
Jon Walker joins the show to talk some Creighton Basketball. Matt and Jon talk about Creighton's lineup predictions.
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Matt
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile.
John Walker
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Matt
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John Walker
if we made $15 bills, but it
Matt
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John Walker
So there goes my big idea for the commercial.
Matt
Give it a try@mintmobile.com switch upfront payment
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Matt
Now back to middays with Matt on 1620 the Zone. Middays with Matt here on the 1620 the Zone radio network, we are joined by John Walker of the Omaha World Herald. J Dub, how are you, John? Do we have John potted up here getting word from Jake in the studio? Okay, we'll, we'll work on getting John Walker up here and moving in a second. We'll talk to John about Aswin Arun, say, uh, the Creighton big man who transferred from Providence. He wrote a feature on him today on Omaha.com but real quick, we said we were going to talk about Pat Kraft. You remember Pat Kraft, Matt Rules friend. Matt Rule's friend, who's also, more importantly, the athletic director of Penn State. He had some very interesting comments on Penn State's basketball team that we'll ask John Walker about once we get him up here and potted up. Here's what Pat Kraft had to say about his basketball team. Kraft says, well, the funny thing is, is that no one knows where anyone stands. He's referring to Big Ten teams and spending. So let me say that we don't, believe it or not know, we don't throw around numbers like, hey, what are you spending? What are you spending? What are you spending? First of all, that would be a recruiting disadvantage. All right? He goes, all right, are we in the top? No, we're not spending 20 million on a basketball roster. And I gotta be honest, I don't know if there will ever be a point where we would spend $20 million on a basketball roster. Pat Kraft continued and said, quote, I'm not an ATM machine. I can't just hand cash over. Right? You got to have it supported by philanthropic endeavors and corporate sponsorships. He also went ahead and said that plain and simple, giving $20 million to Nebraska, to Penn State basketball. He said, and I got to be honest, I don't know if there will ever Be a point. We would spend $20 million on a basketball roster. It's not a good investment. Let's just call it what it is. And so we will bring on John Walker of the Omaha World Herald. J Dub, we got you.
John Walker
You got me. You got me.
Matt
Beautiful, beautiful. John Walker of the owh. Real quick, did you, have you seen any of the things that Pat Kraft has been saying about his basketball roster? Did you see this? Did you hear about this at all?
John Walker
I have, I have. I saw some of the stuff. I mean, he's exactly right. It's like, yeah, if you're putting, you know, I don't. I really kind of can't believe that. What did he say, 14 million or am I tripping?
Matt
He said he was talking about 20 million. That Penn State will never have a 20 million dollar, which, by the way, they never will. That's not a crazy statement at all.
John Walker
No, no, no, no, no. So I'm just like, I'm like, yeah, you know, it's not, it's not like the talk of the town. Like we're not fools to think that in any world Penn State basketball will trump Penn State football. But God know, like, like you're in the Big Ten. There are investors, I don't know, I'm not privy to what the numbers are up that way, but they're investing in that program and nobody invests to lose money. So, like, they want you return on that investment. He's exactly right in saying that.
Matt
Yeah. And it was very. I mean, I think it was just kind of very interesting for him to just plainly say, look, you know, even if we gave our basketball team all the things that our basketball coach would want, it wouldn't be a good investment, plain and simple, you know, And I think that's kind of. It says a lot that an athletic director is just kind of willing to go out, you know, to the media and just say, hey, what's a good investment and what's not a good investment? And, you know, he had a lot of other quotes and basically said that, look like, you know, he. In his belief that Penn State basketball is getting enough money, Mike Rhodes is getting enough money to be competitive. He also did kind of mention he's got other mouths to feed with his hockey program and lacrosse program and soccer program and so on and so forth. I mean, just my question to you, I know you're a big Eastman and not so much a Big Ten man, but like, what do you think the future is for a program like Penn State where they're not Going to spend near the top of the Big Ten, and they'll probably be more toward the bottom. And what is the expectations for more teams across the country like that who are just not going to be able to compete with some of these dollar figures that the top dogs are willing to spend on their roster? What are the expectations for teams like that, in your opinion?
