Welcome to The Holy Land of Hoops

A year full of pleasant surprises for the boys in white and blue! Now let's review:

OUT:
*Kelvin Jones
*Davion Mintz (grad transferring to Kentucky)
*Jalen WIndham (transfer to Ball State)
*Tyshon Alexander (going pro)

MAYBE:
*Jacob Epperson (I think he might retire because he's so injury prone)

STAY:
*Shereef Mitchell
*Marcus Zegarowski
*Mitch Ballock
*Damien Jefferson
*Christian Bishop
*Denzel Mahoney

IN:
*Ryan Kalkbrenner
*Antwann Jones (transfer from Memphis)

My 0.02: I have been awfully critical of Mac but man, he made me eat a lot of crow and I didn't mind it. Great wins in the non-con over Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Arizona St and it's always fun to give those idiots down I80 a good beatdown. For the first time since the inaugural year in 2013-14, they beat every Big East opponent at least once. Now, look at that team coming back and ho boy am I pumped!! Now, IF everything goes according to plan, they can not only finally get to a Sweet 16 but they could be a Final 4 team. Yup, they're that good. They would've been at least a 3-seed if the NCAA Tournament happened. But given Zegarowski's injury, I'm not even confident they would've been the Sweet 16 anyway. Speaking of injuries, we all know how horrible CU's luck has been when it comes to injuries. Every time they've got something special brewing, someone incredibly important (Watson in '17, Krampelj in '18 and then Zegarowski) gets hurt and the season is ruined. It pains me to say it, but I've got a bad feeling something similar will happen again. I pray I'm wrong. Let's hope for the best.

OmahaGuy wrote:A year full of pleasant surprises for the boys in white and blue! Now let's review:

OUT:
*Kelvin Jones

MAYBE:
*Jacob Epperson (I think he might retire because he's so injury prone)
*Davion Mintz (could see him grad transferring)

STAY:
*Shereef Mitchell
*Marcus Zegarowski
*Tyshon Alexander
*Mitch Ballock
*Damien Jefferson
*Christian Bishop
*Denzel Mahoney

IN:
*Ryan Kalkbrenner
*Antwann Jones (transfer from Memphis)

My 0.02: I have been awfully critical of Mac but man, he made me eat a lot of crow and I didn't mind it. Great wins in the non-con over Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Arizona St and it's always fun to give those idiots down I80 a good beatdown. For the first time since the inaugural year in 2013-14, they beat every Big East opponent at least once. Now, look at that team coming back and ho boy am I pumped!! Now, IF everything goes according to plan, they can not only finally get to a Sweet 16 but they could be a Final 4 team. Yup, they're that good. They would've been at least a 3-seed if the NCAA Tournament happened. But given Zegarowski's injury, I'm not even confident they would've been the Sweet 16 anyway. Speaking of injuries, we all know how horrible CU's luck has been when it comes to injuries. Every time they've got something special brewing, someone incredibly important (Watson in '17, Krampelj in '18 and then Zegarowski) gets hurt and the season is ruined. It pains me to say it, but I've got a bad feeling something similar will happen again. I pray I'm wrong. Let's hope for the best.

You're totally wussing out on your crow eating. Eating crow means eating it. You need to put your crow where your mouth is. Might I suggest you have zero credibility until you put "Greg McDermott, reigning Big East Coach of the Year" as you tag line?

Man, this was a really good Creighton team. I love that Jays guard trio; great players who played together and unselfishly. And they could light it up from all over the court. They were so much fun to watch. Ladies and gentlemen for all the griping I often hear about teams needing a dominant 5 man, the CU Jays proved that the modern game has fundamentally changed. You need guards who can spread the floor, and you need to be able to exploit the 3 point line.

So Mac and the Jays have always been leading edge offensively. He's always been able to put points up on the scoreboard. But here's what made this team different. They defended! THAT and THAT ALONE is what made this team a contender. They scrapped defensively, pressured, and showed a true commitment to both sides of the ball. And what do you know...they became a dominant team. Now, what I'd like to hear from Jays fans is how did that happen? Mac and defense have always been oil and water. But not this year. Is there some defensive guru assistant? Did Mac hit his head and it knocked something loose?

