Men's Basketball Opens Exhibition Season With Northern State on Thursday
11/1/2010 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Exhibition Game #1 vs. Northern State • Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010 • 7:05 p.m.
Northern State Wolves at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: None
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: None
Next Game
Creighton opens the 2010-11 exhibition season with a game on Thursday, Nov. 4 vs. Northern State. Tip-off at Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) is set for 7:05 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2010-11 season. T. Scott Marr and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action.
The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com.
Television Broadcast Information
Thursday's game will not be televised.
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics and Jump TV will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of approximately 15 games this season. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a monthly pass is $10.95 and a four-month pass is $34.95.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will include an audio simulcast of the Big Sports 590 (or KMTV) broadcast, begins approximately 15 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 pre-game show.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for links the exact link.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton went 18-16 last season and advanced to the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The Bluejays were 15-2 at home but 3-14 at all other sites while finishing fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 10-8 league mark.
Creighton returns four starters and 10 lettermen from last year's team, a group highlighted by preseason MVC Player of the Year Kenny Lawson Jr. (13.1 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 1.5 bpg.). Lawson has led the MVC in blocked shots each of the past two years and was a second-team all-Valley selection last winter.
Other returning starters include Darryl Ashford (7.4 ppg.), Antoine Young (7.1 ppg., 3.1 apg.) and Casey Harriman (3.0 ppg., 2.6 rpg.).
Creighton was picked fourth in the preseason MVC poll.
Scouting Northern State
Located in Aberdeen, S.D., Northern State went 13-14 last season and finished ninth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 9-11 league mark.
The 2010-11 Wolves were picked eighth of 14 in the preseason poll of NSIC coaches last week.
The Wolves return seven of 13 lettermen from last year's team, including starters Collin Pryor (10.8 ppg., 5.8 rpg.), Derek Hoellein (10.7 ppg., 1.2 spg.) and Marty Gregor (3.8 ppg., 3.8 rpg.). Pryor led the team in rebounding and shot 55.8 percent from the floor last season, while Hoellein made a team-best 77 three-pointers and drained 37.0 percent of his long-range shots.
NSU is scheduled to play an exhibition at Oklahoma on Tuesday before heading to Omaha.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is entering his first season as head coach at Creighton, but is no stranger to coaching in the state of Nebraska or in the Missouri Valley Conference. McDermott was hired in April after spending the previous four seasons as head coach at Iowa State (2006-10). He has also been a head coach at Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
McDermott owns a head coaching record of 280-195 in 16 previous seasons, and 149-131 mark in nine Division I campaigns.
He is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Paul Sather (Northern State, 1996) is in his first year as Northern State's head coach. Sather had spent the previous five years going 94-62 as head coach at Black Hills State. He was previously an assistant at NSU from 1998-2004, and was a graduate assistant for Greg McDermott when the two were at Wayne State. Sather's full-time assistants include Matt Sevareid, Justin Wieck and Brad Christenson.
The Series With Northern State
Creighton and Northern State have never met.
Greg McDermott is 7-5 in his career against Northern State, with all 12 of those match-ups occurring when he was head coach at Wayne State.
Last Season Recap
Creighton finished 18-16 on the season, winning a pair of games in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament before falling in the semifinals. Creighton's 10-8 league mark was good for fourth place, the Jays 13th straight year of a fourth-place finish or better.
Individually, Kenny Lawson Jr. was a second-team all-MVC pick and led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. Justin Carter ranked second on the team in both scoring and rebounding, while Antoine Young topped the team in assists and steals.
Big Shoes To Fill
Both Creighton and Northern State enter the 2010-11 seasons after replacing legendary head coaches in the off-season.
Creighton's Greg McDermott replaces the school's all-time wins leader, Dana Altman, who was named head coach at Oregon in April. The winningest coach in school history, Altman was 327-176 in 16 years at Creighton, leading the program to seven NCAA Tournaments and 13 straight postseason bids.
Altman's win total ranks third in Missouri Valley Conference history and he was named coach of the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Centennial Team in 2007.
