CU's Acoff has 'serious speed'

Johnny Torres had heard Dion Acoff was fast on the soccer field.

Then the Creighton assistant coach saw Acoff play in person.

“I wasn't prepared to see the speed I saw from him,'' Torres said.

Acoff, who will play for the Bluejays this season, posted the fastest 20-meter run time (2.61 seconds) at an elite showcase camp last summer. He ran 100 meters in 10.5 seconds for Damien High School in Upland, Calif. He is now showing off his speed while playing for the United States' 18-and-under national team in international competition.

Acoff is in Omaha this week, working out with his future Creighton teammates before heading to Ireland on July 22 for another round of international competition. Earlier this summer, the U.S. team played three matches in Portugal, losing the championship 1-0 to the host country.

“One of my goals before coming to Creighton was to make the under-18 team and see where I rank among the top players,'' Acoff said. “It's a great environment to play in. It's fast, much faster than anything I've ever played in before.''

Acoff's speed allows him to keep up with the competition, but Torres said it won't be enough to make Acoff the impact player he wants to be for the Bluejays.

“Some guys have to work really hard to become good players,'' said Torres, the former Bluejay. “But Dion's been blessed with something you can't teach, and that's blazing speed. He's in position to become a very good player for this program, but it's obviously going to take a lot of hard work and discipline.''

Acoff talks about getting into the weight room when he gets back to Creighton in August and trying to add some muscle to his 5-foot-9, 150-pound frame. In the short time he's been around his future teammates, he's heard about the physical gains they made last spring under the guidance of CU strength coach Zach Duval.

Acoff also is excited about getting a chance to work with Torres, a two-time national player of the year for the Bluejays, and Jason Mims, who has been recognized by several soccer groups as one of the top assistants in the country.

Torres went on to play professionally after leaving Creighton. He has soccer knowledge that Acoff figures to tap to aid in his development.

“He's around my size, playing forward against bigger guys,'' Acoff said. “He will be able to teach me the little things that I need to improve upon. There's a lot of hitting in the college game, but the good thing about Creighton is that it likes to play a wide-open game. That's what I like.''

Torres said Acoff will need to sharpen his anticipatory skills in order to maximize his talents.

“Obviously, his speed is going to help him,'' Torres said. “But he's going to have to be aware of his environment and always be a play or two ahead in order to keep from getting himself in trouble by running into guys that weigh 180 or 200 pounds.”

So where will Acoff fit in on a Creighton team that figures to be one of the nation's best in 2009? The Bluejays return all but two starters from the 16-2-2 club that made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament before losing 1-0 to eventual national champion Maryland.

Both lost starters — Missouri Valley player of the year Andrei Gotsmanov and Tim Walters — played up front. Senior Byron Dacy, slowed last season as he recovered from major knee surgery, figures to play a more prominent role in Creighton's forward attack.

Creighton coach Bob Warming said Acoff could, too.

“We don't recruit players to fit a certain system, but we recruit players who we feel will play like we want to play,'' Warming said. “I think our kids have shown that they work hard, they run hard and they play hard.

“Until players actually get out there and experience that, it's difficult for them to realize that there is no time to rest, no time to comb your hair or pull up your socks. You have to work hard all the time if you want to play for Creighton, and I think that's one reason we're happy Dion got in this week so that he can see just how competitive our players are.''

Warming anticipates using Acoff as an attacker on the wide left or right side of the field. Dacy and sophomore Ethan Finlay played in the middle on Creighton's exhibition trip to Peru in late May, and Warming said that duo has developed some chemistry.

“They're playing well together,'' Warming said. “When we face teams that pack it in against us, we could end up with Finlay and Dion out wide and two other guys up top. I think it will vary with game situations but the easiest place for a young guy to play in our system is out wide.''

Acoff wants to make immediate contributions on a team with a chance to win it all. That's one of the reasons he picked Creighton over Saint Louis University, UCLA and UC Riverside when he was being recruited.

“The other schools didn't seem to focus on winning the NCAA title like Creighton does,'' Acoff said. “I wanted to be someplace where they want to be in the Final Four and play for a championship every year.

“I think I have a chance to come in here and get a starting spot and really make an impact on this team. I feel like I can play with these guys and do my part. The guys are all talking about winning the national championship this year, and I think we have the team that can do it.''

Growing up, Acoff once dreamed of making a mark in another sport.

“Basketball was my first love,'' he said. “Once I got older, I realized I was kind of short to play basketball so I took up soccer full time.”

When Acoff returns to Creighton next month, chances are that one of his teammates will want to test his speed and maybe challenge him to a race. Acoff modestly says there might be a player or two that can keep up with him.

Torres isn't so sure. He recalled a play the first time he saw Acoff on the field. Acoff was making a run down the middle of the field when a long pass sailed toward the left side. The goalkeeper moved out to get the ball. Acoff's defender gave up on the play, thinking there was no way anyone would get to it.

“Dion cut to his left, hit a different gear than I had ever seen and got to it,'' Torres said. “That's when I realized this guy definitely had some serious speed.''

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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