Greg McDermott (born November 25, 1964) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team. Previously, McDermott served as the head coach at Wayne State College, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, and Iowa State. He is the father of NBA player Doug McDermott. He is the winningest coach in Creighton basketball history with a 365âÂÂ188 record.
McDermott grew up in Cascade, Iowa, in an Irish Catholic household and played basketball for Cascade High School. A 6'8" center, 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.
McDermott began his coaching career as an assistant coach at North Dakota 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 Wayne State College. McDermott remained as the head coach at Wayne State College for six seasons and compiled an overall record of 116 wins and 53 losses (116âÂÂ53) during his tenure there from 1994 to 2000.
In April 2000, McDermott resigned his Wayne State post and accepted the head coaching position at North Dakota State. In his lone season with NDSU, he led the Bison to an overall record of 15 wins and 11 losses (15âÂÂ11) en route to an eighth place finish in the North Central Conference.
On April 3, 2001, McDermott was introduced as head coach at his alma mater, Northern Iowa.
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 (90âÂÂ63), the 2004 Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship and the 2004, 2005, and 2006 NCAA Tournaments.
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 (59âÂÂ68). His marquee victory at Iowa State came on March 6, 2010, against No. 5 Kansas State. This was his only victory over a ranked team while with the Cyclones.
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.
In his first season with the Bluejays, McDermott led the team to a 23âÂÂ16 record, 10âÂÂ8 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton reached the final round of the College Basketball Invitational tournament where they lost to Oregon two games to one.
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 Alabama 58âÂÂ57 in the first round, and lose to UNC 87âÂÂ73 in the second round.
Entering the 2012âÂÂ13 season, McDermott had Creighton in the rankings in both preseason polls; they were No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 16 in the AP Poll. 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 67âÂÂ63 in the first round, and lose to Duke 66âÂÂ50 in the second round.
After the end of the 2012âÂÂ13 season, Creighton left the Missouri Valley to join the Big East. 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 65âÂÂ58 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 76âÂÂ66 in the first round, and lose to Baylor 85âÂÂ55 in the second round.
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 14âÂÂ19, 4âÂÂ14 in conference play.
In his sixth season with Creighton, McDermott led the Bluejays to a sixth place finish in the Big East with a record of 18âÂÂ13, 9âÂÂ9 in conference play. In the quarterfinals of the NIT, they lost to BYU 88âÂÂ82 to finish the season 20âÂÂ15.
Entering the 2016âÂÂ17 season, Creighton was ranked in both preseason polls. McDermott led the Bluejays to an 18âÂÂ1 start and a ranking as high as No. 7 in the nation. During Creighton's 18th win, starting point guard Mo Watson Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury. The team finished the regular season 23âÂÂ8, 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 84âÂÂ72 in the first round to finish the season 25âÂÂ10.
McDermott led the 2017âÂÂ2018 Bluejays to a 21âÂÂ12 record, 10âÂÂ8 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 72âÂÂ68. 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 Kansas State 69âÂÂ59.
The Bluejays finished the season 20âÂÂ15, 9âÂÂ9 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 Memphis before losing to TCU 71âÂÂ58 in the quarterfinals.
Entering the 2019âÂÂ20 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. The Bluejays received the number 1 seed in the Big East tournament, and finished with a 24âÂÂ7 record, 13âÂÂ5 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 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 77âÂÂ65 win over Xavier.
Creighton finished the 2020âÂÂ21 regular season with an 18âÂÂ7 record, 14âÂÂ6 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 63âÂÂ62. In the second round, the Bluejays defeated the Ohio Bobcats 72âÂÂ58, to reach the program's first regional semifinal since 1974. Creighton was defeated by Gonzaga 83âÂÂ65, to finish the season with a record of 22âÂÂ9.
During the 2021âÂÂ22 regular season, largely regarded as a rebuilding year after the departure of star point guard Marcus Zegarowski and three other starters from the 2020âÂÂ2021 roster, as well as two assistant coaches, McDermott nevertheless guided the Bluejays to a 20âÂÂ10 regular season record (12âÂÂ7 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 72âÂÂ69 in overtime. In the second round, the Bluejays lost to the Kansas Jayhawks 79âÂÂ72, to finish the season with a record of 23âÂÂ12. On March 22, 2022, McDermott received a multi-year contract extension. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
On March 8, 2024, McDermott received another contract extension to keep him at Creighton through the 2027-2028 season; his previous contract was due to expire after the end of the 2025-2026 season. The new contract also makes McDermott one of the highest-paid coaches in the Big East.
On November 13, 2024, McDermott passed Dana Altman for the most coaching wins in program history (328) when the Bluejays defeated the Houston Christian Huskies 78âÂÂ43.
After the 2024âÂÂ25 season, Alan Huss was named the associate head coach at Creighton, where he had previously served as an assistant head coach from 2017 to 2023. Huss' contract stipulates that he will become the next head coach at Creighton when Greg McDermott retires.
On March 23, 2026, McDermott announced he would retire after the team's final game in the 2026 College Basketball Crown tournament.
Assistant coaches under McDermott who became NCAA head coaches