2007-2008 Season Preview
The Future Is Now
So, I realize that leading a commentary with a quote, especially one attributed to one of the most recognized leaders in history, is a bit cliché. However, since the events of March 16, 2007, minutes after another heartbreaking NCAA tournament loss, the future of Creighton’s basketball program has indeed evolved on a day-by-day (and sometimes, minute-by-minute) basis.
Before we can begin to figure out where this new season of Bluejay Basketball will take us, it is important to know where we have been. To say the past 8 months of Creighton basketball have been surprising is an understatement, at best.
The Long Walk
March 16, 2007, holds the same place in my heart as March 17, 2005, and March 20, 2003. But as I sat on a friend’s couch, surrounded by three die-hard Jays fans on a late Friday afternoon with my head buried in my hands, the 2007 version of Big Dance heartbreak felt worse than those other two instances.
This was, in some way, the end of an era. Because of injuries to Nate Funk and Nick Porter that delayed the exhaustion of their eligibility and Anthony Tolliver’s unprecedented development during his junior and senior seasons, most prognosticators and fans wearing blue-tinted glasses pegged last season’s Jays squad as “the one” — the one that could finally advance to a Sweet 16 or further. A perfect storm: Funk healthy after a medical redshirt year, Porter facing an ultimatum to live up to pre-knee injury expectations, and Tolliver continuing to diversify his game and grow into a legitimate pro prospect.
Last season’s success in St. Louis was the crowning achievement for a team that fought through bloated expectations, nagging injuries, little bench help, and a brutally tough Valley conference schedule. They entered New Orleans with a legitimate shot at another successful non-BCS conference school, the Nevada Wolfpack. They left taking a long walk.
Funk and Tolliver and Porter did everything they could. In the end, it wasn’t enough, as the Wolfpack claimed a six-point win and forged ahead in the tournament while the Jays flew home. But Altman first walked. He walked back to the team hotel following the loss, and he took junior forward Dane Watts with him.
Before the game, I wrote the following about Watts’ possible effect on the outcome against Nevada:
…And it will be up to Watts to continue his hot shooting from the outside,
because with limited time to prepare most coaching staffs will look to
completely take away a team’s star player … Funk for Creighton, Fazekas for
Nevada. That should leave plenty of outside shots for Watts, who will most
likely have a couple of inches on whoever is guarding him to start the ballgame.
I was right. Watts was open all … day … long. He got 12 shots off, 8 from long range. However, none of those three-pointers dropped. Not one. He made a career-high 5 three-pointers on Senior Night against Wichita State less than a month before the tournament game, and had made at least 2 long-range shots in each of the MVC tournament games. He just couldn’t get one to go down.
That didn’t stop him from contributing, by any means. He grabbed a CU-high 10 rebounds, chipped in 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, and committed no turnovers. But the shots that didn’t fall could have meant the difference, and Altman knew that his soon-to-be-senior leader didn’t have time to sulk or keep his head down about the lackluster offensive performance.
So the two of them walked back to the team hotel. Only a couple of people know what was said, but the symbolism of the trek back to the hotel wasn’t lost on Watts.
…"I'm the guy with the most experiencing coming back," Watts said in the quiet locker room after the loss. "I'm really going to have to step up and be a leader of this team all summer, helping them get ready for next year."
Little did Watts know that his walk with Altman that day could have been one of the last taken by a Bluejay and the Dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches.
The Long Flight(s)
So, yeah … Creighton had no basketball coach for a couple of hours in April. You might have heard a little something about it. To paraphrase Ron Burgundy, it was kind of a big deal.
April Fools Day fell on a Sunday this past spring, and I walked out of church that morning to find a “missed call” on my phone from my dad. He called to see if I had heard the news. “Altman is going to Kentucky. Tubby left,” he said. I almost went back to the church for confession after dropping a few choice words on the sidewalk, but then thought to myself, “This is it. Altman's gone.” However, being as gullible as I am, my dad had perfectly set me up for the APRIL FOOLS joke. Not a laughing matter, I told him. Don’t play around like that.
