By Heath Gunderson
Take your pick this week breaks down two of the best point guards in Creighton history. Both Tyler McKinney and Josh Dotzler each had one of his seasons wrecked by a serious injury, and neither were big-time scorers, but both guys were great floor generals for the Jays.
Let's start with Tyler McKinney, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Urbandale, Iowa. McKinney averaged just 5.2 points per game for his career, but his value came in his ability to direct the Creighton offense. During his sophomore season, he dished out 141 assists, and after his injury-shortened junior year he bounced back with 184 assists his senior season. McKinney shot 70 percent from the free throw line in his career and 33 percent from 3-point range while starting 97 of the 110 games he played in as a Jay. For his career, he shot 41 percent from the field and always found a way to come up big in the clutch moment.
McKinney will certainly be remembered for being the point guard on some of the most successful Creighton teams in history and his ability to hit the big shot. As a freshman, McKinney went coast-to-coast for a layup at the buzzer to beat Wichita State. Later in the season, he nailed two free throws at the end of the game to lead the Jays to victory against Indiana State on the road. His sophomore year he made multiple clutch plays down the stretch to beat Notre Dame in the Guardians Classic Championship. In 2004, he hit game-winners in back-to-back games (Ohio State, Xavier) in November.
Josh Dotzler, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Omaha, had a very similar skill set and stat line as McKinney. For his career, Dotzler averaged 3.6 points per game, but he averaged 6.4 points per game as a freshman before his multiple knee injuries. Dotzler dished out 97 assists his freshman year before he got hurt, 118 his junior year and 121 his senior season, when he had only 35 turnovers. Dotzler shot 72 percent from the free throw line, 35 percent from the field and 28 percent from the 3-point line for his career. However, before he hurt his knee as a freshman, Dotzler did shoot an impressive 40 percent from long range.
Now what makes Dotzler different from McKinney was his defense. Dotzler was a lock-down defender and had 52 steals both his freshman and junior seasons. His senior season, Dotzler had 121 assists and 70 steals compared to those 35 turnover.
Neither of these great Creighton point guards was really asked to score. McKinney was a better shooter from the field and from 3-point range than Dotzler, but Dotzler was better defensively. So take your pick! Vote in the poll and let us know below who you voted for and why.
This post was edited on 11/3 2:59 PM by Banter Danny
Take your pick this week breaks down two of the best point guards in Creighton history. Both Tyler McKinney and Josh Dotzler each had one of his seasons wrecked by a serious injury, and neither were big-time scorers, but both guys were great floor generals for the Jays.
Let's start with Tyler McKinney, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Urbandale, Iowa. McKinney averaged just 5.2 points per game for his career, but his value came in his ability to direct the Creighton offense. During his sophomore season, he dished out 141 assists, and after his injury-shortened junior year he bounced back with 184 assists his senior season. McKinney shot 70 percent from the free throw line in his career and 33 percent from 3-point range while starting 97 of the 110 games he played in as a Jay. For his career, he shot 41 percent from the field and always found a way to come up big in the clutch moment.
McKinney will certainly be remembered for being the point guard on some of the most successful Creighton teams in history and his ability to hit the big shot. As a freshman, McKinney went coast-to-coast for a layup at the buzzer to beat Wichita State. Later in the season, he nailed two free throws at the end of the game to lead the Jays to victory against Indiana State on the road. His sophomore year he made multiple clutch plays down the stretch to beat Notre Dame in the Guardians Classic Championship. In 2004, he hit game-winners in back-to-back games (Ohio State, Xavier) in November.
Josh Dotzler, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Omaha, had a very similar skill set and stat line as McKinney. For his career, Dotzler averaged 3.6 points per game, but he averaged 6.4 points per game as a freshman before his multiple knee injuries. Dotzler dished out 97 assists his freshman year before he got hurt, 118 his junior year and 121 his senior season, when he had only 35 turnovers. Dotzler shot 72 percent from the free throw line, 35 percent from the field and 28 percent from the 3-point line for his career. However, before he hurt his knee as a freshman, Dotzler did shoot an impressive 40 percent from long range.
Now what makes Dotzler different from McKinney was his defense. Dotzler was a lock-down defender and had 52 steals both his freshman and junior seasons. His senior season, Dotzler had 121 assists and 70 steals compared to those 35 turnover.
Neither of these great Creighton point guards was really asked to score. McKinney was a better shooter from the field and from 3-point range than Dotzler, but Dotzler was better defensively. So take your pick! Vote in the poll and let us know below who you voted for and why.
This post was edited on 11/3 2:59 PM by Banter Danny
