Creighton Basketball: Early 2015-16 Outlook

The Creighton Bluejays struggled in their first season without high-octane scorer and coach’s son Doug McDermott, but performed well for a year that can only be described as a transition season. A fast start to the season that included a huge win over the Oklahoma Sooners just couldn’t be maintained, as the Bluejays struggled in conference play and ended the season with a dismal 14-19 record.

However, Creighton showed flashes of improvement in the 2014-15 season that should carry over to the 2015-16 season. Isaiah Zierden should be healthy and, if he maintains that, could be one of the more explosive players in the Big East. Austin Chatman, Devin Brooks and Rick Kreklow are gone, but James Milikin has the potential to lead this offense.

One thing that the Bluejays have going for them is their coach, Greg McDermott. McDermott has proven himself to be an extremely adept recruiter and continues to bring in four-star recruits season after season. On top of his recruiting ability, very few coaches in the country are as skilled when it comes to inserting young talent into the rotation. It seems like every player who is expected to fill a role has some experience and that should translate into a little bit more success.

However, this is not going to be a season in which Creighton makes the NCAA tournament. The arrival of former Kansas State Wildcats scorer Marcus Foster will be huge, but he unfortunately has to sit out a season. This year should be about who can step up for the Bluejays and show that they are deserving of a starting spot, especially since this squad looks more than ready to be a guaranteed tournament team in the 2016-17 season.

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.