So next year, this is going to be a really good team as long as everyone returns. Is Alexander definitely coming back or is there any chance he puts his name in the draft bucket? This team is going to score--A LOT. If they can even moderately improve on the defensive end, then it's a legit FF team. And you guys are due for a healthy season. I expect preseason Top 10 easily, and BIG expectations from the Omaha crew. (No pressure to carry the load for the league next year )

Assistant Paul Lusk has been credited with turning around our defense. He was head coach at Missouri State and hired a couple of years ago. I dont think Tyshon is going anywhere, he's given a couple subtle tweets that he has unfinished business. I'm a little shocked that Mintz hasnt declared he's transferring yet given who we have returning. I dont see huge minutes from him due to addition of Jones barring injury but maybe he's scared off due to COVID.

Django wrote:

OmahaGuy wrote:A year full of pleasant surprises for the boys in white and blue! Now let's review:

OUT:
*Kelvin Jones

MAYBE:
*Jacob Epperson (I think he might retire because he's so injury prone)
*Davion Mintz (could see him grad transferring)

STAY:
*Shereef Mitchell
*Marcus Zegarowski
*Tyshon Alexander
*Mitch Ballock
*Damien Jefferson
*Christian Bishop
*Denzel Mahoney

IN:
*Ryan Kalkbrenner
*Antwann Jones (transfer from Memphis)

My 0.02: I have been awfully critical of Mac but man, he made me eat a lot of crow and I didn't mind it. Great wins in the non-con over Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Arizona St and it's always fun to give those idiots down I80 a good beatdown. For the first time since the inaugural year in 2013-14, they beat every Big East opponent at least once. Now, look at that team coming back and ho boy am I pumped!! Now, IF everything goes according to plan, they can not only finally get to a Sweet 16 but they could be a Final 4 team. Yup, they're that good. They would've been at least a 3-seed if the NCAA Tournament happened. But given Zegarowski's injury, I'm not even confident they would've been the Sweet 16 anyway. Speaking of injuries, we all know how horrible CU's luck has been when it comes to injuries. Every time they've got something special brewing, someone incredibly important (Watson in '17, Krampelj in '18 and then Zegarowski) gets hurt and the season is ruined. It pains me to say it, but I've got a bad feeling something similar will happen again. I pray I'm wrong. Let's hope for the best.

You're totally wussing out on your crow eating. Eating crow means eating it. You need to put your crow where your mouth is. Might I suggest you have zero credibility until you put "Greg McDermott, reigning Big East Coach of the Year" as you tag line?

Done. You happy now? I will still be critical of him when he deserves it. But if he keeps winning, I'll cheer him on and applaud him. His year reminded me of Kevin Willard in 2015-16. I was calling for his job at first, but then he went on to have a great year and won a Big East Tourney title. Love a good comeback story.

Like Jet said, coach Lusk is credited for the improvement on defense, but I also think that the team has some tough minded players who have bought into playing hard on defense. I know Marcus Z rubs some teams the wrong way (SH) but I am sure glad we have him and I hope he continues to rub people the wrong way. We need that mentality because the lack of defensive toughness has been a problem in the past, but not with this team. I hope Ty-Shon comes back as I think it would be good for him to get more National exposure. As for carrying the load, with the lineup Nova has coming back, I'm sure they will be ranked ahead of Creighton to start the year and rightfully so! I honestly think that there are 2-4 other teams with the potential to get ranked next year. Should be a fun year!

OmahaGuy wrote:Done. You happy now? I will still be critical of him when he deserves it. But if he keeps winning, I'll cheer him on and applaud him. His year reminded me of Kevin Willard in 2015-16. I was calling for his job at first, but then he went on to have a great year and won a Big East Tourney title. Love a good comeback story.

