He may not be sporting a pair of pink shoes on the sideline when the Bluejays take on Illinois State University on Friday night, but the annual “Pink-Out” game at D.J. Sokol Arena carries special meaning for Creighton women’s basketball head coach Jim Flanery.
Though Flanery and Illinois State head coach Stephanie Glance will be coaching on opposing benches, the two will be unified in a common cause for an issue that carries far more importance than the 40 minutes of the game.
Glance personally knows the great impact breast cancer can have on lives. She served as interim coach for the North Carolina State women’s basketball team after head coach Kay Yow died of breast cancer in January 2009.
“I think [this game] takes on a special significance for the coaches because it is Illinois State,” Flanery said.
To help raise awareness for breast cancer, the Bluejays will be wearing special pink uniforms and pink shoes when they take the floor for a 7:05 p.m. tipoff against the Redbirds.
To Flanery, this game is an opportunity to build some momentum as they round out the conference schedule and prepare for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
Creighton currently sits in fifth place in the conference standings with a 7-6 record in conference play, with a great opportunity to move up with victories this weekend.
However, Illinois State boasts a powerful offensive attack that will be very difficult to beat. The Redbirds showcased their explosive offense in a 79-66 victory over the Bluejays on Jan. 27.
Redbird senior guard Katie Broadway dropped 29 points against the Bluejays in that victory.
According to Flanery, slowing down Broadway will be a primary focus, but he acknowledged that the Redbirds have other players just as capable of shooting lights out.
Currently, the Redbirds have four regular starters averaging over 11 points per game this season.
Creighton is looking to carry over a stellar offensive performance into Friday night’s game. In last Saturday’s victory over Southern Illinois, the Bluejays scored a season-high 80 points.
In addition, sophomore forward Sarah Nelson scored a combined 48 points on the weekend. Nelson set career high scoring totals against Evansville and Southern Illinois and shot 17-30 from the field in the two games. She
also picked up her eighth double-double of the season.
Coach Flanery will look to get Nelson into scoring mode again on Friday night by taking advantage of her versatility and getting her the ball on the outside.
“She’s more effective when we pull her away from the basket first and then bring her back to the inside,” Flanery said. “If she can hit 15 or 17-footers, she is much more effective.”
The Bluejays will also need sophomore guard Carli Tritz to contribute to the offensive attack as well. Tritz is the team’s leading scorer, averaging just over 15 points per game against conference opponents.