After 16 Years, There's New Life On the Hilltop

Well, as you've most certainly heard by now, we have a new head basketball coach. Coach McDermott, by way of Iowa State, is now in charge. It was officially announced on Monday, press conference Tuesday, and he met with us as a team Tuesday afternoon. Iowa State wasted no time hiring a new coach either. The Cyclones hired former Iowa State star and Ames native, Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg played in the NBA for eleven seasons and was just in the front office for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Interesting hire for the Cyclones. It's certainly been a whirlwind last few days. The paper has been all about coach Altman, coach McDermott, and the changes in both programs for five days now. It's kind of starting to get old, but it's the nature of the media.

My friend Ben and I were discussing how odd is to see a different head coach lead the Jays. For as long as I can even remember comprehending human activity, coach Altman has always led CU. It really hit me that he's no longer the coach when coach McDermott first spoke to us as a team a couple days ago. I'm excited for new things and new life with coach McDermott, but it's also sad to see coach Altman go as well. He was a great coach. But enough of all this b.s. you've all heard and read about a million times the past week; it's time to get to the good stuff.

This is my last blog post of the year, so it's only fitting I give awards out to our team and members of the Jays community, right? In the words of Josh Jones, "Right, right, right, I feel that." So here it is, your 2009-10 "Simple Plays Medallions."

Most Valuable Player: Justin Carter. But only because he scored the most points. If any of you actually watched the debacle that was last season, you'll probably reason that their really wasn't a most valuable player.

Person Most Inclined to Think They Could Start for the Lakers: Josh Jones. Again, this is a man that legitimately thinks he could beat Allen Iverson one on one. Also a man who doesn't think college teams should have to run plays. "We should just hoop," he says. Complete delusion, but I love it.

The Lifting Can't Fix Your Face Award: Derek Sebastian. Talk about lifting weights until you fail. I dare anyone to take weight lifting more serious than Derek does. He's like Lou Ferrigno trapped in Ross Ferrarini's body...just awkward.

I'm American Award: Casey Harriman. Just loves to have his shirt off, jeans shorts on, and Coors Light in his hands. And loves to scream, "AMERICA." You get the point.

Most Absurd Human Being Award: Easy one. Chad Millard. Never know which direction he's going to go in, but you know it's always going to be interesting.

Whitest Division One Basketball Player Award: Matt Dorwart. Sidney, Nebraska, transparent skin tone, skin and bones, Catholic, blonde hair, no athleticism, and a silky smooth J. God love ya Matt.

Most Likely to Get Made Fun of Every Time He Speaks: Kenny Lawson. An 85% chance something stupid is going to come out of his mouth every other sentence, thus he gets made fun of.

Best Walk-On in Division One Basketball: Me, obviously. I am the one who dubbed this blog after our former coach's most infamous saying...Simple plays, fellas, simple plays.

Duck, Duck, Goose?

Let me apologize up front for the title of this most recent post. I'm not really quite sure what it even means, to be honest, I just thought I'd make an attempt at a funny and/or clever pun given the current situation. Based on your sense of humor, you can decide if I exceeded or not. But as most of you already know by now, our head coach is leaving the program to take the head coaching job at Oregon. Phil Knight, Nike headquarters, a brand new arena, the PAC-1o, and an absurd combination of jerseys and colors await him. I wish Coach Altman nothing but the best. He's a great coach and an even better human being. Many people aren't happy with the way things ended here with him at the helm, but I would have loved to play my four years here with him as the head honcho.

Everything kind of came as a blur yesterday. I was sitting on Facebook when a friend of mine who is studying abroad in Spain, and who I literally haven't talked to and/or seen in about a year "facebook chatted me." He told me what he had been hearing and asked if I knew anything, so I just figured this was another stupid rumor about Altman being a candidate at Oregon a la people saying he was a candidate for the coaching position at Wake Forest a couple of weeks ago. I assured Gregg it was fine and all was well here in Omaha. Then Gregg gave me a link to an article on Fox Sports, and I was caught quite off-guard. I still didn't give it much thought until another one of my friends, Brad, again "facebook chatted me." He linked me to an article on cbssports.com and now it all started to sort of catch my attention. My phone had been charging in the other room and when I went to pick it up I had countless texts and calls from friends wondering what the deal was. We were supposed to play pick-up at four at the Qwest so I assured everyone I would find out then.