So your basic analysis on basketball is "Yay, we won!" and "Boo, we lost!" Take the time to develop some perspective. You yourself mentioned the injuries the last 3 seasons (you left out Jefferson's last year, he was great in noncon and couldn't contribute in BE). Last year we were extremely young, along with the injuries, and still were coming on strong at the end. But ..... boo, we lost, Mac sucks!

Wizard of Westroads wrote:

OmahaGuy wrote:Done. You happy now? I will still be critical of him when he deserves it. But if he keeps winning, I'll cheer him on and applaud him. His year reminded me of Kevin Willard in 2015-16. I was calling for his job at first, but then he went on to have a great year and won a Big East Tourney title. Love a good comeback story.

So your basic analysis on basketball is "Yay, we won!" and "Boo, we lost!" Take the time to develop some perspective. You yourself mentioned the injuries the last 3 seasons (you left out Jefferson's last year, he was great in noncon and couldn't contribute in BE). Last year we were extremely young, along with the injuries, and still were coming on strong at the end. But ..... boo, we lost, Mac sucks!

I didn't mention DJ because 1. It wasn't a season-ender. 2. Therefore, it wasn't a season-ruiner. Most of our best players were still playing. I'd also say DJ is much better now than he was in 2018-19.

Injuries suck but they happen to everyone. The best coaches are able to keep their teams strong in spite of injuries. Also, when a team in recent years developed a reputation for blowing leads and melting down in crunch time, that's on the coach. I'm gonna call him out for it.

Thankfully, however, this year's team was much tougher and won more games in crunch time far more than they lost. The only game they pissed away was Nova at home. They'd make up for it by winning in Philly. That was a good change to see.

Omahaguy is not dining alone: Save a bit of that crow for old dJango (the d is silent)

Re: 2019-20 Predictions
Postby gtmoBlue » Sat Oct 26, 2019 6:22 pm

OmahaGuy wrote:
To my fellow Jays fans: This is why you can never get your hopes up. Like I said earlier, I wasn't even all that excited to begin with and now I don't even think we'll make the dance. Yes, I love our backcourt but they can only take you so far. You've gotta have good bigs especially in a league like this. If (by an act of God) they do make it, it'll be a first round blowout like always. Some people have said "next year was supposed to be the special year anyway." On the surface that looks true as Mintz and Jones are the only seniors and the new got Kalkbrenner coming in and Antwann Jones becomes eligible.

No. I can't even get excited for next year because I know someone at some point will get hurt. Never ever get excited ever again, Jays fans. Just never get your hopes up.

I sure hope I eat some crow this season.

gtmo quote: Luvin' it. Back away from the ledge and drop your panic and your pill vial. It's not as bad as you think. Ahh, the smell of panic and chaos in the wind. Loving it.

Jays will adapt and overcome. The preseason is not the time to abandon ship...Jesus! gotta luv my CU brethren.


Oh, about the bird. Parboil for 20 mins to get the grease out. Don't forget to remove the head. Then slow roast for 30 Mins @350, basting with an orange-cranberry glaze. Delish!

Re: 2019-20 Predictions
Postby OmahaGuy » Thu Oct 24, 2019 6:59 pm

Breaking News: Jacob Epperson was taken out of practice in a stretcher after an injury to his leg which is believed to be serious but immediate details were not known.

Good god this program is cursed. We can never and will never have any nice things. I wasn't even that excited to begin with for this season but given how already thin the front court was, safe to say the season is over before it officially starts.

On a real note though, pray for Jacob. Poor dude can't catch a break. Who knows it may not end up being the worst but it normally is.

Re: Big East Preseason Predictions Part II
Postby Django » Thu Dec 26, 2019 8:21 pm

Butler
Georgetown
DePaul
Villanova
St Johns
Xavier
Marquette
Seton Hall
Providence

I’m taking a pass on my Jays. If we don’t get 11 dubyas I’m going to bawl my eyes out

July 2019

Django wrote:

NJRedman wrote:
Creighton belongs below DePaul!

Until we can win championships in the Big East and get to the Final Four, Creighton belongs in the MVC.

Damn gtmo you got me good. Now I just hope everyone can stay healthy this offseason and throughout the entirety of next season for once.