Creighton Basketball: Will Bluejays miss Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma?

Creighton Basketball’s schedule is set to get tougher in the next few weeks. Will it be then when the Bluejays start to miss some former players?

Creighton Basketball lost Ryan Nembhard to the Gonzaga Bulldogs leaving some concerns for the Blue Jays coming into this season.  Not only did they lose Nembhard, but they also lost Arthur Kaluma to Kansas State. To make matters worse, their All-American Center, Ryan Kalkbrenner was strongly considering going to the NBA along with Trey Alexander.  All of these are justified concerns on if the Blue Jays could make it back to the Elite 8.  Well, all this terrible news for the Blue Jays and the fans may have turned out to be blessings in disguise.

Yes, it sucks that the Blue Jays lost Nembhard, but in return, they got Utah State transfer, Steven Ashworth at point guard.  Although Nembhard may be more “athletically gifted” than Ashworth, Ashworth may be the perfect fit for the Blue Jays.  Not only is he a better shooter than Nembhard, but he also appears to be a much better fit for Craig McDermott’s scheme.  McDermott’s teams have always thrived with their 3-point shot ability which Ashworth increases that area a lot more than Nembhard did.  Ashworth is more of a complete college point guard.

Trey Alexander and Ryan Kalkbrenner both decided to run it back with the Blue Jays for another season to finish what they started.  Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, Baylor Scheierman is still on the team.  Those four alone are Elite 8 worthy, not to mention their decently deep bench.  Mason Miller, son of former Blue Jay and NBA champion Mike Miller, will get his shot as a starter to replace Arthur Kaluma.  As a backup, freshman Isaac Traudt is ready to roll when needed.  Traudt is a 6-foot-10 power forward who can shoot and guard the perimeter as needed.

We are only two games into the season and the Blue Jays are firing on all cylinders.  They are 2-0 beating their opponents by a combined 80 points.  The chemistry is off the charts thus far and the Blue Jays are looking to become one of the best 3-point shooting teams this season.  Trey Alexander has become the X factor and has taken off compared to last season leading the team in scoring.  The best part about all of this is Kalkbrenner has been quiet compared to last season.  You may ask, “how is that the best part?”  The Blue Jays relied heavily on Kalkbrenner last season so beating teams with ease with him not having to do everything will come in handy when they do need him to dominate.

It’s only two games into the season, but the Blue Jays already look better than last season.  Their chemistry seems greater, and they are much deeper, with having multiple players who may lead the team in scoring.  Anyone of their fantastic four: Ashworth, Alexander, Kalkbrenner, and Scheierman could lead the team on a game-to-game basis.  If one of them has an off night, it’s almost guaranteed that the others will have a night.

For all of those who had their doubts about the Blue Jays coming into the season, worry not, you are in good hands.  Things are looking up for the Blue Jays.