John Walker
Well, the expectation is to still win, but you have to get there differently. Look at Iowa, look at Nebraska before the upcoming season. Like, you know, I think we all saw the graphic last year when. Before they faced off in the. What, in the Sweet 16, in the Elite Eight. I can't remember
Matt
what two teams, what they were spending on rosters.
John Walker
Yeah, yeah. And it was like a combined 10 million, if I remember correctly. It was like somewhere right in there. It's like. It's like you have. But it works. And so you just have to get there differently. Like, Iowa and Nebraska were on the exact same stage as Duke and UConn, and so it's like, okay, clearly they can get there. All. All NCAA tournament runs are not created equal, as we know. But who cares how you get there if you get to the sweet 16, if you get to the Elite, by God, if you get to the Final Four. And so, yeah, like, you just have to get there differently is the trick. And so it's like, all right, we have to worry about fit. Yeah, that's kind of what I would. That's, you know, speaking from experience, that's what Ben McCollum did. It's not like he had a bunch of resources at the Division 2 level in a football town, 3 nil, and they still won national championships. And that's just an example. But you just have to get there differently. The expectations, while probably not as high as they would be if you were seriously investing in the program, the expectation still has to be the same. Because if you're not trying to get to the NCAA Tournament in an expanded field, why would your fans buy tickets? And if that's not your goal internally as a program, why are you fielding a team? So, yeah, I don't think the expectation changes. Really.
Matt
Wow. Yeah. I think it's wildly interesting to me, John, because, like, back in the day, you know, teams would say, oh, like, you know, this athletic department doesn't, you know, they don't care whether or not, you know, basketball wins or this sport wins. Right. But that when, before nil, that wasn't really like a dollar number thing. Right. That was more like, how were your facilities. Right. And how was your locker room and like, how was the tone around your team in terms of are people willing to do things for you and invest in different ways. I find it wildly interesting now that you still have those factors when it comes to whether or not athletic departments care about certain teams. But then you also just add in, hey, we're going to tell you blankly with a check how much we care, you know, and how much we're invested, you know, in you from now a roster standpoint. And I think that that reality, it's going to hit some coaches a different way. And I think even though I look Pat Craft's right. I mean, he's right to not fully invest in Penn State basketball because they don't bring in as much revenue as maybe some other sports. Right. Or they don't bring in as much revenue as football. And you know, their wrestling program is incredible. Right. He's right to do that. It's just remark. It's just fascinating to see. You know, it just happened plain as day. Right. And happen right in front of you. And so it's, it's, it's a, it's a very interesting development and it's something I find fascinating also. What I find fascinating is your article on Aswin Arunse, the transfer from Providence to Crayton going to be a big deal for the Blue Jays this season. What did you learn about Oswin and the process and just kind of the. What are some things that you picked up on when you wrote this feature
John Walker
on Omaha.com yeah, he's a lot more soft spoken than you think someone 60, 10 and 240 ish pounds would be. I was talking to somebody at Creighton practice after we thought, like the day we talked to him, shortly after we spoke with Oslin and they were like, he kind of has a little bit of Dikembe Mutombo in his voice. And I was like, yeah, yeah, just a little bit. And so I don't know. That was the first time we've had him in that setting. And so it's just nice to meet the dudes as much as it is the players that they are.
Matt
Yeah.
John Walker
And you know, I think we certainly got an insight into Aswan Arun say, and like we know how important he is to Creighton success this year. Like the Jays did not have a legitimate post presence. Oswin is one of the guys who took full advantage of that twice last year.
Matt
Yeah.
