Creighton Alumni Team Wins First Invitation to Basketball Tournament

After visiting a 24-team field at a single site last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the basketball tournament organizers returned to normal for the summer of 2021. Monday, they announced a full 64-team field that will compete in four regional championships to determine the eight teams that will travel to Dayton, Ohio to compete for a winning prize of $ 1 million.

For the first time in the event’s eight years, a team of former Creighton basketball players have been selected to participate. The Jays’ (mostly) former hoops team, dubbed the Omaha Blue Crew, drew the No.10 seed in the Wichita Regional. They will face off against Purple & Black (Kansas State Alumni) at 3:00 p.m. CT at Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas on Friday, July 16. This game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

#Bluejay fans, we can’t wait to see you in Wichita on July 16th! pic.twitter.com/c3ARbDLw1y

– Jays TBT (@OmahaBlueCrew) June 21, 2021

If the Blue Crew advance, a date with second seed Aftershocks (yes, that’s the Wichita State alumni) potentially awaits them in the second round. And it just so happens to be the only game in the Wichita Regional currently awarded to an ESPN TV show. Are tournament organizers betting on a Jays / Shockers reunion just as many bracketologists have done over the years since Creighton left his conference rival blown away when they joined the Big East in 2013? ? Ah, the intrigues.

BREAKING🚨: A team of Creighton alumni @OmahaBlueCrew has applied for OTC 2021!

First look at the list 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/B5dZ0lpnOW

– TBT (@thetournament) June 12, 2021

The active list includes former Jays Jahenns Manigat, Austin Chatman, Justin Carter, Martin Krampelj and Wayne Runnels in the same way Deverell Biggs (Nebraska, South Texas), Nick McGlynn (Drake), and Admon Doreur (Texas A&M, Gonzague).

• Manigat was a three-year captain and a four-year incumbent for Creighton from 2010 to 2014. He has scored 900 points in his career, had 298 assists and his 206 3 points are currently ranked ninth in league history. program. He averaged 6.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and posted a 16-7 playoff record (including conference tournament games) during his college career.
• Chatman played for three years as a playmaker and appeared in 139 games for the Bluejays from 2011 to 2015. He has scored 1,013 career points and his 493 assists place him fifth in program history behind only Ryan Sears, Ralph Bobik, Antoine Young and Grant Gibbs. He averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and was 12-5 in the playoffs.
• Carter started 65 of the 66 games he appeared as a Bluejay from 2008-10. Although listed at 6’4 ”, he often played out of position and holds a special place in the hearts of pass fans Jays blues for his ability to gain weight – most notably in a 15-rebound performance in the 2009 NIT against a Kentucky team that included two potential NBA big men in Patrick Patterson and Josh Harrellson. He averaged 9.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and went 4-4 in the playoffs as Bluejay.
• Krampelj overcame ACL tears in his right and left knee during his time at Creighton to earn the All-Big East Honorable Mention as a junior. He’s started the last 54 games he’s been in and has 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks with a 2-2 record in his only season as a major playoff contributor.
• Corridors is the only player on this list who can say he played under both the Dana Altman and Greg McDermott eras in Creighton. Like Carter, he played bigger than his 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame. Fighting Kenny Lawson Jr., Gregory Echenique, and Doug McDermott every day in practice likely made the games feel like a walk in the park in that regard. He started 19 of the 34 games he appeared in as a junior before McDermott and Echenique arrived in his final year at Omaha.
• Large was named Nebraska High School Athlete of the Year by the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal Star in 2010. He was a two-time All-State winner in the hoops and helped Omaha Central win three World-Herald titles. ‘Class A state in high school. He was named a member of the NJCAA All-American First Team at Seward County Community College before advancing to Division 1 and spending time in Nebraska and Texas Southern to complete his college career. In his final season in 2014-15, he helped the Tigers place No. 15 in the NCAA tournament. He finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two steals in a 93-72 loss to an Arizona team that ended up in the Elite Eight.
• McGlynn started the last 83 of 127 games he appeared in during his four-year run at Drake. He’s played for four different head coaches at college, the last of which, Darian DeVries, came from Creighton ahead of the 2018-19 season. The 6-foot-8, 244-pound forward has averaged 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots per game over his past two seasons, including a three-game streak in the tournament. MVC and CIT to close his junior year where he registered 18.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on 53.8% of shots.
• Gilder was a major contributor for three seasons at Texas A&M before graduating and transferring to Gonzaga for his final year of college eligibility in 2019-20. He started 58 games in sophomore and junior, averaging 13.0 points, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals over those two years. He helped the Aggies qualify for the Sweet 16 as a rookie in 2016 and a junior in 2018. He’s averaged 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in those six games. of the NCAA tournament.

Former Omaha Central and Creighton basketball player Josh jones is the general manager and the coach. Former student manager Michel vandevoort, currently a reporter for new recruiting site 247 Creighton, is Jones’ deputy general manager.

If you would like to support us on the TBT journey, we have two options for you! A donation or a commodity 🔥. Thank you!
1. https://t.co/jWn9sdDXIE

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– Jays TBT (@OmahaBlueCrew) June 17, 2021

The Purple & Black roster includes former K-State players Carter Diarra and Kamau Stokes. The backcourt duo totaled 18 points and six assists in a 69-59 victory when the Bluejays and Wildcats met in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina. Martin Krampelj was on that list for Creighton, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in January and was only able to look sideways as this game unfolded.