OMAHA, Neb. — It turns out the Big East’s three-time defensive player of the year can play a little offense, too.
Make that a lot of offense.
Ryan Kalkbrenner turned in the performance of the young college basketball season Wednesday night, scoring 49 points in No. 15 Creighton’s 99-86 victory over UT-Rio Grande Valley. He made a school-record 20 field goals on 22 attempts to help the Bluejays hang on in their opener.
“I kind of didn’t realize how much I had,” Kalkbrenner said. “We were in a close game. I was thinking about that more. It comes with the flow of the game.”
When the 7-foot-1 center finally exited to a standing ovation, he looked up at the scoreboard to see his point total.
His thought? “Pretty good game,” he said.
Kalkbrenner, the Big East preseason player of the year, also had 11 rebounds and three blocks.
The crowd began chanting encouragement late in the game, imploring him to shoot so he could hit the 50-point mark. Kalkbrenner, not knowing he was one point away, decided to pass the ball to a guard and let the clock run down.
“Having a good first game is awesome,” Kalkbrenner said, “but we have thirty-something games left, and hopefully games that mean a lot more.”
As he walked off the court and through the tunnel after the buzzer, fans nearby chanted “MVP! MVP!”
“We kind of went into the game with a plan to establish me in the post and we went with that,” he said. “I kept working and wasn’t really thinking about what happened the previous play. I was just trying to make the next one.”
Kalkbrenner’s 49 points were second-most by a Creighton player. Bob Portman holds the record with 51 against UW-Milwaukee in 1967.
It was the 15th time a Creighton player had 40 or more points. Six of those games belong to Doug McDermott, the school’s career scoring leader, a three-time All-American and the 2014 national player of the year.
Kalkbrenner is among three players to win the Defensive Player of the Year award three times in the Big East. The others are Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning.
His offensive game has plenty of flair, too. Kalkbrenner scored with his left hand, right hand, on spin moves — and he even hit a couple of 3-pointers. He was 7 of 8 on free throws and added two assists.
“He’s one of the best players to ever play here, and there have been some really good players that have played here,” coach Greg McDermott said. “If you don’t have him in this conversation, you’re not paying attention.”
Kalkbrenner, who averages 14 points per game for his career, considered leaving Creighton after last season to enter the NBA draft. He decided to return to the school for a fifth season so he could polish his game.
“This is my 15th year and five are with him,” McDermott said. “It’s been a blessing to coach him and watch him. He’s as hungry to learn as he was when he walked on campus as a freshman. He approaches film and his work the exact same way. He decided to come back because he thought he could make strides and prepare himself for the next level. Tonight’s a good first step in that direction.”
