One More Wave
On the eve of Creighton's important non-conference contest at Xavier, let's wrap up our look at the Jays statistically through five games.
In the past couple of days, I’ve detailed the on-court contributions from the top six Jays sorted by minutes played per game. As would be the case with most basketball teams, Creighton’s leading scorers lead the team in court time, for the most part. However, the firepower spreads out throughout the entire roster. See below.
Casey Harriman
(14.4 minutes, 3.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.8 steals per game)
Harriman looks like someone who could star on a football field; in fact, he did in high school. At 6-5, 205 lbs., the redshirt freshman from Battle Creek, Iowa, is physically ahead of his class thanks to sitting out last season and strengthening both his muscles and his basketball IQ. He now comes off the bench for Altman to lend some strength and a sweet shooting stroke.
His offensive numbers are what you’d expect from a redshirt freshman fighting for minutes at the deepest spot on the Creighton roster, but he is getting better as the season moves forward. Harriman made the most of his 13 minutes against Savannah State, scoring 9 points on 2-3 shooting from the field and a perfect effort from the free throw line (4-4). He also added 3 steals.
His stats were not as good against Drexel, but he made up for down scoring night by setting some deafening screens that knocked Dragons to the ground. Not real Dragons, of course, but if given the chance the former football play might take the chance. Guys like Harriman don’t shy away from contact.
Pierce Hibma
(14.0 minutes, 3.0 points, 1.0 rebound, 0.6 assists per game)
Hibma, the senior from Pella, has started all five regular season games for the Jays this season. His numbers won’t strike fear into the hearts of opponents, but Hibma always gives his best effort and does what Altman asks him to do. He brings savvy play and a knack for the big three-point shot to the lineup, something this team will need as it heads to its best non-conference contest of the season at Xavier Wednesday night.
Kaleb Korver
(13.3 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists per game)
For all of the constant subbing players in and out all season, perhaps the most controversy Altman’s team has faced all season was the absence of Korver from the win against Nebraska. He saw the court against Savannah State, though, and made sure to make the most of his minutes. Korver put up 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 20 minutes of play, and he showed some great court awareness at times. However, on his trip to brother Kyle’s town, Kaleb was only able to see the court for 7 minutes. That didn’t stop the Drexel student section from ribbing the younger Korver for his bloodlines, something he’s no doubt used to by now.
Kenny Lawson
(13.0 minutes, 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.8 blocked shots per game)
Kenton Walker
(6.0 minutes, 1.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.0 assists per game)
Simply put, the Kalifornia Ks are both the present and future of Creighton’s low post production. Lawson redshirted last season while dealing with some knee issues, whereas Walker is a raw but athletic left-hander who has a knack for blocking shots and being around the rim. Because of Creighton’s opponents’ lack of size so far this season, Altman and his staff have been able to slowly work Lawson and Walker onto the court, giving them great learning opportunities and some favorable match-ups along the way.
Lawson is the more polished of the two right now, with a deft right-handed hook shot and long, condor-like arms that seem to snatch the ball out of midair no matter how high it is or how many other people are around it. These same long arms get in trouble when the bring the basketball too low to the court, however, something that hampered young Anthony Tolliver’s first couple of seasons on the Hilltop. Lawson looks much more comfortable in his first full year of playing than Tolliver did, and we all saw how A-Train turned out. He scored 8 points in each of the past two games, including both some power finishes at the hoop and some nice close-range shooting touch.
Walker flies around the floor, looking for opportunities to get his huge hands and long arms near the basketball. The lefty has played in every game this season, including 14 quality minutes against Savannah State (6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks) and 6 more “appearance” minutes at Drexel. With great jumping ability and the generous frame of someone who could gain a few dozen pounds of muscle and carry them just fine, the sky is truly the limit for Walker.
Booker Woodfox
(11.6 minutes, 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal per game)
The season is just five games old, but we’ve already seen two different hair styles from Woodfox, the junior college transfer from Lewisville, Texas. We’ve also seen more than a couple attempts by the dangerous outside shooter to establish himself as a three-point threat, and it hasn’t gone as smoothly as Woodfox probably would like it to go. He’s shooting just 27% from three-point range, but you can tell by both his demeanor and the coaching staff’s words about his recruitment that the kid has been brought in to play defense and hit long-range shots.
Woodfox has a great all-around game against the Tigers, scoring 8 points and swiping 3 steals in just 11 minutes to play. His one assist was a doozy – a perfectly-thrown alley-oop pass to P’Allen Stinnett – and he knows what he’s doing when he’s out there. Once the shots start falling – and they will – he’ll give the Jays one more deep threat on a team of good shooters.
Dustin Sitzmann
(3 appearances, 2 shots, 2 baskets, a couple free throws, 6 points total)
Aaron Brandt
(2 appearances, 0 points)
The fan favorites, as always, are usually the last to be seen in the ballgames. When Aaron and Dustin are in the game, it usually means good things are happening for the Jays on the scoreboard. No matter what their stats are, don’t you think it makes them feel good that they usually translate to wins for the Jays? A little bit of the what’s-good-for-me-is-good-for-the-team mentality goes a long way.
Plus, Sitzmann is the Pizza Man. That’s not a bad moniker to have at the Qwest Center these days.
In the past couple of days, I’ve detailed the on-court contributions from the top six Jays sorted by minutes played per game. As would be the case with most basketball teams, Creighton’s leading scorers lead the team in court time, for the most part. However, the firepower spreads out throughout the entire roster. See below.
