1620 The Zone--Omaha's ESPN Radio--Your Home For "Schick and Nick" with Matt Schick and Nick Bahe--9:00am to 12:00 noon weekdays--Colin Cowherd--12:00 noon to 2:00pm Weekdays--""Unsportsmanlike Conduct"" with Kevin Kugler and Mike'l Severe--2:00pm to 6:00pm Weekdays--Nebraska's Most Listened To Sports Radio Station--1620 The Zone--Omaha's ESPN Radio

Most Recent Posts

Nick Bahe's Bluejay Breakdown

brought to you by The Liberty Tavern (inside Hilton Omaha)

Thoughts heading into Senior Day
by Nick Bahe, posted Feb 25 2010 10:02PM

- The Southern Illinois game was one of the most entertaining games I’ve seen all year. I think I speak for most Bluejay fans when I say that win felt good. The Jays have been on the losing end of those types of games all season long, and finally they did something that they really haven’t done all year….THEY MADE PLAYS TO WIN THE GAME! All year long Creighton couldn’t close out games and they would freeze up down the stretch, but Tuesday night was different. They made plays and SIU didn’t. The Jays deserved to win that game.

- On the Bluejay Breakdown, which is Monday nights on 1620 from 6-7pm, I posed this question, other than Kenny Lawson who needs to play great basketball in the final couple of games for Creighton to be successful? I said Antoine Young needs to step it up and play at a high level because he can change games when he does. Like the true genius I am (Haha) Antoine was amazing against Southern Illinois. Other than making free throws, which he has not done all season, the only thing he changed on Tuesday was his mindset and level of aggressiveness. In my opinion, it’s just that simple with him, it’s a mindset. Antoine is an inconsistent streaky outside shooter but other than that, there isn’t anything he can’t do on the basketball court. He can handle the ball, he can pass, he is terrific at attacking the rim, and when he wants to he is a great on ball defender. Antoine was very aggressive all game and everything worked smoother offensively because of it as a whole, but more importantly his aggression and success gave Creighton a go to guy at the end of the game which is something they’ve lacked. Antoine delivered the best individual performance of the season for the Jays. He needs to continue that play if the Jays want to have a chance to win 3 games in St. Louis.

- Senior Day is an emotional day. My senior day game was the craziest game I’ve ever played in, it was the infamous double overtime 111-110 win over Bradley. Cavel Witter was red hot and put on a show scoring 42 points and we needed all 42 of them to win. It was an emotional day that had an emotional ending. I probably had close to 30 tickets that game filled with friends, family, and past coaches & teammates. Being able to say thank you to all of them was so special to me, because I viewed my moment of being honored really being about the people in my life who made me who I was. I can guarantee you Justin Carter, Chad Millard, and Cavel Witter are going to be very emotional on Saturday afternoon when they get honored and address their friends and family. The key is for them to remember that they have a basketball game to win first and not let the emotions become a distraction. But with that said, they better soak every second up because there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss putting on my jersey and playing at the Qwest Center in front of 15,000 people.

- Bradley is a team that I think man for man is as talented as anybody in the league but they haven’t been able to put it together until lately. Make no mistake about it Bradley is a dangerous team that is playing their best basketball right now! Bradley has won 5 of its last 7 games, capturing victories over Northern Iowa and Wichita State. The Jays will have their hands full on Saturday with the three guard combination of Andrew Warren (14.6 ppg.), Taylor Brown (13.6 ppg) and Sam Maniscalco (12.9 ppg.). I’m looking forward to another epic battle on Senior Day against the Braves.

