Creighton University Athletics

2023-24 Updated Bio (PDF)

    The dean of BIG EAST coaches, Greg McDermott enters his 14th season at Creighton looking to build upon last year’s Elite Eight finish.

    Named the 16th head coach in Creighton men’s basketball history on April 27, 2010, McDermott boasts a 300-150 record in his first 13 seasons, while returning the program to the national rankings with an up-tempo style of play that has seen fans turn out in record numbers.

    Thirty of 31 seniors to complete their eligibility the past 10 years have earned their undergraduate degree, with 22 going on to play professionally and four others to graduate school.

    Last season McDermott led a Bluejay team to its first preseason top-10 ranking, then helped the club move as high as seventh in the AP poll after reaching the finals of the Maui Invitational. The Bluejays then nearly became the first No. 6 seed to reach the Final Four in 30 seasons when it lost an Elite Eight game by one point in the final seconds. It was Creighton’s third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

    After losing all five starters from its 2020-21 squad that reached the program’s first Sweet 16 since 1974, Creighton brought in a top-10 recruiting class in 2021-22. The end result was a 23-12 final record, Ryan Kalkbrenner being named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and Ryan Nembhard, Arthur Kaluma and Trey Alexander all earning a spot on the league’s All-Freshman Team.

    CU’s 2020-21 team earned a runner-up finish in the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament. The Bluejays received a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where it opened with a 63-62 win over UCSB before beating Ohio to reach the program’s first Sweet 16 since 1974. Point guard Marcus Zegarowski was named an Honorable Mention All-American and became an NBA Draft pick by the Brooklyn Nets.

    McDermott picked up five different Coach of the Year honors in 2019-20 after guiding a Creighton team that was picked to finish seventh in the preseason BIG EAST poll to a No. 7 national ranking in the year-end AP poll. Creighton won a school-record six games vs. top-25 foes, including three top-10 triumphs, and also attracted a record 311,651 fans at CHI Health Center Omaha. McDermott won his 500th career game during the year, a Jan. 11 victory at Xavier.

    The Bluejays were the top seed for the BIG EAST Tournament and headed towards a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season prematurely.

    Along the way, Ty-Shon Alexander emerged as an elite guard on both ends of the floor, Zegarowski developed into one of the nation’s top playmakers and Denzel Mahoney won the BIG EAST’s Sixth Man Award.
 
    In 2018-19 McDermott guided Creighton to wins away from home over No. 10 Marquette and No. 16 Clemson, the Cayman Islands Classic title, and a third straight third-place finish in the BIG EAST.  Alexander increased his scoring average by 10 points, Zegarowski was named to the All-Freshman Team, and Martin Krampelj developed into one of the top post players in the BIG EAST while overcoming his third ACL injury. The Bluejays reached the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament after being picked to finish ninth in the BIG EAST.

    McDermott helped Creighton’s 2017-18 team return to the NCAA Tournament after wins over No. 3 Villanova, No. 19 Seton Hall,  No. 20 Northwestern and No. 23 UCLA. CU ranked fifth nationally with 17,000 fans per home game, and handed eventual national champ Villanova its final loss of the season on Feb. 24th. Marcus Foster was named First Team All-BIG EAST for the second straight year and Khyri Thomas repeated as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year before turning pro and being the 38th pick in the NBA Draft.

    McDermott was also honored after the 2017-18 season with the NABC’s Coaches vs. Cancer Champions Award, a testament to his work in the community and with the program’s annual Pink Out game.

    Creighton’s 2016-17 team went 25-10, spending 16 consecutive weeks in the top-25, including a program-record No. 7 mark on January 16th. CU won the Paradise Jam and scored a school-record 2,864 points while posting four victories against top-25 competition. The Bluejays started the season 18-1 for  the program’s best 19 game start ever, and its 13 victories to start the campaign was its best since 1942-43. CU also finished fifth nationally in home attendance.

    That team was aided by the successful integration of the top scoring newcomer in program history, Foster (18.2 ppg.), as well as 7-foot center Justin Patton, who declared for the NBA Draft after his redshirt freshman season and went 16th overall.

    Creighton’s 2015-16 team finished 20-15, winning a pair of postseason games to reach the quarterfinals of the NIT. The Bluejays won the Men Who Speak Up Main Event in Las Vegas, beat rival Nebraska by double-digits for a fifth straight season, and picked up victories over No. 5 Xavier and No. 18 Butler.

    In 2013-14 McDermott’s club led the nation in three-point percentage, three-pointers made and assist/turnover ratio, while also ranking second in three-pointers per game and assists per game. His son, Doug, swept all 14 National Player of the Year awards, led the nation in scoring (26.7 ppg.), became the fifth-leading scorer in Division I history (3,150 career points) and went on to become the 11th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

    Making a huge leap from the Missouri Valley Conference to the mighty BIG EAST in 2013-14, Creighton finished second in its new conference in both the regular-season and league tournament. In the process, CU owned a pair of lopsided wins over top-10 Villanova, including a 96-68 road win that saw the Bluejays drain a three-pointer on each of their first nine possessions.