I don't think I've ever been excited or thrilled about going to play pick-up, but Saturday I was given the circumstances because I wanted to find out what was really going to happen. The coaches didn't show up until past four, and even then it was only our grad assistant Mike Jones and our athletic director Bruce Rasmussen. We were all skeptical when Ras showed up. We were expecting him to break the news to us. However, all he told us was that coach Altman was offered the job, and that he needed 24 hours to decide what the right decision was for him. We played our pick-up games with reporters and photographers trying to get in on the action. (Creighton pick-up games usually garner a ton of attention, so this isn't anything unusual.) After pick-up, myself and Matt Dorwart were walking out to my car when we stepped outside and three or four reporters were videotaping us and asking us if we knew anything. My initial instinct was to pull a Randy Johnson and yell, "GET THE CAMERA OUT OF MY FACE," but I got cold feet. Very awkward with them following you and videotaping you. Beyond awkward actually. I was wearing a dry fit cut-off and just looked like a total goober. It is what it is.

Later in the evening, I received a text from coach Jones saying that Ras wanted to meet with us in the locker room at 8:30. This time, we knew. Ras confirmed that coach Altman was leaving, and it all became pretty surreal. We all took it upon ourselves to go into coach Altman's office and thank him and congratulate him. He was very emotional, and it was tough to see. That's the nature of the business though. Money makes the world go round. A chance to do something very significant is always calling us. He told us he was going to Eugene Sunday to meet with his new players. I have a pretty good feeling what he told them...Simple plays, fellas, simple plays.

Q & A with Former Jay Chad Millard

Well I've given you all what you have wanted: an interview with a dedicated Jays fan. Actually none of you wanted that because nobody actually reads this blog, but nevertheless, I gave you that interview anyways. Now I'm about to give you another interview with a more important figure of the Jays community: Chad Millard. Now most of you know Chad as the one-time Louisville transfer that never really panned out to what most thought he was going to be as a player here at CU. Despite that shortcoming, Chad has been a fan favorite anyways, winning people over with his intensity (See: Nick Evans, SIU game) and his personable and colorful personality. I'm going to give you a little bit more of the Chad Millard I know, the one-time number one rated high school prospect in all of New England, and once had a feature on him in Slam magazine when he was in high school. Yes, you read that last sentence correctly.

How are you today Chad?

Pretty good.

I understand you're going golfing soon?

This is true, I'm going with the members of "Sweetness."

Can you elaborate on what "Sweetness" is?

I can not.

Interesting. What are your thoughts now that your basketball career has officially come to an end?

My thoughts are the exact same as they were prior to my commencement from basketball.

Won't go there then. Have you enjoyed your four year stay in Omaha?

Yes I have.

That's phenomenal to hear it's a great city. I understand you have no current plans for next year?

I have many plans actually. I'm going to attempt to make the PGA Tour.

That would be quite an extraordinary feat. Are you more at peace playing golf or basketball?

When I play basketball by myself I find myself very at ease and relaxed.

Wow wasn't expecting that answer actually. What advice do you have for us current Jays players regarding next season?

Don't let everyone who is down on the program right now affect your work ethic and outlook for next year. 95% of the fans who support us don't necessarily understand what we go through basically 11 months out of the year and that, in fact, we are regular people and do have trials and tribulations in our every day lives outside of basketball. To conclude this answer, I would tell the guys just to be confident, to be focused, and work hard, and to come together as a common unit and go out and achieve your goals.

Fondest memory of your Jays career?

Just how I felt during the Southern Illinois game this year when all the fans really embraced me.

What exactly happened between you and Nick Evans?

Nick Evans threw a cheap shot towards my neck, and I had a few choice words for him after that, and then he got the ball and I stole it from him with my lightning quick hand ability and said another choice word to him, and with all his frustration and aggression, he hit me, and my initial instinct was to chase him down.

Many people don't know your background as a basketball player. You were the number one rated player in New England in high school correct?


Yeah.


How did you hone your game growing up as a kid?

Lived at the YMCA. I used to not go to school and just go to the YMCA. My mom would just drop me off at the Y before school at like 7 and I would just play all day.


It has come to my attention that the emcee at Rucker Park used to dub you, "Baby Van Horn." Why that nickname?