Casey Harriman
(14.4 minutes, 3.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.8 steals per game)
Harriman looks like someone who could star on a football field; in fact, he did in high school. At 6-5, 205 lbs., the redshirt freshman from Battle Creek, Iowa, is physically ahead of his class thanks to sitting out last season and strengthening both his muscles and his basketball IQ. He now comes off the bench for Altman to lend some strength and a sweet shooting stroke.
His offensive numbers are what you’d expect from a redshirt freshman fighting for minutes at the deepest spot on the Creighton roster, but he is getting better as the season moves forward. Harriman made the most of his 13 minutes against Savannah State, scoring 9 points on 2-3 shooting from the field and a perfect effort from the free throw line (4-4). He also added 3 steals.
His stats were not as good against Drexel, but he made up for down scoring night by setting some deafening screens that knocked Dragons to the ground. Not real Dragons, of course, but if given the chance the former football play might take the chance. Guys like Harriman don’t shy away from contact.
Harriman's time on the bench last year added to his strength and knowledge in 07-08
Pierce Hibma
(14.0 minutes, 3.0 points, 1.0 rebound, 0.6 assists per game)
Hibma, the senior from Pella, has started all five regular season games for the Jays this season. His numbers won’t strike fear into the hearts of opponents, but Hibma always gives his best effort and does what Altman asks him to do. He brings savvy play and a knack for the big three-point shot to the lineup, something this team will need as it heads to its best non-conference contest of the season at Xavier Wednesday night.
Pierce is always looking to make the extra pass to a teammate
Kaleb Korver
(13.3 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists per game)
For all of the constant subbing players in and out all season, perhaps the most controversy Altman’s team has faced all season was the absence of Korver from the win against Nebraska. He saw the court against Savannah State, though, and made sure to make the most of his minutes. Korver put up 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 20 minutes of play, and he showed some great court awareness at times. However, on his trip to brother Kyle’s town, Kaleb was only able to see the court for 7 minutes. That didn’t stop the Drexel student section from ribbing the younger Korver for his bloodlines, something he’s no doubt used to by now.
Korver's been aggressive in his limited action so far as a true freshman
Kenny Lawson
(13.0 minutes, 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.8 blocked shots per game)
Kenton Walker
(6.0 minutes, 1.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.0 assists per game)
Simply put, the Kalifornia Ks are both the present and future of Creighton’s low post production. Lawson redshirted last season while dealing with some knee issues, whereas Walker is a raw but athletic left-hander who has a knack for blocking shots and being around the rim. Because of Creighton’s opponents’ lack of size so far this season, Altman and his staff have been able to slowly work Lawson and Walker onto the court, giving them great learning opportunities and some favorable match-ups along the way.
Lawson is the more polished of the two right now, with a deft right-handed hook shot and long, condor-like arms that seem to snatch the ball out of midair no matter how high it is or how many other people are around it. These same long arms get in trouble when the bring the basketball too low to the court, however, something that hampered young Anthony Tolliver’s first couple of seasons on the Hilltop. Lawson looks much more comfortable in his first full year of playing than Tolliver did, and we all saw how A-Train turned out. He scored 8 points in each of the past two games, including both some power finishes at the hoop and some nice close-range shooting touch.
Lawson's wingspan sets him apart from the rest of his Bluejay brethren
Walker flies around the floor, looking for opportunities to get his huge hands and long arms near the basketball. The lefty has played in every game this season, including 14 quality minutes against Savannah State (6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks) and 6 more “appearance” minutes at Drexel. With great jumping ability and the generous frame of someone who could gain a few dozen pounds of muscle and carry them just fine, the sky is truly the limit for Walker.
Altman is taking his time with the young and talented Walker
Booker Woodfox
(11.6 minutes, 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal per game)
The season is just five games old, but we’ve already seen two different hair styles from Woodfox, the junior college transfer from Lewisville, Texas. We’ve also seen more than a couple attempts by the dangerous outside shooter to establish himself as a three-point threat, and it hasn’t gone as smoothly as Woodfox probably would like it to go. He’s shooting just 27% from three-point range, but you can tell by both his demeanor and the coaching staff’s words about his recruitment that the kid has been brought in to play defense and hit long-range shots.
Woodfox has a great all-around game against the Tigers, scoring 8 points and swiping 3 steals in just 11 minutes to play. His one assist was a doozy – a perfectly-thrown alley-oop pass to P’Allen Stinnett – and he knows what he’s doing when he’s out there. Once the shots start falling – and they will – he’ll give the Jays one more deep threat on a team of good shooters.
His shot isn't falling quite yet, but Booker is still playing hands-on defense
Dustin Sitzmann
(3 appearances, 2 shots, 2 baskets, a couple free throws, 6 points total)
Aaron Brandt
(2 appearances, 0 points)
The fan favorites, as always, are usually the last to be seen in the ballgames. When Aaron and Dustin are in the game, it usually means good things are happening for the Jays on the scoreboard. No matter what their stats are, don’t you think it makes them feel good that they usually translate to wins for the Jays? A little bit of the what’s-good-for-me-is-good-for-the-team mentality goes a long way.
Plus, Sitzmann is the Pizza Man. That’s not a bad moniker to have at the Qwest Center these days.
These two are familiar faces to happy home crowds at the Qwest Center this season
posted by Creighton Otter at 11:40 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home