What a gut punch

For much of his athletic life, Baylor Scheierman’s biggest plays have come on the offensive end, especially passing the ball. Everything from touchdown dimes or insane no-look dishes.
Yet, maybe his biggest play throughout March Madness was an interception. He’s been saying it for some time now. Baylor Scheierman can play defense.
Scheierman stole the ball away from San Diego State with just over 30 seconds left, right underneath his own basket to tie the game.
Unfortunately for Scheierman and Creighton, the final 30 seconds felt like 30 gut punches as the Aztecs qualified for its first final four and the Jays headed back to Omaha wondering what could have been.
With Creighton down two needing a big play, San Diego State had trouble inbounding the ball from the sideline. It was a one-on-one, with Scheierman defending.
Based on how Scheierman read this one in real time, Aurora football coach Kyle Peterson may have wanted him in the defensive secondary for once.
“We just wanted to make the catch tough and they weren’t bringing anybody else back,” Scheierman said. “It was just me and that guy, and he was posting up and yelling at the inbounder to throw it.
“As soon as he let it go, I knew he was throwing it deep, and so I just released and was able to beat him to the other side, and luckily he jumped and just whiffed totally. It just dropped right in my arms and I was able to lay it in and tie the game up.”
Let’s just address the elephant in the room right away -- the foul called on Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard with one second left.
I won’t argue the validity of the call. If it’s a foul, then it’s a foul. We can all live with that.
My problem comes with the officiating as a whole. The game was a telephone booth brawl, heavy contact throughout most of the game, sometimes looking more like a football game than basketball.
That foul call on Nembhard was ignored for the first 39 minutes and 58 seconds of the game. You can’t call that foul in that situation if it wasn’t whistled all game.
It’s argued if that call isn’t made, it’s an advantage for Creighton. However, that wasn’t called all game long. Now, in a tie game with almost no time left, it’s an insane advantage for San Diego State.
Call the game the same way during the first minute as you do in the final possession. That’s all fans want.
Creighton was only called for nine total fouls in the first 39-plus minutes of the game. Then, the refs call that? Especially in a tournament where we’ve seen 40-plus fouls in games?
What matters, though, was how Scheierman and his teammates handled the plate of bile served.
Sure, coach Greg McDermott stood up for his players with the officials during the game, but no one threw a tirade or made a gigantic scene.
Everyone says sportsmanship matters. They also say that when it doesn’t really matter.
How do you handle that in late March, a trip to the final four on the line and your teeth were just kicked in?
Scheierman and his teammates showed every young boy and girl how to do it.
That’s refreshing.
“Officiating is part of the game,” McDermott said. “We’re not going to go there. We lost a game because we didn’t do enough and San Diego State did.”
Rightly or wrongly, media members pressed Nembhard about the final foul call. He never put a word out of place.
“To witness how these guys represent the name on the front of their jersey is really what sports is all about,” McDermott said. “You win with class, and you lose with class. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Understandably, Scheierman left the floor, jersey pulled above his head and headband around his neck. His mom was shown on the broadcast, emotions overflowing.
That hit pretty hard.
But, Baylor Scheierman isn’t going to be defined by that one moment. He won’t be defined by any one three-pointer or flashy pass.
He joined a Creighton team as its missing piece. He helped lead a team to its first Elite Eight appearance in school history.
He got to live out one of his dreams, playing major college basketball just a short drive from home.
“Getting to come back home, put on the Creighton uniform, represent my home state and do something that’s never been done in Creighton basketball history,” Scheierman said. “It’s just a dream come true for a little kid who grew up in Aurora, Nebraska and dreamed of being here.”
We still don’t know what the future holds for Scheierman. He doesn’t even know as of now what is best for him.
Will he take another shot at making the NBA or run it back for one more season with what could be a fire-breathing Creighton team with revenge on its mind?
What a run, though. If that’s the last time Scheierman puts on a college basketball uniform, it’s hard to process.
Pulling for the hometown kid in the most famous basketball tournament the last three weeks has been something we may never see again.
Whatever he decides, his hometown is behind him all the way.
Just a kid from Aurora, Nebraska. Living out his dream.
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.