When I was younger, Van Horn was the good white player at the time. We had similar size and I don't know that's just what they called me.


What were some of the notable names on your AAU teams growing up?


Played with Jerome Dyson (UConn), Vernon Goodrich (Miss St), Marcus Johnson (Tennessee), Emanuel Negadu (Tennessee), Jeff Adrien (UConn), Chris Lutz (Purdue), Luke Bonner (West Virginia).


Pretty impressive. Best player you've ever played with on the same team? And best player you've ever played against?


I've played with Rashad McCants (NBA's Timberwolves), Matt Bonner (NBA's Spurs), Terrence Williams (NBA's Nets), Taquan Dean (Former Lousiville standout), Tyler Hansbrough (NBA's Pacers), Kyle Korver (NBA's Jazz).

Best player you've ever played against?

Rudy Gay, Randy Foye, Curtis Sumpter, Rashad McCants, Matt Bonner, OJ Mayo. I mean I've played with a lot of NBA dudes. Never the likes of LeBron, Kobe, etc. but a lot of NBA guys.

What was playing for Coach Pitino like?

Tremendous experience. The best basketball mind I've ever been around. I learned a ton. His preperation was unbelievable. His favorite saying was, "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." I learned a ton about the offensive and defensive sides of basketball. I learned so many schemes and proper ways to go about things. He was so meticulous in the ways he went about things. I learned so many things about basketball that most people have no clue is so important and crucial to winning and being successful.

Favorite experience at Louisville?

Playing at Syracuse, it was the biggest regular season crowd that year, like 31,000 or so.

What was the best game you had at Louisville?

At home against Villanova. Both ranked Top Ten.

Tell me about your experience playing at Kentucky.

To date, the greatest basketball experience of my life. 25,000 who bleed blue and who hated red. You couldn't hear the person standing next to you. Rondo killed us, played unbelievable. We had to watch film of the game on the bus ride home and had practice immediately when we got back.

Do you ever look back and wish things would have been different for your basketball experience?

I mean, yeah, there's days I wish my career would have gone differently. I had injuries and that's the way it goes. I would have loved to have ended up making money playing basketball some day, but I have to deal with the cards that were dealt to me, and I'm fine with all of it.

So you're at ease with everything now?

Yeah I have no choice but to be, I can't be one of those people who is looking back wondering what if?

Thanks for the interview Chad, I appreciate it.

No problem Rossco.

Q & A with Jays Superfan Ben Frock

As we wind down on the end of the school year, I came to the realization that I haven't received much (actually none at all) feedback from any of the loyal Jays fans. And quite honestly, as I'm running out of ideas for new blog posts that will take me to my desired ten posts this semester for my Journalism class, I figured an interview with my good friend Ben would fulfill both of the requirements previously mentioned.


Ben was born and raised right here in Omaha, and his family has been Jays season ticket holders for as long as he can remember. Get some cold beverages in him, and he can rant for days about the program, for better or for worse. And yes, he does don wool sweaters in the middle of April, but hey, he's a Jays fan and an Omaha disciple, so who better to interview?

How are you on this fine Monday evening Ben?

I'm ready for the Missouri Valley Tournament next year.

That's quite aways away Ben. Why the anticipation?

Seeing us (Creighton) get romped two years in a row can only mean better things ahead.

Agreed. What are your thoughts on the Creighton basketball program currently?

Something isn't going well, and to put as simply as possible...our players don't play with enough emotion.

Bold statement. What would you like to see the Jays improve?

Defense and wanting to look like you want to win, and some sign that our players care that the program has been under-performing as of late.

You're being very blunt right now, it's kind of awkward.

Not as awkward as it is to see Dana and Darryl having a conversation on the sidelines.

Awkward indeed. What has been your favorite Jays memory since you were conceived into this world?

I would have to say Kyle Korver and Larry House's final game at the Civic, which was also the final Creighton game ever at the Civic. (Editor's note: until the much hyped and anticipated CIT this year.) Just phenomenal.

As I continue this interview, can you explain to me why you're watching cover videos of Rihanna's "Rude Boy" on YouTube as we speak?

What can I say I'm a fan of Rihanna and everything she does, and ever since her Chris Brown incident, I can't help but have a soft spot in my heart for her.

