Greg McDermott begins his 16th year at Creighton after leading the Jays to new heights the last few years.

The dean of BIG EAST coaches has seen the Bluejays appear in the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite Eight once in the last five years, while leading CU to nine straight top-four finishes in BIG EAST play.

Named the 16th head coach in Creighton men’s basketball history on April 27, 2010, McDermott boasts a 350-171 record in his first 15 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-five of 37 seniors to complete their eligibility the past 12 years have earned their undergraduate degree, with 26 going on to play professionally and four others to graduate school.

Last season, CU tied a school-record with 15 league wins, while also returning to the BIG EAST Tournament title game. Ryan Kalkbrenner joined Patrick Ewing as the league’s second four-time Defensive Player of the Year, in addition to being named National Defensive Player of the Year and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year. He was a second-round pick of the Charlotte Hornets.

Last year’s team defeated No. 1 Kansas in December, won at two-time defending national champ UConn and eliminated No. 10 Louisville in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

In 2023-24, Creighton tied for second in the BIG EAST, matched its best NCAA Tournament seed in program history (No. 3), and returned to the Sweet 16. Baylor Scheierman earned All-America honors and went on to be a First Round pick by the NBA champion Boston Celtics. In the offseason, the contributions to Creighton by McDermott and his family saw The Championship Center renamed to The McDermott Center.

In 2022-23, 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. CU would go on to make the Elite Eight before falling by one point in the final seconds.

After losing all five starters from its 2020-21 squad, Creighton brought in a top-10 recruiting class in 2021-22. The end result was a 23-12 final record, 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 they opened with a 63-62 win over UCSB before beating Ohio to reach the program’s first Sweet 16 since 1974. Marcus Zegarowski was named an Honorable Mention All-American and drafted by the NBA’s 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 to 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 before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season prematurely.

In 2018-19, McDermott guided CU to wins over No. 10 Marquette and No. 16 Clemson, the Cayman Islands Classic title and a third straight third-place BIG EAST finish. Zegarowski was named to the All-Freshman Team and Martin Krampelj developed into one of the top post players in the BIG EAST after
overcoming his third ACL injury. CU reached the NIT quarterfinals 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 also setting 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 McDermott’s 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 closed the year ranked No. 19 in the AP poll, ranking sixth nationally in average home attendance (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 499-302 record in 24 seasons on the Division I sidelines. He has a 630-366 career mark in 31 seasons as a head coach, which includes 15 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 51 players who have earned some sort of postseason league award in his 24 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), six First Team All BIG EAST picks (Doug McDermott, Marcus Foster, Ty-Shon Alexander, Marcus Zegarowski, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Baylor Scheierman) as well as the BIG EAST Freshmen of the Year in 2017 (Justin Patton) and 2022 (Ryan Nembhard) and BIG EAST Defensive Players of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner (4x) and Khyri Thomas (2x).

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, 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 41st 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 is an 11-year NBA veteran who played for Sacramento in 2024-25.

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
2023-24	25-10	.714	14-6	.700	T-2nd	NCAA Sweet 16
2024-25	25-11	.694	15-5	.750	2nd	NCAA 2nd Round
CU Total (15 years)	350-171	.672	175-104	.627
Head Coach Totals (31 years)	630-366	.633	264-205	.563

Image	#	Full Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Year	Hometown / High School	Previous School
	0	Antwann Jones	G	6' 6''	220	So.	Orlando, Fla. / Oak Ridge HS	Memphis
	4	Shereef Mitchell	G	6' 0''	170	So.	Omaha, Neb. / Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.]
	5	Alex O'Connell	G	6' 6''	186	Sr.	Roswell, Ga. / Milton	Duke
	10	Jett Canfield	G	5' 10''	165	So.	Topeka, Kan. / Hayden Catholic
	11	Marcus Zegarowski	G	6' 2''	180	Jr.	Hamilton, Mass. / Tilton School
	12	Andrew Merfeld	G	5' 11''	185	Fr.	Omaha, Neb. / Skutt Catholic
	13	Christian Bishop	F	6' 7''	220	Jr.	Lee's Summit, Mo. / West
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	14	Sami Osmani	G	6' 4''	205	Fr.	Oak Lawn, Ill. / Oak Lawn Community
	20	Nic Zeil	F	6' 8''	210	So.	Kansas City, Mo. / Park Hill
	22	Devin Davis	G	6' 0''	175	Fr.	Chicago, Ill. / Westinghouse College Prep
	23	Damien Jefferson	F	6' 5''	220	Sr.	East Chicago, Ind. / Central	New Mexico
	24	Mitch Ballock	G	6' 5''	205	Sr.	Eudora, Kan. / Eudora
	32	Ryan Kalkbrenner	C	7' 0''	235	Fr.	Florissant, Mo. / Trinity Catholic
	34	Denzel Mahoney	G/F	6' 5''	220	Sr.	Oviedo, Fla. / Hagerty	Southeast Missouri State
	41	Jacob Epperson	C	6' 11''	235	Jr.	Melbourne, Australia / La Lumiere
	44	Rati Andronikashvili	G	6' 4''	185	Fr.	Tbilisi, Georgia / 35 Sajaro Skoka
	55	Modestas Kancleris	F	6' 9''	195	Fr.	Kaunas, Lithuania / Varpas Gimnazija

Coaching Staff
Image	Name	Title	Email	Phone Number
	Greg McDermott	Head Coach	gjm52@creighton.edu	(402) 280-1795
	Alan Huss	Assistant Coach	alanhuss@creighton.edu	(402) 280-1795
	Terrence Rencher	Assistant Coach	terrencerencher@creighton.edu	(402) 280-1795
	Paul Lusk	Assistant Coach	paullusk@creighton.edu	(402) 280-1795
	Steve Merfeld	Assistant to the Head Coach	stevemerfeld@creighton.edu	(402) 280-1795
	Jeff Vanderloo	Director of Basketball Operations	JeffVanderloo@creighton.edu	(402) 280-1795
	Casey Matthews	Video Coordinator	caseymatthews@creighton.edu	(402) 280-1795
	John McKew	Administrative Specialist	johnmckew@creighton.edu	(402) 280-3834
	Len Gordy	Diversity & Inclusion Officer	leonardgordy@creighton.edu	(402) 280-2438
	Patty Galas	Secretary	pgalas@creighton.edu	(402) 280-1795

2020-21 Men's Basketball Roster

Antwann Jones

Shereef Mitchell

Alex O'Connell

Jett Canfield

Marcus Zegarowski

Andrew Merfeld

Christian Bishop

Sami Osmani

Nic Zeil

Devin Davis

Damien Jefferson

Mitch Ballock

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Denzel Mahoney

Jacob Epperson

Rati Andronikashvili

Modestas Kancleris

Greg McDermott

Alan Huss

Terrence Rencher

Paul Lusk

Steve Merfeld

Jeff Vanderloo

Casey Matthews

John McKew

Len Gordy

Patty Galas