The Creighton men’s basketball team is nearing the end of its summer workout period, and the Jays have been busy.
So far, Coach Greg McDermott has been happy with what his group has accomplished.
“This has been a great group to interact with every day,” McDermott said on Wednesday. “I think they think they get along extremely well, and obviously there’s a huge learning curve for a lot of our new guys — and we have a lot of new guys. So I think the progression has been good.”
With eight newcomers on the roster, including six transfers, the coaching staff has taken advantage of the time allotted to them in the gym to teach all the basics that make up the foundation of Creighton basketball.
“It’s of vital importance,” McDermott said. “I just think it obviously speeds up the process when practice starts in September, with the terminology and the positioning that oftentimes is different from where they played before. So whether you’re a freshman or whether you’re a senior that’s transferring in with one year left, everything’s different with what we do defensively, or our spacing or our terminology is different than probably where they came from. So just trying to pick up on all that takes a little bit of time, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
Part of the reason for McDermott’s extensive and successful coaching tree is the responsibility he gives to his assistants. The summer is when that is on full display, and the recently returned Alan Huss has wasted no time reintegrating himself to the program. He’s led many of the workouts, harping on the details to the newcomers and returners alike in order to build good habits.
Charlotte point guard transfer Nik Graves said the team has jelled together well, and the time they’ve spent together outside of the gym has translated to the court when the team has gotten up and down.
“I think we’ve got some special here, something special brewing,” Graves said. “Obviously, a lot of new faces, lot of new pieces mixed in with a lot of returning guys that played significant minutes last year as well. So just learning from the veterans that have been here, and then just taking experiences — this is my fourth year of college basketball, so I’m taking those experiences as well and ultimately just ended up jelling everything together.”
Unfortunately for Creighton, the staff hasn’t gotten a true feel for what the team will look like next season. Iowa transfer Owen Freeman has been out with a knee issue and freshman 7-footer Aleksa Dimitrijević hasn’t yet arrived on campus after competing for the Serbian National Team at the U19 World Cup. That means Creighton has been without a center all summer. Walk-on forward Josh Townley-Thomas and junior Jasen Green — who started most of last season at the three spot — have had to handle the center minutes in five-on-five action.
“Unfortunately, Owen had some meniscus surgery, so he’s going to be out probably until later September, sometime into October,” McDermott said. “Liam [McChesney] is still working himself back into shape. So we’re thin up front right now. Jasen Green’s had to play there a lot, and he’s done a great job. Defensively, it impacts what we’re doing a little bit; I’d love for those guys to be out there getting reps offensively. But it is what it is. Sometimes you can’t control injuries.”
Creighton announced the official signing of McChesney on Wednesday. The 6-foot-10 transfer from High Point received two additional seasons of eligibility from the NCAA after missing the last two seasons with medical issues in addition to all but three games of his redshirt freshman season at Utah State with an injury. McChesney began working out for the first time last month and has lost significant muscle mass since the last time he suited up in 2023.
While the summer is nearing its end, McDermott still has a few months before he needs to settle on a starting lineup and sort out a rotation. He’ll need every bit of that time as the roster looks to be as deep as we’ve seen during the McDermott era — by design.
“I think one of the things that we learned from the Auburn loss is that I think their depth really wore into us the second half,” McDermott said. “We wanted to make sure we were a deeper team this year, and I think we’ve accomplished that, especially across the wing. We don’t look very deep at the center position right now because everybody that seems to be out is at the same position, but I really like the pieces. I like our length. I think there’s a lot of interchangeable parts, both defensively and offensively, so I think it’s going to be a fun group to work with.”
A big part of that wing depth is Howard transfer Blake Harper, the HBCU National Player of the Year who averaged nearly 20 points as a freshman last season. He isn’t likely to match his Howard production next season as he competes for minutes with the likes of Green, Josh Dix, Fedor Žugić and others, but McDermott sees big upside in the 6-foot-8 wing.
“He’s got some Baylor Scheierman-type characteristics offensively, with his ability to see the floor and make plays for himself and for other people, and he doesn’t get sped up,” McDermott said. “Generally with a young player, that’s the case, but he really plays within himself offensively, and I think he’s someone that can really create opportunities for our team with his ability to see the floor and make plays.
“Defensively, it’s going to be a challenge coming from the MEAC to the Big East. It’s a little different world, and he’s going to adjust to that as time comes.”
Harper is one of many new Jays facing a significant transition, which is why these past few months have been so pivotal. If the Jays make another deep tournament run in 2026, these summer workouts at the McDermott Center will have been the launching point.