    His 2012-13 team swept the MVC regular-season and tournament titles, defeating rival Wichita State in both deciding contests, and finished 28-8. The Bluejays won an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons for the first time, before falling to Duke in the third round.

    During the 2012-13 campaign Doug McDermott repeated as MVC Player of the Year and once again was named First Team All-American. He led the nation in field goals made and points scored, while then-CU records for points in a season and career. Additionally, Grant Gibbs and Gregory Echenique were named Honorable Mention All-MVC, with Echenique earning a spot on the All-Defensive Team for a third straight year. Ethan Wragge was named MVC Sixth Man of the Year.

    Creighton tied a school record in 2011-12 with 29 wins and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament, while establishing a then-record with 2,772 points. The program spent 16 weeks ranked in the Top 25, and earned its inaugural First Team AP All-American in history when his son was honored following a record-setting season. Doug was the first sophomore in league history named MVC Player of the Year, setting a school record with 801 points, while also leading the nation with 307 field goals.

    Creighton finished the year ranked No. 19 in the AP poll, and also ranked sixth nationally with an average home attendance of 16,665.

    McDermott’s first year in Omaha was a success. He led Creighton to a 23-16 record as the Jays won a school-record four postseason games, advancing to the CBI finals.

    Doug McDermott swept MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year awards while becoming the first freshman since 1952 to be named First Team All-MVC. Point guard Antoine Young was named Second Team All-Valley and also earned a spot on the MVC’s Most-Improved Team. Echenique was named to the MVC All-Newcomer and All-Defensive Teams, while McDermott and Jahenns Manigat landed All-Freshman Team spots.

    A native of Cascade, Iowa, Greg McDermott owns a 449-281 record in 22 seasons on the Division I sidelines. He has a 580-345 career mark in 29 seasons as a head coach, which includes 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament.

    Before coming to Creighton, McDermott won 59 games in four seasons as head coach at Iowa State. He coached five players who earned all-conference recognition, including Craig Brackins , who in 2009 was the first Cyclone since 2001 to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors. He also coached Mike Taylor, who was a second-round pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and played for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008-09.

     McDermott’s meteoric rise in the head coaching ranks occurred in his five seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, Northern Iowa. Taking over a program that had not posted a winning season since 1997, McDermott’s recipe for success launched the UNI program into the national spotlight. In his third season with the Panthers, McDermott led UNI to the 2004 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and its second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history while recording a 21-10 mark.

    He backed up UNI’s 2004 season with yet another NCAA Tournament bid in 2005, this time earning the Panthers’ first at-large berth with a No. 11 seed. The Panthers tallied a 21-11 record and took No. 6 seed Wisconsin to the wire, falling 57-52. The 2006 UNI season was just as successful, as McDermott led the Panthers to their first Associated Press Top 25 ranking while tying a then-school record with 23 wins. UNI defeated five NCAA Tournament teams en route to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance with a No. 10 seed. McDermott compiled a 90-63 record at UNI, earning him a spot in the school’s Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

    McDermott has coached 49 players who have earned some sort of postseason league award in his 22 years as a Division I coach, including four players who earned First Team All-MVC honors a combined seven times (Doug McDermott, David Gruber, Ben Jacobson, Grant Stout), one First Team All-Big 12 pick (Craig Brackins), five First Team All BIG EAST picks (Doug McDermott, Marcus Foster, Ty-Shon Alexander, Marcus Zegarowski and Ryan Kalkbrenner) as well as the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2017 (Justin Patton) and 2022 (Ryan Nembhard).

    McDermott received his first head coaching job at Wayne State (Neb.) from 1994-2000. He led the Wildcats to four-straight 20-win seasons, one Northern Sun Conference title and a pair of NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 berth in 2000. He won 116 games in his six years with the Wildcats while earning conference coach of the year honors in 2000.
 
    He left Wayne State to take over the coaching duties at Division II North Dakota State for one season (2000-01) before heading to Cedar Falls. The Bison finished 15-11 overall and defeated three top-25 opponents on the road.

    McDermott began his coaching career as an assistant at the University of North Dakota from 1989-94. During his tenure, UND made five consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, were ranked No. 1 in the final 1991 NCAA poll and won two North Central Conference crowns. He was also a part of two North Central Region Championships and compiled a 126-37 record in six years.

    An All-State center for Cascade High School in 1983, McDermott entered the IHSAA Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Cascade High School Hall of Fame in 2022 for his playing prowess as a prep.
 
    He accepted UNI head coach Jim Berry’s scholarship offer to play for the Panthers. He played three years for Berry and two seasons for the legendary Eldon Miller, recording 1,033 career points to rank 39th on UNI’s all-time scoring chart.

    As a junior at UNI he ranked 16th nationally in field-goal percentage (58.7 percent) and shot 60.3 percent from the field as a senior. The 6-foot-8 center was named Second Team All-Mid-Continent Conference as a junior and was a team co-captain as a senior. McDermott received his degree from Northern Iowa in 1988.

