to rank the Jays well ahead of Northern Iowa (No. 59). A lot rides on the scoring contributions of the newcomers, while the Panthers have plenty of options to count on. Northern Iowa should be treated as the favorites until they demonstrate otherwise.

Chad Millard news

2009-10-04T04:09:00.002-05:00

You know what that means.

Chad's awful injury luck continued, as he was struck down with a small fracture in his foot last weekend. And that was on top of his bizarre case of Bell's palsy, which causes facial paralysis. Seriously. The good news is that Millard told Steve Pivovar his Bell's is on the way out. The lost practice time will set Chad behind, but reports are that he's in good condition. He will need to be in order to return in time to be a factor when the season starts.

I'll have a longer post soon on Millard's crazy injury history.

It's never too early for prognostication

2009-09-30T12:55:00.003-05:00

The first guesses at the shape of this year's Valley race have been leaking out in the past several days. As expected, Northern Iowa is an early favorite to repeat as MVC champs. They return all five starters and should be the consensus No. 1 when all the preseason polls are out. The Panthers are even earning some national respect, as the Sporting News includes UNI in its preseason top 50 ranking. Creighton also gets some love from Blue Ribbon and guard-turned-sports-personality Nick Bahe.

Blue Ribbon has released their preseason predictions, with the Jays checking in at No. 3. It's a reasonable prediction, as Creighton loses their top scorer and returns their annual size issues. No. 1 is a no-brainer, and at No. 2, Illinois State brings back Osiris Eldridge, Dinma Odiakosa, and others from a team that walloped the Jays in the Valley tournament. But judging by last season, the gap here is not large, and Creighton should have an opportunity to win the conference again, particularly if its young players deliver on their potential and newcomer Wayne Runnels can become a rebounding force.

In somewhat of a surprise, Blue Ribbon tabbed P'Allen Stinnett for their All-Conference Team, despite his up-and-down sophomore year marred by injuries and disputes with Coach Altman. Nobody denies that the talent is there, and Stinnett keyed Creighton's late-season run by stepping up his defense and creating more opportunities for others. But with Booker Woodfox gone, this year the Bluejays will expect P to become the team's top scoring threat. As an upperclassman, he'll also be expected to show even more leadership. Is Blue Ribbon recognizing that Stinnett has become a more complete player, or are they simply expecting him to finally convert his offensive potential into more points?

On his new morning radio show, with KETV's Matt Schick, Bahe was asked for his quick-and-dirty Valley top three. He cited Northern Iowa because of its returning talent, of course, and Creighton because of its young talent. His third pick was less conventional, eschewing Illinois State for Wichita State. Bahe cited rebounding and size as reasons to like the Shockers, but he likes them a lot more than Blue Ribbon, who predicted a No. 7 finish. I love unconventional picks as much as anyone, but I think Nick was probably in a rush on this one and overlooked the Redbirds. They return just as much talent and, as a bonus, they were not as maddeningly inconsistent as the Shockers last year. I'm thinking it more likely that Wichita State will finish somewhere between those two predictions.

It's always great to see the Valley get some national love, and according to the Sporting News, Northern Iowa is the No. 37 team in the country heading into the season. Of course there are far too many uncertainties to predict where they will end up, but the Panthers deserve the respect they're getting here. Barring injuries or other setbacks, UNI has a chance to finish even higher.

Thanks for visiting Creighton Crazy

2009-09-24T17:43:00.009-05:00

Welcome to the newest online home for Creighton basketball!

My name is Aaron, and I have loved the Jays ever since the days of Edward St. Fleur, Matt West, and of course Rodney Buford. Along with our beloved Dana Altman, and a nifty duo by the name of Sears and Walker, they turned around a lagging program and restored a legacy of excellence, built by men like Harstad, Gallagher, Benjamin, Portman, Sutton, and Silas.

It's good to be a Creighton fan, and excitement about the program is greater than ever. At this writing, the Jays are coming off a surprisingly good season in which a young team nearly made it to the Big Dance and took Kentucky to the wire in the NIT Second Round, in what was undoubtedly the greatest game yet played at the Qwest Center. But unfortunately, that game ultimately served as a reminder of what can still be accomplished.

Creighton fans harbor visions greater than just making the NCAA Tournament. We've watched other Valley teams make the Sweet 16, even though our team has outperformed them all during the past decade. This year, with a strong returning group and some intriguing recruits, anything less than a win or two in the Dance will be a disappointment.

There are lots of things to love about Bluejay basketball. Altman's Army. Dancing Grandma. Pressing teams into oblivion. P's heroics. A first-class arena. Passionate, loyal fans. A seemingly inexhaustible supply of Korvers. And we'll follow it all right here, with pragmatic and constructive opinions, fun features, statistical analysis, and historical reminiscences. Because the best program in the Missouri Valley deserves nothing less.

Get Creighton Crazy!