In the shadow of neo-Celtic Baylor Scheierman these last two seasons, Ryan Kalkbrenner burst onto the screen on Wednesday for his first game of the NCAA season. Against the modest UT-Rio Grande Valley university, the Creighton pivot exploded his career record and already offered one of the craziest statistical lines of the year: 49 points on 20/22 shooting! He added 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists for only one lost ball in 36 minutes, the victory as a bonus.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, 2m16, took advantage of UTRGV's centimeter-limited defense to pile up points all evening. A rather defensive pivot for the Bluejays in recent seasons (3.1 blocks in 2023/24), the 22-year-old confirmed his very good preseason, which saw him receive the award for best player in the Big East Conference. The interior scored the first eight points for his team with great power, before varying his game as the match progressed.
“ We started the match having a plan of sort of serving me in the low post, and we continued like that » simply deciphered the hero of college night. “ I continued to do my job and not really think about the previous action, just succeed in the next one. »
Unheard of in the NBA and NCAA for 13 years
His shooting percentage is all the more monstrous as he also scored his two 3-point baskets of the evening. NBA and NCAA combined, no player since Dirk Nowitzki during the 2011 playoffs (48 points against the Thunder at 12/15 and 24/24 on free throws) had scored a minimum of 45 points while not missing more than three shots on the whole match. With 49 points, he fell two points shy of the historic Creighton University record, set in 1967.
“ I didn't really realize it until I had the ball in the last seconds » explained Ryan Kalkbrenner at Hurrdat Sports. “ I heard the 'aaaaah' from the crowd. But I passed the ball to one of our guards to start the clock. I heard a little disappointment in the room. But that doesn't do anything. I never thought I would make it into the history books. I thought I would become a decent player. »
“ To do the job he did in the offseason, and then the first time you're actually in the spotlight doing something superhuman, it's pretty special. » rejoiced his coach Greg McDermott, father of Kings winger Doug McDermott. “ And he deserves it. There isn't a person on Earth more deserving of success than Ryan Kalkbrenner. »
