Creighton Basketball

TyTy Washington is one of the most highly sought-after recruits in the 2021 recruiting cycle, but there was a time he was headed to Creighton.

He told Kyle Tucker of The Athletic he decommitted from the Bluejays because of Greg McDermott's "I need everyone to stay on the plantation" comment that led to a suspension for the head coach.

"It was definitely the controversy," he said. "I really wanted to attend Creighton. It felt like the situation and the plan Coach McDermott had for me was really good. So it was kind of heartbreaking once I found out what he said. I just felt like the day and age we're living in—a police officer just killed another young black man for no reason—him saying something like that, it's just not right."

It was certainly a major loss for Creighton.

Washington is a 4-star prospect and the No. 30 overall player and No. 3 point guard in his class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Tucker noted he averaged 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds while helping lead AZ Compass Prep to a 30-2 record. He can shoot from the outside, attack the rim in half-court sets, get out in transition, rebound from the backcourt and facilitate for his teammates when defenders collapse on him.

That skill set has attracted the attention of Kentucky head coach John Calipari.

"Man, it's super cool," Washington said of the interest from Calipari. "I'm not going to lie, the first few times he called, I screen-shot his name because I couldn't believe it. I'd be like, 'Bro, you're never going to guess who is calling me.' My friends think I'm lying. So I had to show them."

Kentucky is accustomed to landing prospects like Washington and will look to bounce back from its 9-16 record in 2020-21 by winning on the recruiting trail.

Creighton athletic director Bruce Rasmussen announced Monday head coach Greg McDermott would be reinstated and cleared to participate in all team activities, including this week's Big East tournament, after his racially insensitive comments in late February. 

"Specifically, I said: 'Guys, we got to stick together. We need both feet in. I need everybody to stay on the plantation," McDermott told reporters several days after Creighton's 77-69 loss on Feb. 27. "I can't have anybody leave the plantation."

The school suspended McDermott March 4 after initially saying any punishment would remain confidential.

"Fr. Hendrickson and I engaged with other senior leaders in dialogue and discussion regarding appropriate sanctions for the remarks made by Head Men's Basketball Coach Greg McDermott that were not in alignment with Creighton's commitment to racial equity, diversity and respect," Rasmussen said in a statement after McDermott was suspended.

He added: "Coach McDermott and our Athletic program must use this incident as an opportunity for growth and learning, as clearly more work needs to be done."

McDermott said he agreed with the school's decision:

Assistant Al Huss served as the interim head coach while McDermott was suspended. 

McDermott, 56, has been Creighton's men's basketball coach since the 2010-11 season, leading the Bluejays to a 249-123 record in that time and five NCAA tournament appearances (that number would have been six after Creighton went 24-7 last year, but the NCAA tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic). 

This year, the Bluejays are 18-7 and sit second in the Big East standings, with another March Madness berth on the horizon.

Creighton junior forward Christian Bishop, sophomore guard Shereef Mitchell, senior guard Denzel Mahoney, sophomore guard Antwann Jones and senior forward Damien Jefferson each took part in a pregame video Saturday that served as the players' first public remarks following news that head coach Greg McDermott had used a racially insensitive analogy to attempt to promote team chemistry following a loss.

Per Jon Nyatawa of the Omaha World-Herald, the video was shown before the Bluejays' 93-73 Senior Day win over Butler.

It aired one week after McDermott told Creighton players that they needed to "stay on the plantation" after a 77-69 road loss to Xavier on Feb. 27, ending a four-game winning streak.

Three days later, McDermott issued a public apology on Twitter.

McDermott has since been suspended indefinitely from all team activities, per a statement from Creighton director of athletics Bruce Rasmussen. The coach publicly agreed with the suspension on Twitter while acknowledging that he made a mistake.

The black-and-white video featured all five players making remarks one-by-one.

"James Baldwin said not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed without being faced," Bishop said, per the Associated Press.

Mitchell added, per the AP:

"For slaves, life on a plantation was filled with mental, emotional, physical, psychological and sexual abuse. You were owned as property and not human. Slaves had no rights and no voice. They were branded like cattle, forced from their homeland and stripped of their culture, language and basic human rights. They worked 18 hours a day six days a week. Any sign of wrongdoing such as lack of productivity, not following instructions or resistance would result in beatings or death and that is why..."

Mahoney finished Mitchell's sentence with: "What Coach Mac said hurt me and my teammates."

Jones then provided his remarks, per the AP: "People speak about inequalities and equalities but don't truly know what it means to be equal. And I feel like this is the start for a new conversation to be had in the future. Let's continue to educate each other and let's continue to grow."

