Creighton 76, Mississippi Valley State 46
The Calm Before the Storm
Saturday was one of those “Top 10” days everyone in Omaha wishes they’d experience more often during the fall. Most years, fall isn’t a season around here as much as it is an idea, glorified on TV shows or in books (which Omaha residents are watching or reading during the first snow day of the year, seemingly hitting earlier and earlier each autumn).
But with high temperatures in the upper 50s and lower 60s (Omaha actually set a record high today — 73 degrees), and with the sun shining brightly into the windshields of the crazy drivers cruising down Dodge street, everyone around town was on the go. Weather like that never sticks around for more than a day during this time of the year (if we are lucky enough to get it in the first place), so runners ran, walkers walked, and grocery shoppers showed up in droves to complete their Thanksgiving dinner purchases.
The day felt like the calm before the storm. Forecasts for this week showed possible snow and more probable temperatures reaching as high as the upper 30s. Even more likely than cold temperatures? The craziness of the start of the holiday season, which begins like clockwork each year with the delightful cornucopia of traditional gravy-based foods sitting on tables across the nation.
ANYWAY, you might classify Creighton’s 30-point victory against the Delta Devils as the calm before the storm, as well. Later this week, the Jays will host in-state rival Nebraska, which kicks off a difficult couple of weeks of non-conference games sandwiched between Thanksgiving and Christmas break for the student athletes. And while Saturday’s game featured the fifth-largest home crowd in Creighton history (16,730 Jays fans), most of those in attendance were going through the motions — for better or for worse — seemingly practicing for the onslaught of the upcoming tilt with the Huskers and the start of the conference season in about a month.
You can’t really blame the crowd; folks around CU hoops have become somewhat spoiled with the tremendous crowds filling the state-of-the-art Qwest Center on a nightly basis, and the fans are accustom to a level of play and execution far above what they first experienced during Dana Altman’s first year or two as head coach. So even though all of the local press writers reported that Altman and his team were not looking past the Delta Devils, the same couldn’t be said about the fans; they chalked this up as a win even before they filed into The Phone Booth.
Dane Watts did his best to assure those fans their premonitions were correct. He scored the first 6 points of the night for Creighton, subbed out, caught his breath, checked back in, and then scored the next 7 points of the game. It was an overall great night for The Great Dane. He took advantage of an undersized Delta Devils squad (no starter taller than 6’ 6”) to the tune of a career-high 26 points (10-12 from the field, 6-8 from the free throw line), adding 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists in just 25 minutes of action.
Watts wasn’t the only one putting up points in the paint for Altman’s Jays, as Creighton outscored MVSU 46-14 in the blocks. And once again it was an entire team effort for the young Jays, as everyone played at 11 of the 14 on the roster logged at least 10 minutes of action.
I’d be remised if I didn’t mention the effort from P’Allen Stinnett, who will keep all those leftover Nate Funk #10 jerseys flying off the shelves of the campus bookstore and other retailers as long as he builds on his impressive scoring outburst against DePaul and Saturday’s more well-rounded box score. He matched Watts for the highest total of minutes played, scored 9 points, dished 6 assists (including a couple of “extra” passes when he gave up a good shot attempt for a teammate’s great look), 2 steals, and ZERO turnovers.
But P’Allen’s most impressive performance Saturday night would be the calisthenics he performed when The Nickel, Dustin Sitzman, checked into the ballgame with 3 minutes to play, scored a hoop and grabbed 2 rebounds, including an offensive board that led to a lay-up that gave all 16,000-plus in attendance Godfathers Pizza. Stinnett was so pumped for his teammate all he could do was jump up and down and act like a fool, even causing the stoic Altman to crack a smile when he looked back at his freshman phenom (Dana probably stopped smiling immediately and told him to stop, though, instead of risking a hamstring pull — that’s how high the kid was jumping).
But for these great individual performances, and the relatively solid team effort, this was a 9-point game with 9 minutes to play. But back-to-back three-point plays by Josh Dotzler (lay-up) and Watts (thunderous dunk) ignited a 16-1 run over the next 5 minutes, a run also featuring great passing from freshmen Stinnett and Kaleb Korver and simply picture-perfect three-point shots by Korver (1) and Chad Millard (2).
