Greg McDermott is heading back to the Missouri Valley, taking the head coach job at Creighton.
Creighton sports information director Rob Anderson announced the news in a text message to members of the news media on Monday, less than an hour after Oregon introduced former Creighton coach Dana Altman as its new coach. McDermott will be formally introduced during a news conference Tuesday.
According to sources, McDermott has agreed to a 10-year deal worth $9 million and Creighton will also pay for buyout of $800,000.
An official announcement is expected on Tuesday.
McDermott led Northern Iowa — another MVC school — to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances before taking the job at Iowa State four years ago, where he has compiled a 59-68 record.
The Cyclones were 15-17 this past season and would have a difficult time moving up in the Big 12 with the loss of potential first-round pick Craig Brackins and the team’s second-leader scorer, Marquis Gilstrap. There were also several other players who have decided to leave the program — including Lucca Staiger (overseas), Justin Hamilton (LSU), Chris Colvin and Dominique Buckley.
There was also a staff shake-up as Ron Smith retired.
McDermott will go from one of the most difficult Big 12 jobs to arguably the top one in the Missouri Valley.
He is also familiar with the state of Nebraska having coached at Wayne State for six seasons.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
