A traditional big has won the John R. Wooden Award each of the past four seasons — first Iowa’s Luka Garza in 2021 and then Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe in 2022 before Purdue’s Zach Edey took the trophy in both 2023 and 2024.
Just three days into the season, another center has emerged as an undeniable candidate for the award. His name is Ryan Kalkbrenner — and he was incredible Wednesday night in Creighton’s 99-86 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley.
The 7-foot-1 fifth-year senior took 22 shots, made 20 of them and finished with 49 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in 36 minutes. He set the school record for most made field goals in a game, scored more points in a game than any Creighton player since Bob Portman got 51 against Milwaukee in 1967 and became the first Division I player with 20 made field goals in a game on at least 90% shooting since UCLA’s Bill Walton went 21 of 22 from the field against Memphis State in the championship game of the 1973 NCAA Tournament.
“To go to work like he did in the offseason, and then the first time you’re under the lights for real, to do something superhuman, it’s pretty special,” said Creighton coach Greg McDermott. “And he deserves it. There’s not a person on the planet that deserves success more than Ryan Kalkbrenner because of the way he’s approached everything on a daily basis.”
Kalkbrenner was voted a CBS Sports First Team All-American in the preseason after averaging 17.3 ponts, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks last season for a Creighton team that won 25 times while advancing to the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He’s the main reason the Bluejays are No. 20 in Thursday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
Creighton’s next game is Sunday against Fairleigh Dickinson. The Bluejays’ first contest against a power-conference school will come Nov. 22 against Nebraska. After that, they’re off to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, where they’ll open against San Diego State on Nov. 26 and then play Texas A&M the following day,