Basketball is life, the rest is just details

Nick

	(0) Comments

The Little Things
by Nick Bahe, posted Feb 16 2010 10:03AM

I’m on the bus with the team heading to Northern Iowa and with a 4 plus hour ride you have a lot of time to reflect on things. Redshirt freshman Josh Jones brought the movie “For the Love of the Game” which is the documentary on Lebron James high school team for everyone to watch. A couple of times I would peek back at the team as they watched this movie and they were all glued to the screen. This movie wasn’t just a highlight package of Lebron dunks, it was about the incredible story of his High School team St. Vincent St Mary’s and how they grew up together and were like brothers. I think it was the perfect movie for the guys to see at this moment in the season. In my opinion, it kind of put things in perspective and served as a reminder that nothing is more important than the bond between teammates and to no matter what stick together through thick and thin. (If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend it. Lebron was a bad boy in High School)

At 13-13, 8-7 the Creighton Bluejays need to STICK TOGETHER more than ever. This has been a rocky season full of adversity, and although they are currently 4^th in the MVC everyone is counting them out. Believe me, I have my doubts with this team and whether or not they will do the little things it takes to win, but if this season has taught me anything it’s that the difference between winning and losing is small, but it’s the small things that are the most important. One rebound, one defensive stop, one made free throw, talking on defense, paying attention to scouting report, one screen set, one pass, one turnover, I could go on and on but you get the point. The parody in the MVC this season is crazy; the difference between 3^rd place and 8^th place is tiny but is huge when it comes to St. Louis and the tournament. The Jays inability to shoot and score has baffled me and sure if they want to have a successful last part of the season they have to shoot better, but they ABSOLUTELY HAVE to do the little things. When you aren’t shooting a high percentage, that’s when the details and little things are all that more important.

UNI is a team that hasn’t faced much adversity this season. They suffered their 3^rd loss on the year on Saturday @Bradley and things got worse for them after the game. The Panther starting center Jordan Eglseder got a DUI and is suspended for 3 games. In my opinion, Eglseder up until this point probably deserves the player of the year in the MVC, but the suspension will cease that. How will UNI react to the loss? How will they do without Eglseder? These are all questions that will be answered on Tuesday night at 7pm.

Will Creighton make BIG shots and do the LITTLE things? That question will be answered as well.

Basketball is life, the rest is just details

Nick

	(0) Comments

Battling The Bears
by Nick Bahe, posted Feb 5 2010 9:52PM

Well finally this team is scoring and shooting like they are capable of. While traveling to Springfield, Missouri and preparing for the broadcast I asked myself, has this team changed what they’ve been doing offensively or are they just MAKING shots? I think they are just making shots, but the key is they are doing things offensively with more purpose, more confidence, and more unselfishness. In the last three games the Jays are averaging 11 made three’s per game and 13 team assists per game. The guys are thinking about making a shot for somebody else when they penetrate, and they are making the extra pass which is leading to higher percentage shots.

I don’t know what is growing faster, Omaha’s frustration level with the snow or Josh Jones confidence! Sure Josh Jones makes mistakes defensively but his energy and positive attitude is contagious and refreshing. In the last 3 games Josh is averaging 11ppg and shooting 50% from downtown. His emergence has not only given him confidence, but it has given the team confidence as a whole.

The Jays are going to have their hands full Saturday night against Missouri State. The Bears had the last two games wrapped up but blew it late in the game. The Bears had Northern Iowa down 4 with one minute left but after a controversial intentional foul call on Missouri State, the Panthers win by one 55-54. Then on Wednesday night in Carbondale the Bears let a second half lead dwindle away to eventually lose to the Salukis 73-67. Missouri State could realistically be on a 3 game winning streak with wins @Evansville, at home vs. UNI, and @Southern Illinois. Keep an eye on #10 Adam Leonard against the Jays. Leonard is red hot right now coming off a 29 point performance (7-11 from 3) at SIU. Leonard is 11-20 from 3 in the last two games. Jays better not give him any free looks.

There is nothing better than Missouri Valley Conference Basketball on Saturday night! It’s that time of year when Coach Altman’s teams usually put a run together and finish strong heading into St. Louis. Will this team put together a run?

Basketball is life, the rest is just details

Nick

	(0) Comments

11/18/2009 7:59PM

The Good, The Bad, The "Sleepy"

Please Enter Your Comments Below

01/05/2010 12:22PM

question

Nick, With the number of guys Dana plays, are you surprised that there is not more of an emphasis on attacking the rim? I think P, Antoine, Darryl, Justin should pick up at least 1-2 charges a game. It seems we do not use the depth in any beneficial manner. Thoughts?