Ryan Kalkbrenner

[SeattleJay]

The last 5 invitations to the NBA draft green room went out (24 total invitees). Unfortunately, Kalk was not invited.

I’m still optimistic that he will be a first round pick.

[cujaysfan]

Can't imagine Kalk would have attended even with an invite.

That dude is SOOOOO low key - guessing he'd much rather watch at home with Rachel and a pizza.

[jaysfan3]

Can't imagine Kalk would have attended even with an invite.

That dude is SOOOOO low key - guessing he'd much rather watch at home with Rachel and a pizza.

He said on an interview he will be at a lake house with friends and family.

[TBC Alum]

Not watching very closely, but draft projections I have seen have him going in the low 20's to low 30's (late 1st round to very early 2nd round.)

I'm hoping for hm only one night of pizza.

[D Jay Fan]

From the Athletic. Article is from talking to league coaches. It almost sounds like Cooley to me

23. Creighton big Ryan Kalkbrenner
Grateful he’s gone. He’s for sure a long-term NBA guy, especially with the NBA game trending back to bigger guys. You watch the playoffs, and these teams are playing 11 to 13 guys. They’re just mixing combination lineups. I just don’t see how he can’t be in those games. He has an incredible feel and IQ for the game. His size is real. His ability to execute the drop coverage that a lot of NBA teams utilize with their big is elite. He’s got a great feel for it. He has a motor. Sometimes you hear motor and it’s guys who are just fast running around. But that dude does not get tired. He came out like four minutes a game maybe? And he’s sprinting up and down the floor.

And then offensively, man, I think he’s just gotten better and better. He finishes well with both hands around the paint. He’s about as consistent as they can be. He actually can shoot and he improved and showed his 3-point shooting a bit where you had to guard him. He’s got to speed up the mechanics some, but his ability to protect the rim and then his IQ at being able to play pick-and-roll defense and catch lobs, he’ll be a guy that will be on a roster for a really long time and could anchor a second team as a five man with the upside to be a starter down the line.

[Venturajay]

I am probably biased because I love Kalk - how can you not. It goes beyond what he can do on the floor but those intangibles have to impress NBA scouts such as work ethic, loyalty, good teammate, and willingness to learn.

Rim protectors are back in vogue and I think Kalk surprises many and goes in the top 20 and has a long productive NBA career.

Go Jays!!!

[Alphawalt]

ESPN in article today projects Ryan going to Phoenix Suns in first round at 29th pick. I think he may be taken by Boston at 28 now that they traded away Porzingas, or perhaps Brooklyn will take him at 26 or 27 (Nets have 5 first round picks and you would think they will trade at least two of them away). All three have a need for center.

[Alphawalt]

Fun Creighton NBA draft facts:

There have been five players taken in first round: 1) Benoit Benjamin 3rd pick 1985; 2) Bob Portman 7th pick in 1969; 3)Doug McDermott 11th pick in 2014; 4) Justin Patton 16th pick 2017; 5) Baylor Scheierman 30th pick in 2024.

Unusual selection in first round of special ”hardship” draft of 1971 : Cyril Baptiste 3rd pick. (Didn’t know how to classify Baptiste as there were other notable players drafted in that “hardship” draft such as Bob McAdoo, Bill Walton and Nate Williams, this was draft of players who had not completed college, first of its kind after Spencer Haywood won a court case).

Team that has drafted the most Jays (4) is the Wizards: Neil Johnson 1966, Doug Brookins 1975, Rick Apke 1978, Vernon Moore 1985.

Teams that have drafted three Jays each: Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. Celtics: Gene Harmon 1974, George Morrow 1981 and Baylor 2024. Warriors: Portman 1969, Baptiste 1971 and Joe Bergman 1970.

[LJay]

^^^ That’s some fine investigative work. I knew many Jays had been drafted back when there were multiple rounds and I recalled Benoit was #3 in his draft but pulling that all together here was fun info. Thanks.

PS - Cyril Baptiste was a phenom athlete. His time here was my first years going to Creighton games and my very clear recollection was him getting a breakaway and leaping and since they couldn’t dunk in those days laying that ball in the basket with two hands with his head seemingly almost in the basket with the ball. At least that’s what it looked like to a kid in the 3rd balcony in the Civic. Good stuff.

[Jaybird]

Speaking of Cyril Baptiste and “hardship”…

When Creighton signed Baptiste, he didn’t meet the NCAA’s minimum academic requirements for an athletic scholarship. But we were nothing if not creative. So, instead, we awarded him a “Martin Luther King Scholarship for the Needy”, a brand-new program developed by Creighton. By a stroke of good luck, the funding was equal to a full ride under a traditional basketball scholarship. (As I recall, bringing in his much shorter and less-celebrated brother Leroy helped seal the deal).

Sports illustrated had a field day. They pointed out that Creighton sits literally on the doorstep of a minority community where worthy recipients of a Martin Luther King Scholarship for the Needy, presumably, could be easily identified. But, instead, Creighton went all the way to Miami to present its very first MLK scholarship to a nearly 7-ft tall (I don’t think we ever knew how tall he really was) high school All-American who didn’t meet the standards for the usual basketball scholarship.

My first reaction as a dumb Creighton student was, “hey, we made Sports Illustrated”! (A very, very big deal in those days, esp. for a school like Creighton). In any event, Eddie Sutton and Dan Offenburger had a very deep bag of tricks.