Over half of the times the MVC Newcomer of the Week award has been handed out this season, its gone to a Bluejay. This week, P'Allen Stinnett wins it for the second time. From the official press release:
Creighton freshman P'Allen Stinnett has been named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week. This marks the fifth time in nine weeks this year that a Bluejay newcomer has been recognized, and it is Stinnett's second accolade (also Nov. 12, 2007).
Before the season, there was excited talk about how P'Allen would be a special player...eventually. He showed flashes of it over the non-conference slate, with a bushel of highlight dunks and a couple of big-time performances in key games. But to win the award after a week in which his coach publicly called him out and threatened to bench him, a week in which a local radio host openly speculated whether he was on his way out and might transfer, and a week in which he fouled out in just 15 minutes...
Well, he just might be something special already. But don't take my word for it. LetsGoBears.com, a fan site of Missouri State, had this to say upon their first experience of P'Allen in person:
P'Allen Stinnett led Creighton with 18 points - he was only the best player on the floor and we've all got 3 more years of him to look forward to. He reminds me of former Creighton star Rodney Buford as far as body type and athleticism but he's much more skilled than Buford...pity us all in a couple of years when those talented freshman and sophomores dressed in blue grow up.
As for the tough week preceding his performance against Missouri State on Saturday? This morning's OWH has the scoop on that, straight from P:
"Around here, it's either Altman's way or no way," Stinnett said. "I definitely heard what he was saying. He's been doing this for a long time, and if you buy into his way, I believe you can't go wrong."
...
"We all bought into it. When times were hard, I didn't get down on myself or I didn't get down on my teammates. And I didn't say one word to the refs (Saturday). I think that might have helped us get some calls, or maybe not getting some calls as well."
...
"P wants to be a good player, and he watched the film of the Indiana State game and recognized that he didn't play worth a darn," Altman said. "He knew that he had hurt us more than he had helped us. And he responded. I really got after him. He took criticism in practice and really honed in on some things. He was really sharp, and his attention to detail was there. He made a couple of mistakes defensively early in the game, recognized them and didn't make the same mistakes again."
To recap: a special talent wins MVC Newcomer of the Week for the second time in nine weeks, after a week in which some people (ahem) began questioning whether he could fit his considerable talents into Creighton's system. The resounding answer: an emphatic YES. Missouri State's fans were so impressed they compared him to a more talented version of Rodney Buford, whose talent CLEARLY didn't fit into Creighton's system at all. What did he do again?
Oh yeah. Leading scorer in school history, threw down a highlight reel dunk every other night, led Jays to the NCAA Tournament and a win over Louisville. But clearly players like that can't play for Creighton.
Let's just drop this ridiculousness pronto, can we (and you know who you are). Please? Do it for the Fro-Man. Lord knows I don't ask you for much.
You bet.
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