Greg McDermott lands star from Summit League
Baylor Scheierman
Height: 6-6
Former School: South Dakota State
New School: Creighton
Years Remaining: Two
Recruiting Ranking: NR
2021-22 Stats: 16.2 ppg/7.8 rpg/4.5 apg/33.5 mpg; 50.8%/46.9%/80.2%
Baylor Scheierman’s 2021-22 season ended at the hands of the Providence Friars in the NCAA Tournament in March. Scheierman’s transfer to their conference rival, the Creighton Bluejays, became official when he withdrew from the NBA Draft on Tuesday.
The Nebraska native returns to his home state after three seasons with the Jackrabbits. He became a full-time starter as sophomore, earning First Team All-Summit League honors. In his junior year, Scheierman reached new heights by being named Player of the Year in the Summit League. He led the conference in rebounds and assists and was one of the best three-point shooters in the nation.
What’s His Game?
The conversation about Scheierman has to start with his shot making, but the talented senior brings much more than just that to Creighton.
Scheierman made 46.2 percent of his threes on 177 attempts as a junior. He finished four games perfect from deep, including hitting all six attempts in a win at Omaha. At 6-6, Scheieirman has the ability to shoot over most defenders. He also isn’t afraid to fire away from just about anywhere on the court.
Scheierman has nearly unlimited range. He’s a guy defenses have to worry about the second he steps over half court. That will add a shooting presence the Bluejays didn’t have last year. pic.twitter.com/0N6obHE7f2
— Matt St. Jean (@mattstdream) May 25, 2022
Scheierman immediately becomes the best shooter on the floor for Creighton, and he’s the best shooter Greg McDermott has had since Cole Huff.
It’s worth noting that most of Scheierman’s production came against weak opponents. According to Bart Torvik’s website, he has shot less than 30 percent from deep against top 100 opponents. That includes hitting just 7 of 25 shots against those teams last season. Most Big East games will be against teams in the top two quadrants, so Scheierman will need to prove he can still hit shots against those opponents.
The Summit League standout is far more than just a shooter, though. Scheierman was the conference leader in rebounds and assists per game. He ranked in the top 300 in assist percentage and top 60 in defensive rebound percentage last year according to KenPom.
Scheierman isn’t just a shooter, though. Here he is fighting off Providence’s best rebounder for a ball and finding his teammate wide open in transition on a key possession late in the game. pic.twitter.com/ETQmKysY04
— Matt St. Jean (@mattstdream) May 25, 2022
Although he generally plays on the perimeter on offense, Scheierman was effective taking the ball to the basket. He hit 73.2 percent of his shots on 71 attempts at the rim according to Bart Torvik. He also got to the free throw line 121 times, good for seventh best in the conference.
Here he is navigating the pick and roll to get to the basket. Real nice touch to hit this look. His length shows up here. pic.twitter.com/DIkSNH1QUc
— Matt St. Jean (@mattstdream) May 25, 2022
What’s His Role?
Scheierman will be a plug-and-play starter next season for Greg McDermott. With the departures of Ryan Hawkins and Alex O’Connell, Scheierman should slide into one of those open spots. He has two years of eligibility remaining, although it is unlikely he sticks around for both seasons.
The Bluejays had their worst three-point shooting season under McDermott last year, hitting just 30.8 percent of their attempts. Scheierman’s role will be to boost that number while providing a veteran presence to a young team. He will get plenty of opportunities from deep in that scheme.
He also becomes an additional ballhandler to help facilitate the offense outside of sophomore Ryan Nembhard. Hawkins and O’Connell were both valuable in that role a season ago.
Scheierman should play more than 30 minutes every night and, if he adjusts to the level of the conference, be an All-Big East level player for Creighton. Ryan Hawkins was able to do that last year, making the jump from DII to the Big East. Can the Bluejays find magic from a lower level once again?