The Creighton Bluejays have won 9 out of their 11 games, only losing to the Colorado State Rams and the UNLV Rebels. A lot it has been possible due to their center Ryan Kalkbrenner. He has got a lot of praise this season with some even opining that he is the most irreplaceable player this season.

But is this really the case? A more detailed look will give us a better picture.

Who’s Ryan Kalkbrenner?

Kalkbrenner was a prodigy since his high school days. He used to play for the Trinity Catholic High School, averaging a decent 13.9 points with 7.6 rebounds per game. What made him stand out from other players his age was that he utilized his skills in defense too, and had a good 3.9 blocks per contest. The 2019 EYBL defensive player of the year amped up his performances in his senior year and slammed 16.3 points per game with 11 rebounds per contest and 5.7 blocks per match.

Thus, he averaged a double-double during his high school days. For his superb performance, Kalkbrenner was a four-star recruit who received offers from the Stanford, the Purdue, the Kansas, and the Creighton. He went for the Creighton and continues to play for them even in this season as a senior.

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How’ve the Creighton performed in his absence?

During his sophomore year with the Bluejays, he unfortunately was injured during a game against the San Diego. This injury led him to miss the NCAA second-round game against the Kansas Jayhawks. This also marked Creighton’s elimination since they could not do much without Kalkbrenner and lost the game by a narrow margin that could have been covered easily if the Missouri-born had been with them.

The Kansas edged past their rivals with a 39-38 margin in the first half and then trumped them by a 40-34 margin during the second. This ended the Bluejays’ run in the tournament. And this wasn’t the first time that the Bluejays felt the lack of Kalkbrenner.

The 7-feet-1-inch baller had to ignore three games during his junior year. The Creighton’s performance without Kalkbrenner was in shambles as they lost all three matches. The first contest happened against the BYU Cougars. The Creighton were upended by a narrow margin of 83-80. During their next outing, the Creighton squared off against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The Bluejays again had to face a demotivating defeat since they could only smash 71 points while the Sun Devils smashed two points extra and stood at a score of 73 pointers. The third game happened against the Marquette Golden Eagles. In a low-scoring match, the Golden Eagles upended the Creighton by a respectable margin of 69-58. The Creighton were definitely feeling the need of their center and had a lackluster performance in his absence.

The 2x Big East Defensive Player of the Year once again had to sit out during some part of the first half when the Creighton locked horns with the Alabama this season. He had injured his right ankle just seven minutes in the same game. Without Kalkbrenner, the Creighton had to send Fredrick King, Isaac Traudt and Jasen Green. While King and Green scored a paltry 2 points each, Traudt couldn’t tick the scoreboard.

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The first half ended with both the teams tied at 44. During the second half, the 21-year-old returned to the hardwood, smashing a whopping 19 points with 8 rebounds. With his efforts the Creighton cruised to a victory with a 85-82 margin.

How has Kalkbrenner performed this season?

Apart from the game against Alabama, if we take cognizance of his performance this season, Kalkbrenner has touched double figures in all the games he has played except one against the Florida A&M Rattlers. His season-high performance came against the Loyola Chicago Ramblers when he smoked 29 points. Additionally, he has also nabbed a double-double in three games. 

Currently, Kalkbrenner has cemented the second spot in his team’s stats in both scoring and rebounds. He has a points average of 16.1 points per game and has grabbed 6.8 rebounds per contest. He has also replicated his aura from his high school days, standing at the first position in terms of blocks average. He has an astounding 2.3 blocks per game. This only proves that he is willing to contribute and gives his 100% for the team without being afraid of any injuries.

He has also proved his mettle with his shooting skills and has an honorable field goal percentage of 65.8% and a free throw percentage of 62.5%. A lot of centers perform well in offense and defense but do not have control over three-pointers. Kalkbrenner has proved the opposite by having a 33.3% three-pointer percentage. 

Is Kalkbrenner irreplaceable?

Kalkbrenner does look to be an irreplaceable player for the Creightons because they do not have a strong bench strength. Plus the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup gold winner is at center stage of every plan of his team and helps them execute it to the best of his capabilities. Owing to his exceptional performances, the Creighton have won 9 out of their 11 games this season so far.

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While Kalkbrenner is comparable to his peers Zach Edey and Hunter Dickinson looking at the Creighton we get a clear idea that the team wouldn’t be able to adjust so easily if for some reason Kalkbrenner had to miss a few games. Indisputably, Kalkbrenner is thus quite irreplaceable for his team.