What’s Next for Creighton Basketball After Their Star Player Was Drafted?
For the first time since 2020, the Creighton Blue Jays will take the floor without Ryan Kalkbrenner. The four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year was one of college basketball’s most dominant bigs, leading the Blue Jays to five straight March Madness appearances. With Head Coach Greg McDermott announcing he'll only coach three more seasons, this offseason felt like the beginning of the end for a successful era. Leaning heavily on the transfer portal, Creighton added talent to help win now and ensure long-term flexibility.
The Blue Jays starting lineup will be made up of mostly fresh faces. Steven Ashworth and Jamiya Neal, the second and third leading scorers after Kalkbrenner, both ran out of eligibility. Point guard Pop Isaacs left for Texas A&M after only playing eight games at Creighton. However, few core pieces were retained. After averaging slightly under eight points and over four rebounds a game in his freshman season, Jackson McAndrew is a breakout candidate. The forward's blend of fluidity, size, and shooting allows his game to translate to a larger role. In addition to McAndrew, starter Jasen Green returns. Green was a valuable glue guy for the Blue Jays last season, playing within the flow of the offense and defending multiple positions. Green lacks an on-ball game but should continue to be a highly efficient role player.
McDermott also retained young bench talent ready to play an upscaled role. Fedor Zugic, the youngest player to ever play professionally in Europe, only played 22 games last season due to eligibility issues. In his limited minutes, he was productive as a complementary guard, averaging 4.5 points. Zugic has the potential to be an intriguing NBA prospect, but he will need to make a more significant impact on the game. Isaac Traudt is another floor spacer with size who has flashed scoring versatility but will need to improve physicality.
Creighton’s returners all will serve valuable positions as role players, but their stars were acquired from the transfer portal. McDermott nagged Iowa's two best players last season, Josh Dix and Owen Freeman. Dix is a perimeter threat with prototypical wing size and an adequate handle, averaging 14.4 points off 42.3% from deep. Freeman will replace Kalkbrenner in the middle but will play a different role. While Kalkbrenner's impact was above-the-rim, Freeman relies on using footwork and strength to finesse his way to the basket and score using his soft touch. He's a respectable shot blocker as well, nearly collecting two a game.
Along with the Iowa duo, McDermott added two high-upside pieces on the wing in Austin Swartz and Blake Harper. Swartz is a promising development piece as a shot creator. He showed no shortage of confidence at Miami when on the court, maximizing his touches. On the other hand, Blake Harper was a star at Howard, looking to repeat success against better competition. He's a talented scorer off the bounce at six-foot-six with a real shooting stroke. His game is reminiscent of former Creighton guard Trey Alexander, whom McDermott was comfortable going to as a scorer in spurts.
