Latest news with #Kalkbrenner
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Should the Boston Celtics try to draft Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Should the Boston Celtics try to draft Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner? Should the Boston Celtics try to draft Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner? The Celtics will head into the 2025 NBA draft armed with the Nos. 28 and 32 picks in the first and second round respectively, and there is a chance that Kalkbrenner might be in striking range for Boston when they select. With Kristaps Porzingis probably on his way off the roster, veteran big man Al Horford currently a mystery as to whether he plans to return to play another season up in the air and backup center Luke Kornet a free agent, the Celtics may have some substantial minutes in their frontcourt to fill in the campaign ahead and beyond. But is the Creighton center the right man for the job? The hosts of the CLNS Media "How Bout Them Celtics!" podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Check it out below! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network:
Reuters
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Duke star Cooper Flagg wins Naismith Trophy
April 6 - Duke star Cooper Flagg won his second major award in two days when he received the Naismith Trophy as the national player of the year on Sunday. One day earlier, Flagg won the Wooden Award. Flagg became just the fourth freshman to win the Naismith Trophy, which is presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The others are Texas' Kevin Durant (2007), Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2012) and Duke's Zion Williamson (2019). The same quartet are the only freshmen to win the Wooden Award. Flagg's latest award was announced in San Antonio, one day after the Blue Devils lost 70-67 to Houston in the Final Four. "This is an incredible honor and I am truly grateful for the recognition," Flagg said. "This whole year, this (NCAA) tournament, has gone by so fast. It's been a blur and an incredible year. I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates, Coach (Jon) Scheyer, the rest of the staff and everyone who had me ready to go every single night. They believed in me and let me be me out there on the court." Flagg emerged as the favorite for the award over the second half of the season. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37 games. The other finalists were Auburn's Johni Broome, Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. and Purdue's Braden Smith. Among Flagg's other accolades are being named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year as well as being a consensus first-team All-American. Flagg is expected to be the No. 1 choice in the NBA draft if he chooses to enter his name. Rick Pitino was named the Werner Ladder Coach of the Year award after leading St. John's to a 31-5 record in his second season at the school. The 31 wins matched the school mark reached twice in the mid-1980s. The Red Storm received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before exiting in the second round with a loss to Arkansas. The first-round victory over Omaha was the school's first NCAA tourney win since 2000. "I'm truly honored to be the recipient of the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award, especially with the incredible coaching of the other finalists this past season," the 72-year-old Pitino said. "I want to thank my players and coaches for making this possible after a historic season for St. John's Basketball. I am also grateful to the Atlanta Tipoff Club and the Naismith Awards selection committee for this prestigious honor." The other finalists were Auburn's Bruce Pearl, Houston's Kelvin Sampson and Scheyer. Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner won Naismith Defensive Player of the Year honors. The senior blocked 93 shots this season while winning Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors for the fourth straight season. Kalkbrenner also averaged 19.2 points and 8.7 rebounds and shot 65.3 percent from the field this season. "It is a huge honor to be named Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and I am most appreciative to my teammates, coaches and the Atlanta Tipoff Club for recognizing our success," Kalkbrenner said. Houston's Joseph Tugler and two Tennessee players -- Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler -- were the other finalists.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kalkbrenner named NABC Defensive Player of the Year
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – After a phenomenal season helping lead the Bluejays to the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named the National Association of Basketball Coaches Defensive Player of the Year. The 7'1' center led the Big East conference in blocked shots per game (2.7), rebounds per game (8.7), and field goal percentage (.653) while ranking third with 19.2 points per game. The two-time All Big East first team honoree ranks second nationally in field goals made, 3rd in blocked shots, and 19th in points. Kalkbrenner is one of 10 finalists for the Naismith trophy and one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award given to the nation's best center. In his five years at Creighton, the Missouri native ranked second in Creighton history in blocked shots with 399, points with 2,443, rebounds with 1,146, and field goal percentage at .658. Kalkbrenner played 169 games in the blue and white. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
