Where Do the Jays Go From Here?

After 16 seasons, the Dana Altman Era is officially over; there will be no buyers’ remorse this time. All that remains are the press conferences from the respective schools to make it official, but those are mere formalities. He’s gone.

And so, on a blustery, cold and overcast spring day in Omaha, the brain trust on the Hilltop begins their search for the new leader of the highest profile coaching position in the department, the guy who will become the face of the school to many outsiders. Will they look for someone with ties to the school or the program? Will they look to promote someone from Altman’s staff? Or will they go outside and bring in someone brand new to Creighton? From discussions I’ve had in the last day or so with alumni, boosters and fans, it seems like there are five names on most everyone’s lists of candidates who should be interviewed. So let’s get to know a little more about each of them — or in some cases, refresh our memory on them.

Two notes: the candidates are not listed in any particular order, and there may be additional candidates CU should look at. Are there candidates you think Creighton should consider who we haven’t covered below? Let us know in the comments!

For years, McKenna was regarded as the heir-apparent to Altman’s job should he ever leave, and the only reason his name didn’t emerge as a candidate the last time the job was open (albeit briefly) was because McKenna had accepted the job at Indiana State less than two weeks prior. A solid X’s and O’s guy, he was known as “The Shot Doctor” for his ability to work with shooters to identify problems in their stroke and correct flaws, and was widely credited with the shooting prowess of the early-era Altman teams.

His four-year stint at crosstown Nebraska-Omaha was believed to be a chance for him to get head-coaching experience to make himself a better candidate for a D1 head job, ostensibly at Creighton. In his four years on the Mav bench, he won 20 games all four years, won two North Central Conference titles and made three appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

In four years at Indiana State, McKenna’s teams have suffered a string of debilitating injuries that have set back their progress. This past season despite losing his top four scorers to injury and playing just seven scholarship players come tournament time, he was able to coax them to a 6 seed in Arch Madness. He’s earned a reputation around the league as a coach who gets the most out of his players, and has stepped up his recruiting in the last two seasons bringing in some impressive players.

His teams run many of the same sets and plays as his mentor, and he’s been described by some as “Dana Altman with a Personality.” Or with a sweater vest. Either way, hiring McKenna would be both the safe choice and the obvious choice, a natural continuation of the highly successful Altman Era. Bringing back into the family a CU Athletics Hall of Famer would be an instant winner with the die-hard fans and alumni, but he may not be a splashy enough name to excite casual fans.

An underrated (and perhaps under-appreciated) member of Altman’s original staff at Creighton, Grensing also served as Altman’s assistant at Kansas State. Known for his communication skills and ability to connect and converse with players and fans alike, Grensing was an important part of those staffs, often playing the role of  “Good Cop” and building players back up after being lectured by Altman. He was also quietly recognized for his skill in drawing up plays for end-of-game possessions, and is a skilled X’s and O’s tactician.

Grensing is credited by some in convincing Altman to take a chance on bringing Kyle Korver to Omaha, a player who was not being recruited by many other D1 schools at the time. He’s well-liked by former players and by most accounts, is an indispensable part of Kruger’s staff at UNLV.

With that said, he has zero head-coaching experience and at 53, might be viewed as too old to take over his first program as the head guy, especially a program with the budget and expectations of Creighton. He’s probably a long-shot, but might get an interview.

McDermott is an interesting name, because he’s a Valley guy — he played for Northern Iowa and remains in their Top 25 in career scoring, and he coached for Northern Iowa and built the foundation for what Ben Jacobsen is currently doing, including three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths from 2004-2006. He has extensive ties with midwest high school and AAU coaches, and his five seasons at Wayne State make him a familiar face in Nebraska. He proved he can win in the MVC and recruited many of the same “traditional” recruiting grounds as Creighton.

He’s also failed by any reasonable measure at Iowa State, and would likely be on the hot seat there if not for budgetary worries. From a yearly exodus of their best players to an inability to beat cross-state rival Iowa to presiding over the continued slide into national irrelevance of a once-proud program, ISU fans would likely help him move if he were to accept another job. He also was consistently out-coached by Dana Altman, with the Jays owning a lopsided record against his Panther teams despite their overall success. And he never won a game in the NCAA Tournament.

16 years ago, Dana Altman was on the outs at another Big 8/Big 12 school and bailed before he could be fired, came to Creighton and was very successful. He stuck around for 16 years because he’d seen the other side of the coin in big conference hoops, and appreciated what he had rather than pining for what he didn’t. Could McDermott take a similar career track? Its possible, and while his name would not necessarily excite Jaybackers or die-hard fans, he would probably be a solid hire that could maintain what Altman has built.

Three years ago when Dana Altman did his 36-hour tour of duty in Little Rock, one of the first calls made to AD Bruce Rasmussen was from the legendary Eddie Sutton on behalf of his son, Scott. Eddie got the first 82 wins of his 888 career victories at Creighton, and Scott was born in Omaha during his second season on the CU bench.

During 11 seasons as the head guy on the Oral Roberts bench, Sutton has compiled a 204-138 record. The Golden Eagles have averaged better than 18 wins, won four Summit League regular-season titles, made four post-season tournament appearances including three straight NCAA Tournaments from 2006-08, and finished first or second in conference play seven times, including six straight years. His name has been mentioned for other, bigger jobs over that span, but he’s stayed put at ORU, building a solid mid-major program.

Of particular interest to Creighton fans might be that while compiling those impressive records, Sutton has been unafraid to challenge his team by playing tough road games, including an upset over third-ranked Kansas in 2006.

Given the family connections, his sustained success as a head coach and his relatively young age, Sutton would be an intriguing hire that wouldn’t need to be sold to fans to excite them. He might well have been Altman’s replacement had he stayed in Arkansas in 2007, and it would surprise no one if he is the replacement this time.

DeVries has been an assistant at Creighton for 12 seasons, and by virtue of that service has earned an interview. Having played for Northern Iowa, he’s a Valley guy through-and-through, and he’s thought by many to be an Altman clone. He’s gradually taken on more and more recruiting duties over his tenure, and has been the point man on current players such as Ethan Wragge and signee Will Artino.

D-Rock, as he’s known around the team, could emerge as the leading candidate if its deemed important to continue on with a member of Altman’s staff to keep recruits signed and current players from bolting. But he’d be a gamble, with no head coaching experience and no experience coaching in a system other than the one run at Creighton.