Intense Dotzler making his point

Don't expect to find the impact Josh Dotzler had on Creighton's first victory neatly summarized in the box score.

Guard Josh Dotzler got Creighton's "defensive motor going" against New Mexico, Bluejays coach Dana Altman said.Dotzler made one layup and two free throws in the Bluejays' 82-75 victory over New Mexico. He chipped in three assists, tied his career high with five steals and had one turnover.

The numbers were modest but Dotzler's teammates and coaches came away from the dramatic comeback win convinced the senior guard's contributions were every bit as important as the 30 points scored by P'Allen Stinnett or the 26 Booker Woodfox added.

"Without his ball pressure, we probably wouldn't have been able to come back," Stinnett said. "He got the whole team going. It was like a virus. Once we saw Josh giving it his all, we figured we had no choice."Once he got it going, we just followed."

Creighton coach Dana Altman had no doubts Dotzler was the key to the rally that saw Creighton erase a 16-point deficit in the final 10 minutes."If it hadn't been for Josh getting our defensive motor going," Altman said, "I don't think we would have gotten back into the game, period."

Dotzler had all of his points and assists and two of his steals in the second half. What the numbers don't reflect is the defensive intensity he brought to the court. He harassed New Mexico point guards Dairese Gary and Nate Garth, preventing them from getting into position to set up teammates as they did repeatedly in the first half.Gary finished with 14 points but he had four turnovers, including two down the stretch when Creighton went on a 14-0 run. Garth had five points and five assists but committed a game-high six turnovers.

"A lot of our fans don't appreciate what Josh does for our ball team, but our players do and our coaching staff does," Altman said. "Today was an example of what he does for us. He got the right people the ball and he gave us a defensive presence when nobody else could."For a team that really needed a spark and for somebody to start competing, he was the guy that got us going."

The 6-foot-1 Dotzler has never been a big scorer for the Bluejays but his offensive contributions really dipped after injuries mounted at the end of his freshman season and the start of his sophomore campaign.He averaged 6.4 points a game as a freshman before a knee injury sidelined him for the season's final seven games. Creighton was 17-6 that season when Dotzler was in the lineup and 3-4 without him.The Bellevue West graduate was at less than full strength at the start of his sophomore season, then suffered dislocated fingers on both hands in a December game against Valparaiso.

He had surgery to repair the injury to his left index finger and struggled the remainder of the season, finishing with a 2.2 scoring average.Dotzler came back to start all 33 games last season, averaging 3.4 points while finishing fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference in steals and eighth in assists. He came into his senior season ranked second in steals (126), third in assists (267), fourth in games started (61), sixth in minutes played (1,953) and eighth in free-throw percentage (.759) among active players in the league.

The number his teammates respect the most is 100. That's the percent of effort Dotzler gives whenever he is on the court."Josh always is going as hard as he can," Woodfox said. "Guards don't want to go against him. He's strong. His nickname is 'Diesel.' Whenever he's on you, it's tough to get by him."

Dotzler said former teammate Nick Bahe hung the nickname on him. "Diesel" also is one of the nicknames for Shaquille O'Neal, considered one of the strongest players in professional basketball.

"I've always worked hard in the weight room, which is where I think it (nickname) came from," Dotzler said. "I do take pride in trying to be a physical player and trying to be aggressive. Guys know in practice that I'm not going to give up any layups."I'd rather give a hard foul than give up a layup."

When the Bluejays needed someone to give them a lift against New Mexico, it was Dotzler who stepped up.

"He got us into the fight," Altman said. "We weren't even in it until Josh got us going."