At Northern State, Paul Sather replaced the winningest coach in NCAA history in Don Meyer. Meyer earned 923 wins in a career that spanned four decades at three different institutions. Meyer coached his first three years at Hamline (1972-75), spent the bulk of his profession at Lipscomb (1975-99) and recently retired from Northern State (1999-2010). He continues at Northern State as a Regents Distinguished Professor and Assistant to the President.
Meyer was awarded the Jimmy V Award For Perseverance at the 2009 ESPY Awards, and most recently received the 2010 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for significant contributions to the sport.
Crowd Watch
Northern State led all of Division II by averaging 3,414 fans per home game last season, but played before a grand total of 'just' 14,575 fans in 12 contests away from home last year.
Last year Creighton averaged 15,883 in 15 regular-season games at Qwest Center Omaha.
Creighton's largest exhibition attendance in school history was 15,099 on Nov. 4, 2009 vs. Missouri Western State.
McDermott's Exhibition History
Greg McDermott is 17-0 in exhibition games, including a 10-0 mark at UNI and a 7-0 record at Iowa State. All but one of his triumphs has been by double-digits.
Last season McDermott's Iowa State team beat a Black Hills State team coached by Paul Sather by a 96-47 count in exhibition action.
Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date McD School Opponent Result
2001-02 UNI London Leopards W 89-74
2001-02 UNI Lake Superior St. W 74-63
2002-03 UNI Dominican Nat'l Team W 73-56
2002-03 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 90-76
2003-04 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 89-79
2003-04 UNI Australian Select Team W 92-58
2004-05 UNI Dubuque W 93-34
2004-05 UNI SW Minnesota St. W 71-40
2005-06 UNI Lewis W 77-50
2005-06 UNI Wayne State W 74-57
11/03/06 Iowa State EA Sports W 58-57
11/06/06 Iowa State Wayne State W 55-41
11/01/07 Iowa State Dubuque W 66-38
11/04/07 Iowa State EA Sports W 74-63
11/08/08 Iowa State Nebraska-Omaha W 74-54
11/02/09 Iowa State Black Hills State W 96-47
11/06/09 Iowa State UNC-Pembroke W 106-54
Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 35-6 since 1987 in exhibition games thanks to nine straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which merged seven years ago and changed their name to EA Sports.
A complete listing of Creighton's exhibition games since 1987 can be found on page five of this release.
Return Of The Mac
Greg McDermott is the 10th MVC head coach to coach at two different league schools and first since Ken Hayes got hired away from Tulsa to go to New Mexico State in 1975.
He is the first to go to a different league and coach there, then come back to the MVC.
McDermott went 90-63 in five years at Northern Iowa from 2001-06, advancing to the NCAA Tournament each of his final three seasons.
Father/Son Duo
Doug McDermott will become the first player in Creighton men's basketball history to play for his father, head coach Greg McDermott. The previous closest relationship between a player/coach had been when Rick Apke (1974-78) played for his older brother, head coach Tom Apke (1974-81).
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2010-11 season will go on sale on November 1st at 10 am.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free).
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns four starters (Kenny Lawson Jr., Antoine Young, Darryl Ashford and Casey Harriman) from last year's team that finished 18-16.
Creighton's roster contains players who made 123 starts a year ago, the first time the Jays have returned 120 or more starts since the 2006-07 team that was also the program's most recent to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2010-11 4 123 ? ? ?
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
Freshmen Starts Almost Unheard Of
If any of Creighton's freshmen get a starting nod in Thursday's exhibition, they'll join some rare company. To find the last Creighton true freshman to start the team's exhibition opener, you'd have to go all the way back to Nov. 14, 1988. That's when Latrell Wrightsell had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of a 75-66 win over Turkey.
Even Ryan Sears, who started all 124 regular-season games of his illustrious career from 1997-2001, came off the bench for his exhibition debut before replacing Matt West in the second exhibition game of the 1997-98 campaign.
Sears remains the last CU freshman to start a Creighton regular-season opener, which he did in 1997's win over UMKC.
