NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Biggest winners and losers from 2019 classes

No. 2 Loser – Creighton Bluejays

One of the smallest teams in the Big East last season, Creighton had to rely on Martin Krampelj to provide any real frontcourt production. He played well, averaging 13.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg as a junior. But after dealing with a prior serious injury, Krampelj decided to forego his senior year for the professional ranks. Making matters worse for the Bluejays, freshman big man Samson Froling unexpectedly left the program this offseason to play back home in Australia professionally.

That essentially leaves just Christian Bishop, a 6’7 forward who averaged 10 mpg last season as the only returning big man for the team. Knowing how thin the frontcourt was and could be, you’d have to think that Creighton would’ve added some good high school big men for their 2019 recruiting class.

That didn’t happen. The Bluejays got commitments from three-star guards Shereef Mitchell and
Jalen Windham, who are no doubt good players but likely won’t add much to next season’s team due to the talented returning guards already on the roster. Ty-Shon Alexander, Mitchell Ballock and Marcus Zegarowski will keep the team competitive but will have to rely on undersized forward Damien Jefferson for rebounding and defending power forwards.

It’s a mystery why Creighton couldn’t land even a three-star big man even late in the process, with playing time very much available. The best they could do was land grad transfer Kelvin Jones, who averaged 9.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg for an 11-win Idaho State team. He’s a 6’11 body with experience but he could easily end up like Connor Cashaw, who went from putting up 15.5 ppg at Rice to just playing 11 mpg last season and providing next to nothing. Going small is fine, but having at least the option to go big is important, otherwise a team is predictable and beatable. That could be what’ll happen with the Bluejays next year.