When Creighton fans across the country hear the words “Bluejay basketball,” they immediately think of Dana Altman, known by many as the Dean of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Yet there is a lesser known coach: women’s basketball head coach Jim Flanery.
Flanery has coached at Creighton in some capacity for nearly 20 years, minus a two-year stint as assistant coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa under head coach Connie Yori. While at Loras, Flanery helped the team to a 25-25 record over two seasons and a 15-10 mark in 1991, the program’s first winning season since 1986.
Flanery followed Yori back to Creighton in 1992 and served as her assistant until her resignation in 2002, at which time Flanery became head coach.
Over the past seven seasons, the Bluejays have appeared in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament five times, recorded four 20-win seasons, captured an MVC regular season championship, appeared twice in the WNIT Final Four and won the first postseason national championship in school history with the 2004 WNIT.
This season, Flanery has led his team to a 15-9 mark and a 10-5 Missouri Valley Conference record.
“He is really passionate as a coach,” senior guard Chevelle Herring said. “On the basketball court during practice and especially games he is very passionate and eccentric.”
Flanery has taught success and many of his athletes have strong feelings on what they have learned.
“At the end of the day, you have to remember to enjoy it. You’re not going to love it all the time, and sometimes you might even hate it, but that’s athletics,” senior forward Katie Frank said.
“When you look back after four years in the program, all the bumps in the road won’t matter as much as the relationships and the memories.”
Herring echoed her teammate’s sentiment in lessons learned from Flanery.
“In terms of basketball he has taught me to slow it down and reassess my decision making,” she said. “Off the court, I have learned not to take things too seriously.”
This season marks Flanery’s eighth at the helm of Bluejay women’s basketball. He has affected many more athletes than those who currently don the blue and white.
“He is a terrific coach, a great guy and he knows the game of basketball really well,” graduate manager and former student-athlete Sara Cain said.
Several individual players have succeeded under Flanery’s mentoring. Most recently, senior forward Megan Neuvirth was tabbed Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and the MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team as a junior last season.
Flanery has also lead one of the top academic teams nationally during his time at Creighton, starting with his term as an assistant coach in 1992. The Bluejays’ team grade point average has ranked in the national top 10 four times since the 1992 season.
Flanery has acheived a career record of 131-92 over the past seven years.