Creighton Bluejays Q&A w/ Steve Pivovar - Omaha World Herald

[MVCfans]

Our fourth MVC Q&A is with Steve Pivovar of the Omaha World-Herald. Steve has been at the World-Herald for 40 years and began covering Creighton in 1991. After leaving the Creighton beat for several years, he returned in 2001 and has covered the Bluejays since. Steve can be followed on twitter - @pivOWH and facebook and he occasionally blogs on the Omaha.com Jays' page - link: Omaha World-Herald Bluejays Page.


Question 1.
After 16 years with Dana Altman leading Creighton, the Jays have a new
head coach in Greg McDermott. From your perspective, what is the biggest
difference between the coaches and how they handle the media, players, and
fans?

A. The biggest difference in how the new staff works with the media, the fans and
the players is just a feeling of openess that now surrounds the program. Greg is
much more at ease with dealing with the media. Dana was a bit more aloof _ no
knock on him, but that was just his personality. Greg also seems to be more
willing to connect with fans, which of course makes them feel good about supporting
the program. He and his staff attend different fan and booster functions, and they
generally seem glad to be there. As far as day-to-day interaction with players,
there seems to be less tension in the practice setting now than in the past couple
of seasons. Guys seem to be a little more relaxed. They work just as hard and
the coaches seem to be just as demanding as Dana and his staff were, but guys don't
seem to be as on edge as they were in the past. Again, no knock on Dana. He had
his way of doing things. Greg has his.


Question 2.
One of the subplots in the hiring of Coach McDermott was the release of
his son, Doug, from his signed Northern Iowa letter of intent to play for
his dad at Creighton. Doug won the first four MVC newcomer of the week
awards this season. How does he compare to some of the impact freshman
Creighton has had in your time following the Jays?

A. Doug definitely has gotten his career off to a flying start. I think he's
surprised some people with his court skills, perhaps because there was considerable
talk about him possibly redshirting this first year. But like most things, timing
has been important in his development. Gregory Echenique didn't become eligible
until Dec. 18, and Ethan Wragge started the season battling a foot injury. That
took two guys out of the rotation that would likely have been there. So there was
a need for someone with Doug's height and his skills, and he's made the most of his
opportunity. Bottom line, he's probably made more of an impact in his first month
with the program as anyone since I started covering the Bluejays in 1992.


Question 3.
As the lone true point guard on the roster, is it safe to say that
Antoine Young is the most important player for this year's Creighton team?
Have you seen a change in his play and leadership ability since last
year?

A. Yes, Antoine is the guy this team cannot afford to lose. Heck, they can't even
have him sit out extended minutes. He's the straw that's stirring this drink.
Anyone that followed Antoine last season knows that he got off to a rough start but
make steady progress throughout the year. That progress gave him a foundation to
build on this season, and he definitely has. He's worked hard on his outside
shooting to get himself to the point where he's capable of hurting team from beyond
the arc. His free-throw woes _ it hurts when your point guard is shooting less
than 50 percent from the line, as he did through much of the first half of the
season last year _ appear to be behind him. He's close to 80 percent this year.
He's just been rock solid through the first month of the season, and he's leading
the Valley in assists and minutes played while ranking in the top 15 in four other
statistical categories. He's playing at an All-Valley level.


Question 4.
Ethan Wragge made five consective three pointers last Saturday night
against St. Joseph's in his first extended playing time this season
because of plantar fasciitis. Last year he broke Kyle Korver's freshman
record at Creighton by making 68 three pointers. Is he the best shooter
at Creighton since Kyle Korver? Consistency from beyond the arc has been
an issue for the Jays in the early going - how will his ability to extend
the defense benefit this team?

A. The Bluejays definitely need Wragge to make shots from the perimeter to help
open up things on the inside for Kenny Lawson and Gregory Echenique. His foot
continues to bother him, although he says there are days where he's basically pain
free. In addition to his injury, he started the season with a cold shooting touch,
making just 3 of 14 3-point attempts. He heated up against St. Joe's, going 6 of 9
for the game. In a span of six possessions in the second half, he hit five straight
shots. He also had an assist on Kaleb Korver's 3-pointer during the stretch.
Wragge's strengths are a quick release and outstanding range. If he stays hot, look
out.


Question 5.
Much has been made of Gregory Echenique, the Rutgers transer, who
became eligible on December 18. How will Coach McDermott involve him in
the offense and how will that impact Kenny Lawson? How much of an impact
can Echenique be for Creighton this year and going forward?

A. Gregory Echenique will bring a mountain of potential to the court. Early on, Greg McDermott
plans to try to get him as many minutes as possible to get him ready for conference play.
Creighton is squeezing three games into five days before Christmas. The plan is to
play Lawson and Echenique some at the same time during games. Some of that will
depend on how the team adapts defensively. The Bluejays could likely use more zone
defenses when the two are on the same court together. As far as the impact he
could have on Lawson, I see it as being nothing but good. They are basically
different kind of players, Kenny more finesse and Greg all power. When they're not
playing together, that will pose different problems for defenders trying to guard
them. When they're playing together, it's going to force teams to try to pick
their poison. You can't double team both guys, which should make both more
effective. Most Valley teams have one servicable big man. Few have two with the
skill sets of Lawson and Echenique. Potentially, it could give Creighton a huge
advantage inside.



Thanks again to Steve for participating in our team by team MVC Q&A. Previous Q&A's can be found in the MVC links section of the forum.

Dec 13 - Drake Bulldogs - Mark Emmert
Dec 16 - Jim Benson - Illinois State
Dec 18 - Paul Suellentrop - Wichita State
Dec 21 - Steve Pivovar - Creighton
Dec 22 - Kelly Beaton - Northern Iowa