Creighton shows no signs of slowing down

For those of you who go to Creighton like myself, the talk around campus is about our up and coming basketball team, that stands at #12 in the USA Today poll. It’s evident that Creighton is on its way to the “Big Dance” in March as they continue to roll through Missouri Valley opponents.
Though I am just as stoked as everyone else on campus, there are those people who are still skeptical about this team but let me tell you there is nothing to be skeptical about. Ok… are they really the 12th best college team in the nation? Who really knows is the better question… but they are ranked there now and these Jays are a team to be reckoned with. They are what I like to call the “Dirty Dozen”, which was the name of a 1967 war film, where a U.S. Army Major is assigned 12 convicts. His goal is to turn them into soldiers and lead them into battle. What is unique about the 12 is that each of them has something different they excel in. Each character in the film is unique in his own way. Each person has their own role and they realize each person must do his role in order to have success.
This seems to be a fair comparison to the Creighton Basketball team. Obviously this team doesn’t go 12 players deep but what team in the nation can actually do that? The point I am trying to get across is the fact that each individual has bought into the team. They rely on one another and encourage one another. They don’t play for the spot light or for a chance to make it big in the NBA someday, not to say that isn’t on their minds, but they play for their school, their coaches and for one another. Creighton leads the nation in field goal percentage, is 2nd in assists per game and is 5th in points scored per game. These are attributed to the team oriented basketball that Gregg McDermott has instilled in these young men. Each player does their role exceptionally well: Grant Gibbs is the glue of the team and keeps everyone on the same page, Jahenns Manigat knocks down the open three every time he gets his chance, Antoine Young is clutch down the stretch in either scoring a big bucket or knocking down free throws and it makes things a lot easier when you have a consistent scorer and player of the year candidate in Doug McDermott. The matter is, however you look at it, Creighton finds ways to win games. It may not be pretty sometimes and sometimes they may blow out a team but they always find a way to get the job done because they believe and trust in one another.
The Jays head to Northern Iowa tonight for another road test, but they should be able to get the job done. #rolljays