Creighton Basketball

March and April are two very important months for high school seniors. They need to make their final college decision on/ or by May 1st. I have noticed prospective students and their families walking around Creighton’s campus these past couple weeks. I remember when I was in their place. This is also a time that Colleges are trying their hardest to finalize their recruits.

Creighton’s Men’s Basketball team finished 18-16 mark. This is also the first time in Dana Altman’s 16- year career at Creighton that the team has been in the CIT tournament. For people who aren’t familiar with the CIT tournament, it stands for the College Insider Tournament. I am sure the team will never want to be in this tournament again. I learned of the NIT last year, the CIT this year; I hope I don’t have to learn about another tournament next year.



I don’t think Altman is a bad coach, but I think recruiting better and stronger players needs to become a necessity. Instead of looking at students from junior colleges, high school stars need to get Creighton’s attention.

Ethan Wragge brings hope to Creighton’s basketball program. He is a freshman from Minnesota and made third-team all-state as a senior. I think Wragge will develop more as a player and could be Creighton’s leading scorer in the future. He ended the season with making a three- pointer in 21 consecutive games in a row. He set a new CU freshman record.

How come Creighton is only able to recruit players that make third-team all-state teams? I realize Creighton does not receive the kind of recognition as other Division 1 programs, but they need to strive for that.

It was brought to my attention that the Missouri Valley Conference will receive $1.5 million for having a team qualify for the Super-Sweet- Sixteen. This money will be divided evenly among the 10 teams. This means Creighton’s Athletic Department will receive roughly $150,000. I am guessing the majority of that money will go to the Creighton Basketball program. Maybe they’ll get new bags? Or they could spend it on recruiting?



It should be a wake- up call for Creighton to be in the CIT this year. There are talented players on the basketball team, but something is clearly not working. Creighton has the facilities and academic program to attract players. The average attendance for home games is 14,495. The Creighton and Omaha community put their energy into the basketball program.

I hope Creighton is able to do much better next year. I would love for Creighton to qualify to the NCAA tournament. If not next year, then the following year.