Men's Hoops Preparing For 1999-2000 Season
10/21/1999 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 21, 1999
In over 80 years of Creighton University men's basketball, only Eddie Hickey (1941-43) and Tony Barone (1989-91) have led Bluejay squads to postseason play in three consecutive seasons. After an NIT bid two years ago and a first round victory over Louisville in last year's NCAA Tournament, sixth-year CU head coach Dana Altman has a chance to do just that in 1999-2000.
To accomplish the feat, Altman, the NABC District 12 Coach-of-the-Year last season after leading the Bluejays to their first Missouri Valley Conference postseason tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991, will rely on a cast of veterans and an influx of newcomers. The Bluejays, who finished with a 22-9 overall record after a 75-63 loss to fifth-ranked Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, will also have to overcome the loss of four key contributors including forward Cliff Bates, guard Corie Brandon, center Doug Swenson and swingman Rodney Buford, the program's all-time leading scorer who was drafted by the Miami Heat with the 53rd pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.
Altman, who last year became only the second coach in the 92-year history of the MVC to improve his team's winning percentage in each of his first five seasons, will surely lean on guards Ryan Sears, Ben Walker and Matt West to provide leadership in 1999-2000. Sears, a junior point guard who earned MVC Freshman-of-the-Year honors two years ago, has started every game in his CU career. Sears led the conference last season with his 2.1-to-1 assists-to-turnover ratio and is already fifth on the program's career steal charts with 130.
Walker, a junior off-guard who was the team's most valuable player down the stretch last season by averaging 16.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in eight of the last nine games, provides a tough match-up for opposing teams with his ball-handling, outside shooting and inside play abilities. West, a savvy senior off-guard, battled injuries last season and accounted for 3.5 points per game. Senior Dan Kolder also returns in the backcourt, having played in eight games last season.
The Bluejays led the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding margin last season at +5.8 caroms per game and five members of their front court - 6-7 forward Donnie Johnson, 6-8 forward Nerijus Karlikanovas, 6-4 forward Justin Haynes, 6-9 center Alan Huss and 6-5 forward John Klien - all return. Johnson and Karlikanovas, seniors who made their Bluejay debuts last season, were both part-time starters and key contributors. Johnson, who battled injuries in the early part of last season which kept him from the floor, averaged 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the last 11 contests of the 1998-99 season. Karlikanovas, honored as a member of the conferences All-Bench team, averaged 6.9 points per game and shot 50% from the field including 48% (20-42) from three-point range. In his first career start, Karlikanovas scored 20 points in the team's 72-70 road win over Southwest Missouri State on Jan. 10.
Haynes, a redshirt junior who averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game last season, appeared in 28 of the team's 31 games while Huss, a junior, battled injuries and sickness all year to average just 1.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Klein, a sophomore walk-on, received 51 minutes of action last year while providing tough defense inside.
Athleticism and size is a good way to describe Altman's newcomers in 1999-2000. On the inside, Altman added Joe Dabbert, a 6-10 center from Platte Canyon in Bailey, Colorado, and 6-11 center Livan Pyfrom from Eastern Oklahoma Junior College. Dabbert averaged 16.5 points and 12.9 rebounds per game last year and led the state with 5.1 blocked shots. Pyfrom, a native of the Bahamas, contributed 14.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season.
Altman's recruiting class also includes four other freshmen in Sean Blocker, Kyle Korver, Michael Grimes and Terrell Taylor. Korver, a 6-6 sharp-shooting forward from Pella (Iowa) High School, averaged 24.4 points and 10 rebounds per game on 52% shooting from the field. Both Grimes and Blocker come from the Florissant, Mo. school of Hazelwood Central. Grimes, a 6-7 forward averaged 22.1 points and 11 rebounds per game. Blocker, a 6-4 forward, could be the surprise of the class. He is an athletic player that will supply depth in the future for the Bluejays.. Taylor, a 6-3 guard from Central High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut pouring in nearly 26 points per game last season. Walk-on freshman Mike Lindeman, out of Iowa Falls, Iowa, should also provide some depth in the forward court.
