2 - Creighton University Bluejays

Jim Flanery
Jim Flanery
Head Coach / Ninth Season / Creighton, 1987
Flanery’s Head Coaching Resume
Creighton University Head Coach, 2002-present
152-103 (.596) Overall record
93-51 (.646) MVC record
2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 Postseason WNIT
2004 Postseason WNIT Champions
2003 Postseason WNIT Final Four
2003 MVC Regular-Season Champs
Jim Flanery is in his ninth season as Creighton’s head coach and his
19th straight season on the Bluejay bench. The first eight years of the
Flanery era have seen the coach bring continued success to the
University with which he has been affiliated with over half of his life. With
Flanery at the helm over the past eight seasons, the Bluejays have
appeared in the postseason WNIT six times, recorded five 20-win seasons,
captured a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship,
played in the MVC Tournament championship game three times,
made two appearances in the postseason WNIT Final Four and captured
the first postseason national championship in school history by winning
the 2004 WNIT.
Individually, he became the winningest rookie coach in school and
league history with 24 wins during the 2002-03 season. The 48 wins his
teams compiled during his first two seasons with the Bluejays has never
been topped in MVC history. He begins his ninth season tied for the best
winning percentage (.596) in school history.
The Bluejays played in the WNIT in each of Flanery’s first three seasons,
moving Creighton’s streak of postseason appearances to four consecutive
years – a school record. The Jays notched 24 wins in both of
his first two years as head coach to continue a trend the 2001-02 squad
started, becoming the first team in league history to record three straight
seasons with at least 24 victories.
His teams have also been some of the best to put on the Bluejay uniform,
setting numerous school records. In 2008-09, the Jays allowed just
56 points per game, the top defensive team at Creighton in over 30 years.
The 2007-08 team set a school record for rebounds in a season, as the
Jays pulled down 1,342 caroms. The team established a school record
for blocked shots in Flanery’s first campaign, only to be out-done by the
2004-05 squad. That 2004-05 team also became the most accurate freethrow
shooting team in school history, shooting 75.3 percent from the
line. During his first two years, the Bluejays set school records for threepoint
field goals made.
Creighton has proved to be a national power under Flanery’s guidance,
annually ranking among the NCAA elite. Last year, the Bluejays
ranked in the NCAA top-25 in fewest turnovers per game and three-point
field goals made per game. The 2008-09 Bluejays ranked eighth in the
NCAA with just 13.5 turnovers per game. The 2007-08 squad not only
led the MVC with 222 three-point field goals made, but ranked 27th in the
NCAA in three-point field goals made per game. In 2005-06, the Jays
ranked 22nd in the country, making 6.7 treys per game. The 2004-05
team ranked in the top-25 in the NCAA in points per game, three-pointers
per game, fewest turnovers per game and free-throw shooting. The
Jays received votes in the final USA Today / ESPN poll in 2003-04, along
with ranking third in the NCAA in three-point field goals per game and
11th in fewest turnovers per game. Creighton ranked among the top-30
in the nation in three-pointers per game, steals per game, fewest
turnovers per game and points per game during the 2002-03 season.
Flanery’s engaging personality and exciting coaching style have
made the Bluejays increasingly visible in the community. Under Flanery,
the Jays have compiled an impressive 84-27 record at home, including
56-16 in MVC play. Fans have responded to the success and set singlegame
and average attendance records. The top two home crowds and
eight of the top-10 crowds in school history have come during Flanery’s
reign, while fans set an average home attendance record in 2002-03.
Last year was highlighted by the opening of the brand new on-campus
D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center.
The Bluejays played in the postseason WNIT for the sixth time in eight
years, recording their third straight 20-win season, finishing 21-11 overall
and in second place in the MVC for the second straight season. The 20-
win plateau was eclipsed for the fifth time in Flan’s first eight seasons at
the helm. He also guided the Bluejays to their second straight MVC
Tournament final and third in a four-year span. Megan Neuvirth and Sam
Schuett each earned first-team all-conference honors.
The 2008-09 Bluejays logged a 22-12 record by winning 20 of their
final 26 games after a 2-6 start to the year. The Jays also put together a
school-record 11 straight MVC wins, the longest winning streak at
Creighton since 1992. Neuvirth was tabbed the MVC Defensive Player
of the Year after turning in one of the greatest all-around seasons in
school history, which included a school-record rebound total.
In 2007-08, Flanery and the Bluejays fell one win short of a shared
MVC regular-season title and advanced to the WNIT. Their 21-12 record
marked an eight-win improvement – the 15th-best turnaround in the
nation that year. Ally Thrall earned first-team all-MVC honors and Kelsey
Woodard set a league record by earning MVC Newcomer of the Week
honors six times.
Flanery earned his 100th head coaching victory against Indiana State
on Jan. 31, 2008. The Jays followed that victory with their first win over
a ranked opponent since 1999, topping then-No. 24 Illinois State on the
Redbirds’ home court on Feb. 2. The Bluejays also owned wins over Big
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