So, the Jays responded to the calm before the storm in emphatic fashion, crushing the Delta Devils over the final 9 minutes of the game and securing some quality minutes for the aforementioned Stinnett and Korver, as well as the rest of the newbie class. Kenton Walker only played 5 minutes, but he dominated the boards when he was in and grabbed 7 rebounds in limited time. Cavel Witter played another set of controlled minutes, using harnessing his quickness to effectively operate Altman’s game plan. But he showed again that when called on to give opponents fits with his speed on offense and defense, he’ll be ready to go.
Kenny Lawson was perfect from the field (6 points), Casey Harriman was the opposite of perfect from the charity stripe (0-4 for a guy with a tremendous shot), and for the second straight game Booker Woodfox forced some shots and couldn’t get many of them to fall (4 points on 2-8 from the field). Aaron Brandt missed a shot in 4 minutes of action, but he displayed some of the raw athleticism that will make him a valuable asset in his future career as a Jay.
Perhaps the guys experiencing the most of the calm before the storm were Pierce Hibma (2 points in 12 minutes), Nick Bahe (0 points and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes), and Dotzler (3 points, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers in 22 minutes). Bahe and Hibma, both fifth-year seniors, have been through these early tests before and know what lies on the other side. Dotzler is still fighting to get healthy after two injury-plagued seasons, so his early rest is probably more important than logging 30-plus minutes against an overmatched opponent. These two senior specialists (Hibma his hustle and knowledge, Bahe his shooting and charisma) and the junior floor leader will have their chances to shine in big situations and use their experience in a game situation to swing momentum in the Jays’ direction.
The storm starts in earnest this weekend; hopefully our experienced upperclassmen leaders will calm the younger Jays down and this talented yet fresh team can stay focused on posting wins one game at a time.
Saturday was one of those “Top 10” days everyone in Omaha wishes they’d experience more often during the fall. Most years, fall isn’t a season around here as much as it is an idea, glorified on TV shows or in books (which Omaha residents are watching or reading during the first snow day of the year, seemingly hitting earlier and earlier each autumn).
But with high temperatures in the upper 50s and lower 60s (Omaha actually set a record high today — 73 degrees), and with the sun shining brightly into the windshields of the crazy drivers cruising down Dodge street, everyone around town was on the go. Weather like that never sticks around for more than a day during this time of the year (if we are lucky enough to get it in the first place), so runners ran, walkers walked, and grocery shoppers showed up in droves to complete their Thanksgiving dinner purchases.
Black Friday shoppers prepare to storm the check-out with carts full of popular toys
The day felt like the calm before the storm. Forecasts for this week showed possible snow and more probable temperatures reaching as high as the upper 30s. Even more likely than cold temperatures? The craziness of the start of the holiday season, which begins like clockwork each year with the delightful cornucopia of traditional gravy-based foods sitting on tables across the nation.
ANYWAY, you might classify Creighton’s 30-point victory against the Delta Devils as the calm before the storm, as well. Later this week, the Jays will host in-state rival Nebraska, which kicks off a difficult couple of weeks of non-conference games sandwiched between Thanksgiving and Christmas break for the student athletes. And while Saturday’s game featured the fifth-largest home crowd in Creighton history (16,730 Jays fans), most of those in attendance were going through the motions — for better or for worse — seemingly practicing for the onslaught of the upcoming tilt with the Huskers and the start of the conference season in about a month.
You can’t really blame the crowd; folks around CU hoops have become somewhat spoiled with the tremendous crowds filling the state-of-the-art Qwest Center on a nightly basis, and the fans are accustom to a level of play and execution far above what they first experienced during Dana Altman’s first year or two as head coach. So even though all of the local press writers reported that Altman and his team were not looking past the Delta Devils, the same couldn’t be said about the fans; they chalked this up as a win even before they filed into The Phone Booth.
