Creighton basketball kicked off the season with a bang at the second annual Bluejay Madness.

The Jays held the first official “practice” of the season on Oct. 14 in front of the crowd that filled D.J. Sokol Arena to capacity. The event was part of ESPNU’s Midnight Madness special, and ESPN’s Stephen Bardo was on campus and interviewing players.

The event staff worked hard to transform the arena from a volleyball court into basketball, and Creighton baseball coach Ed Servais and men’s soccer coach Elmar Bolowich each addressed the crowd, offering thanks for the support of their respective teams and Creighton athletics in general.

Then the clock hit 10 seconds and the fans began to count down. When it hit zero, the lights turned off and the place exploded. Players were introduced one-by-one and jogged down onto the court to begin warming up. With former Creighton guard and current Jays radio color commentator Nick Bahe on hand to serve as master of ceremonies, the

festivities began.

The first event of the evening was a three-point shootout, featuring eight representatives from the men’s team and eight from the women’s team. Each round lasted one minute, with each teammate shooting for thirty seconds. The four highest scores moved

onto the second round.

The first round saw some sweet shooting and quite a few buzzer-beating shots. Junior guard Grant Gibbs channeled his inner Larry Bird by competing in his warm ups; freshman guard Sammy Jensen drilled ten treys in a row; and there was a two-way tie for the fourth and final spot in the second round.

The second round saw the competition and the shooters heat up as all four teams posted high scores. However, two pairs separated themselves.  The teams of Gibbs and sophomore guard Jordan Garrison, and junior guard Ross Ferrarini and Jensen advanced by tallying 19

and 20 respectively.

The crowd was rocking as the final two teams took the court for the last time. Gibbs and Garrison ultimately emerged victorious, edging out Ferrarini and Jensen 16 to 10.

 

The second event was a 12-minute, running clock scrimmage by the women’s squad. Unfortunately, sophomore guard and reigning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, Carli Tritz, had to sit out after she had knee surgery a couple weeks ago. Redshirt freshman forward Riley Norman also sat out, meaning there were just enough healthy players to go five-on-five.

Both teams struggled a bit offensively and head coach Jim Flanery mentioned there were too many threes taken for his liking. But it was not all that surprising with such a young team and with the squad’s best scorer sitting on the sidelines. The white team edged out the blue 9-8 behind Sarah Nelson’s five points, two rebounds and one assist.

 

 

Following the women’s scrimmage, five of the highest leapers on the men’s team hit the floor to warm up for the dunk contest. This year three well-known individuals with Creighton ties were brought in to judge the evening’s dunks.

The dancing grandma of CenturyLink Center (formerly Qwest Center) video board fame, former Creighton guard Nate Funk (No. 6 on the team’s career points list) and former Jay and current Chicago Bull Kyle Korver were introduced to thunderous applause. Korver was particularly qualified to judge the event due to his 13 career dunks in eight seasons in the NBA.

After a slow start to the contest, freshman center Will Artino got the crowd going with his first round dunk. The 6-foot 11-inch big man pulled off a two-basketball dunk with the help of freshman forward Alex Olsen, earning himself a score of 29.

Then freshman point guard Austin Chatman took the stage for what turned out to be the highlight of the night. When the 7-foot freshman center Geoff

Groselle positioned himself near the basket, the crowd began to buzz. Olsen tossed the ball toward the rim and the 6-foot Chatman vaulted himself over the seven-footer Groselle before slamming the ball home, causing fans and

players alike to go crazy.

“We practiced about four or five times the day before, so I was confident,” Chatman said.

The seemingly super-human feat earned Chatman 10s across the board for a perfect score of 30. The final contestant was the defending champion Antoine Young. The senior put forth a noble effort but could not keep pace with the two young gun freshman center Artino and Chatman, who moved on

to the finals.

Artino started the final round by sending senior forward Matt Dorwart up into the student section for some alley-oop passes. The two failed to connect three times and the clock was running down, so Artino decided to settle for a more routine dunk which earned him a score of 21.

The stage was set for Chatman, and he did not disappoint. The freshman bounced an alley-oop pass to himself and finished it with a windmill jam, capturing the title with a score of 29.

The final event of the night was a scrimmage showcasing the men’s team. Where the women’s team was a bit short on healthy players, the men’s squad boasted 18 total players including the six walk-ons, and all of them got a chance to play. The scrimmage was set for 16 minutes with a running clock and

no free throws.

The scrimmage was hotly contested, with both teams going back and forth. Returning All-Valley performers senior guard Antoine Young (Second Team) and sophomore forward Doug McDermott (First Team) led the way for their respective teams.

Young got to the rim at will and finished with eight points, two assists and one rebound while McDermott was unstoppable inside on his way to 10 points and four rebounds. Junior center Gregory Echenique was also a handful in the paint as he scored twice and drew a few fouls, showcasing the strength that makes him such a force in the paint.

This was the first time the freshmen were able to play in front of the home crowd, and they did not disappoint. Freshman guard Nevin Johnson was particularly impressive, scoring seven points to go with his three rebounds. The duo of Young and Echenique proved too much for McDermott and his white squad to handle, as the blue team won 31 to 26.

Afterward, Chatman credited the trip the team took to the Bahamas for preparing many of them for their first outing with fans.

“The Bahamas trip helped build some team chemistry,” said Chatman. “This was a preview for the fans.”

Following the scrimmage, head coach Flanery and Greg McDermott of the men’s squad each took their turn in front of the fans. The night concluded with an hour-long autograph session by both teams. Kyle Korver also stuck around for a while to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

The women’s team kicks off their season on Nov. 2 with an exhibition game against Rockhurst University at Sokol Arena. The Jays first regular season game is away on Nov. 11 against North Dakota.

The men’s team begins their exhibition play on Nov. 6, also against the Rockhurst Hawks at the Century Link Center. The men’s regular season  starts at home on Nov. 11 against the North Carolina A&T Aggies.