Class of 2014: Doug McDermott

Doug McDermott came to Creighton as a bit of an afterthought — his first day as a Bluejay was overshadowed by the announcement of his dad as the new head coach — and leaves as the greatest player to ever wear a Creighton uniform. I’m not trampling on Creighton’s significant basketball history by saying that. You can argue about a lot of things, but the one certainty, the one thing on which everyone agrees is this: Doug McDermott is unequivocally, officially, inarguably, without a doubt, the best basketball player to have donned the White and the Blue.

He’s given Creighton fans four years of memories. He made scoring 30 points in a game — something once seen as extraordinary — into a regular occurrence. He did things on a college basketball court that few have done before and few will do again. He took Creighton to new heights, from MVC titles to the Big East, and before his career is over he’ll surpass the 3,000 point mark, potentially scoring 1,000 or more points than the previous highest scorer in school history.

It’s impossible to summarize four years of unbelievable moments from one of the greatest college basketball players ever into one list, but we tried — here’s his ten best, as voted on by the editors of WBR.

Top Ten Games and Moments

#10 | February 16, 2014 | McDermott Scores 39 on 13-17 Shooting against #6 Villanova

In your biggest games, you need your biggest player to play like it, and when #6 Villanova came to town Doug McDermott set the tone. He scored his team’s first 11 points, hitting back-to-back threes to start the game to the delight of the capacity crowd which roared at ear-splitting decibel levels. Against one of the nation’s best defenses, he went 13-17 overall, 4-6 from three-point range and 9-9 from the free-throw line en route to 39 points.

Coach McDermott told 1620AM after the game, “He’s very dedicated to wanting to help this team win. I’ve been coaching a long time, and even if he wasn’t my kid I don’t know that I’ve ever been around a player that has a knack for big games the way Doug has a knack for big games. One of my assistants came in before the game into the locker room and said, Doug is LOCKED IN. He said, ‘I like it when Doug is locked in.’ (laughs) And I said, ‘That makes two of us.’”

#9 | March 4, 2012 | McDermott Carries Jays to Title, Scores 33 Points

Because of MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player Doug McDermott, the Bluejays assured themselves of a return to the NCAA tournament in 2012, as the sophomore carried them to an overtime victory in the MVC Title Game. Here’s what Ott wrote while basking in the joy of an MVC title:

“Great players take over the most important of games, and McDermott did so Sunday afternoon in front of a national broadcast television audience. He scored 12 straight points during one stretch of the second half, cutting into Illinois State’s 4-point lead and answering every Redbird run with a pick-and-pop three-pointer or a nifty finish in the frontcourt. Jon Ekey played solid defense against McDermott, and the sophomore Player of the Year in the Valley still managed to score 33 points, grab 6 rebounds, and carry the Jays and Creighton Nation on his back to a tournament title.

As the game dragged on and it became evident Illinois State wouldn’t surrender, McDermott started to display “The Look” — that poise, that body language shown by a tremendous individual and team player when he decides it is time to take over a game. As a frontcourt player, McDermott is dependent on teammates to find him in good spots to score. Gibbs and Young did that, and Dougie Fresh rewarded them with finish after finish. His 33 points tied Nate Funk for Creighton’s single-game record in a Valley tournament game. But all apologies to The Dimer; McDermott’s was more impressive given the stage (championship game, versus the semifinals) and the fact his game was close (Funk’s 33 came in a 75-58 blowout against Missouri State in 2007).”

#8 | December 9 and 15, 2012 | McDermott Scores 30+ in Back to Back Games

During two December nights in his junior year, Doug McDermott torched back-to-back teams for 30 points, becoming the first Bluejay since Bob Harstad in 1990 to accomplish that feat. First, he lit up Akron with 30 points on 10-15 shooting and a career-high 6-8 from three-point range. In the first half, McDermott used a between-the-legs dribble to get space from a defender, then drained a three-pointer over 7-foot center Zeke Marshall. The next trip down, McDermott’s spin move left Marshall in the dust as CU took its first double-digit lead of the game. Those two plays start at the 2:15 mark of this highlight reel.

