The Creighton Blue Jays have turned Omaha, Nebraska into a hotbed for men’s college basketball. Doug McDermott has turned them into one of the premier programs in the country, consistently among the top 25 teams and challenging for the top spot in a loaded Big East conference.
Over the last few seasons, one of the main catalysts in their success has been center Ryan Kalkbrenner. After being a backup during his freshman season, Kalkbrenner has developed into one of the most dominant big men in the country.
And luckily for Creighton, they will have him for one more season. Earlier this week, Kalkbrenner announced that he would be returning for a fifth season to play with the Blue Jays for the 2024-25 campaign.
Kalbrenner had originally entered his name to be eligible for the NBA Draft. But, early projections had him as a borderline second-round pick. With the extra year of eligibility given to student-athletes because of COVID-19, Kalbrenner has opted to take advantage and return for a fifth season.
A three-time defending Big East Defensive Player of the Year, the 7-foot Kalkbrenner is an intimidating force on that end of the court. But the strides he has taken offensively have made him such a force.
He averaged a career-high 17.3 points per game, which was third on the team behind Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander. Kalkbrenner is making strides as a shooter, improving on the 48.9 percent he shot from the foul line as a freshman.
He is also stepping out and attempting more 3-pointers, making 0.5 per game this season. To round out his stat line, Kalkbrenner added 7.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 3.1 blocks in 34.7 minutes per game.
Kalkbrenner was able to overcome a devastating knee injury suffered during the 2022 NCAA Tournament to put together two successful seasons at Creighton. He and the program are looking to make it three, as he will put off his professional basketball aspirations for one more season.
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