You're pleasing feminists everywhere. By the way, quite the transition from "Rude Boy" to Gucci Mane's "My Kitchen" video, I might add.

(Ben looking up Gucci Mane quotes.)

Back to basketball. Who would you say is your favorite Jay of all time?

Ryan Sears.

Seriously?

Probably. Dan Bresnahan is a close second. His quality bench minutes provided a whole new dimension to the team. Conversely, Ryan Sears and his love for Theology are hard not to love.

Two very bizarre reasons for appreciating your favorite Jays players. However, Sears does love a Gospel of Luke read, and Bresnahan does love a good walk-on fist pump or five, so nice choices.

In the words of Gucci Mane, "I ball all through the winter, and I stunt all through the summer." Need I say more?

Simply stunning. Didn't anticipate so many Gucci Mane references in the interview, but I press on. What would you rather have, a Jays Elite Eight Run, or dare I say, Final Four run, or the Cubs winning the World Series?

Jays Final Four. Born in the O, allegiance to the O.

(Tears streaming down my face.) Do you think a Jays Final Four run is out of reach?

If we keep at the pace we've been at, then no, but if we build on our team principles we once had a la the early 2000's then I don't see why not. If Butler can do it, why can't we?

The odds we weren't going to get a Butler-Creighton connection in this interview were not very good, so kudos for giving a Butler drop.

I have to give my props to a mid-major in the Final Four.

What game are you most looking forward to next season?

Northern Iowa at the "Quiet Center."

Ouch, better hope Rohan (devoted sports enthusiast) doesn't hear that statement.

(Ben giggling.)

Favorite thing about Creighton Basketball Camp? Excuse me, Dana Altman Basketball Camp?

Dare I say selling pop caps to second graders for two dollars a piece and making upwards of thirty dollars?

As I projected, a non-basketball related answer was given. Thoughts on Doc Sadler and the basketball program to the south?

I appreciate him for certainly stirring up the rivalry, but I dislike his accent and the color red.

Yeah, you always looked weird in red anyways. As I close this ground-breaking interview, who will have a better record this upcoming season, the 'Skers or your Fighting Irish on the gridiron?

In Charlie Weis's absence, the Irish will flourish.

Even without Jimmy "The Emu" Clausen?

I will miss Jimmy with all my heart, the greatest Irish player to every play the game.

Quite a stretch. Thank you for your input on the Jays, and God speed Ben.

Bomb.

NCAA Tournament Recap

Damn you Gordon Hayward! Just when you thought all that b.s. every analyst and their brother was giving us about the Hoosiers similarities in the Butler run was actually coming to fruition...backboard, iron, floor. It really would've been too good to be true. It would've warranted immediate production on Hoosiers 2, except for having Gene Hackman as head coach, it'd have Keanu Reeves playing Butler head coach Brad Stevens, and Gordon Hayward would be played by Justin Bieber. Plus the shot would've gone in and Hayward (Bieber) would've been mobbed on the floor by every woman in Lucas Oil Stadium a la the Axe (or Tag?) body spray commericals.

Instead of watching absolute chaos ensue should Hayward have made the shot, we had to suffice to watching Coach K awkwardly giving post-game interviews and Brian Zoubek wearing his New Era (I'm assuming) National Champions hat to the side of his head. Sigh. Order was restored and now we all will wake up in the morning, take a piss, and wash our hands because Duke is yet again on top of the basketball world, which means the rest of the country will return to normalcy. (Don't tell that to Republicans.)

All in all, the 2010 NCAA Tournament was incredible. If you're a fan of the little guy, then this was the tournament for you. Butler, Northern Iowa, Cornell, Murray State, St. Mary's. They all proved they can play on the big stage. Those teams give hope to teams such as Creighton. Now maybe we can make the National Championship game! Or at least the Sweet 16!!! In all honesty, if those teams can make it to the promise land, we can make it to the promise land. The entire country had Butler's back, everyone pulling for the little guy. Will Butler become a national power from now on? I don't know and neither do you, and although it's doubtful they will become one, at least they gave us a ride to remember for the rest of our lives. Kind of ironic that old Nebraska basketball head coach Barry Collier is the Bulldogs' athletic director. Nebraska suffered terribly during the Collier era, yet the Bulldog's have thrived with him as athletic director. Does Barry Collier even care? Probably not, the guy shows less emotion than your typical indie music scene newspaper columnist, but he should be proud of the job he has done for a tiny, private, Horizon League oriented university in the heart of a proud basketball state.

