Even before Tom Crean came to the Hoosiers,
Maurice Creek knew that Indiana University had much of what he wanted from a college: great tradition, education, and a basketball mindset.
When the Crean & Crimson era officially started and the perfect coach was added to the equation, the deal was pretty much sealed for the 6’4”, 185 lb guard out of South Kent (CT), who
committed earlier this month.
Crean had recruited Creek for much of his high school career, faithfully attending both school and AAU games, and the commitment to the prospect paid off big. “We’ve always been close,” said Creek about his relationship with the former Marquette and now mostly IU coaching staff. “They pulled that off really good.”
Creek, who was recently demoted from four-stars to a three-star rating by
Rivals.com, hopes to exceed expectations when he arrives in Bloomington.
When asked about the ratings change, he laughed and cited his school’s Saturday classes and the subsequent decrease in his court appearances as a likely factor. “I think of myself as a five-star, but it is what it is,” he said. “When I do get on the floor I’ll prove that I’m a five-star.”
Scoring the basketball will surely be Creek’s best claim to fame at IU if he does want to prove his doubters wrong, and that’s exactly what Crean hopes he will do. “He just wanted me to do what I do best, and that’s score,” Creek said about his expected role for the Hoosiers. “I can drive, I can take a man off the dribble, I can shoot over the top, and I can definitely shoot when I’m open. I see the whole floor, I create points for other people. If a guy’s open, I kick the ball out.”
When talking about his skill set, Creek finds many similarities between himself and former Hoosier phenom Eric Gordon, who also happened to be his favorite college player this year. “[Gordon] reminds me so much of myself. Both of us are scorers and both of us can shoot the ball very well. He just does a lot of stuff that I can do,” Creek said. He also said that he models himself somewhat after N.O. Hornets point guard Chris Paul, whose invitee-only camp he plans to attend next weekend, as well.
Despite his penchant for being around the ball, Creek doesn’t foresee any friction between himself and the deep stable of guards that have committed to IU over the next two seasons. In fact, he’s excited about the new opportunities. “I’d like to meet new players, just to see what they’re capable of, and to have a feel for the game and a feel for my teammates. I think I’ll fit in excellent with them.” Hopefully this attitude is prevalent in what may quickly turn into a crowded backcourt.
Scoring, however, isn’t the only thing that Creek prides himself on. He notes point guard play, rebounding, and defense as some other skills that he contributes in games. About his defense, he said, “I look for the best player on the floor, and that’s the player I’m checking. I have long arms, and my feet are pretty quick, so it’s pretty difficult to score on me.”
Surprisingly, Creek hasn’t even had a chance to make it down to see Bloomington in person yet, but he expects to change that soon when he attends Coach Crean’s IU Elite camp here on June 19.
Meanwhile, he is looking forward to being in Bloomington for the long haul:
“I just want to get in and do what I want to do, and that’s to play basketball.”
Special thanks to Maurice for this interview!
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Creek is special! I can't wait until he get up here.
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