Busting Brackets
Fansided

Creighton Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Bluejays

By Jerran Anderson

Mar 24, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott celebrates after defeating the Princeton Tigers in the NCAA tournament round of sixteen at KFC YUM! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott celebrates after defeating the Princeton Tigers in the NCAA tournament round of sixteen at KFC YUM! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports /

Projected starting lineup

Point Guard: Steven Ashworth

Ashworth is an important addition to the Creighton backcourt rotation heading into a new season. He’s a newcomer out of the transfer portal for the Bluejays who should take some of the pressure off of Scheierman in the playmaking department. He’ll join the lineup at the starting point guard role after producing 16.2 ppg, 4.5 apg, 3.3 rpg and 1.2 spg on 43.4 percent shooting from deep in 2022-23 in the MWC with Utah State. After leading the MWC in 3-pointers made (111) this past year, look for him to make some noise with his prowess on the perimeter in the Big East.

Shooting Guard: Trey Alexander

Alexander looks to pick up where he left off in Year 2 for the Bluejays after earning Honorable Mention All-Conference honors in 2022-23 as a sophomore. He averaged 13.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.6 apg and 1.1 spg on 41 percent shooting from behind the arc this past season. With Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma moving on, there will be more opportunities to shoot the ball for him this season. He’s got the potential to be an All-Conference performer this upcoming season with his continued growth at 6-foot-4.

Small Forward/Wing: Baylor Scheierman

Scheierman returns to Creighton after getting his first taste of Power 6 Conference basketball this past season and he passed the test. He showed his effectiveness on the wing in their run in the NCAA Tournament and went off for 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists on 5-for-7 shooting from deep and 8-of-11 shooting from the floor against Princeton in the Sweet 16. He’ll look to do more damage in his final season in the Big East as a senior leader for the Bluejays.

Power Forward: Isaac Traudt

Isaac Traudt is another addition out of the transfer portal from the Virginia Cavaliers who joins the Creighton frontcourt this upcoming season. He redshirted the 2022-23 season with UVA in the ACC but he got a year of practice under his belt with a squad that went 25-8 this past year. He showed he could contribute with opportunities during the 2023 Bahamas Your this past August, posting 5.3 ppg and 3.7 rpg across three contests including one start. He’s a sizeable 6-foot-10 playmaking forward who can operate in space and should give them some size on the interior.

Center/Forward: Ryan Kalkbrenner

Kalkbrenner is a potential preseason Big East Player of the Year candidate as he returns for his final season. He’s already won back-to-back Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards after averaging 15.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg and 1.2 apg on 69.5 percent shooting from the field in 2022-23. He led the conference in blocks (72) and finished 14th in rebounds (208) this past as he looks to raise his stock in this year’s NBA Draft with an encore performance. He’s got room to develop into quite the two-way presence for the Bluejays in 2023-24.

Home/Big East