Will next Indiana basketball coach be who former rival Robbie Hummel picks?

Posted by author March 5, 2025 Basketball

Spread the love

If athletic director Scott Dolson was looking for advice on who to pick as the next Indiana basketball coach, could he trust an icon of IU’s rival?

Revered college basketball analyst Robbie Hummel, who starred at Purdue and said he loved playing at Assembly Hall, travels across and beyond the Big Ten’s footprint to call games. So he knows a thing or two about winning basketball that is appealing to the eye, making him reputable enough to weigh in on who Dolson should hire to lead the Hoosiers.

And his pick was on the “statements of intent” category on IndyStar’s hot board when it was announced Mike Woodson would step down at season’s end.

“I like (Greg) McDermott, and maybe that’s biased because I’ve seen so much of Creighton, but I love their offense, it’s modern, they shoot a ton of 3s,” Hummel said on the “Field of 68” podcast. “He’s won with, not that Creighton has bad resources but, less resources than what Indiana has. He’s a really good coach. His demeanor is perfect for that.”

Greg McDermott is in his 15th season at Creighton, where the Bluejays are 345-169 (.671) with likely a 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in a few weeks. The have been to three Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight in the last four years. They won the Big East regular-season title in 2019-20 and the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title in 2012-13, which included consecutive MVC tournament titles before moving up in 2013-14.

McDermott, who turns 61 in November, made three NCAA tournaments, all at Northern Iowa, in nine seasons prior to Creighton. He was 90-63 (.588) at UNI from 2001 to 2006 before journeying over to Iowa State, where he was 59-68 (.465) in four seasons. He then jumped to Creighton.

His son, Doug McDermott, was a three-time consensus All-American from 2012-14. He played for the Pacers from 2018 to 2021 and again during the 2023-24 season.

Perhaps if Iowa were to open, though Michigan State coach Tom Izzo spoke in support of Fran McCaffery staying, it would be a better fit for McDermott. He was born in Cascade and played at Northern Iowa from 1984 to 1988, and spent a decade coaching in the state.

But Creighton could also be home for McDermott, whose family made financial contributions and had a building renamed after him. And, he has Creighton as a perennial Big East contender with what is shaping up to be a ninth straight top-4 finish in Big East play.