What a difference a day makes. Monday, April 2, marked what would have to be a great day. The Cubs (my next favorite team, God help me) were in Cincinnati to start another probably-doomed MLB season (turned out OK, I guess), the NCAA national championship game was to be played that evening, and my fiancé and I were scheduled to start our pre-marital counseling sessions in between those two events (my now-wife is and always has been a loving and compassionate sports fan).
Needless to say, things didn’t exactly go as planned that day. I started hearing rumors that morning about a plane from Arkansas planning a flight to Omaha. So much for rumors. The entire day was one catastrophic punch to the midsection after another; Altman was leaving. Leaving for Arkansas. He’s got a press conference scheduled already? He’s CALLING THE PIGS!?!?!
It was comical, almost. A sincere Altman, standing at a podium with red banners and ferocious Razorback images draped behind him, trying to calmly reiterate that while he was excited for this new job, he knew there were a fair number of people “back home” who wouldn’t be so happy with his decision, while a boisterous crowd of administrators, players, fans, and press gathered to lead the PIG SOOIE chant.
But my buddy Abe Lincoln must have seen something else coming. That evening, the future of Creighton basketball was at best in flux, and at worst disintegrating. The last time a successful head coach left the men’s program, the Rick Johnson era started and bottomed-out with a 7-22 season in 1993-1994 that brought his three-year winning percentage to .289. Altman had rebuilt everything. And now he had flow from Atlanta to Arkansas to Omaha to Arkansas? Really? The future was indeed coming one day at a time, and this day would be remembered by Jays fans far into the future of the program.
Treadmill Terror
Or just until Tuesday, April 3.
Again, Tuesday was a wasteland in my little part of the world. Work was a little more difficult to complete. Lunch didn’t taste as good. I’m not kidding when I say I spent most of my brainpower figuring out who would be the next coach of the Bluejays and what I would do with my original “Altman’s Army” t-shirt.
Like most afternoons, I hit the treadmill. I should have worn a helmet on my jaunt that day, though, because about one mile into my jog the words that would forever change the course of CU athletics ran across the bottom of the TV screen in front of my treadmill.
“Dana Altman.” “Changes mind.” “Coming back.” “Creighton University.” “Flight on its way to Eppley.”
Are. You. Kidding. Me?!?!
That also happened to be what Arkansas fans were thinking, as well. Dana changed his mind. He wanted to come back home. Omaha is home. Creighton is home. And I almost cracked my head on the side of the treadmill.
Was this really happening? Altman was losing most of his scoring and rebounding at CU and was taking over an Arkansas roster full of talent and experience. Rumors again started to swirl. Academic problems in Fayetteville? Staff issues? Or was it just Dana’s love for Creighton? For the administration? For his family’s home?
Again, just like that walk with Watts, only a few people really know what made him change his mind. But what 17,000 people in the seats on Friday night will know, and what many more thousands of Jays fans across the country know, is that they’re happy he’s back.
The Goodbyes
The graduation of Funk, Tolliver, Porter, and Gakou, and Altman’s departure and arrival were not the only personnel changes during the Bluejays’ offseason. Just a week before Altman’s bout with indecision, Creighton assistant Kevin McKenna left his alma mater to coach fellow Valley school Indiana State. Last season’s primary freshman contributor, Isaac Miles, left school and transferred to Murray (KY) State. Brice Nengsu, the athletic-yet-inconsistent enigma sitting toward the end of the bench the previous two seasons, left as well, leaving a few holes in a roster already facing the departure of four seniors. Add Ty Morrison’s 2006 exit from the program into the mix, and you couldn’t help but understand why Altman would be attracted to a school with most of its roster intact from the previous year. But he still had his experienced and well-rounded forward senior-to-be (Watts), he still had his charismatic shooter who has seen just about every situation there is to see in college hoops (Kansas transfer Nick Bahe), he still had his Mr. Hustle (Pierce Hibma), and he still had his floor general (Josh Dotzler) finally healthy.
Who else?
