Creighton University Women's Basketball

Flanery is the all-time victory leader for Creighton (269 and counting). He led the Bluejays to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history in 2012 & 2013 and guided Creighton into the BIG EAST Conference in 2013-14.   Flanery has led the Bluejays to the postseason 12 times, including the past nine seasons, and has recorded eight 20-win seasons. He has two Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championships (2003 & 2013), an MVC Tournament Championship (2012) and brought Creighton to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game four times. In addition, Creighton has made two appearances in the WNIT Final Four, capturing the 2004 WNIT championship. Entering 2015-16 with high hopes to return to the NCAA Tournament, Creighton battled through an injury-plagued season to reach the BIG EAST Tournament championship game before bowing out to St. Johns in the final. The three victories in the BIG EAST Tournament allowed the Bluejays to become eligible for WNIT play, where Creighton fell to eventual champion South Dakota, 74-68 on March 16. The Bluejays second season in the BIG EAST (2014-15) was one of change, featuring five freshmen on the roster. Creighton closed the season with a 17-14 mark and a 10-8 record in conference action. The Bluejays secured their eighth consecutive postseason appearance, reaching the WNIT for the second consecutive season. In its first year as a member of the BIG EAST, the Bluejays defeated each of their nine new conference foes at least once in 2013-14. Creighton posted a 20-14 overall record and closed conference play at 12-6 to tie for third place. The Bluejays battled their way to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament and closed the season in the second round of the WNIT. Marissa Janning led Creighton with 599 points as she garnered the BIG EAST Player of the Year honor and earned WBCA All-America Honorable Mention. The Bluejays reached new heights in 2012-13, posting 25 wins (25-8) for the first time under Flanery. Creighton also collected the third NCAA victory in program history, a 61-56 win over No. 22 Syracuse on March 23. Creighton reached the Big Dance with just the second NCAA at-large berth in Bluejay history, claiming a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship. The 2012-13 season also featured a home victory over No. 25 Nebraska (66-57 on Dec. 5) and a 17-point comeback win over BYU at the home of the Utah Jazz. In addition, Creighton claimed a tournament championship in Cancun by downing Miami (Ohio) and South Florida and also posted an  undefeated home record in MVC play. Flanery reached two personal milestones in 2012-13, surpassing Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen as Creightons all-time victory leader with his 197th win over Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 21 (66-57) and claiming his 200th win on Jan. 5 at Southern Illinois (81-60). Along the way several players achieved individual honors, led by Janning (Full-Court Freshman All-American, MVC Freshman of the Year, All-MVC First Team) and Sarah Nelson (All-MVC First Team, DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team). The previous season, 2011-12, saw the Bluejays deliver an impressive effort against No. 14 St. Johns in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Despite falling to the Red Storm, 69-67, Creighton forced its future BIG EAST Conference rival into a last-second dash to the basket and a tear-drop bucket to secure the win. Creighton finished the 2011-12 campaign with a 20-13 record, including wins in eight of its final 10 games. The Bluejays earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance under Flanery with a run to the MVC Tournament Championship featuring wins over Northern Iowa (53-46), Missouri State (56-47) and Drake (53-38) in the final. The 2010-11 Bluejays finished second in the MVC for the third consecutive season, posting an 18-13 overall mark. Carli Tritz was named the MVC Freshman of the Year after setting a league record by earning MVC Newcomer of the Week honors nine times. In 2009-10, the Bluejays recorded their third straight 20-win season, finishing 21-11 overall. Flanery 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-MVC honors, Creightons first duo on the MVC First Team since Laura Spanheimer and Angie Janis in 2005. 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 Bluejays put together a school-record 11 straight MVC wins. 