Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner to return for final year

Three time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner made it official on Wednesday: he wants a chance to win one more.

Kalkbrenner will use his COVID eligibility to return for one more year with the Creighton Blue Jays, coming off the best season of his career in Omaha.

The 7’0 center averaged 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, and 1.3 assists in 2023-24 with coach Greg McDermott’s team, helping lead Creighton to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and an appearance in the Sweet 16 before they fell to Tennessee .

McDermott had some fun with Kalkbrenner’s decision, mimicking a tweet from Kansas coach Bill Self last week which encouraged Hunter Dickinson to return to the Jayhawks.

Kalkbrenner then posted his announcement, returning to the Blue Jays alongside point guard Steven Ashworth and forward Mason Miller.

While the program lost Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander to the NBA, they already brought in two capable replacements in Texas Tech point guard Pop Isaacs and Arizona State wing Jamiya Neal, and will once again be among the top teams in the Big East – and the entire country.