The Hello
On Father’s Day 2007, my dad, my brother, and I went to see the answer to that question ourselves. We slipped into a crowded gym at Omaha South High School, grabbed a few metal folding chairs, and watched for a couple hours as the new faces that would soon grace the Jumbotrons at The Phone Booth ran up and down the floor to the applause of a few hundred Creighton basketball fanatics.
The Council Bluffs Summer League, in its second year, offered a few glimpses at the returning Jays — Dotzler looked stronger, quicker, and still in control; Watts looked faster, fluid; Bahe kept shooting and talking — as well as some focus on some of the Baby Birds. Kenny Lawson and Chad Millard sat on the Jays bench last season, redshirting because of medical issues and transfer rules, respectively. But they played on this day, and played fairly well. Cavel Witter hit the court, flashing his speed and ability to score at will. Booker Woodfox dropped 32 points on a team comprised of mostly current and future Nebraska Cornhuskers. P’Allen Stinnett tried to dunk on anyone and everyone, even attempting to scale Mount (Aleks) Maric.
The summer league allowed for Jays fans to watch the team up close and personal: kids running around with wide eyes, hoping to get an autograph from Tolliver or Dotzler or one of their other favorite players. It also gave fans a sense of comfort: we have players. They might be young, but they are here. They are talented. And if they played this well without Altman around, what kind of things are they capable of with arguably the best coach in Creighton history teaching them for the next few seasons.
Oh, Canada!
If you have a young team with holes throughout the entire roster, what’s the best way to get them to gel? Plays the Canadians! Seriously, though, NCAA Division I schools are allowed a preseason trip every few years, which are preceded by a few weeks of practice. This entry is already pushing 2,000 words, so I’ll spare you the details. However, Altman was able to schedule the Jays to take place in the 2007 Battle of the Border in Calgary. And the Jays, for the most part, did pretty well. They won all five games, scoring more than 85 points in each contest, avenging a close win in the first game against Saskatchewan (87-82) with a blowout against the same team a day later (92-66). The Jays flew back to the states with a lot of quality time on the court, and no catastrophic injuries. Sure beats the last time they went north, when Tyler McKinney almost permanently lost his sight and his college basketball career.
Fingers Crossed
So, after a few weeks off to conform to NCAA guidelines, the Jays started fall practice with some valuable court time and coaching time already under their belts. However, as Altman would be the first to say, they are a long ways away, fellas. Fall practice came and went without any major injuries, however, which is something that has plagued Altman’s teams as of late. By all accounts of practices on the Hilltop, this year’s squad is blessed with speed, talent, and athleticism. However, with loads of inexperience also in tow, don’t expect things to click right away for the newcomers — or Altman’s offense, especially.
The Second Coming
The second coming starts tonight. If you’re going to the game, watch the pregame video closely. The theme sums up what many fans are thinking: this team has talent, but it is currently standing in the shadows of years of proven success.
It is time for the new Jays to take off.
Most people knew what to expect when Funk, Tolliver, Porter, and the other Jays stepped on the floor the last couple of seasons. They knew what to expect from Johnny Mathies. Kyle Korver. Larry House. The Big Fellas (Dabbert, Deren, Grimes). Ryan. Ben. Rodney.
And that is what is great about this season. Everyone will place expectations on this team, but the best part about the journey is that it will happen one day at a time. We’ll be watching as Dotzler and Watts try and do what Sears and Walker did in 1999-2000: Bridge The Gap.
There is no reason why Lawson and Walker and Millard can't equal what Swenson and Brody and Dabbert and Tolliver accomplished.
There is no reason why Cavel and Booker can't bring the same energy and scoring power Larry House, DeAnthony Bowden, and Johnny Mathies brought to the floor.
There is no reason why Kaleb can't add to the Korver legacy his brother Kyle started.
There is no reason P'Allen can't blossom into the all-around terror Buford was on the court.
And because of Altman, and because the future only happens one day at a time, there is no reason the 2007-2008 Creighton Bluejays can't move the program toward new heights.
Altman will get the most out each and every one of these guys and the other Jays on this roster. He has developed dozens of basketball players into successful teams in his tenure at Creighton, and if you believe the backers of the program and the “insiders” who think they know a thing or two about this team, the best is yet to come in a bright future for this team.
