9 p.m.: At this point, criticizing any individual player for the train wreck that derailed Creighton at the Old Spice Classic could be construed as piling on.

The Bluejays all deserve plenty of credit, eh, blame for the three losses that have them reeling as they prepare to come home to face Nebraska. Certain individuals distinguished themselves over short periods of time but as coach Dana Altman said, no one player separated himself by playing well over the three games.

As I watched Sunday’s 63-55 loss to Iona, the thought did come to mind that maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the talents of guard P’Allen Stinnett. One of the most asked questions coming into this season was whether this was going to be Stinnett’s breakout season. Six games into this season, a better question might be whether is Stinnett capable of having a breakout season.

Don’t get me wrong. I like P’Allen. He has charisma and talent. He’s shown himself capable of doing some tremendous things on the court in his first two seasons. There was a general impression that some maturity issues might have stunted his growth as a freshman and a sophomore, and he’s showed signs this fall that he’s addressed those problems.

But given his performance against some top-flight talent in Orlando, one needs to ask: Just how talented from a basketball standpoint is Stinnett? Creighton fans were led to believe that he was one of the country’s top 100 or so recruits when he signed on with Creighton. Heck, Iowa State saw plenty of potential in him, and he probably would have wound up in Ames had it not been for a coaching change.

His play to this point isn’t living up to his reputation. After six games, Stinnett is averaging 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 38.8 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from 3-point range. His 14 assists, second-best on the team, are offset by a team-high 21 turnovers. He has posted a team-high eight steals.

In three games in Orlando, Stinnett scored 18 points. He made 8 of 22 shots from the field and was 2 of 11 from beyond the arc. He had 10 rebounds, two assists and 11 turnovers. Several of the latter came at the most inopportune times — two in the closing minutes of regulation in the overtime loss to No. 15 Michigan and one, on a weak pass, when Creighton was scrambling to overcome a six-point deficit against Iona. That one led to a steal, a fast-break dunk and an eight-point lead.

Game, set, match.

Throughout his Creighton career, Stinnett has shown the tendency to play out of control at the wrong times. It almost seems as if he’s trying so hard to make plays that he speeds up his game and things get out of whack. The great players let the game come to them. P’Allen almost seems to be pushing it away.

Again, it would be wrong to blame Stinnett for what is ailing the Bluejays at this moment. A month from now, CU fans could be gushing about P’Allen after he turns in a series of eye-popping performances.

At the same time, Creighton fans have been waiting for more than two seasons for the real Stinnett to stand up. A sobering thought for the blue Kool-Aid drinkers could be maybe he already has.

--Filed by Steven Pivovar

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