Doug McDermott Is Now The Best Walk On In College Basketball

Doug McDermott might now be the best walk on in college basketball history. (cbssports.com)

Doug McDermott has 1,635 points and 564 rebounds in his three-year college career.

McDermott has a mountain of awards and honors to his name, including Missouri Valley Player of the Year awards, AP All-American First Team honors and being named a consensus First-Team All American.

McDermott has led the Creighton Blue Jays to conference titles and NCAA Tournament victories.

This year, McDermott will add another distinction to his list: walk on. This will most likely lead to an unofficial honor of being the best walk on in college basketball history (with probably only Scottie Pippen, who racked up 1,600 points as a walk on at Central Arkansas, arguing this claim).

McDermott is a walk on to make room for teammate and friend Grant Gibbs, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility earlier this month. It also wouldn't have happened if his father, Greg, wasn't his coach.

But Greg McDermott has the means the pay for Doug's tuition, and credit Doug for not having an ego that would make him hate not being a scholarship player. He could have made another player give up a scholarship, but he and Greg made a sacrifice that was in everyone's best interest.

Gibbs averaged 8.5 points 4.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game last season. Most importantly, Gibbs is one of four starters returning next season, which will keep strong continuity and chemistry preventing a need for an early-season-get-used-to-playing-with-each-other phase.

Apparently the team won't take it easy on McDermott just because he's one of the nation's best players.

"He's going to be carrying bags and doing all that kind of stuff," Gibbs said with a smile in an ESPN article. "He'll have to handle that. That'll be a different situation for him. I think he'll probably be the best walk-on in America. We'll see."

Again, these are special circumstances in which McDermott's coach is also his father and able to pay the $44,000 in tuition. But both could have been stubborn. Both could think McDermott was too good to be labeled a walk on, and there had to be another scholarship player with the family means to pay for tuition.

But neither did that, and should be commended for it. In return, the Blue Jays are returning a strong piece of their starting lineup in Gibbs and should be a force in the new Big East this year.

After all, Creighton does have the best walk on in America on its team.


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Friday Roundtable: College National Player of the Year

Trey Burke and Victor Oladipo are No. 1 and 2 in the latest Player of the Year straw poll and will be two of a handful of players battling for the award in the last month of the season. (espn.com) 

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among three of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: If the season ended today, who would be your choice for college basketball's National Player of the Year?

Alex:
If voting ended today, Trey Burke would be at the top of my ballot. However, it doesn't and after a few surprising losses, Creighton is poised for a late comeback with Doug McDermott leading the Bluejays.

The junior is third in the latest NPOY straw poll after making a run at the award last year and with good reason. He is averaging 22.5 ppg, 7.8 rebounds per game and nearly as many nightly assists (1.8) as Indiana guard Victor Oladipo, who came in second in the same poll.

McDermott's race toward NPOY could mirror Jimmer Fredette's. Preceded by a stand-out year on the national stage, Fredette shouldered the workload for his team and won the title the following season. Both players are from schools outside of Power Six conferences, and an argument could be made for this year's Missouri Valley being tougher than the Mountain West in which Jimmer competed when he won NPOY.

Voters have soft spots for athletes from mid-major schools and players whose teams succeed based almost entirely on their play. McDermott fits both those descriptions and Creighton is on the path to finish at or near the top of the MVC before playing in the NCAA tournament.

Kyle:
Trey Burke has been one of the front runners in the NPOY race all season, and for good reason. Burke is one of the best scoring guards in the game and yet is still a great passer and makes his team better. If the season ended today, Burke would receive my vote, but there's still another player that I think has a legitimate chance to overtake Burke in the final month of the season.

I've always been a fan of Doug McDermott, but I'm afraid Creighton's struggles will keep him out of the race. I think Kelly Olynyk of Gonzaga has been the most improved player in the country and has turned into one of the best and most versatile big men in college basketball. Again, playing in a weaker conference without the national attention on a weekly basis as a Burke or Mason Plumlee will keep him from being in the top three.

Then there's Indiana's Victor Oladipo. While he averages fewer points per game than Burke (14 to 18.6), although he is one of the best rebounding guards in college averaging six boards per game, Oladipo seems to make big play after big play for the Hoosiers and has proven to be their most valuable player. Take the Michigan State game Tuesday as an example. Oladipo tallied 19 points, but more importantly, every time a game-changing play needed to be made for Indiana, Oladipo was the one with the ball. With Indiana inbounding the ball with under a minute left in the game against the Spartans, it was Oladipo who broke free from his defender for a wide-open dunk that all-but sealed the Hoosiers' victory. Not to mention Oladipo had nine rebounds and five steals in the contest.

Burke still has the upper hand at this point in the season, but if Oladipo's numbers remain consistent and if he continues to be the most clutch player on the nation's No. 1 team, I could see Oladipo taking the crown from Burke.

Eddie:

The point guard is the most important position on a basketball team. He sets the tone defensively and is the quarterback for the offense. So how is it, then, that no point guard has won the Wooden Award since Jameer Nelson in 2004 (there is some dispute regarding whether Jimmer Fredette classified as a true point guard)? If the Player of the Year were to be chosen today, I believe that streak should finally come to an end, as Trey Burke (G, Michigan) and Marcus Smart (G, Oklahoma St.) have pushed out in front of a crowded field of contenders.