In their next game, he was even more impressive, lighting up the Cal Golden Bears for 34 points. In a first half when his teammates struggled to make shots, McDermott scored 18 points on 6-8 shooting, including 2-2 from three-point range and 4-4 from the line. He made as many field goals as the rest of the team combined in that first half, with the rest of the Jays going 6-23 from the floor and 1-9 from three-point range. The phase “single-handedly kept his team in the game” is over-used in basketball, because it is still a team sport, but this is one of those times where it’s absolutely the truth.

#7 | January 11, 2013 | The Showcase in Springfield

The first half of this game went about as well as Missouri State could have hoped for — they more or less held Doug McDermott in check with 11 points, the rest of the Bluejays were missing tons of open looks, and they played just well enough themselves to keep the crowd invested. There were four ties and 10 lead changes, as neither team could pull away from the other.

Then the second half came, and like a buzzsaw, whatever hopes of an upset Missouri State had were chopped down by an All-American who put on the type of performance people will tell their grandchildren about decades from now. That’s only slightly hyperbolic. He scored all of Creighton’s points in an 18-5 run that pushed the lead out to 50-32, making an absurd 14 straight baskets without a miss. Doug’s 44-point game at Bradley last year might have resulted in more points, but this was something altogether different. I mean, he outscored the Bears 28-25 all by himself in the second half.

Here’s what Ott wrote after the game:

“Don’t poke the bear. In essence, that’s what Action 3 News television sports director Chase Williams and broadcaster extraordinaire (and WBR contributor) Nick Bahe warned no one in particular Friday night. With the early minutes of Creighton’s road game at Missouri State proving a bit chippy and very physical, the gentlemen bringing the TV broadcast back to the living rooms and sports bars in Omaha proved prophetic. Be careful how physical you get with Doug McDermott, Bears; most of the time he excels in the face of such confrontation.

And so began what for our current purposes we’ll call The Showcase in Springfield.

McDermott scored 39 points in 33 minutes, setting the JQH Arena record and single-handedly pulling the Jays away from a game Bears team in the second half. McDermott missed just one shot in the second half, going 10-11 from the field, 3-3 from three-point range, and 5-5 from the free throw line. His 28 points in the second half were more than the entire Missouri State team combined (25). He also doubled up his own teammates during the second stanza, 28 to 14.

The Bears pressured McDermott and fellow frontcourt mate Gregory Echenique early and often. McDermott missed three of his first four field goal attempts. But from the 12:11 mark in the first half until the 4:13 mark in the second half, McDermott couldn’t miss. Seriously.

McDermott started the second half on a personal 18-5 scoring run that saw the Bluejays distance themselves from MSU. He made 14 consecutive shots at one point. The biggest applause among the Bears faithful in the second half came when McDermott finally missed. At that point, though, MSU fans had paid witness to the greatest player in recent Missouri Valley Conference history.

Perfect low post position leading to lay ups. Baseline pull-up jumpers. Quick-release three-pointers from the top of the arc. Fade-away, fallback jumpers. Left-handed scoop shots in the lane. Dribble-drives against helpless defenders. Put-back tips in the paint. It was all on display against Missouri State.”

#6 | January 7, 2012 | Career-High 44 Points in win at Bradley

In this January, 2012 game, Doug McDermott had one of the greatest single-game offensive performances in the storied history of Creighton Basketball. His 18 field goals were one away from the all-time school record, and his 44 points were the most by a Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin scored 45 in a January, 1985 game. At several points during a second half where he scored 31 points, the television crew of Travis Justice and Nick Bahe were so amazed that they were reduced to incredulous giggling. Who could blame them? As he did in the game the previous month against Tulsa, Doug McDermott was playing on a different level than everyone else on the court. Bradley threw every defensive strategy known to man at him in an attempt to at least slow him down, to no avail.

Hilariously, at one point, the Bradley P.A. announcer inside Carver Arena said after a basket with obvious frustration, “Doug McDermott, two more points.” As I wrote after the game, “his ability to break opposing teams’ confidence apparently extends to public address announcers now, as well.”

