With Booker Woodfox gone, P'Allen Stinnett will have to carry the load for Creighton. (Rivals.com)
By Matthew Dagen mdago88@hotmail.com Thursday, July 09, 2009
Creighton BluejaysLast Season: 27-8 (14-4)Key Losses: Booker WoodfoxHead Coach: Dana AltmanProjected Starting Lineup:PG: Cavel Witter 6-0 Sr.SG: P'Allen Stinnett 6-3 Jr.SF: Justin Carter 6-4 Sr.PF: Kenton Walker 6-9 Jr.C: Kenny Lawson 6-9 Jr.Key Reserves: Andrew Bock 6-1 Fr. PG, Antoine Young 6-0 So. PG, Chad Millard 6-8 Sr. PF, Casey Harriman 6-5 Jr. SF, Ethan Wragge 6-6 Fr. SF, Darryl Ashford 6-4 Jr. SGLast season saw a disappointing end for a Creighton team that won the regular season crown in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bluejays started slow in the conference, but won their final nine games against Valley foes before losing in their second game of the conference tournament, keeping them out of the NCAA tourney.Gone from that team is honorable mention All-American Booker Woodfox. Woodfox led the team in nearly every offensive category last season, including points per game, free throw and 3-point percentage, and was tops in assists and field goal percentage. Looking to contribute to another successful campaign are a slew of Bluejays who provided many important aspects of the game last season. Last season's second leading scorer, P'Allen Stinnett, will be looked upon to carry the load this year. He's a pretty accurate shooter, hitting nearly 45 percent from the field and over 30 from beyond the arc. His partner in the backcourt could be Cavel Witter. The rising senior has seen his minutes go up each year, and he should provide the ball handling that the Bluejays are going to need. The frontcourt never provided as much scoring as the guards last year, but does make up for it on the defensive end. The trio of Justin Carter, Kenton Walker and Kenny Lawson combined for nearly 15 boards a game, and that should go up without Woodfox crashing the boards so often.Creighton was a young team last year with only three seniors. This year, it is an upperclassmen-laden team. All the experience these players bring should help out the incoming freshman and a pair of junior college transfers. Looking to make the biggest impact early is point guard Andrew Bock. Bock had his pick of the so called "mid-majors," but chose Creighton over the likes of St. Mary's and San Diego. Ethan Wragge, choosing to play for Dana Altman over Buzz Williams' Marquette squad, is a strong wingman with a deadly shot. His precise shooting, combined with his size, should make him a good fit at Creighton. The Bluejays also get some help in two transfers, Darryl Ashford and point guard Wayne Runnells.The Creighton faithful would like to see their Bluejays make a trip back to the Big Dance, especially if they have another regular season like last year's. With all the experience and the help of the incoming players, the Valley very well could have a repeat regular season champ.
Naph wrote at 7/28/2009 7:45:40 AMhttp://community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/2009/06/11/UPDATED_TRANSFER_LIST Might be a bit late for a reshuffle, but I dare say that could have an effect on your ranking