John Walker
And he was the guy picked to reinforce the Jays rim protection. And that's what he's here to do. We know that. But it Was nice getting an insight into Oswin because I, I think that's kind of what we got through some of his answers. Like he, yeah, he wants a lot for himself and he knows after his first two years of college how he can get that both for himself personally and how he can help the team in that regard. And those are things that you don't think about as an 18 year old freshman that you do after two seasons in the Big east, that you do with the change of scenery that you do through some of the trials and tribulations that he went through, that that team went through in the past two seasons at Providence. So yeah, we like he said he wants to be a Big east legend now. He knows. And this is the other thing, like I'm always a big fan of like awareness. Like usually if you're able to identify an issue, you can fix the issue, especially with all the resources around these players, around these programs. And Oswin was very, very aware that he has to work on his conditioning, as Alan Huss said, which in turn will make him a more disciplined player because it's no secret that he is good. He's an elite shot blocker when he's on the court. But the problem the past couple of seasons, Matt, is that he could hardly stay on the court because he fouled. So yeah, Allen Huss thinks that a large part of that is because he'd get tired and get sloppy and lose his verticality. And that's true. Oswin, here's where he really peeled back the curtain. I mean people can read between the lines. He also, I asked him about that like what he has to do to become the player he aspires to be. And he mentioned the conditioning and the discipline and the player development that he hopes to get at Creighton. And then Matt, he said it's also about the right fit.
Matt
Yeah.
John Walker
And I think it's clear at again 6 foot 10, 240 pounds a big in the league of bigs had it had a 12% usage rate last year at Providence. And that's here nor there because we'll see if he can handle a bigger load or if it what his workload is this season. But it's like he's telling us he does not believe that system was a fit for him and the numbers would suggest that. And so then like now he has a fresh start. He's in a system that he believes will fit and we'll see how it plays out. But so far so good it seems for Aspen Arunse and the Jays
Matt
let's talk about some battles going on because I know that they're practicing, they're in summer practices right now. You've been able to go and some of those media availability, see them practice. What's the guard battle looking like? A lot of interesting options for this team this season in terms of, you know, who's going to be starting at those one and two positions. And you know, I think the one thing about this roster is that the type of athlete that they have definitely allows for some flexibility in different types of lineups. What have you seen and what have you observed in terms of who might be taking those one and two spots? You got Swartz, you got Davis, you got Enos, amongst others. Just some of your takeaways from the shooting guards and guards on this team.
John Walker
Yeah, I think Enos is the starting to. I mean that he was the, he was the highest rate player in Creighton's transfer portal class top hundred guy. To put that into perspective, I think there were like over 2500 players in the portal this year. And so if you're in the top hundred, if you're in the top 250, you're in the top 10%, if you're in the top hundred, you're in the top 5% of players available in the transfer portal and in West Enis was one of them. I think he was 79, 80th somewhere right in there. All that to say I expect him to be the starting two. His sharpshooting ability is certainly going to help him there in Creighton system. And he's a rugged defender. I wrote a story about him over the weekend about how much of a vocal leader and a leadership presence he's been to this group. I just think he's the starting two guard at this point in time and I think it will be that way. The one is where it gets really interesting.
Matt
Yeah.
John Walker
Because what do you do? BJ Davis is I think assumedly the starter at the moment largely because of his experience like that. That of course has so much to do and can help players so much in today's game because let's just use Cattrall Harmon for example. When he steps out onto the court in Vegas to play Michigan. We don't know what's going to happen. I think he'll be ready for it. But at the end of the day he's a 19 year old. We have no clue what he's going to be like playing the defending national champions. Whereas not, not on an every night basis at San Diego State, but San Diego State plays a pretty, pretty nasty non con schedule every year and BJ Davis has years doing that. So he's just forged by college basketball at this point. He's calloused a little bit and just naturally Cattrall Harmon doesn't have that. But, but Matt Cattrall Harmon has looked really, really darn good this summer. And that was true last week. There's footage of it out there now. There was an alumni scrimmage. Like there was one point that Cottrell was kind of like having his way offensively and that didn't necessarily mean scoring every possession, but just setting people up, creating whatever that meant. And Jamiah Neal was like, nah, I'm not having this. And Jamiah switched on to him. So like, you know, it's summer, it's, it's, it was a fun little scrimmage slash practice, but it's like, all right, I, you know, to put it in perspective, Jamiah Neal, as we know, menacing, hard nosed defender was like, no, no, no, I'm putting an end to this. So yeah, I don't, I don't know what they do with the one. I would probably lean BJ right now because of the experience. This is actually a question somebody asked me in a mailbag that I'm writing as soon as I hop off of here. And they were like, who's your starting five at the beginning of the year? Do you think it'll be the same at the end of the year? Oh, I have my starting five. I don't think it. I, I don't think. Maybe, maybe I'm just caught up in how much the rotation was a revolving door last season and the circumstances definitely played a part in that. But with all we know about the, about college basketball season, I don't think the starting five at the end of the year will be like. The odds are that the starting five at the end of the year is not the same as it was at the beginning of the year for one reason or another. And I think a large part of that could have to, could have to do with who is Creighton's point guard? Is it BJ Davis? Is it Cattrall Harmon? Does Austin Swartz get run there? Who knows?