Just one day at a time.
The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.Abraham Lincoln
Before we can begin to figure out where this new season of Bluejay Basketball will take us, it is important to know where we have been. To say the past 8 months of Creighton basketball have been surprising is an understatement, at best.
The Long Walk
March 16, 2007, holds the same place in my heart as March 17, 2005, and March 20, 2003. But as I sat on a friend’s couch, surrounded by three die-hard Jays fans on a late Friday afternoon with my head buried in my hands, the 2007 version of Big Dance heartbreak felt worse than those other two instances.
This was, in some way, the end of an era. Because of injuries to Nate Funk and Nick Porter that delayed the exhaustion of their eligibility and Anthony Tolliver’s unprecedented development during his junior and senior seasons, most prognosticators and fans wearing blue-tinted glasses pegged last season’s Jays squad as “the one” — the one that could finally advance to a Sweet 16 or further. A perfect storm: Funk healthy after a medical redshirt year, Porter facing an ultimatum to live up to pre-knee injury expectations, and Tolliver continuing to diversify his game and grow into a legitimate pro prospect.
Last season’s success in St. Louis was the crowning achievement for a team that fought through bloated expectations, nagging injuries, little bench help, and a brutally tough Valley conference schedule. They entered New Orleans with a legitimate shot at another successful non-BCS conference school, the Nevada Wolfpack. They left taking a long walk.
Funk and Tolliver and Porter did everything they could. In the end, it wasn’t enough, as the Wolfpack claimed a six-point win and forged ahead in the tournament while the Jays flew home. But Altman first walked. He walked back to the team hotel following the loss, and he took junior forward Dane Watts with him.
Before the game, I wrote the following about Watts’ possible effect on the outcome against Nevada:
…And it will be up to Watts to continue his hot shooting from the outside,
because with limited time to prepare most coaching staffs will look to
completely take away a team’s star player … Funk for Creighton, Fazekas for
Nevada. That should leave plenty of outside shots for Watts, who will most
likely have a couple of inches on whoever is guarding him to start the ballgame.
I was right. Watts was open all … day … long. He got 12 shots off, 8 from long range. However, none of those three-pointers dropped. Not one. He made a career-high 5 three-pointers on Senior Night against Wichita State less than a month before the tournament game, and had made at least 2 long-range shots in each of the MVC tournament games. He just couldn’t get one to go down.
That didn’t stop him from contributing, by any means. He grabbed a CU-high 10 rebounds, chipped in 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, and committed no turnovers. But the shots that didn’t fall could have meant the difference, and Altman knew that his soon-to-be-senior leader didn’t have time to sulk or keep his head down about the lackluster offensive performance.
So the two of them walked back to the team hotel. Only a couple of people know what was said, but the symbolism of the trek back to the hotel wasn’t lost on Watts.
…"I'm the guy with the most experiencing coming back," Watts said in the quiet locker room after the loss. "I'm really going to have to step up and be a leader of this team all summer, helping them get ready for next year."
Little did Watts know that his walk with Altman that day could have been one of the last taken by a Bluejay and the Dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches.
The Long Flight(s)
So, yeah … Creighton had no basketball coach for a couple of hours in April. You might have heard a little something about it. To paraphrase Ron Burgundy, it was kind of a big deal.
April Fools Day fell on a Sunday this past spring, and I walked out of church that morning to find a “missed call” on my phone from my dad. He called to see if I had heard the news. “Altman is going to Kentucky. Tubby left,” he said. I almost went back to the church for confession after dropping a few choice words on the sidewalk, but then thought to myself, “This is it. Altman's gone.” However, being as gullible as I am, my dad had perfectly set me up for the APRIL FOOLS joke. Not a laughing matter, I told him. Don’t play around like that.
What a difference a day makes. Monday, April 2, marked what would have to be a great day. The Cubs (my next favorite team, God help me) were in Cincinnati to start another probably-doomed MLB season (turned out OK, I guess), the NCAA national championship game was to be played that evening, and my fiancé and I were scheduled to start our pre-marital counseling sessions in between those two events (my now-wife is and always has been a loving and compassionate sports fan).