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 (325). In 2007-08, Flanery and the Bluejays fell one win short of a shared MVC regular-season title, advancing to the WNIT. Their 21-12 record marked an eight-win improvement the 15th-best turnaround in the nation that year. Flanery earned his 100th head coaching victory against Indiana State on Jan. 31, 2008. The Bluejays followed that victory by topping No. 24 Illinois State on the Redbirds home court on Feb. 2 (75-71). Paving the way for the successful 2007-08 campaign was a strong second half in 2006-07, led by the duo of Neuvirth and Schuett. Neuvirth was tabbed the MVC Newcomer of the Year after leading the MVC in steals, while Schuett was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team. The 2004-05 season witnessed Flanery engineer a 19-10 campaign and a third straight invite to the WNIT. The Bluejays remained among the MVCs best, tying for a second-place finish at 13-5 in conference play. Creighton went 3-0 against Big 12 teams and put together an eight-game winning streak during the heart of the season. Flanery and the Bluejays concluded the 2003-04 season by claiming the first national postseason tournament title in school history, capturing the WNIT Championship. Their 5-0 run through the postseason was capped by a 73-52 rout of UNLV at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. Creighton arrived at the championship with two road victories, topping two Pac-10 teams (Washington, Oregon State) and cruising through three home games. The Bluejays became the first team from the MVC to win the WNIT. Flanerys team set a then-WNIT record by making 44 three-point field goals, while shooting 89.9 percent (71-for-79) from the free throw line in the event. Flanery posted the best rookie season by a head coach in school and MVC history in 2002-03, as he guided his Bluejays to their second consecutive Valley regular-season title and a WNIT semifinal appearance. After serving as the Bluejays top assistant coach for the previous decade, Flanery tallied a 24-9 overall record in his first season, 13-5 in the MVC. His 24 wins surpassed his predecessor, Connie Yori, for the most successful rookie coaching campaign in school history. His win total also made him the most successful first-year coach in conference history, topping Lisa Stones 23 wins at Drake in 2000-01. He went on to tie Stone, following the 2003-04 season, for the best two-year start in league history, with 48 victories. Flanery has put his stamp on Bluejay history; two specific traits are a propensity to shoot the three-pointer and the willingness to play any team. Prior to Flanerys tenure, Creighton teams had made 200 three-pointers in a season just twice. Including last year, the Bluejays have now eclipsed 200 three-point field goals in a season in 11 of his 14 campaigns at the helm. The Bluejays shattered that mark in 2012-13 with the 302 trifectas, the previous mark was 260 during in 2003-04. Flanerys scheduling philosophy has always been to improve, you must face tough opposition. During Flanerys 14 seasons, Creighton has played 28 ranked opponents, including three in 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 & 2015-16. One of the more remarkable aspects of Flanerys scheduling has been his ability to bring top teams to play the Bluejays in Omaha, highlighted by a visit from No. 3 Notre Dame during the 2011-12 season. Creighton has become a national power under Flanerys guidance, annually ranking among the NCAA elite. Last season the Bluejays were fifth in the nation in free throw percentage (78.2%) and 11th in fewest turnovers at 12.3 per game. In 2012-13 Creighton finished second in the NCAA in three-pointers per game with 9.2 per contest. The 2008-09 Bluejays ranked eighth in the NCAA with just 13.5 turnovers per game. The 2005-06 squad 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 Bluejays 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. Flanerys engaging personality and exciting coaching style have made the Bluejays increasingly visible in the community. The Bluejays moved into D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center prior to the 2009-10 season and have posted an impressive 74-23 record in the venue. Under Flanery, the Bluejays have compiled a 146-48 record at home. Fans have responded to the success, setting single-game and average attendance records. The top two home crowds and eight of the top-10 crowds in school history have come during Flanerys reign. Fans set an home attendance record in 2002-03 with 1,861 fans per game. Individuals have also excelled under Flanerys mentoring. In addition to Janning and Neuvirths honors, Laura Spanheimer earned MVC Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and became the first player in league history to be named to the all-defensive team four times. Spanheimer also twice earned WNIT All-Tournament recognition. Christy Neneman was tabbed the 2004 WNIT Most Valuable Player and the 2003 MVC Player of the Year under Flanerys watch. In 2010-11, Tritz became the first MVC Freshman of the Year for the Bluejays since 1994. Tritz went on to claim the 2012 MVC Tournament MVP honor. The following season, Janning became the second MVC Freshman of the Year and the first Bluejay to claim a Freshman All-American nod (Full-Court). In 2013-14 Janning