Dane Watts did his best to assure those fans their premonitions were correct. He scored the first 6 points of the night for Creighton, subbed out, caught his breath, checked back in, and then scored the next 7 points of the game. It was an overall great night for The Great Dane. He took advantage of an undersized Delta Devils squad (no starter taller than 6’ 6”) to the tune of a career-high 26 points (10-12 from the field, 6-8 from the free throw line), adding 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists in just 25 minutes of action.
Watts (pictured against MVSU in '06) was unstoppable
Watts wasn’t the only one putting up points in the paint for Altman’s Jays, as Creighton outscored MVSU 46-14 in the blocks. And once again it was an entire team effort for the young Jays, as everyone played at 11 of the 14 on the roster logged at least 10 minutes of action.
I’d be remised if I didn’t mention the effort from P’Allen Stinnett, who will keep all those leftover Nate Funk #10 jerseys flying off the shelves of the campus bookstore and other retailers as long as he builds on his impressive scoring outburst against DePaul and Saturday’s more well-rounded box score. He matched Watts for the highest total of minutes played, scored 9 points, dished 6 assists (including a couple of “extra” passes when he gave up a good shot attempt for a teammate’s great look), 2 steals, and ZERO turnovers.
Stinnett (pictured in high school) had a good all-around effort in his second collegiate game
But P’Allen’s most impressive performance Saturday night would be the calisthenics he performed when The Nickel, Dustin Sitzman, checked into the ballgame with 3 minutes to play, scored a hoop and grabbed 2 rebounds, including an offensive board that led to a lay-up that gave all 16,000-plus in attendance Godfathers Pizza. Stinnett was so pumped for his teammate all he could do was jump up and down and act like a fool, even causing the stoic Altman to crack a smile when he looked back at his freshman phenom (Dana probably stopped smiling immediately and told him to stop, though, instead of risking a hamstring pull — that’s how high the kid was jumping).
Fan favorite Dustin Sitzman scored 4 points against MVSU
But for these great individual performances, and the relatively solid team effort, this was a 9-point game with 9 minutes to play. But back-to-back three-point plays by Josh Dotzler (lay-up) and Watts (thunderous dunk) ignited a 16-1 run over the next 5 minutes, a run also featuring great passing from freshmen Stinnett and Kaleb Korver and simply picture-perfect three-point shots by Korver (1) and Chad Millard (2).
So, the Jays responded to the calm before the storm in emphatic fashion, crushing the Delta Devils over the final 9 minutes of the game and securing some quality minutes for the aforementioned Stinnett and Korver, as well as the rest of the newbie class. Kenton Walker only played 5 minutes, but he dominated the boards when he was in and grabbed 7 rebounds in limited time. Cavel Witter played another set of controlled minutes, using harnessing his quickness to effectively operate Altman’s game plan. But he showed again that when called on to give opponents fits with his speed on offense and defense, he’ll be ready to go.
Kenny Lawson was perfect from the field (6 points), Casey Harriman was the opposite of perfect from the charity stripe (0-4 for a guy with a tremendous shot), and for the second straight game Booker Woodfox forced some shots and couldn’t get many of them to fall (4 points on 2-8 from the field). Aaron Brandt missed a shot in 4 minutes of action, but he displayed some of the raw athleticism that will make him a valuable asset in his future career as a Jay.
Perhaps the guys experiencing the most of the calm before the storm were Pierce Hibma (2 points in 12 minutes), Nick Bahe (0 points and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes), and Dotzler (3 points, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers in 22 minutes). Bahe and Hibma, both fifth-year seniors, have been through these early tests before and know what lies on the other side. Dotzler is still fighting to get healthy after two injury-plagued seasons, so his early rest is probably more important than logging 30-plus minutes against an overmatched opponent. These two senior specialists (Hibma his hustle and knowledge, Bahe his shooting and charisma) and the junior floor leader will have their chances to shine in big situations and use their experience in a game situation to swing momentum in the Jays’ direction.
The storm starts in earnest this weekend; hopefully our experienced upperclassmen leaders will calm the younger Jays down and this talented yet fresh team can stay focused on posting wins one game at a time.
The calm leadership of Watts, Hibma, Dotzler, and Bahe is crucial this season
posted by Creighton Otter at 11:10 PM
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