Burke dominates the statistical categories that are typically strong for a point guard, posting 18.6 points and 6.9 assists per game. Meanwhile, Smart does it all. He has a remarkably strong stat line across multiple categories, with 15 points, six rebounds, 4.4 assists, and three steals per game. It may be that no single player in the country is more valuable to his team than Smart. He has time and again led the Cowboys to victory, seemingly by will alone. Not to mention, Smart is still a freshman.

All said, I would ultimately cast my ballot for Burke. He has excelled as the premier floor general in the nation's best conference. He is a consistent scoring threat, whether he is shooting from deep or taking his defender off the dribble. Most impressively, though, he posts an eye-popping 3.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Michigan and Burke ran into a rut recently, but he has averaged 23.5 points the last two games and looks poised to gain momentum down the stretch.

There is no position more important than point guard, and no one I would rather have filling it than Trey Burke. At least until Marcus Smart proves me wrong.

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Creighton/St. Mary's Headlines Final BracketBusters Event

Creighton travels to St. Mary's for the biggest BracketBusters game of the year. (smcgaels.com)

BracketBusters is in it's final season, and after the pairings were announced Tuesday, it isn't exactly going out with a bang.

While some of the best mid-major teams are in action Feb. 22 and 23, the matchups are lacking the excitement the namesake has brought in the past. The purpose of BracketBusters is to give mid-major teams a final chance to earn a quality win late in the season and get exposure on national television.

If you're looking to scout teams that can make a buzz in the NCAA Tournament, this is your event. Indiana State is making a run at Creighton, Wichita State (both part of BracketBusters) and a Missouri Valley title and can make noise if they get into the tournament, March Madness veterans Belmont and Davidson are looking for a return trip and Murray State and Long Beach State try to regain the momentum from outstanding seasons last year.

The clear winner for best matchup to watch is Creighton versus St. Mary's. Creighton will be able to walk into the NCAA Tournament with a 20-3 record and quality wins but St. Mary's (19-4) is still in need of a signature win to boost the resume. Unlike some of the other matchups in the BracketBusters event, the Gaels can vastly improve their chances in March with a win against Creighton and can gain the most out of the BracketBusters teams who were not given the best opponent to help their causes.

St. Mary's has a great home crowd that will be going crazy for this game, but not only will having so much at stake for one side help build the anticipation in the arena, it will also be a great matchup on the court. The Bluejays and Gaels are both uptempo teams who can score quickly, so this could be a game of runs.

Creighton's Doug McDermott (24 ppg, 7.3 rpg) is a front runner for national player of the year and fans should take any chance they get to watch this guy play. St. Mary's is lead by point guard Matthew Dellavedova (16.3 ppg, 6.5 apg) who can hit big shot after big shot and has been doing it his whole career. Playing in the Olympics for the Australian national team looked to have only enhanced his game, and if the game is close in the final two minutes, look for the ball to be in his hands.

St. Mary's is looking to reach the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time since 2008, and a win over a ranked Creighton team should boost the Gaels into one of the final 68 spots, as long as they don't shoot themselves in the foot in the remainder of WCC play.

To start preparing your viewing schedule now, here's a schedule from ESPN for the BracketBusters games on TV:

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Creighton: Usual Suspects in the Missouri Valley Title Hunt

The long wait will soon be over when the first official NCAA basketball game of the 2012-13 season will tip-off on Nov. 15. Some of our favorite players have moved on the ranks of professional athletes, new recruits have been polishing their games in gyms with recognizable logos on the court, and schools have switched conference allegiances. Through a series of conference previews, the BDD crew will do its best to prepare you for the next 4.5 months of collegiate hoops.

Doug McDermott will once again lead Creighton's charge to the top of the MVC. (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle)

Favorite:  Creighton

Creighton is the only Missouri Valley team to be ranked in the top 20 preseason poll. The reason is simple, and his name is Doug McDermott. Entering his junior year, McDermott is the only First Team All-American returning to NCAA competition, and he's an insanely efficient scorer who averages 23 points per game on 60 percent shooting while staying at 48 percent from three point range.

Creighton is also returning veteran point guard Grant Gibbs, who averages five assists a game. They are losing two of their three leading scorers, however, in guard Antoine Young and center Gregory Echenique. Echenique's departure is an especially big blow because of his shot blocking, but he will be replaced by a seven-footer out of Texas named Geoff Grosselle. 

Dark Horse:  Northern Iowa

In 2011-12, Northern Iowa was tied for third place in the conference. This year, they are returning six of their seven highest scorers from last season. They had a surprisingly balanced attack last year, with only one player averaging (rising senior Anthony James) more than 10 points per contest. Their experience could be a huge advantage in the coming months. 

POY:  Doug McDermott, Creighton

McDermott should be the unanimous pick. The 23 points and eight rebounds he averaged per game last year gives him a convincing argument even before this season begins.

Coach of the year:  Greg Marshall, Wichita State

Wichita State is losing their top six leading scorers from last year. There is no doubt 2012-13 will be tough, but the coach of the year award usually goes to the team with the lowest expectations at the beginning of the season. Marshall has a great recruiting class that includes three-star small forward Deontae Hawkins and Oregon transfer Malcom Armstead, who averaged 8.6 points and 4.4 assists per game two seasons ago. 

Newcomer:  Fred Van Fleet, Wichita State

Another addition to Marshall's remade Wichita State roster, Van Fleet is a four-star point guard from Chicago. Although he is undersized at only 5’11”, he is still a threat, proven by his status as the No. 1 recruit out of Illinois this year. Van Fleet has been committed to WSU since his junior year. His ballhandling and shooting should should anchor the Shockers' backcourt for the next four years.


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