Greg McDermott (born November 25, 1964) is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

coach who has been the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team since 2010. Previously, McDermott served as the head coach at

Wayne State College Wayne State College is a public college in Wayne, Nebraska. It is part of the Nebraska State College System and enrolls 4,202 students. The college opened as a public normal school in 1910 after the state purchased the private Nebraska Normal Co ...

North Dakota State North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...

Northern Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, and Iowa State. He is the father of NBA player

Doug McDermott Douglas Richard McDermott (born January 3, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While playing college basketball for Creighton University, he led the nation i ...

Early life

McDermott grew up in

Cascade, Iowa Cascade is a city in Dubuque and Jones counties, Iowa, United States. The Dubuque County portion is part of Dubuque Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Jones County section is part of Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. The popula ...

, and played basketball for Cascade High School. A 6'8"

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, he then played college basketball for the Northern Iowa Panthers from 1984 to 1988. In 1988, he earned a B.A. degree from Northern Iowa. He is the father of current

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player

Coaching career

Early coaching career

McDermott began his coaching career as an assistant coach at

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

between 1989 and 1994, and during his tenure helped lead the Fighting Sioux to five consecutive NCAA Division II tournaments. On March 29, 1994, he accepted his first head coaching position at Division II

. McDermott remained as the head coach at Wayne State College for six seasons and compiled an overall record of 116 wins and 53 losses (116–53) during his tenure there from 1994 to 2000.

North Dakota State

In April 2000, McDermott resigned his Wayne State post and accepted the head coaching position at

. In his lone season with State, he led the Bison to an overall record of 15 wins and 11 losses (15–11) en route to an eighth place finish in the

North Central Conference The North Central Conference (NCC), also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II. History The NCC ...

Northern Iowa

On April 3, 2001, McDermott was introduced as head coach at his alma mater,

. McDermott remained as the Panthers' head coach for five seasons between 2001 and 2006. During his tenure he led Northern Iowa to an overall record of 90 wins and 63 losses (90–63), the 2004

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

tournament championship and the 2004,

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, and 2006 NCAA Tournaments.

Iowa State

McDermott resigned his position with Northern Iowa on March 21, 2006, and accepted the same one at Iowa State. McDermott was the Cyclones' head coach for four seasons between 2007 and 2010, and during his tenure led them to an overall record of 59 wins and 68 losses (59–68). His marquee victory at Iowa State came on March 6, 2010, against No. 5

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

. This was his only victory over a ranked team while with the Cyclones.

Creighton

On April 26, 2010, he resigned from Iowa State and accepted the same position at Creighton. The contract with Creighton was a reported ten-year deal, worth well over one million dollars per season.

2010–11 season

In his first season with the Bluejays, McDermott led the team to a 23–16 record, 10–8 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton reached the final round of the College Basketball Invitational tournament where they lost to

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

two games to one.

2011–12 season

In just his second year, McDermott led Creighton to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship. The Bluejays were ranked as high as No. 12 in the nation, finished sixth nationally in home attendance, and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region. Creighton would defeat

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58–57 in the first round, and lose to UNC 87–73 in the second round.

2012–13 season

Entering the 2012–13 season, McDermott had Creighton in the rankings in both preseason polls; they were No. 15 in the

USA Today Coaches Poll The Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. The football version of the poll has been known officiall ...

and No. 16 in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

. McDermott would lead Creighton to the MVC regular season championship, and its second straight MVC conference tournament championship. The Bluejays were ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation and finished sixth nationally in home attendance for the second consecutive year. The Bluejays received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they were the No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region. Creighton would defeat

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

67–63 in the first round, and lose to

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

66–50 in the second round.

2013–14 season

After the end of the 2012–13 season, Creighton left the Missouri Valley to join the

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

. In his fourth year at Creighton and first in the Big East, McDermott would lead Creighton to a runner-up finish in the Big East regular season and tournament. The Bluejays were ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation, and finished sixth nationally in home attendance for the third consecutive year. The Bluejays lost to Providence 65–58 in the finals of the Big East tournament, and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the West Region, the highest NCAA Tournament seed in Creighton history. Creighton would defeat

UL Lafayette The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...

76–66 in the first round, and lose to Baylor 85–55 in the second round.

2014–15 season

Despite being ranked as high as No. 23 during the season, McDermott would have his first losing season at Creighton as they finished in a tie for last place in the Big East with a record of 14–19, 4–14 in conference play.