What were Simple Plays' top ten moments of this past NCAA Tournament, you ask? Well, for starters, I don't exactly remember everything that happened throughout the entire tournament. (Consider the fact that I had school, and I had less days off to the start of offseason workouts since our CIT loss than Jay Leno gave himself when he "retired.") You're probably going to get a half-ass, David Letterman-esque Top Ten (Who actually likes his Top Tens?) compared to a Travel Channel Top Hawaiian Beaches Top Ten, but I'll give it my best shot.

10) Former Creighton freshman stud and current Murray State stud Isaac Miles was MSU's leading scorer and dished the final assist to teammate Danero Thomas as Thomas swished an elbow jumper as time expired to upset 4-seeded Vandy in the first round.

9) Go Big Red! No, not your beloved Husker football team, but the Cornell Big Red! A Sweet 16 run by the Nerds from the North made 4.0 students everywhere awkwardly excited, and most certainly pleased Andy Bernard.

8) Jimmer Fredette. Yes, Jays fans, assuming Fredette doesn't go the NBA, you will see him in the Q next year as we play BYU in the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge. All of DJ's Dugout (my hotspot for the first two rounds) was going wild for Jimmer every time he scored. He refused to pass, but who cares because he scored every time he touched it, and he looked more like a mormon Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino than a phenomenal basketball player.

7) Robert Morris almost upset 2-seeded Villanova in the first round which would have been only the fifth time in the history of the tournament that had happened. It went into overtime and of course Villanova prevailed, but that didn't prevent a friend of mine that attends Villanova to text me that, "Robert Morris is playing dirty." Yes Tom, I'm sure that's the reason it was so close.

6) Korie Lucious' buzzer beating three in the second round sent Greivis Vasquez and the Terps home and set up a Sweet 16 matchup with a familiar Valley foe.

5) Down goes Frazier! Whoops, I mean Kansas. Our fellow Missouri Valley compatriots, the Northern Iowa Panthers, knocked off the No. 1 overall seed of the tournament in the second round.

4) He floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. No, not Casey Harriman, but Ali Farokhmanesh! I apologize for the boxing references, but they seemed to fit perfectly into where I was going with numbers four and five. (I'm so clever with Northern Iowa's star player being named Ali, don't you think?) Farokhmanesh came out of nowhere in the Big Dance hitting the game-winning three against UNLV in the first round, and sinking the hearts of Jayhawk fans everywhere in the second round with a dagger three to put the Panthers up four with 30 seconds left and having the Jayhawks' national championship aspirations torn to shreds.

3) Huggy Bear is so affectionate. What a weird sight that was. As WVU star player Da'Sean Butler went down and tore his ACL in the second half of the Mountaineers' Final Four game against Duke, head coach Bob Huggins felt it necessary to console his player as if Butler was dying in the middle of the floor. He lied down practically on top of his star player and gave him some kind words (I'm assuming, but then again, we are talking about Bob Huggins here) and consoled him for a good thirty seconds before CBS even finally got uncomfortbale and decided to just show replays intead. All uncomfortability aside, it was a nice gesture from coach Huggins.

2) Hickory High, err, the Butler Bulldogs. Yes, I did just make that reference for the 987,000th time this past month. The tiny Bulldogs had an entire nation supporting them and pulling for the little guy, which was pretty cool to see. They played fundamental, great team defense, and played extremely well together. The ultimate underdog story.

1) The shot heard round the world needed an inch more arc on it, and we'd be talking about probably the greatest end to any sporting event of all-time. It wouldv'e been the most significant sports story of all time. David beats Goliath (sorry, you've heard that one a million times too) on a half-court shot as time expires? Too bad things like that don't actually happen. Maybe for another lifetime. For now, we'll have to settle with the Dookies being dubbed the best again, and now we'll have to see them and face-painted girls and Valedictorians on ESPN double the amount than we're used to. Like I said earlier, order was restored in the sports world and it makes one wonder if Coach K lives by Coach Altman's favorite mantra...Simple plays, fellas, simple plays.