In his postgame piece, Ott gushed, “I’m banging away at the keyboard while hoisting a cold Heineken to honor McDermott, who etched his name among some fairly special company in the Creighton record books tonight. McDermott’s 44 points are the sixth highest total in a single game in the program’s history, and the highest output since Benoit Benjamin scored 45 points against Indiana State in 1985. In back to back games in 1985, Benjamin made 18 field goals against Southern Illinois and Indiana State. No one at Creighton has made 18 field goals in a game since that week nearly 22 years ago — until tonight. McDermott went 18-23 from the floor, tying him with Benjamin (x2) and Eddie Cole for the second-highest field goal makes in a game in CU history (Bob Portman (x2) and Wally Anderzunas share the record with 19 makes).

Poor Bradley really had no chance. Pop in a tape of the game, sit back, and watch McDermott score with almost any possible low post move. Then track him as he picks and pops on the perimeter, knocking down three of the five 3-pointers he attempted. The Braves tried to play him one-on-one, they tried to double-team him. It didn’t matter. McDermott either went around, over, or even through the defense en route to the hoop.”

#5 | February 18, 2012 | McDermott Makes Improbable Bucket, Leads Win over Long Beach

In their 2012 BracketBuster game, a talented, hungry Long Beach State team led by Casper Ware came to the CenturyLink Center determined to leave with a win. With 4:30 to play, Long Beach State led 76-69, answering every Creighton run with a run of their own, and though the crowd was trying valiantly to keep the Jays in the game, time was running short. The fans knew it. The Jays knew it. Long Beach State knew it.

Doug McDermott made a cross-court pass to the far wing, where a wide-open Ethan Wragge fired up a three-pointer. The shot missed badly, but flying seemingly out of nowhere was McDermott, who in one motion caught the ball, redirected it, and tipped the ball in. It was the sort of play that said to his teammates and to the Creighton fans, “We’re winning this game.” Literally.

“He was a little more vocal during our timeouts than he usually is,” Greg McDermott said in his postgame remarks on AM590. “His statement was, ‘We’re not losing this game. We are NOT losing this game!’ I kept hearing it out of him, and that’s the natural progression for Doug as a leader. He believed we were going to win, and he certainly made winning plays for us tonight.”

From the moment that ball dropped through the bottom of the net, everything changed.

Creighton outscored Long Beach State 10-3 from that point forward, taking confidence from Doug McDermott’s example. They played their most inspired defense of the season, with freshman Austin Chatman fighting through screens to stay in the grill of LBSU point guard Casper Ware, forcing him into wild shots and taking them out of their offensive flow. They made clutch play after clutch play, from McDermott’s rebound and putback with just under two minutes left to cut the lead to two, to Gregory Echenique’s running hook shot to tie it at 79 with 90 seconds left, to Echenique ripping down his most ferocious rebound in a career full of ferocious rebounds with 48 seconds left, to Echenique forcing a turnover to set up the final possession after Chatman turned it over on a dubious over-and-back call.

All of those plays over the final four minutes, inspired by Doug McDermott’s tip-in and his words in the huddle, put the Jays in position to win, and gave Young the opportunity to seize his signature moment — making his patented off-balance running jumper in the lane, this time just as the clock read all zeroes.

Doug’s unbelievable one-handed tip-and-shoot is at the 4:03 mark of this highlight reel, but you might want to stick around and watch the rest, too. Look closely during the scene of the students rushing the court for a shot of McDermott closelining one of the Jays Dancers accidentally!

#4 | December 19, 2011 | McDermott Scores 35 on 16-23 Shooting, Impresses Tulsa Coach

It’s hard to remember a day when this was true, but in December of 2011, Doug McDermott wasn’t yet a household name among college hoops fans outside of the MVC footprint. That all changed after his performance at Tulsa. Patrick Marshall wrote afterward, “Doug McDermott went out and scored a career high 35 points on 16-of-23 shooting, in the process showing off moves that everyone has been watching all season — spinning left, spinning right, hook shot, jump shot. Tulsa did not have an answer for him. On a play in the second half as the shot clock was running out, McDermott nailed a long three pointer with a hand in his face that basically epitomized the night he was having. He then connected on another three pointer 30 seconds later, upping his three-point shooting percentage to 57.5%. Remarkably, he now has nine straight games scoring more than 24 points.”

