2007-08 Men's Basketball Outlook
10/24/2007 6:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Despite the loss of graduated seniors Nate Funk, Anthony Tolliver and Nick Porter, expectations remain high for the 2007-08 Creighton men's basketball team.
Nine new players join five returners from last year's 22-11 squad that reached the postseason for a 10th straight year and won the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the sixth time in the past nine seasons.
Leading the way for the Jays will be the team's lone returning starter, senior forward Dane Watts. Owner of 86 consecutive starts, Watts averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season.
His leadership and ability to play both inside and outside will no doubt aid a Jays team that lost more than 75 percent of its scoring and more than 65 percent of its rebounding.
Another senior who can mix it up inside or outside is Pierce Hibma. Hibma's greatest contributions are the hustle and desire he brings to the court.
Also returning to the backcourt is fifth-year senior Nick Bahe. A vocal leader on the team, Bahe shot 41.7 percent from long-range last year while scoring 3.0 points per game.
Junior point guard Josh Dotzler also returns after starting 8-of-26 games during an injury-plagued 2006-07 campaign. Dotzler was beginning to hit his stride in mid-December before missing six games with a broken finger. The savvy playmaker averaged 2.2 points and 2.0 assists per game last year, and his 22 steals a year ago are tied for team-high among Bluejay returners.
Creighton's fifth returnee is junior walk-on guard Dustin Sitzmann. Sitzmann did not score in six appearances last year, but did average 2.8 points per game during the team's September trip to Calgary.
Creighton's nine newcomers include four players who were in the program last year as redshirts.
Sophomore Chad Millard figures to make a difference thanks to his previous Division I experience at Louisville during the 2005-06 season. Millard is a 6'8” swing man who can shoot the three or drive to the hole.
Kenny Lawson Jr. was limited to just two games last year before knee tendinitis ended his season. The bouncy freshman showed flashes of his potential during the team's five-game Labor Day weekend trip to Calgary, averaging 14.0 points and 6.8 rebounds against Canadian foes.
Two other redshirts from a year ago are freshmen swingmen Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt. Harriman was a two-time Iowa prep scoring champ while Brandt was two-time state hurdles champ in high school. Both men hope to benefit from a year in the Creighton system.
Five players new to campus also are joining the CU program this winter.
Junior Booker Woodfox had a reputation as a strong shooter in junior college, while sophomore Cavel Witter is a quick guard who can slash or pull-up and shoot it.
Kaleb Korver, P'Allen Stinnett and Kenton Walker round out Creighton's freshmen class.
Korver is the younger brother of former Bluejay All-American Kyle Korver. It comes as no surprise that his offensive strength is his shooting ability, both from downtown and at the charity stripe.
Stinnett was a top-100 recruit in some circles who brings instant athleticism into the program. He showed the ability to score (7.6 ppg.) and defend (2.0 spg.) during the five-game tour of Canada.
Walker is a mobile big man who was a tremendous shot blocker in the high school ranks.
Having put together nine consecutive 20-win seasons, head coach Dana Altman returns to the Bluejay bench for his 14th season. Look for him to blend Creighton's experience and youth to provide another winner for one of the nation's best-attended programs. The Bluejays averaged 15,909 fans per game last season, setting an MVC record and ranking 13th nationally.
As has become the norm, Creighton's schedule is filled with challenging games. Creighton will play nine games against postseason teams from 2006-07, including two games with Sweet 16 participant Southern Illinois and a road contest at Xavier.
Add to it non-conference games with DePaul, Nebraska, Drexel, Arkansas-Little Rock and Saint Joseph's, and it's easy to see why the 2007-08 season will be among the most anticipated in years.
Creighton will also find itself all over TV this winter once again. At least five ESPN and three Fox Sports Net appearances will get the Jays regional and national attention, while Omaha's CBS affiliate KMTV once again plans to broadcast at least eight games this year.
