A pair of transfers made a major impact for the Creighton Basketball team last season; and the Blue Jays get another one eligible this year.
As a result, Greg McDermott’s squad should take a step forward in the Big East.
CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS
Last Season: 6th, 9-9 in Big East, 20-15 overall
Predicted Big East Finish: 4th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Zach Hanson (Sr)/Justin Patton (Fr)
F: Cole Huff (Sr)/Toby Hegner (Jr)/Martin Krampelj (FR)
SG: Isaiah Zierden (Sr)/Ronnie Harrell (So)/Kobe Paras (Fr)
SG: Marcus Foster (Jr)/Khyri Thomas (So)
PG: Maurice Watson Jr. (Sr)/Tyler Clement (Jr)/Davion Mintz (Fr)
Gone: C-Geoffrey Groselle, SG-James Milliken, PG-Marlon Stewart (transfer-North Dakota), SG-Malik Albert (transfer)
Strengths:
In his first season with the Creighton basketball program, Boston U transfer Maurice Watson Jr. was a second team All-Big East performer at point guard. After briefly testing the NBA Draft waters, Watson Jr. chose to return for his senior season and is joined by returning starter, Isaiah Zierden in a very talent backcourt. Those two would create a formidable duo as is, but McDermott gets another talented guard in Kansas State transfer, Marcus Foster.
That trio should realistically be able to average 40+ points per game and that doesn’t include versatile forward, Cole Huff who should be good for 12-14 points per night as well. Creighton also has some solid depth at guard with Khyri Thomas and Ronnie Harrell who were solid bench contributors a year ago.
Creighton Basketball Question Marks:
Geoffrey Groselle emerged as a solid low post presence for the Bluejays last season and the team is hoping Zach Hanson does the same this year. At 6-9, Hanson doesn’t possess the size Groselle did but nevertheless was effective in a reserve role. Redshirt freshman Justin Patton is a true seven-footer and will come off the bench while Toby Hegner could also see some minutes at the five.
Creighton basketball Player to Watch:
Watson Jr. is the perfect combination of a point guard who knows when to score and when to distribute the rock as he finished ninth in the country in assists. If he can improve upon his 30% three-point percentage from a year ago, the 5-10 playmaker should be in the Big East Player of the Year discussion.
X-Factor:
Foster’s collegiate career got off to a hot start as he averaged 15.5 points as a freshman at Kansas State. However, Foster fell into the doghouse as a sophomore and was eventually dismissed from the K-State program. Now with a second chance, Foster is a more than capable shooter and scorer that should help Creighton have one of the most potent offenses in the conference.
Looking Ahead to 2017-18:
Syracuse transfer, Kaleb Joseph should help lessen the blow of losing Watson Jr. at the point guard position. Creighton already has a pair of top 100 recruits in shooting guards, Ty-Shon Alexander and Mitchell Bullock. 6-10 Hunter Thompson is third player committed for the Bluejays 2017 class.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/15 vs. Wisconsin
11/18 vs. Washington State (Paradise Jam)
11/19 vs. N.C. State/Montana (Paradise Jam)
11/21 vs. Ole Miss/Oral Roberts/St. Joseph’s/Loyola (IL) (Paradise Jam)
12/7 at Nebraska
12/20 at Arizona State
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.