That long three as the shot clock was expiring — a turnaround, spinning, heave of a shot from 30 feet out — is the play everyone remembers from this game, and rightfully so. Was it a spectacular play? Sure. It’s what it symbolizes, though, that makes it so memorable. For a lot of Bluejay fans, it was the moment when they realized McDermott was going to be more than just a really good player, but one of the best to ever play for Creighton. I can remember sitting at the Olympic Sports Bar with the Bluejay Banter guys watching the webcast of the game — remember webcasts? — and being completely dumbfounded at that shot. No one does that. Well, mere mortals don’t do that. Doug did. And from that moment on, the secret was out.

But don’t take it from me. Here’s Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik from his postgame press conference, in what’s now become a legendary rant on Doug:

“I tell you what, that was one impressive performance by Doug McDermott. I thought the guy single-handedly broke the spirit of my team. In particular, my three seniors and sophomore post players. He was terrific. We really wanted to defend the three-point line against them. They make 10 three’s a game. We did a really good job on (Jahenns) Manigat. He gets one shot, no three’s. We did a really good job on Ethan Wragge. He’s an excellent three-point shooter. My goodness, it really surprised us how good McDermott was, particularly in the post against size, how good his strength is, how good his stamina is, how good his feet are, and how good of hands he has. He was very impressive to me, tonight.”

The shot-clock buzzer beater comes at the 4:10 mark in this highlight reel. You might want to watch the whole second-half clinic, though. It’s thoroughly enjoyable.

#3 | January 28, 2014 | McDermott’s Game-Winning Three Ruins St. John’s Comeback

Prior to hitting the game-winner at St. Joseph’s earlier this year (spoiler alert: it’s next on our list), Doug McDermott had never made a last-second shot to win a game for the Bluejays, which was a surprising thing to a lot of people. That one came on the road, making the game-winner against St. John’s a special moment, and barring a repeat against Providence tonight, in all probability a once-in-a-career moment. Knocked to the ground on the shot, after McDermott’s game-winning three-pointer dropped through, he laid on the court for a few seconds not for dramatic effect, but to soak in the immense roar of the fans inside CenturyLink Center.

He was the likely Wooden Award winner as the best player in the country before, but with that shot, he’d given voters his “Wooden Moment” — an indelible memory that all but clinches his coronation. It lit up Twitter like a Christmas tree, with dozens of national analysts from ESPN, Fox, CBS, NBC and elsewhere proclaiming that after that shot, in that moment, every other contender for the award was now playing for second place.

That’s a moment.

With the game tied at 60, would the Jays set up a play for McDermott? Would St. John’s allow the best player in the country to even touch the ball? On the Creighton radio broadcast, Nick Bahe speculated that they would not — that St. John’s would double him, and make someone else beat them. Whichever guard had the ball when it crossed half-court would be the player that would have to make the play. Instead, St. John’s coach Steve Lavin opted to defend the final possession straight-up, just as they had all night. Isaiah Zierden put a spectacular screen on the player assigned to guard McDermott, St. John’s shot-blocker extraordinaire Chris Obekpa — putting his backside into him and pushing Obekpa back, allowing McDermott to catch the ball and get just enough of a view of the rim to put up a shot.

Was there any doubt the shot would go in? McDermott told the media afterward that although he didn’t see it go in, he knew it was destined to go in the second it left his hands, and the roar of the crowd let him know he was right.

The shot comes at the 6:30 mark of this highlight reel. I dare you to not get goosebumps as you re-watch it.

#2 | November 16, 2013 | McDermott’s First-Ever Game Winner Sinks St. Joseph’s

Doug McDermott — two-time All American, leading scorer in school history, holder of a huge chunk of Creighton’s records — had never made a game-winning shot before this mid-November Saturday night in Philadelphia. Against St. Joseph’s, against a defense that had done a good job of slowing him down all night, he finally won a game with a last-second shot.