Jefferson looked directly into the camera for the closing comments, per Nyatawa, who said that the senior was "perhaps addressing the divided reaction to this week's news among fans and community members."

"If I was your son, would it matter then?" Jefferson asked. "Let's not be OK with racism. Let's start the conversation."

The video then ended in silence, and the players on-court were shown locking arms. "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was also played in CHI Health Center Arena.

After the game, Marcus Zegarowski spoke about players' reactions to the analogy while also providing his support for McDermott.

"A lot of guys in that locker room were hurting from it, and I was hurting from what he said," Zegarowski said," per Nyatawa.

"But at the same time, Coach Mac, he's been a huge mentor for me. And I know he would take a bullet for me, and everybody in that locker room, including the coaching staff."

Zegarowski added: "That's my guy."

McDermott, 56, has been Creighton's head coach since 2010. His last game with the Bluejays was on Wednesday in a loss to Villanova. The suspension was handed down Thursday, and Al Huss served as the interim coach Saturday.

Creighton will play next on Thursday against a to-be-determined opponent in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.

Creighton men's basketball coach Greg McDermott has been suspended from all team activities in the wake of racially insensitive comments made following a loss in late February.

In a statement from the university, athletic director Bruce Rasmussen explained the decision stemmed from conversations with senior leaders and further sanctions "remain under consideration", though those decisions may not be made public. 

McDermott apologized earlier this week and acknowledged the image of slavery his phrasing evoked. 

"Guys, we got to stick together," McDermott told his players, per the Omaha World-Herald's Jon Nyatawa. "We need both feet in. I need everybody to stay on the plantation. I can't have anybody leave the plantation."

Earlier Thursday, the coach told 1620 The Zone's Unsportsmanlike Conduct he offered to resign his position.

Assistant coach Al Huss will serve as the Bluejays' interim head coach until further notice. 

Another of McDermott's assistants, Terrence Rencher, released a statement March 2 explaining the hurt he felt by the coach's phrasing while reaffirming his commitment to support the players on the roster. Those players decided to keep McDermott for the remainder of the season. 

While McDermott still has a job, he won't be finishing the rest of the Big East schedule with his team. 

The No. 14 Bluejays host Butler in their regular-season finale Saturday at CenturyLink Center and are just half a game back of No. 10 Villanova for the division title. 

It's unclear if McDermott will be allowed to coach during the Big East Tournament or NCAA tournament with Creighton expected to play a major role in both.

McDermott, 56, has led the Bluejays since 2010 after four years at Iowa State. He's overseen the program's transition from Missouri Valley Conference member to the Big East, having made the NCAA tournament in all but four years at Creighton. 

Rasmussen called for both the athletics department and the coach to grow from the incident writing "clearly more work needs to be done."

Creighton men's basketball coach Greg McDermott offered to resign if players asked him to after he made racially insensitive remarks in a recent locker room speech. 

"This is their team," McDermott said in an interview on 1620 The Zone's Unsportsmanlike Conduct. "... If they would have chosen to have me walk away, I would have walked away. But that is not what they wanted."

The head coach came under fire for his post-game speech that used slavery imagery after a Feb. 27 loss to Xavier.

"Guys, we got to stick together," McDermott told his players, per the Omaha World-Herald's Jon Nyatawa. "We need both feet in. I need everybody to stay on the plantation. I can't have anybody leave the plantation."

McDermott has since apologized for his words:

The coach, who is white, said he has never used the analogy before.

Assistant coach Terrence Rencher, who is Black, said on Twitter he was "deeply hurt" by McDermott's speech:

There are also several Black players on the team.

McDermott is in his 11th season with Creighton after taking the job in 2010, winning two regular-season titles, two conference tournament titles and five trips to the NCAA tournament in his tenure. The Blue Jays enter their final regular-season game Saturday against Butler with a 17-7 record.

Creighton head coach Greg McDermott issued an apology after making an analogy to a plantation following a 77-69 loss to Xavier last Saturday.

McDermott acknowledged saying he would "need everybody to stay on the plantation" and "can't have everybody leave."

He followed up to say he "immediately recognized my egregious mistake and quickly addressed my use of such insensitive words with the team."

McDermott said he met with athletes, staffers, parents and school administrators regarding the matter and "realize[d] the pain that my words have caused."

Creighton issued a statement as well, saying McDermott "used deplorable language that is inconsistent with the university's values and commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment." The school declined to disclose the nature of any disciplinary action he might receive.