2015–16 season

In his sixth season with Creighton, McDermott led the Bluejays to a sixth place finish in the

with a record of 18–13, 9–9 in conference play. In the quarterfinals of the NIT, they lost to

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

88–82 to finish the season 20–15.

2016–17 season

Entering the 2016–17 season, Creighton was ranked in both preseason polls. McDermott led the Bluejays to an 18–1 start and a ranking as high as No. 7 in the nation. The team finished the regular season 23–8, and lost to Villanova in the Big East tournament finals. The Bluejays received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region, and lost to the

Rhode Island Rams The Rhode Island Rams are the athletic programs of the University of Rhode Island, based in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. The Rams compete in the NCAA's Division I as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The football team, howev ...

84–72 in the first round to finish the season 25–10.

2017–18 season

McDermott led the 2017–2018 Bluejays to a 21–12 record, 10–8 in Big East play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament to

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

72–68. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the South Region. There, the Bluejays lost in the first round to

69–59.

2018–19 season

The Bluejays finished the season 20–15, 9–9 in Big East play to finish in a four-way tie for third place. As the No. 5 seed in the Big East tournament, they lost to Xavier in the quarterfinals. They received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the NIT bracket where they defeated Loyola and

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before losing to TCU 71–58 in the quarterfinals.

2019–20 season

Entering the 2019–20 season, the Bluejays were picked to finish 7th in the Big East, however McDermott and his team were able to finish tied for the Big East regular season championship with Villanova and

Seton Hall Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesa ...

. The Bluejays received the number 1 seed in the Big East tournament, and finished with a 24–7 record, 13–5 in the Big East. The Jays finished with a ranking of 7th in the nation which was their highest ranking of the season. Due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

outbreak, both the Big East tournament and the NCAA Tournament were cancelled. McDermott would record his 500th win as a head coach in this season with a 77–65 win over Xavier.

2020–21 season

On Thursday, February 27, 2021, McDermott used an "insensitive and racist" analogy ("Guys, we need to stick together....We need both feet in. I need everybody to stay on the plantation. I can't have anybody leave the plantation.") while speaking to his team in the locker room after a 77–69 loss to the

Xavier Musketeers The Xavier Musketeers are the 16 teams representing Xavier University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. The Musk ...

. McDermott apologized for his actions, and was suspended by the university from all team activities for four days. Assistant coach Alan Huss served as interim head coach and coached the Bluejays to a 93–73 win over the

Butler Bulldogs The Butler Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent Butler University, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Bulldogs participate in 20 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. After leaving the Horizon League following the 2011–12 seas ...

on March 6. McDermott was reinstated on March 8, 2021. Creighton finished the 2020–21 regular season with an 18–7 record, 14–6 in conference play, to finish in second place in the Big East. Creighton received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the West Region. In the first round, the Bluejays defeated the

UCSB Gauchos The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the intercollegiate athletic teams who represent the University of California, Santa Barbara. Referred to in athletic competition as ''UC Santa Barbara'' or ''UCSB'', the Gauchos participate in 19 NCAA Division I ...

63–62. In the second round, the Bluejays defeated the

Ohio Bobcats The Ohio Bobcats are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio University, located in Athens, Ohio, United States. Ohio University is a charter member (1946) of the Mid-Amer ...

72–58, to reach the program's first regional semifinal since 1974. Creighton was defeated by Gonzaga 83–65, to finish the season with a record of 22–9.

2021–22 season

During the 2021–22 regular season, largely regarded as a rebuilding year after the departure of star point guard Marcus Zegarowski and three other starters from the 2020–2021 roster, as well as two assistant coaches, McDermott nevertheless guided the Bluejays to a 20–10 regular season record (12–7 in Big East play), good enough for 4th place. Creighton received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region. In the first round, the Bluejays defeated the

San Diego State Aztecs The San Diego State Aztecs are the athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). San Diego State currently sponsors six men's and eleven women's sports at the varsity level. The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I ( FBS for foo ...

72–69 in overtime. In the second round, the Bluejays lost to the

Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a mem ...

79–72, to finish the season with a record of 23–12. On March 22, 2022, McDermott received a "multi-year" contract extension. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Head coaching record

References

External links

Creighton profile

Iowa State profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDermott, Greg 1964 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Iowa Basketball players from Iowa Centers (basketball) College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Creighton Bluejays men's basketball coaches Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball coaches North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's basketball coaches North Dakota State Bison men's basketball coaches Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball coaches Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball players People from Cascade, Iowa United States Sports Academy alumni Wayne State Wildcats men's basketball coaches