hauled in the first postseason All-American honor, capturing Honorable Mention from the WBCA. He has also guided one of the top academic teams in the nation during his stint at Creighton, beginning as an assistant coach in 1992. Since 1992, the Bluejays team grade-point average has ranked in the top 10 nationally five times, including a No. 4 ranking in 2010-11 and a No. 5 ranking in the 2009-10 WBCA Academic Top 25. Eighteen All-MVC First Team Scholar-Athletes have played for Flanery, including two Academic All-Americans, while both Spanheimer and Dayna Finch earned MVC Prairie Farms Scholar Athlete of the Year recognition. Flanery became the Bluejay head coach on July 19, 2002, four weeks after Yoris resignation. He is the sixth head coach in womens hoops history at Creighton, and just the third since 1980. He succeeded long-time coaching partner, Yori, who he had been on staff with since his graduate assistant days at Creighton in the late 1980s. Following graduation, Flanery joined current Director of Athletics Bruce Rasmussens Bluejay coaching staff as a graduate assistant for the 1987-88 season. He remained on the Creighton womens basketball staff through the 1989-90 season, joining Yori at Loras College (Iowa) for two seasons prior to the 1990-91 season. When Yori was tabbed as the head coach at Creighton prior to the 1992-93 season, Flanery once again joined forces with her to continue the winning tradition Rasmussen. As Yoris top assistant, Flanery and the Bluejays notched a 170-115 record in a 10-year span. The Bluejays made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and earned one invite to the WNIT with Flanery on the sidelines as an assistant. A 1987 Creighton graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy, Flanery was a member of the Bluejay mens basketball team from 1985 to 1987 and was also a member of the Creighton mens golf team. Flanery and his wife, Emily, have a seven-year-old son, Jackson, and welcomed their daughter Brynn to the world in June of 2013. Flanery is originally from Guthrie Center, Iowa, where he starred on the basketball, baseball and golf teams at Guthrie Center High School.

Vickers returns for her 13th season on the Creighton womens basketball staff, including her fourth season as the Director of Basketball Operations. Vickers served as an assistant coach for the Bluejays from 2006-13 and was the graduate manager for two seasons (2004-06). Amongst Vickers responsibilities include coordinating camps, marketing the team, coordinating travel and setting up community outreach. Vickers impact on the Creighton program has been impressive. Her coaching of forwards Megan Neuvirth and Sam Schuett helped the duo to impressive freshmen campaigns in 2006-07. Neuvirth led the team and Missouri Valley Conference in steals, topped the team in rebounding and earned league Newcomer of the Year honors, while Schuett led the Jays in three-point shooting and earned MVC All-Freshman Team recognition. Neuvirth, the 2008-09 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, had an outstanding career, finishing with more than 1,200 points and a school-record 929 career rebounds. Both Neuvirth and Schuett earned All-MVC First Team honors in 2009-10. The former Jenny Burns was a forward for the Bluejays from 1999 through 2003. Prior to returning to the Bluejay bench, Vickers spent the 2003-04 season as an intern in the Creighton athletics department working with both marketing and ticketing. She also spent a semester each as a student teacher and a substitute teacher in the Bellevue, Neb., school district. While working at Bellevue West High School with current Creighton assistant Matt Fritsche, Vickers coached the junior varsity basketball team. She has also coached with the Crusaders summer basketball program. The Minnetonka, Minn., native was a starter on Creightons back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship teams in 2001-02 and 2002-03. She was a major contributor to Creightons 2002 NCAA Tournament team and 2003 WNIT Final Four squad. Vickers was twice named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and earned CoSIDA Academic All-District VII Second Team accolades as a senior while graduating with a 3.96 grade-point average. She led the Jays in blocked shots as a senior and finished her career ranked in the top-10 in Creighton career blocked shots. Despite battling injuries during her first two seasons, she ranked eighth in games played when she finished her career. Vickers earned bachelor of arts degrees in history and secondary education in December 2003. She and her husband, Steve, reside in Omaha and have children, Connor, Sam and Walter. Flanery on Vickers: Jenny is really easy to work with, trustworthy and dependable with how she goes about her business. Although she isnt on the court, she provides an immense amount of comfort and stability to the players and the program as a whole.