Trailing 79-78, the Jays had to inbound the ball four times (!) — on the first, they couldn’t get it in and called timeout; on the second and third, they were fouled because St. Joe’s had fouls to give, and on the fourth, they got it to McDermott. They ran a circle play, one of the most basic basketball plays in the book, and it created just enough confusion to get McDermott open for a split second. That was enough for Gibbs to hit him, and McDermott nailed the shot while being fouled mid-flight — his jumper put them up by one, and the free-throw put them up two. After the free throw, St. Joes inexplicably tried a full-court pass with 4 seconds remaining, instead of bringing the ball up the court. Devin Brooks intercepted it, made both free throws, and the game was in the bag.

After the game, Coach McDermott explained the genesis of that play on the 1620AM postgame. “We ran our circle out of bounds play that we talked about on the pregame. You’d have thought I was crazy if I had said we were going to win a game with that play. I thought of it a couple nights ago when I was having one of those sleepless nights, to use against their switching defense. Coach Vanderloo informs me that his fifth grade daughter’s basketball team is running the same play, so yes it’s basic, but it was just able to create just enough confusion. There’s a little method to the madness, though. Grant’s got to slap the ball on the screen, he’s going to pass the ball when Doug’s in a certain spot, and the defense just got caught for a split second on a miscommunication, and Doug got loose.”

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t show the reaction of one St. Joseph’s fan caught by the TV cameras right after the shot went in:

After the game, Ott gushed, “At the end of the night, McDermott made it happen. Thanks to subs Wragge and Brooks and steady play by Grant Gibbs, the Bluejays were able to keep Saint Joe’s at an arm’s length for most of the second half. McDermott continued to fight through a challenging evening, and eventually converted a hoop with just over four minutes to play that helped the Jays regain a 7-point lead. A 12-4 run by the Hawks would erase that margin, though, and leave the Jays trailing 79-78 with less than 30 seconds left.

The Bluejays stayed calm. They cleared everything out for Brooks, who made a nice drive to the left of the hoop but saw his layup attempt blocked by DeAndre Bembry. The Hawks challenged every inbounds pass but Gibbs and the Jays were able to stay the course and eventually get the ball in the hands of their All-American. McDermott drilled the game-winner while also being fouled (video), and the senior collected himself and hit the ensuing free throw to give Creighton a two-point lead with less than five seconds to play.

Holy $&!+ is right. McDermott saw constant attention and physical defense from various Hawks all night. But he stayed the course and once again proved just how versatile an offensive threat he is. The shot he hit was ridiculous; a quick-catch, fading jumper from just inside the arc during which he drew more than just a bit of contact from the defender. Definitely one for the highlight reel.”

His game-winner is at the 7:10 mark of this highlight package.

#1 | March 2, 2013 | McDermott Delivers Masterpiece, Scores 41 in MVC Title Clincher

Creighton had gotten off to slow starts a lot in 2012-13, particularly during their February swoon. In the regular season finale with the MVC title on the line, Doug McDermott decided that a slow start was simply not an option, so he took it upon himself to take over the game while his teammates got their sea legs. He scored the team’s first nine points on an array of jump shots and layups, and didn’t miss a single shot in a first half where he scored 18 points. Here’s what Ott thought after the game wrapped up:

“The junior All American had a game for the ages, high stakes and increased pressure be damned. It was evident early that McDermott was in a groove, as he scored Creighton’s first 9 points and established himself offensively against WSU’s Carl Hall. With every outstanding move that McDermott made against the Shocker defense, the intensity inside the building grew.

The Jays built a 9-point lead midway through the first half, but the Shockers rallied to take a lead that would change hands back and forth until late in the half. That’s when McDermott tied the score at 29 apiece with a nifty move in the lane. A little more than a minute later, double-teamed by WSU defenders, McDermott found Avery Dingman with a cross-court pass that set up a wide-open look for a three-pointer. Dingman drilled it, and Wichita State wouldn’t lead the rest of the afternoon.

That was one of McDermott’s three assists. But as well as he passed out of defensive pressure, people won’t talk about his three assists 20 years from now.

In what will surely go down as one of the greatest single-game performances in Creighton history, McDermott scored a season-high 41 points. He dazzled fans, coaches, teammates, and his opponents with an array of pivot moves, face-up jumpers, and deft three-point shooting. He went a perfect 10-10 from inside the arc, 5-8 behind it, and 6-6 from the free throw line en route to one of CU’s most spectacular offensive performances ever.”