Matt
Okay, is your starting five. If I guess it, will you, will you tell me it?
John Walker
Oh, I mean, it's pretty, I mean, it's pretty easy, to be honest.
Matt
Yeah.
John Walker
So is it, is it outside of point guard?
Matt
Is it, is it Davis? Enos Green? McAndrew? Arunse?
John Walker
Yeah. Yeah.
Matt
Okay.
John Walker
Yeah, that's simple.
Matt
It is pretty easy. Yeah, it is pretty easy. And then what? Who's first off the bench? Harmon.
John Walker
Then you have Harmon off Austin. You have Austin, Swartz, Harmon and Greer off the bench. Oh, my goodness. My goodness.
Matt
Yeah.
John Walker
Come on.
Matt
Yeah, but then, wait, wait. So where does, where does, where does Rosa or is it Carter Givens or who's backup center?
John Walker
Well, I think, I think Jason Green's going to play a little bit five, two, nowhere near as much as he did last year, but I think he'll play a little bit of the five. And that's where having kind of longer forwards on the wings with Hudson and with Jackson would allow Jason Green to play limited minutes at the 5. And all that to say this is another question I'm answering in the mailbag, so I won't dive too deep into this one. Somebody asked me how the center position is developing and Wesley Rosa and Trayvon Carter Givens, while still raw. While still raw, I repeat, have made strides over the summer. So I'm curious to see which one of them can try and fill the void in Aswana room. Say minutes, the Jason Green minutes that he'll play like you'll have a void somewhere in there. Say it's six to eight minutes a game. Who gets those? That's the question that we still need answered. The good news is, as raw as they are, Creighton's got a. Got a couple of months to get these guys up to speed. And in Wesley Rosa's case, boy, you cannot teach being 7:2 with a freakishly long wingspan. So.
Matt
Yeah, yeah. Do you think they could do three guard lineups?
John Walker
Yeah, I do, I do.
Matt
Can you go Davis, Enos Harmon?
John Walker
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Could. You know, I think, I think about two, two years ago, Fedor's first year, Creighton's roster construction was not conducive to a guard matchup. And even with having Stephen and at the time, Pa and then eventually Jamiah, because they didn't have a third guard and they had Jason Green, so it allowed them to just stick him, stick him on whichever was the other team's best perimeter player or Jamiah, whichever one. But I remember Fedor got hurt in a Xavier matchup, I think it was in Omaha. And yeah, Creighton, Creighton like struggled with it because they didn't, they couldn't go guard for guard. They couldn't run the four guard lineup. And I don't even remember who was at the 5, whoever the stretch 5 was for Xavier. I can't even Remember? And it just hooked Creighton because it pulled Ryan Costrunner away from the rim. And then the guard, it was just four guards on two and a half guards, you know.
Matt
Yeah.
John Walker
And so, yeah, I think they could go guard. Heavy lineup. Like we saw that from Allen Huss at High Point. And, and I definitely, definitely think they have the capacity to do it this year with all the guards they brought in and, and of course returning a couple as well.
