OMAHA, Neb. — A Nebraska native is getting high praise from his coach as national awards consider him for player of the year honors.

Baylor Scheierman of Aurora has helped Creighton secure a top 15 national ranking amid a mid-season surge for the Bluejays. The senior leads the team with 17.8 points per game and 8.1 rebounds. He is 40 points away from becoming the first men's player in Division I history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 three-pointers in a career.

After a standout prep career at Aurora High School, Scheierman spent three seasons at South Dakota State before transferring to Creighton. 

Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott joined the “Doug and Daddy Show” on ESPN Tri-Cities on Wednesday. He said he thought Scheierman would stay in Omaha for just one year, but the Nebraska native decided late last season that he wanted to stay another year.

“I really believe, in Baylor’s mind, he felt like he could get better,” McDermott said. “That there were things that he needed to work on in the offseason to be better prepared for the Big East the second time through.”

Now, Scheierman is seeing his name listed among the country’s top players. On Tuesday, The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced that Scheierman was on the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2023-24 season thus far, the list comprises of 20 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport's most prestigious honor.

On Wednesday, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Scheierman is one of 10 candidates on the Mid Season Watch List for the 2024 Julius Erving Award. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer Julius Erving, the annual honor recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball.