NCAA Women's

‘Mad’ Jim Flanery seeking fix to ‘hero ball’ tendencies after Creighton loss to UConn

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December 30, 2022

Jim Flannery hit the table. he folded his arms. I gave an honest assessment. I leaned back, stepped out of the camera light, and back. At one point, his chin landed on his left palm while answering a question.

Over the course of 17 minutes, Clayton’s women’s basketball coach uses humor and frustration to explain why her team lost 72-47 to Connecticut.

“I thought I played a little too much heroball,” he said of CU’s offense.

“I could have shot 3-of-28,” he said of Clayton’s 3-pointer.

“I jokingly said, ‘Better get in the lane early.’ He joked about the Jays not being able to rebound a botched free throw.

“You’re probably as angry as you looked at me,” he said of his demeanor over the two hours on Wednesday night, midway through the interview session.

why? Because Clayton believes there is a roster that competes with UConn. Especially since he only had 7 players in the UConn-Huskies. Additionally, the Sokol Arena was sold out. Flannery hoped to return with a packed house similar to what fans saw.

Instead, the Blue Jays trailed 10-0, put up a quick long 3 early in possession, and struggled to execute a fundamental part of their defensive game plan.

“I gave up on five layups from what I’ve been through the last two days,” Flannery said. Even after the timeout it didn’t fix the problem.

Flannery said he asked the team two questions in the locker room.

Number one: Which team had the best communication on the floor?

Creighton’s players agreed with UConn’s opinion.

Second: What about the Blue Jays who felt pressured to live up to expectations?

Flannery said he raised his hand, as did all players in uniform.

Clayton’s unexpected Elite Eight Run last year brought buzz to the program. To add to the difficulty, Flannery packed his non-meeting schedule full of games.

The preseason message was clear. CU has high ceilings. Flannery believes so even after his team went 8-4 overall and he went 2-2 in the Big East.

“But pressure doesn’t keep you from communicating,” he said.

Clayton had 32 outbound rebounds on Wednesday night. And that offense relies too much on the individuals playing, Flannery said. Against teams of similar size and skill, such as Drake, Northern Iowa and Nebraska, the Blue Jays can do it. Stamford and Connecticut are too tall, long, and athletic to allow it.

“We need to get better at sacrificing screens and cuts,” Flannery said.

Two seniors on last year’s team, Tatum Lembao and Peyton Brodsky, stood out, Flannery said. They were also the team’s best passers. Whenever a coach starts developing a graduated player, a button is being pushed. The coach is looking for players to develop specific intangibles in a hurry.

“We’re stubborn about some things,” Flannery said.

So while Clayton prepares to play at DePaul on Saturday, Flannery may be messing with his starting lineup. He said he didn’t start a top-five player last year. Maybe he shouldn’t now. The Blue Demons (10-4, 3-0) have Annie Samorrow, one of his top players in the league, averaging 25.8 points per game and he has 12 rebounds. DePaul also beats Maryland and Miami (Florida).

The Big East and Clayton’s current three-game losing streak is no easy feat.

“We don’t feel very good about ourselves, but hopefully it’s only going to take us one game to get it back.” But our league is really good. There are a lot of good teams out there, but it’s exciting, you have to be sharp and we need to get better to have the year we want.”