Creighton's Doug McDermott returns for senior season
returns
creighton's doug mcdermott return senior season
Creighton's Doug McDermott <m> returns </m> for senior season
http : / / www . omaha . com / article / 20130425 / BLUEJAYS / 704259841
Creighton's Doug McDermott <m> returns </m> for senior season
Doug McDermott ’ s teammates figured it was just another day in the gym Wednesday afternoon .
They were playing pick - up games with a guy they didn ’ t know for sure would be around next season .
But McDermott had a secret .
Shortly before hitting the court , McDermott had told his father , Creighton coach Greg McDermott , that he intended to return for his senior season rather than declare for the NBA draft .
Father and son then informed Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen .
Doug called his mom to break the news to her , then stepped into the gym to play a little ball .
“ He wasn ’ t acting any different , ” Grant Gibbs said .
“ Business as usual . ”
Later that night , McDermott let the news slip to a couple of them .
“ I had to go to class today , knowing that he was going to announce it , and try to be super low - key , ” Jahenns Manigat said .
“ But I couldn ’ t stop smiling . ”
It ’ s safe to assume Bluejay Nation had much the same reaction when , shortly before 2 p . m . , McDermott sent out the following message on Twitter :
“ I will be returning to Creighton for my senior year and can ’ t wait to put on that uniform for one more season . ”
McDermott ’ s return for his senior season will allow a fan base that has come to marvel at his on - court accomplishments the past three seasons one more chance to watch him .
College basketball insiders see his return possibly giving Creighton more of a fighting chance as it moves into the new Big East .
For McDermott , it will give him a chance to make more of an orderly transition from college basketball to professional basketball .
He knows he ’ s taking a risk from a financial standpoint .
“ That ’ s definitely a lot of money I ’ m passing down , but that money could be there next year , ” McDermott told reporters Thursday .
“ It might not be quite as much , but you really can ’ t put a price tag on a senior year . ”
That was the same theme that McDermott touched on repeatedly Wednesday night in an exclusive interview with The World - Herald .
In the final analysis , McDermott ’ s heart won out over the cash .
“ My heart has been telling me all along to stay , but my mind tried to take over a couple of times , ” McDermott said .
“ I just ended up trusting myself that I was making the right decision . ”
His mind , of course , focused on the financial benefits that might be his had he decided to turn professional .
Based on evaluations he received from the NBA Draft Advisory Committee , McDermott said , “ There was no doubt in my mind that I would have been a first - round pick . ”
That would have meant a two - year , guaranteed contract that could have been worth between a minimum of $888 , 600 to $1 . 4 million if he had been selected with one of the last 15 picks in the lower half of the first round .
That initially had his father recommending that his son turn pro .
“ He knew my dream is to play in the NBA , and he just felt that this was too good of an opportunity to pass up , ” Doug said .
“ But the way I look at it , if I can play in the NBA , I can play there the next year just as well as I can next year .
“ I feel there are things I can work on .
I feel I can still improve my draft stock by playing in the Big East .
There are a lot of areas that I can get better at , and I just felt I ’ d be more comfortable doing it here in Omaha . ”
McDermott had heard more than once from outsiders that he should turn pro because he had nothing left to prove as a collegian .
The 6 - foot - 8 , 225 - pound forward has been a consensus first - team All - American in each of the past two seasons .
He broke Creighton ’ s career scoring record near the end of the last season .
That argument might have swayed some players , but if there is anything McDermott has shown the past three seasons it ’ s that he ’ s an unconventional superstar .
He remains as unassuming as the day he stepped on campus in June 2010 .
He embraces the attention from an adoring fan base that some players might find stifling .
It ’ s that fan base , McDermott said , that figured prominently into his decision .
“ I care so much about Creighton , ” he said .
“ There are a lot of people around here that believed in me .
This whole fan base has been with me from the start .
I felt like I owed them one more year . ”
McDermott said the opportunity to play in the new conference became more of a factor as he got deeper into the decision - making process .
He admitted had Creighton remained in the Missouri Valley it might have made it easier to turn pro .
But the opportunity to play in the Big East , and perhaps prove a few people wrong , was too much to pass up .
“ I feel there are a lot of people that don ’ t believe we can be successful in the Big East , ” McDermott said .
“ If you ask anyone on our team , we feel that we ’ re going to be capable of doing some damage there .
“ That played into my decision a lot .
I care for the guys in this program and I care for the coaches .
I wanted to do what I could to help make this transition a successful one . ”
What didn ’ t factor into his decision , he said , was the fear that he would be leaving his dad in a tight spot had he bolted for the NBA .
As Greg McDermott said Thursday , his son ’ s 23 points and eight rebounds a game will come in handy next season .
But Doug said his father and Creighton would have been fine had he decided to leave .
“ He never pushed for me to stay , ” Doug said .
In an interview with The World - Herald on Tuesday , McDermott indicated he might remain undecided until Sunday ’ s deadline to declare for the draft .
The agony of the decision - making process was apparent as he spoke .
He clearly was undecided .
In discussing his decision Wednesday night , McDermott said he never intended to take so long in making up his mind .
“ I apologize for putting people through that , ” he said .
In trying to make up his mind , McDermott said , he put his emotions to a test .
He would go through one day with the idea in mind that he was headed for the NBA .
The next day , he would approach things as if he would be returning to Creighton .
“ I wanted to see how I felt , ” McDermott said .
“ I found myself waking up the next day feeling a whole lot better when I was thinking about coming back .
But I went back and forth more times than you can imagine . ”
He said Tuesday that he had talked with former Creighton All - American Kyle Korver , now in his 10th season in the NBA .
McDermott also sought the counsel of Harrison Barnes , his former teammate at Ames High School who now is wrapping up his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors .
“ He and I talked before the NCAA tournament , and he told me I should go to the NBA if I felt I was 100 percent ready , ” McDermott said .
“ That really stuck with me .
“ Harrison told me that playing in the NBA is a completely different world .
The money is nice , but you ’ re out there fighting for your job every night .
It ’ s not like college , where you ’ re playing for the love of the game and for the fans . ”
In the end , those factors appealed more to McDermott than money .
“ I believe I ’ m going to play in the NBA , but I have to do it when I feel I ’ m 100 percent ready , ” he said .
“ I feel like I have some unfinished business here at Creighton .
I feel like I can be a lot better , and why not do it here where I can have fun for another year .
“ I ’ m so relieved .
I feel like a ton of weight has been lifted off my shoulders .
I can ’ t put into words how happy I am this is behind me and how excited I am to be coming back .
This just feels right . ”