Newcomer Report
Six players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform last year against Missouri Western State as Darryl Ashford (16 pts., 2 reb., 5 assists in 20 minutes), Andrew Bock (2 points, 1 assist in 11 minutes), Wayne Runnels (13 pts., 6 reb., 1 assist in 21 minutes) and Ethan Wragge (4 points, 2 rebounds, 16 minutes) combined for 35 points and 10 rebounds in a combined 68 minutes of action in the Jays 94-69 triumph. Fellow newbies Derek Sebastian and Matthew Dorwart each played the final 12 seconds but did not record any stats.
Below is a look at the last six years and how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts:
2009
Sebastian/Bock/Dorwart/
Runnels/Ashford/Wragge
35 pts., 10 reb., 7 ast., 68 min. (W 94-69)
2008
Carter/Jones/Young
15 pts., 8 reb., 3 ast., 47 min. (W 78-65)
2007
Woodfox/Witter/Stinnett/Millard/Korver/
Harriman/Walker/Brandt
48 pts, 14 reb., 8 ast, 102 min. (W 88-75)
2006
Bahe/Miles/Morrison/Lawson Jr.
16 pts., 11 reb., 3 ast., 59 min. (W 80-76)
2005
Porter/Bishop/Dotzler/Nengsu
11 pts., 4 reb., 5 ast., 55 min. (W 74-67)
2004
Day/Howard/Hibma/Watts
25 pts., 10 reb., 6 ast., 64 min. (W 78-48)
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 11 of the last 12 seasons, an unprecedented feat in Missouri Valley Conference history that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 12 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in 11 of the past 12 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut, Memphis and Michigan State (10 each), ahead of Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (9 each) and even better than Louisville (8).
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in the preseason poll of MVC coaches, SID's and media. Wichita State was a near-unanimous pick to win the league, garnering 33-of-39 first-place votes and 382 points overall.
Missouri State was second with 313 points and one first-place vote.
Northern Iowa (289, 1 first-place vote), Creighton (282) and Bradley (264, 2) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Illinois State (165), where it was followed by Indiana State (136), Drake (120), Southern Illinois (120) and Evansville (73).
Creighton senior Kenny Lawson Jr. is one of five men on the preseason all-MVC team. He's joined on the team by UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Wichita State's Toure' Murry, Bradley's Sam Maniscalco and Missouri State's Kyle Weems.
Lawson was also named Preseason MVC Player of the Year. He is the third Bluejay to be honored since 2001, joining Kyle Korver (2002-03) and Nate Funk (2006-07).
10 Conference Wins x 14
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 14th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 14 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (16).
Postseason x 13
Creighton has made the postseason in 13 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
The only 10 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 13 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.
Full House
Creighton averaged 14,495 fans per game, which ranked 15th nationally, in 2009-10. Creighton averaged 15,883 in 15 games at Qwest Center Omaha before two CIT crowds below 5,000 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium dropped the average precipitously.
Creighton has now finished in the top-15 of the national attendance leaders in each of the last four seasons.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (FINAL)
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 24,111
2. Syracuse 22,152
3. Louisville 19,397
4. Tennessee 19,168
5. North Carolina 17,786
6. Wisconsin 17,230
7. Maryland 16,792
8. Memphis 16,498
9. Kansas 16,433
10. Marquette 15,617
11. Indiana 15,296
12. Illinois 14,870
13. Michigan State 14,759
14. Texas 14,629
15. Creighton 14,495
16. Ohio State 14,181
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
302,676 Creighton 2008-09
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
246,419 Creighton 2009-10
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
191,440 Louisville 1974-75
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
Consistent Challengers
Nine of Creighton's last 13 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the four that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 13 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10
Learning From Past Losses
Creighton heads into the 2010-11 season looking to rebound from a quarterfinal round loss to Bradley in the 2010 MVC Tournament.
Each of Creighton's previous three quarterfinal round losses (1998, 2004, 2006) saw the Bluejays claim the Arch Madness crown the following spring.
