Jan. 21, 2003

By Steve Richardson

The following is a Q-and-A with Creighton coach Dana Altman, whose Bluejays have won or shared the last two Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles and qualified for four straight NCAA Tournaments.

Last season Creighton upset Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Illinois in the second. This season, the Bluejays have risen to their first Top 10 ranking in school history.

Q: Are you surprised you have lost only one game through the middle of January?
DA: "We didn't know where we would be sitting. We did have a lot of returning players and we were trying to blend in a couple of guys. We knew we would have some tough games along the way. This team has played pretty hard. And the intensity level for most games has been pretty good. They have prepared themselves to come out and play."

Q: You have one of the better shooting teams in college basketball, but shooting the mid-range jump shoot seems to be a lost art for many teams?
DA: "There's no doubt some players, they spend so much time trying to dunk and drive to the hole, their passing and shooting skills are not well developed. There are a lot of different ways to play the game. Some players don't spend as much time shooting and when they do, all they are working on is the 3-point shot. They are not working on the 10-12-15-17 footer. They are either shooting threes or they are dunking. How many times do you see breakaways in a game? You have the opportunity to take a lot more jump shots than you do dunks."

Q: It is matter of being diligent during practice?
DA: "Shooting takes a lot of time. Players have to be ready to get their shots off quickly, off screens and put the ball on the floor a couple of times. Passing and catching are under-rated. They are taken for granted. But that's not the case. A guy grows up and can dunk, but he can't pass it or catch it or shoot it from 15 feet."

Q: Kyle Korver, now a senior, was not really heavily recruited and was from a small town in Iowa. And now he has being mentioned as one of the best players in college basketball. How did that happen?
DA: "I wish I could say I was responsible. But he has made himself a good player. He has worked really hard. He's definitely highly skilled. He shoots it and passes it and he is starting to put it on the floor. Each year he has made himself a better shooter, passer and ball-handler. He shows up in every statistical category we have. He's a complete player. And he has really improved his defense and rebounding."

Q: Korver gets double and tripled teamed by defenses. How does he help the team when that happens?
DA: "Kyle plays more minutes than any guy on our team. He recognizes how important his teammates are. We don't have a player who dominates any one position. We probably collectively get it done. The box-and-one Illinois State threw at us....instead of trying to get more shots, Kyle recognizes his teammates are getting better shots. He takes six shots, makes five of them against Illinois State. And we shoot 60 percent (and win 76-57)."

Q: Dick Vitale on ESPN has been touting Korver as National Player of the Year. What are your thoughts?
DA: "I think that we are not quite half way through season...It is premature talk to about those honors. He has played very well. He has played very unselfishly and made us a good basketball team."

Q: You play maybe 10 players and they seem to be as strong at the end of the game as they are at the beginning?
DA: "I think our depth comes from a number of things. Red-shirting has helped us a great deal. We have four juniors on our team. And they all four have red-shirted...It gets our players in our system one more year. It helps to know each other and what to expect from the coaching staff. My assistants have been with me all nine years. We play guys as freshmen and keep them in the rotation. Right now, we are playing 10 guys, and an 11th guy is hoping to get in there and probably should be. It helps us to complete with larger schools which may have bigger players. But they can't wear us down because we are playing more players. Red-shirted players can take advantage of our weight (lifting) program. We are in it for the long haul. We don't lose anybody early to the NBA Draft."

Q: Give us an example of a Creighton player who has benefited from red-shirting?
DA: "Mike Grimes (6-7 junior forward) red-shirted his freshman year. He's a team player. He's Kyle's backup and when he has gotten an opportunity to play he has played awfully well. Our NCAA tournament run last season, Mike was a big, big part of it. Next year, he will be a senior and play a lot more."

Q: How has the team handled the spotlight?
DA: "It is not like it's the first year of winning. It is the first year we have been ranked. Having a player the caliber of Kyle has added attention to it. But we have won 20-some games before and that has helped."

Q: It appears Southern Illinois is your biggest challenge in the Missouri Valley Conference this season?
DA: "We know Southern has a good ball club. We had three good games with them last year and we were co-champs of the league. They have three starters back from last year. We know they will be a big, big challenge."