Needing to fill several roster spots in its 2018 class, Creighton made a big splash on Thursday evening with the commitment of 6-foot-8 big man Ian Steere. A top riser this spring, Steere gives the Bluejays an intimidating interior presence but also a big man with an evolving face-up game who should fit nicely in Omaha.
Steere, who holds a litany of scholarship offers from programs in the ACC, SEC and Big East, gives Creighton a piece to plug in immediately next year. His development seems to have happened overnight; he developed from a lightly recruited prospect into a ballplayer that was receiving overtures from some of the best programs across the nation.
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott has become known for his ability to develop and produce an appealing brand of basketball, all of which intrigued Steere.
“I just really like the trust that they had in me as a player and that they were making me a priority. They really just sold me on the plan that they had for me,” he said. “They said with my game and how I am versatile, they would use me as a 3-4 type and that I would be on the block but I could do a lot of other things in their offense.
“They want to evolve my game out to the three-point line and get me into isolation sets, so they just really had some great plans for me. I just couldn’t pass it up.”
At this time last year, Steere was playing an age level below incoming freshman Tyshon Alexander with the Team Charlotte travel program. The two reconnected during his visit to campus last month.
“He had nothing but good things to say,” stated Steere. “He looked a lot bigger, stronger and faster. He is just better as a basketball player.
“He didn’t talk a lot about the basketball program but he was trying to sell me more on the coaching; Coach (Greg) McDermott is just one of the best out there at what he does.”
Steere, Creighton's second 2018 commitment, will join Christian Bishop on campus next fall. Creighton will hope to bring Steere along the same way that they did recent NBA first-round pick Justin Patton. They now have a chance to lock in on their top guard prospects heading into the evaluation periods beginning next week.
Steere is running with the Team Charlotte 17-under team this summer.
