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Report: Ohio State offers Greg McDermott head coaching job

By Chris Stone

Dec 17, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Creighton Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott watches late game action against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Creighton defeated Oral Roberts 66-65. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Creighton Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott watches late game action against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Creighton defeated Oral Roberts 66-65. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Greg McDermott is in line to be the next head coach at Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes have offered their head coaching job to the Creighton Bluejays’ Greg McDermott, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

Goodman previously reported that the two sides were meeting tonight after initial reports suggested that Fred Hoiberg, the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, could emerge as a favorite for the position.

The Buckeyes’ decision to fire former head coach Thad Matta opened the door to make an offer to McDermott. Cutting ties with Matta late in the summer set off an unprecedented coaching search, but the school seems to have settled on the Creighton head coach after initial potential targets including Arizona’s Sean Miller, Virginia’s Tony Bennett, Xavier’s Chris Mack and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Billy Donovan were ruled out. In the end, it seems that McDermott’s real competition came from the likes of Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams, Butler’s Chris Holtmann and Ohio State assistant coach Chris Jent.

In 16 seasons as a head coach, McDermott has amassed a 315-213 (59.7 win-loss percentage) record while making the NCAA Tournament seven times. In his most recent stint at Creighton, McDermott has gone 166-82 (66.9 win-loss percentage), taking the school to the NCAA Tournament four times during that span. The 52-year old has yet to win a tournament game with the Bluejays, however.

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McDermott’s fit at Ohio State would be an interesting one. He was far from an elite recruiter at Creighton, although he did land former top 50 prospect Justin Patton who is expected to go in the first round of the NBA Draft later this month. With the additional resources, facilities and prestige that the Buckeyes could provide, that may not be much of a concern for the program.

Otherwise, McDermott seems like a solid hire. He consistently coaches one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball and it provides the type of entertainment that hoops fans yearn for in the modern age.

Matta’s track record, though, will put McDermott under a microscope early on. We’ll see if he can succeed.