It's been a few days since we last profiled Creighton basketball. The last time we did, we discussed Ricky Kreklow's transfer to Creighton after spending time in Missouri and California. But, with a new month comes new news. And over the last week, the Bluejays have been in the news in a multitude of ways.
McDermott named one of college basketball's Top 25 coaches
ESPN has been running a countdown of the Top 50 coaches in college basketball, and several Big East coaches have found their way into the mix. Georgetown's John Thompson III and Xavier's Chris Mack were named 46th and 43rd respectively, and Providence's Ed Cooley was propped up as the 41st best coach in America. But the leading man on the sidelines for the Creighton Bluejays is outpacing everybody at the moment as Greg McDermott was announced as the 23rd best coach in the nation.
Said Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com:
"First of all, you have to give a guy credit for good genes. I mean, fair's fair. It's the best recruiting tool of them all! Second, and more seriously, Greg McDermott deserves at least some -- and probably a big chunk -- of his son's rapid development from decent freshman to amazing sophomore and beyond. Third, basketball teams require more than one really good player, and Greg McDermott built a team around his son full of pitch-perfect supporting players and offensive specialists. There are some objections worth raising about Creighton's consistent struggles on the defensive end, and the lack of deep tournament success is the one thing Doug McDermott's career didn't give us. But from pretty much any angle, Greg McDermott did about as good a job managing his son's -- and his team's -- rise to the national elite."
One has to believe that Jay Wright of Villanova will no doubt be the highest ranked coach in the conference when all is done and dusted. But Greg is no slouch of a coach, and he'll be looking to prove that once next season and beyond arrives.
Creighton making their rounds around the recruiting process
As we've noted, Creighton has been corralling many a transfer. But the recruiting process as of late for the Class of 2015 has been unfolding at a methodical rate for the Bluejays. Recently, according to SNY's Adam Zagoria, Creighton offered 2015 recruit forward Markis McDuffie. McDuffie is a 6-foot-7 small forward from Jersey City, N.J. that plays for the Sports U club on the AAU circuit and at St. Anthony High School.
In addition to that, Creighton has been making news elsewhere in the recruiting district. ZagsBlog talked to Class of 2015 recruit Glynn Watson, one of the most highly sought after players in America, and according to Nick Medline the Bluejays are one of his most intense suitors:
The 5-foot-11 Watson out of Westchester, IL (St. Joseph) is ranked No. 67 in the Class of 2015 by Rivals. He said that Purdue, Nebraska and Creighton are his three most intense suitors. All of them could use a program-defining upgrade.
Creighton tends to give out more offers than most schools. It’s for good reason: Greg McDermott lost his son Doug and a talented senior core to graduation, leaving several open spots.
Watson told Brian Snow of Scout.com that he likes how McDermott coaches. He could be an ideal point guard fit for a team fond of jacking threes.
Medline notes later on that Watson plans to make his decision prior to his senior season and will be making a visit to both Creighton and in-state rival Nebraska this July.
Finally, continuing on the path laid by Adam Zagoria, 2015 guard Donovan Mitchell announced on May 31 that he'll be committing near the month of September. Creighton is one of three Big East schools in the mix, as St. John's and Providence join Atlantic Coast Conference representative Boston College in teams that are on the New Milford native's long list.