Creighton's six conference tournament titles in the past 12 years trail only Gonzaga, Duke and Winthrop nationally.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has six players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include seniors Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella) as well as redshirting sophomore Grant Gibbs (Marion) and freshmen Doug McDermott (Ames), Kody Ingle (Altoona) and Will Artino (Waukee).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver and Pierce Hibma (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 511 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Big 10, Big 12, Big Time
Creighton will play two teams from the Big 12 Conference (Iowa State, Nebraska) and another from the Big Ten Conference (Northwestern) in 2010-11, all away from home.
The last time the Jays played three Big 10/Big 12 teams in pre-conference action was 2004-05. In that season, Creighton beat Missouri and Ohio State on a neutral floor and also won in Lincoln, Neb., against Nebraska.
Since 1997-98, Creighton is 14-4 against the Big 12 and 3-1 against Big Ten teams in regular-season play.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 535 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
Forward Ethan Wragge made at least one three-pointer in each of Creighton's final 21 games last season, the longest active streak in The Valley heading into 2010-11.
Wragge's streak established the Creighton record by a freshman, breaking the mark of 12 previously set by Rodney Buford in 1996. Wragge's 68 three-pointers were a record for Bluejay freshmen, five more than the 63 that Creighton legends Kyle Korver (in 1999-2000) and Ryan Sears (in 1997-98) had in their rookie campaigns.
Wragge leads all active MVC players with his 43.3 percent accuracy from downtown (min. 50 attempts).
Active Leader
Kenny Lawson Jr. leads all active Missouri Valley Conference players with 547 rebounds, 134 blocked shots and 88 games started.
He also ranks third on that list with 953 career points, putting him in position to become the 34th member of Creighton's 1,000 point club.
International Relations
Creighton has a pair of foreigners on the roster for just the third time in school history with Canadian Jahenns Manigat and Venezuelan Gregory Echenique. Echenique is the nation's only returning Venezuelan who also played NCAA ball last season.
The last pair of simultaneous international teammates at Creighton was Brice Nengsu (Cameroon) and Manny Gakou (France) from 2005-07.
Creighton's other international players on record include Livan Pyfrom (1999-2001, Bahamas), Nerijus Karlikanovas (1998-2000, Lithuania) and Colin Lubsey (1992-93, Australia)
Qwest To Be The Best
Entering the 2010-11 season, Creighton has played 115 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 97-18 (.843) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 22-0 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 1-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 8,494-7,183 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.4 points per game. The 18 losses have been by a combined 99 points (5.5 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 25 different times.
Team of the Decade?
Below is the records for each MVC school since the start of the 2000-01 season, ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton leads the MVC overall with 228 wins in the decade, as well as 10 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (2000-01 to end of 2009-10)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 125 55 .694 228 98 .699
Southern Illinois 124 56 .689 217 108 .668
Northern Iowa 99 81 .550 186 130 .589
Wichita State 95 85 .528 181 137 .569
Missouri State 93 87 .517 181 138 .567
Bradley 87 93 .483 170 152 .528
Illinois State 86 94 .478 168 142 .542
Drake 76 104 .422 149 157 .487
Indiana State 59 121 .328 124 183 .404
Evansville 56 124 .311 110 184 .374
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 5 4 0 1 10
Southern Illinois 6 1 0 0 7
Wichita State 1 4 1 0 6
Northern Iowa 5 0 0 0 5
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Missouri State 0 3 0 1 4
Illinois State 0 4 0 0 4
Indiana State 1 0 1 0 2
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 0 1 1
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 65 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has also won 44 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
For the sixth time in the eight-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2009-10 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.33 cumulative grade-point average over the 2009-10 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Creighton had four men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year; Matthew Dorwart, Kaleb Korver, Derek Sebastian and Taylor Stormberg.
NBA Jays
Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver give Creighton a pair of alums in the NBA for the third straight year.
Korver plays for the Chicago Bulls and is in his eighth year in the NBA, including previous stops in Philadelphia and Utah.
Tolliver plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves and is in his third year in the NBA, including previous stops with Cleveland, San Antonio, New Orleans, Portland and Golden State.
Creighton has now had an NBA player in 27 of the last 28 years, and 44 of 47 seasons since 1964-65.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to Qwest Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