NBC Sports
23-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Top overall seed Auburn reaches first Sweet 16 since 2019, turning away Creighton 82-70
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said a trip to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament was no sure thing, and experienced Creighton made his top-seeded team work for it before the Tigers found their defensive mojo in the second half and closed out the ninth-seeded Bluejays 82-70 on Saturday night to reach the Sweet 16. Tahaad Pettiford scored 16 of his 23 points after halftime and Chad Baker-Mazara added 17 points for Auburn, which held Creighton scoreless for more than six minutes during a 10-0 second-half run. Pettiford scored six points during that burst to push the Tigers to a 68-54 lead. The No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, Auburn (30-5) moves on to the South Region semifinals in Atlanta next weekend, where it will face No. 5 seed Michigan. Pearl's team was upset in the first round by Yale last year and he had not taken Auburn past the second round since it reached its only Final Four in 2019. This time, his goal is the Tigers' first-ever national title. Creighton under coach Greg McDermott had reached the Sweet 16 in three of the previous four years. Fifth-year senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 18 points in his final game for the Bluejays (25-11). The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner banked in a 3-pointer to open the scoring for Creighton and came out on top statistically against 6-10 Auburn All-American Johni Broome, who had eight points on 4-of-13 shooting and 12 rebounds. Auburn also got 15 points from Denver Jones. The game featured seven ties and 16 lead changes, and Creighton's perimeter game was on point throughout the first half. The Blue Jays shot 64% from 3-point range and 52% overall to lead 37-35 at the break. Creighton went ahead 50-48 on two free throws by Kalkbrenner with 14:13 left. Ten seconds later, Baker-Mazara converted a three-point play and Auburn never trailed again. The Tigers shot 60% in the second half. Baker-Mazara left the game briefly in the second half with a right hip injury but returned. Steven Ashworth and Jamiya Neal scored 13 points each for Creighton, and Jackson McAndrew contributed 12 points on four 3-pointers. Key moment Broome had a tip-in as the shot clock expired to make it 66-54 during Auburn's decisive run. Takeaways Creighton: Ashworth and McAndrew combined to make 6 of 9 3-pointers and score 23 points before halftime. Ashworth managed just two points in the second half. Auburn: The Tigers' bench outscored Creighton's 31-10. They also outscored the Bluejays 42-24 in the paint and held them to 42% shooting in the final 20 minutes
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top overall seed Auburn reaches first Sweet 16 since 2019, turning away Creighton 82-70
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said a trip to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament was no sure thing, and experienced Creighton made his top-seeded team work for it before the Tigers found their defensive mojo in the second half and closed out the ninth-seeded Bluejays 82-70 on Saturday night to reach the Sweet 16. Tahaad Pettiford scored 16 of his 23 points after halftime and Chad Baker-Mazara added 17 points for Auburn, which held Creighton scoreless for more than six minutes during a 10-0 second-half run. Pettiford scored six points during that burst to push the Tigers to a 68-54 lead. The No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, Auburn (30-5) moves on to the South Region semifinals in Atlanta next weekend, where it will face No. 5 seed Michigan. Pearl's team was upset in the first round by Yale last year and he had not taken Auburn past the second round since it reached its only Final Four in 2019. This time, his goal is the Tigers' first-ever national title. Creighton under coach Greg McDermott had reached the Sweet 16 in three of the previous four years. Fifth-year senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 18 points in his final game for the Bluejays (25-11). The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner banked in a 3-pointer to open the scoring for Creighton and came out on top statistically against 6-10 Auburn All-American Johni Broome, who had eight points on 4-of-13 shooting and 12 rebounds. Auburn also got 15 points from Denver Jones. The game featured seven ties and 16 lead changes, and Creighton's perimeter game was on point throughout the first half. The Blue Jays shot 64% from 3-point range and 52% overall to lead 37-35 at the break. Creighton went ahead 50-48 on two free throws by Kalkbrenner with 14:13 left. Ten seconds later, Baker-Mazara converted a three-point play and Auburn never trailed again. The Tigers shot 60% in the second half. Baker-Mazara left the game briefly in the second half with a right hip injury but returned. Steven Ashworth and Jamiya Neal scored 13 points each for Creighton, and Jackson McAndrew contributed 12 points on four 3-pointers. Key moment Broome had a tip-in as the shot clock expired to make it 66-54 during Auburn's decisive run. Takeaways Creighton: Ashworth and McAndrew combined to make 6 of 9 3-pointers and score 23 points before halftime. Ashworth managed just two points in the second half. Auburn: The Tigers' bench outscored Creighton's 31-10. They also outscored the Bluejays 42-24 in the paint and held them to 42% shooting in the final 20 minutes. ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