Creighton fell to 17-6 on the season with last weekend's defeat. The Bluejays slipped from 13th to 14th in the Associated Press' Top 25 poll. They face off with No. 10 Villanova on Wednesday and close out the regular season Saturday against Butler.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects Creighton to be a No. 5 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

No. 5 Villanova suffered just its third loss of the year Saturday but by far its worst of the season.

The No. 19 Creighton Bluejays took down the Wildcats, 86-70, at CHI Health Center as the high-scoring Nova offense struggled to defend in the second half. The Wildcats' biggest defeat this year before Saturday came in a 70-59 loss to St. John's on Feb. 3.

Creighton shot 59.3 percent from the field in the win as Marcus Zegarowski poured in a game-high 25 points.

A 15-6 run by the Bluejays early in the second half proved too much for head coach Jay Wright's team to overcome—especially as the Wildcats continued to brick three-pointer after three-pointer.

Villanova had averaged 38.7 percent from behind the arc but connected on just 10 of 32 attempts against Creighton. As the Wildcats attempted to quickly shoot themselves back into the game, Creighton was able to take its time on offense and find solid looks for its starters.

The Jays received eight points from their bench while every starter except Denzel Mahoney (seven points) finished in double figures. Christian Bishop proved the most efficient Creighton shooter, going 6-of-7 from the field for 16 points and nine rebounds.

The win is unquestionably the best on the Bluejays' resume this year and comes hours after the March Madness selection committee announced Villanova as a preliminary No. 2 seed for the NCAA tournament. That's now likely to change.

Creighton still has to travel to play at Villanova on March 3 for their penultimate contest of the regular season. That game now carries extra weight as the two Big East rivals look to establish themselves ahead of Selection Sunday.

Marquette handed Creighton its second loss of the season as the Golden Eagles beat the ninth-ranked Bluejays 89-84 on Monday night.

Creighton trailed by eight with 57 seconds left before getting five quick points from Christian Bishop and Mitch Ballock. Two free throws from Koby McEwen gave Marquette some breathing room before Greg Elliott fouled Denzel Mahoney on a three-pointer to hand the Bluejays a possible lifeline.

Mahoney only made one of the three free throws, though, which all but sealed the Golden Eagles' upset bid. Jamal Cain fouled Mahoney on another long-range jumper with 5.5 seconds left, but his three points at the charity stripe were too little, too late.

Creighton lost despite the best efforts of Ballock, who finished with a game-high 26 points and six rebounds.

Mahoney had 21 points, a total that is skewed somewhat by his seven makes at the foul line. He and Marcus Zegarowski combined to shoot 9-of-26 from the field.

Creighton's defense deservers much more of the blame for the result. The Bluejays' 84 points were nearly equal to their season average (84.2), but they allowed Marquette to shoot 53.6 percent overall and 57.1 percent from the perimeter.

The Golden Eagles had a decided advantage inside, too, out-rebounding Creighton 42-27 and owning a 30-20 edge in points in the paint.

D.J. Carton led the way for Steve Wojciechowski's squad, putting up 20 points. The sophomore guard drilled a critical jumper from the corner that put Marquette up four points with 2:12 left on the clock as Creighton was knocking on the door.

Heading into this year, expectations weren't especially high for the Golden Eagles after they won 18 games in 2019-20 and lost leading scorer Markus Howard. Now, they have wins over two Top 10 opponents after having toppled No. 4 Wisconsin on Dec. 4.

Marquette continues Big East play Thursday against Seton Hall before hitting the road to play Xavier on Sunday. Finishing out the week with two more victories should see the team climb into the Top 25.

Former Duke guard Alex O'Connell announced his intention to transfer to Creighton for his senior season in a tweet Wednesday.

O'Connell averaged 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 2019-20, posting the worst shooting splits of his career as he struggled to make an impact. A 4-star recruit as part of the 2017 class, O'Connell made 14 starts in three seasons with the Blue Devils and appeared in 101 games.

He will have one season of eligibility remaining. It's possible that O'Connell will be immediately eligible beginning next season, though that would require a waiver or a change to NCAA transfer rules. The NCAA is considering a one-time transfer rule that would allow players to be eligible at their new school without sitting out a season.

If O'Connell winds up eligible for next season, he'd join a Creighton team with deep NCAA tournament hopes. The team is slated to return top scorers Marcus Zegarowski, Ty-Shon Alexander and Mitch Ballock, and O'Connell would give them perhaps the best offense in the country.

While his shooting fell off last season, O'Connell has a smooth stroke and appeared to be pressing at times as he fought for playing time. With a more focal role, perhaps he'll be a more consistent player.