Ryan Kalkbrenner's emotional final moment in Creighton basketball uniform
03/23/2025 09:49 AM
For much of Saturday night’s second-round game in the NCAA Tournament, it looked like 9th-seeded Creighton basketball had a chance to shock the world. However, it didn’t have quite enough juice to keep pace with top-seed Auburn for the entire 40 minutes as Bruce Pearl’s Tigers pulled away in an 82-70 win.
One of the sadder moments of March Madness every year is watching all of the seniors and players graduating check out of the game one final time, but the moment hits different when it’s a legend. Big man Ryan Kalkbrenner has become one of the best players in the history of Creighton basketball, and he shared a touching moment with head coach Greg McDermott near the end of the contest.
Jamiya Neal, Steven Ashworth, and Ryan Kalkbrenner exit the court for @BluejayMBB as they each embrace Greg McDermott. pic.twitter.com/l4JDMrXvYl
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 23, 2025
Kalkbrenner leaves Creighton as not only a Bluejays legend, but someone whose record will live on in Big East history forever. At the end of the 2024-25 season, he became the first player since Patrick Ewing at Georgetown to win the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award four consecutive seasons.
Kalkbrenner surely has a career in the NBA ahead of him with his elite room protection and ability to finish plays around the basket. He also added a jump shot to his game this season, which should make him more of a threat offensively in the pros.
He isn’t quite ready to look forward to that just yet. After his final game, Kalkbrenner spoke about the culture at Creighton and what he has left behind for the next generation, via Clayton Collier of First Alert 6.
Ryan Kalkbrenner on the values he wants the next generation of Bluejays to carry on at Creighton:
"Being about the right things, wanting to get better. Not thinking anything is above yourself. Be willing to put in the work, and be willing to have fun."#GoJays#RDJpic.twitter.com/UUuiXyajcw
— Clayton Collier (@ClaytonJCollier) March 23, 2025
“Just keep showing up every day, being about the right things, wanting to get better,” Kalkbrenner said, via Collier. “Not thinking anything is above yourself. Be willing to put in the work, and be willing to have fun. Basketball is a game at the end of the day and you should have fun. Four, five years goes by fast so enjoy every minute of it.”
During Kalkbrenner’s time with the Bluejays, they won an NCAA Tournament game in all five seasons including two trips to the Sweet 16 and one trip to the Elite Eight. Creighton accomplished all of that despite never being seeded higher than No. 3 in its region, and Kalkbrenner’s dominance is a major reason for that.
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