    He played professionally in Switzerland for one season after graduation before beginning his coaching career.

    McDermott and his wife, Theresa, have three children: Nick, Doug and Sydney. Doug plays for the San Antonio Spurs and enters his 10th NBA season in 2023-24.

The Greg McDermott File
Personal
    •    Wife - Theresa
    •    Children - Nick, Doug and Sydney
    •    Hometown - Cascade, Iowa

Collegiate Coaching Experience
    •    Creighton - Head Coach, 2010-Present
    •    Iowa State - Head Coach, 2006-10
    •    Northern Iowa - Head Coach, 2001-06
    •    North Dakota State - Head Coach, 2000-01
    •    Wayne State (Neb.) - Head Coach, 1994-2000
    •    North Dakota - Assistant Coach, 1989-94

Collegiate Coaching Honors
Creighton University
    •    2012-13 CollegeInsider.com MVC Coach of the Year
    •    2012-13 NABC District 16 Coach of the Year
    •    2017-18 NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Champions Award
    •    2019-20 Basketball Times Midlands District Coach of the Year
    •    2019-20 BIG EAST Coach of the Year
    •    2019-20 NABC District 5 Coach of the Year
    •    2019-20 Omaha Sports Commission Coach of the Year
    •    2019-20 USBWA District VI Coach of the Year

University of Northern Iowa
  • 2015 Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee

Wayne State (Neb.) College
  • Coach of 1998-99 team, Wayne State Hall of Fame
  • Coach of 1999-00 team, Wayne State Hall of Fame
 • 1999-2000 NSIC Coach of the Year
  • 2006 inductee into Wayne State Hall of Fame

University of North Dakota
  • Assistant Coach of 1989-90  team, North Dakota Hall of Fame

Professional Playing Experience
    •    Switzerland - 1988-89

Collegiate Playing Experience
    •    Northern Iowa - 1984-88, Center

College Education
    •    University of Northern Iowa - B.A., 1988
    •    United States Sports Academy - M.S.S., 1994
 

Greg McDermott Head Coaching Ledger
Wayne State (Head Coach), 1994-2000
1994-95	14-13	.519	Independent		N/A	N/A
1995-96	12-15	.444	Independent		N/A	N/A
1996-97	21-7	.750	Independent		N/A	N/A
1997-98	20-7	.741	Independent		N/A	N/A
1998-99	23-5	.821	Independent		N/A	NCAA DII First Round
1999-00	26-6	.813	Independent	.833	T-1st	NCAA DII Sweet 16
Totals (6 years)	116-53	.686	15-3	.833
North Dakota State (Head Coach), 2000-01
Year	Record	Pct.	Conference Record	Pct.	Conference Finish	Notes
2000-01	15-11	.577	7-11	.389	8th	N/A
Total (1 year)	15-11	.577	7-11	.389	8th	N/A
Northern Iowa (Head Coach), 2001-06
Year	Record	Pct.	Conference Record	Pct.	Conference Finish	Notes
2001-02	14-15	.483	8-10	.444	7th	N/A
2002-03	11-17	.393	7-11	.389	7th	N/A
2003-04	21-10	.677	12-6	.667	T-2nd	NCAA First Round
2004-05	21-11	.656	11-7	.611	T-3rd	NCAA First Round
2005-06	23-10	.697	11-7	.611	T-5th	NCAA First Round
Total (5 years)	90-63	.588	49-41	.544
Iowa State (Head Coach), 2006-10
2006-07	15-16	.484	6-10	.375	T-7th	N/A
2007-08	14-18	.438	4-12	.250	11th	N/A
2008-09	15-17	.469	4-12	.250	10th	N/A
2009-10	15-17	.469	4-12	.250	T-9th	N/A
Total (4 years)	59-68	.465	18-46	.281
Creighton (Head Coach), 2010-Present
2010-11	23-16	.590	10-8	.556	T-4th	CBI Finals
2011-12	29-6	.829	14-4	.778	2nd	NCAA 3rd Round
2012-13	28-8	.778	13-5	.722	1st	NCAA 3rd Round
2013-14	27-8	.771	14-4	.778	2nd	NCAA 3rd Round
2014-15	14-19	.424	4-14	.222	T-9th
2015-16	20-15	.571	9-9	.500	6th	NIT Quarterfinals
2016-17	25-10	.714	10-8	.556	T-3rd	NCAA 1st Round
2017-18	21-12	.636	10-8	.556	T-3rd	NCAA 1st Round
2018-19	20-15	.571	9-9	.500	T-3rd	NIT Quarterfinals
2019-20	24-7	.774	13-5	.722	T-1st	Postseason Canceled
2020-21	22-9	.710	14-6	.700	2nd	NCAA Sweet 16
2021-22	23-12	.657	12-7	.632	4th	NCAA 2nd Round
2022-23	24-13	.649	14-6	.700	3rd	NCAA Elite Eight
CU Total (13 years)	300-150	.667	146-93	.611
Head Coach Totals (29 years)	580-345	.627	235-194	.548