Matt
Yeah, size is a little, it's just a little worrisome because Harmon's what, six three and Enos is six two.
John Walker
But I mean, I think Harmon's like six five. Am I tripping?
Matt
That's what, 24. I looked it up. 24 seven has him to six three. But I, you could, you've seen him. I haven't seen him in person.
John Walker
I couldn't even tell you, to be honest. I have a piece of paper with
Matt
six three. One, eight eight is what he's listed on 24 7.
John Walker
Okay. Okay.
Matt
It could be different. Could be different. Could be different. Regardless, though, it'd be interesting. It'd be interesting if they went through. I mean, they definitely have the skill. They have the skill to do it. Yeah, they have the skill to do it. And hey, look at, look at that. I was talking about three guard lineups in July, baby. Give a clap for us. Give a clap. We're awesome.
John Walker
The other night to write this aqua room story and I was like, oh my God, what am I doing, man? What am I doing? But I, I like it made me feel like it was mid November and that we were in college basketball season. So bring it on, man.
Matt
That's awesome. I logged into PFF for the first time yesterday. I was so. I was all up in there. I was all up in there. I loved it. John Walker, I love having you on the show every Wednesday at 11 o'. Clock. We'll let you go. We'll talk to you next week, my friend. Thank you so much as always. Go and read his stuff. Omaha.com Omaha World Herald. John Walker new feature on Oswin Arun say released today. Go and get your reading done, J Dub. See you soon, my friend.
John Walker
See y'.
Matt
All.
John Walker
See y.
Matt
Let's have some NFL training camp updates and then odd news coming up next year on the 16th one of the zone Radio.
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Podcast: Middays With Matt
Host: Matt McMaster
Guest: John Walker (Omaha World-Herald)
Date: July 29, 2026
Episode Theme:
This episode centers on the economics and expectations of college basketball rosters, with particular focus on Pat Kraft’s public comments about Penn State basketball funding, and a deep-dive into Creighton’s season outlook—highlighting team building, positional battles, and an in-depth profile of transfer big man Aswin Arunse.
(Timestamp: 00:37 - 07:27)
Pat Kraft’s Statement: Kraft, Penn State’s Athletic Director, candidly discussed the basketball program’s financial realities and strategic allocation of resources:
Matt (Host) Reading Kraft’s Notable Quote (01:35 – 02:20):
“I'm not an ATM machine. I can't just hand cash over. You got to have it supported by philanthropic endeavors and corporate sponsorships.” — Pat Kraft, read aloud by Matt.
John Walker’s Take (03:21 – 04:16):
“Nobody invests to lose money. So… they want your return on that investment. He's exactly right in saying that.” — John Walker (03:53)
Expectations for “Non-Elite-Spending” Programs:
(Timestamp: 07:27 – 09:04)
(Timestamp: 09:04 – 12:54)
“He's telling us he does not believe that system was a fit for him and the numbers would suggest that.” — John Walker (12:05)
(Timestamp: 12:54 – 21:12)
A. Guard Position Battles
Starters’ Outlook:
“With all we know about the about college basketball season, I don't think the starting five at the end of the year will be like... the odds are that the starting five at the end of the year is not the same as it was at the beginning of the year.” — John Walker (16:52)
Projected Starting Five (Initial) (17:55):
Bench Depth:
B. Frontcourt Questions
C. Lineup Flexibility
“Nobody invests to lose money. So... they want your return on that investment. He's exactly right in saying that.”
“All NCAA tournament runs are not created equal, as we know. But who cares how you get there if you get to the sweet 16, if you get to the Elite, by God, if you get to the Final Four.”
“You just have to get there differently is the trick.”
“He wants a lot for himself and he knows after his first two years of college how he can get that both for himself personally and how he can help the team in that regard.”
“If you're not trying to get to the NCAA Tournament in an expanded field, why would your fans buy tickets? ... The expectation still has to be the same.”
Self-aware podcast banter:
For further reading:
John Walker’s featured article on Aswin Arunse now live at Omaha.com