For GW, Good Lord Willin’ Creek Will Keep Risin’

By Paul Gotham

Some players shrink a defense. Others stretch it. George Washington’s Mike Lonergan understands the value of striking a balance between both.

So when the third-year coach saw the scale tipping, he had reason for concern.

After tallying double figures in 13 of the Colonials first 14 games, Maurice Creek accounted for just a dozen points in his team’s first three Atlantic 10 games.  The 6-5 guard, who knocked down multiple 3-pointers in 12 different games opened the A-10 season 2-of-14 behind the arc.

Lonergan took notice.

“Three-point shooting was our biggest weakness last year,” Lonergan said during the weekly Atlantic 10 Coaches’ tele-conference. “When he was in a slump, we really had to rely on the other people and our defense, rebounding.”

GW won two of those three games, but Lonergan knew it was a matter of time before opposing defenses adjusted.

Adjustment occurred when St. Bonaventure’s Bonnies chose to focus their efforts on GW’s Isaiah Armwood.

Creek responded with a 21-point effort. The native of Oxon Hill, Maryland drilled as many treys last Saturday as he did in his four previous games combined.

“The team really needed that because they were focusing on Isaiah in the post,” Creek said recently by phone. “They were doubling every time. I was getting wide open shots. You gotta knock ‘em down.

“When he hit some early, I knew we’d be okay,” Lonergan said after GW’s 79-71 road win. “That was the key for us.”

Bona limited Armwood (10.9 ppg/8.9rpg) to five points on three shots. The 6-9 senior forward went without a field goal in 34 minutes of playing time.

“Good big guys shrink your defense,” St. Bonaventure Head Coach Mark Schmidt said after the game. “We had to give up something.”

Creek took advantage of the open space on the perimeter and stretched the floor on shooting 7-of-14 including 5-of-10 behind the arc.

“I came out hot against St. Bonaventure, and it’s all because of my teammates,” Creek said by phone. “They were getting me open shots, and I was able to knock them down on that day. They set good screens for me that day. Joe McDonald and Kethan Savage were getting me the ball right in my hands in the shooting pocket and I was just letting it fly.”

Creek leads the Colonials with 14.5 points a game. His 20.2 points per 40 minutes and 1.18 points per shot pace GW and put him eighth and eleventh in the conference.

“It wasn’t as much as a shooting slump as it was getting back to taking good shots and us finding good shots for him,” Lonergan explained. It’s definitely good to see him shooting 50 percent or better and making multiple 3-pointers. It’s make us a much better team.”

Creek has four 20-plus games this season. He hit a high of 27 at Manhattan in an 80-74 win on November 16^th.

“Coming into the St. Bonaventure game I had a green light but I didn’t shoot the ball really well the first three A-10 games,” Creek continued. “I got in the gym and worked on things that I was going to be able to do at St. Bonaventure.”

Creek played three seasons at Indiana before transferring to GW for his graduate season. After playing 12 games as a freshman and 16 points per contest, injuries sidetracked Creek’s career with the Hoosiers. He averaged less than eight minutes last season.

Creek will be relied upon to do more as the Colonials (15-3/3-1) will be without Kethan Savage for several weeks. Savage suffered a foot fracture during the Bonaventure game.

GW travels cross-town to the Patriot Center for the #RevRivalry with George Mason. A noon tip time is scheduled Saturday. NBC Sports Network will televise the game.

Stats courtesy of Basketball State.