Big East Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
11. Ryan Kalkbrenner
A 7’0 center from St. Louis, Kalkbrenner has been a major part of Creighton’s success since joining the program in 2020. He was a reserve as a freshman, starting his career during the pandemic, but has really grown into a starring role on this Bluejays squad as you’ll see below.
He showed promise in his limited opportunities as a freshman and was given the green light as the starting center as a sophomore. Kalkbrenner has developed into a major weapon for Creighton, averaging 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in that sophomore season before putting up 15.9 points a game in this most recent season. Kalkbrenner helped lead the Bluejays to two impressive seasons, including a run to the Elite Eight this past year, with him scoring 31 points against NC State in round one.
The last two seasons have ended with Kalkbrenner named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He’s also led the league in field goal percentage in both seasons, meaning he’s making monster contributions in the paint on both ends of the court. Additionally, he’s been among the nation’s leaders in blocks and has been impactful as Creighton has won six Tourney games in the last three seasons. Fortunately for the Bluejays, he’s coming back for his senior year next season and is certainly expected to cause major damage again.