Needless to say, things didn’t exactly go as planned that day. I started hearing rumors that morning about a plane from Arkansas planning a flight to Omaha. So much for rumors. The entire day was one catastrophic punch to the midsection after another; Altman was leaving. Leaving for Arkansas. He’s got a press conference scheduled already? He’s CALLING THE PIGS!?!?!
It was comical, almost. A sincere Altman, standing at a podium with red banners and ferocious Razorback images draped behind him, trying to calmly reiterate that while he was excited for this new job, he knew there were a fair number of people “back home” who wouldn’t be so happy with his decision, while a boisterous crowd of administrators, players, fans, and press gathered to lead the PIG SOOIE chant.
But my buddy Abe Lincoln must have seen something else coming. That evening, the future of Creighton basketball was at best in flux, and at worst disintegrating. The last time a successful head coach left the men’s program, the Rick Johnson era started and bottomed-out with a 7-22 season in 1993-1994 that brought his three-year winning percentage to .289. Altman had rebuilt everything. And now he had flow from Atlanta to Arkansas to Omaha to Arkansas? Really? The future was indeed coming one day at a time, and this day would be remembered by Jays fans far into the future of the program.
Treadmill Terror
Or just until Tuesday, April 3.
Again, Tuesday was a wasteland in my little part of the world. Work was a little more difficult to complete. Lunch didn’t taste as good. I’m not kidding when I say I spent most of my brainpower figuring out who would be the next coach of the Bluejays and what I would do with my original “Altman’s Army” t-shirt.
Like most afternoons, I hit the treadmill. I should have worn a helmet on my jaunt that day, though, because about one mile into my jog the words that would forever change the course of CU athletics ran across the bottom of the TV screen in front of my treadmill.
“Dana Altman.” “Changes mind.” “Coming back.” “Creighton University.” “Flight on its way to Eppley.”
Are. You. Kidding. Me?!?!
That also happened to be what Arkansas fans were thinking, as well. Dana changed his mind. He wanted to come back home. Omaha is home. Creighton is home. And I almost cracked my head on the side of the treadmill.
Was this really happening? Altman was losing most of his scoring and rebounding at CU and was taking over an Arkansas roster full of talent and experience. Rumors again started to swirl. Academic problems in Fayetteville? Staff issues? Or was it just Dana’s love for Creighton? For the administration? For his family’s home?
Again, just like that walk with Watts, only a few people really know what made him change his mind. But what 17,000 people in the seats on Friday night will know, and what many more thousands of Jays fans across the country know, is that they’re happy he’s back.
The Goodbyes
The graduation of Funk, Tolliver, Porter, and Gakou, and Altman’s departure and arrival were not the only personnel changes during the Bluejays’ offseason. Just a week before Altman’s bout with indecision, Creighton assistant Kevin McKenna left his alma mater to coach fellow Valley school Indiana State. Last season’s primary freshman contributor, Isaac Miles, left school and transferred to Murray (KY) State. Brice Nengsu, the athletic-yet-inconsistent enigma sitting toward the end of the bench the previous two seasons, left as well, leaving a few holes in a roster already facing the departure of four seniors. Add Ty Morrison’s 2006 exit from the program into the mix, and you couldn’t help but understand why Altman would be attracted to a school with most of its roster intact from the previous year. But he still had his experienced and well-rounded forward senior-to-be (Watts), he still had his charismatic shooter who has seen just about every situation there is to see in college hoops (Kansas transfer Nick Bahe), he still had his Mr. Hustle (Pierce Hibma), and he still had his floor general (Josh Dotzler) finally healthy.
Who else?
The Hello
On Father’s Day 2007, my dad, my brother, and I went to see the answer to that question ourselves. We slipped into a crowded gym at Omaha South High School, grabbed a few metal folding chairs, and watched for a couple hours as the new faces that would soon grace the Jumbotrons at The Phone Booth ran up and down the floor to the applause of a few hundred Creighton basketball fanatics.
