Big East Basketball: Ranking all 11 head coaches after Pitino/English hires

6. Greg McDermott – Creighton

Creighton is actually McDermott’s fifth head coaching stop but it’s clearly been a fruitful thirteen years for him and the Bluejays. A former player at Northern Iowa in the 80’s, his head coaching career took him to Wayne State and North Dakota State before a five-year run at his alma mater. He led Northern Iowa to three straight NCAA Tournaments before departing for Iowa State. After four stale seasons with the Cyclones, he was brought aboard by Creighton back in 2010.

When McDermott began, Creighton was still in the MVC, and after a pair of first round Tournament wins he helped this program transition into the Big East. The Bluejays became a power conference team and under McDermott’s leadership maintained their role as a great program. McDermott has led Creighton to eight NCAA Tournaments (six while in the Big East) and his best work has come in recent years. After leading the Bluejays to the Sweet Sixteen in 2021, he just took the program to their first ever Elite Eight this past season.

Considered the preseason favorite, McDermott’s season with the Bluejays is no shocker. He’s had some talented teams in his thirteen seasons in Omaha, between son Doug and all the other players who have come through ever since. The recent postseason success of the Bluejays has been program-changing. Consider that McDermott has been head coach for half of the Tournament wins in Bluejays history, and that this program has been a national contender in recent seasons.