The Council Bluffs Summer League, in its second year, offered a few glimpses at the returning Jays — Dotzler looked stronger, quicker, and still in control; Watts looked faster, fluid; Bahe kept shooting and talking — as well as some focus on some of the Baby Birds. Kenny Lawson and Chad Millard sat on the Jays bench last season, redshirting because of medical issues and transfer rules, respectively. But they played on this day, and played fairly well. Cavel Witter hit the court, flashing his speed and ability to score at will. Booker Woodfox dropped 32 points on a team comprised of mostly current and future Nebraska Cornhuskers. P’Allen Stinnett tried to dunk on anyone and everyone, even attempting to scale Mount (Aleks) Maric.
The summer league allowed for Jays fans to watch the team up close and personal: kids running around with wide eyes, hoping to get an autograph from Tolliver or Dotzler or one of their other favorite players. It also gave fans a sense of comfort: we have players. They might be young, but they are here. They are talented. And if they played this well without Altman around, what kind of things are they capable of with arguably the best coach in Creighton history teaching them for the next few seasons.
Oh, Canada!
If you have a young team with holes throughout the entire roster, what’s the best way to get them to gel? Plays the Canadians! Seriously, though, NCAA Division I schools are allowed a preseason trip every few years, which are preceded by a few weeks of practice. This entry is already pushing 2,000 words, so I’ll spare you the details. However, Altman was able to schedule the Jays to take place in the 2007 Battle of the Border in Calgary. And the Jays, for the most part, did pretty well. They won all five games, scoring more than 85 points in each contest, avenging a close win in the first game against Saskatchewan (87-82) with a blowout against the same team a day later (92-66). The Jays flew back to the states with a lot of quality time on the court, and no catastrophic injuries. Sure beats the last time they went north, when Tyler McKinney almost permanently lost his sight and his college basketball career.
Fingers Crossed
So, after a few weeks off to conform to NCAA guidelines, the Jays started fall practice with some valuable court time and coaching time already under their belts. However, as Altman would be the first to say, they are a long ways away, fellas. Fall practice came and went without any major injuries, however, which is something that has plagued Altman’s teams as of late. By all accounts of practices on the Hilltop, this year’s squad is blessed with speed, talent, and athleticism. However, with loads of inexperience also in tow, don’t expect things to click right away for the newcomers — or Altman’s offense, especially.
The Second Coming
The second coming starts tonight. If you’re going to the game, watch the pregame video closely. The theme sums up what many fans are thinking: this team has talent, but it is currently standing in the shadows of years of proven success.
It is time for the new Jays to take off.
Most people knew what to expect when Funk, Tolliver, Porter, and the other Jays stepped on the floor the last couple of seasons. They knew what to expect from Johnny Mathies. Kyle Korver. Larry House. The Big Fellas (Dabbert, Deren, Grimes). Ryan. Ben. Rodney.
And that is what is great about this season. Everyone will place expectations on this team, but the best part about the journey is that it will happen one day at a time. We’ll be watching as Dotzler and Watts try and do what Sears and Walker did in 1999-2000: Bridge The Gap.
There is no reason why Lawson and Walker and Millard can't equal what Swenson and Brody and Dabbert and Tolliver accomplished.
There is no reason why Cavel and Booker can't bring the same energy and scoring power Larry House, DeAnthony Bowden, and Johnny Mathies brought to the floor.
There is no reason why Kaleb can't add to the Korver legacy his brother Kyle started.
There is no reason P'Allen can't blossom into the all-around terror Buford was on the court.
And because of Altman, and because the future only happens one day at a time, there is no reason the 2007-2008 Creighton Bluejays can't move the program toward new heights.
Altman will get the most out each and every one of these guys and the other Jays on this roster. He has developed dozens of basketball players into successful teams in his tenure at Creighton, and if you believe the backers of the program and the “insiders” who think they know a thing or two about this team, the best is yet to come in a bright future for this team.
Just one day at a time.
posted by Creighton Otter at 12:06 PM
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