Ducks’ Altman: ‘Tough’ playing ex-team Creighton

Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff WriterMar 22, 2024, 05:52 PM ET

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• Formerly covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and Oklahoma University for the Oklahoman.PITTSBURUGH -Greg McDermott went to

the golf course at Omaha Nation Club nearly 15 years ago expecting to win a little cash off Dana Altman and Bruce Rasmussen.McDermott, now Creighton’s head coach, was meeting Altman and Rasmussen, then the Bluejays ‘head coach and athletic director, respectively, while his child Doug was in the thick of recruitment.Instead, McDermott left that outing with a lighter wallet and a story that still makes him laugh as

his No. 3-seeded Creighton group prepares to handle Altman’s No. 11-seeded Oregon team in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.Editor’s Picks 2 Related “I don’t know what ball games were, however I understand the cash exchange afterwards was not in my favor,”McDermott stated Friday

.”They took me to

Omaha Nation Club, and you’re believing, God, they actually desire my kid, this oughta be a successful day.” You understand, technically would have been NIL before there was NIL, must I be lucky adequate to win. However I was not fortunate sufficient to win. I felt like I got double teamed, really, that day. But we had a terrific day.” Right after, in April 2010, Altman took the head coaching job at Oregon, and McDermott left his post at Iowa State for Altman’s vacated task at Creighton and Doug quickly followed his dad to Omaha. Since that whirl around the training carousel, the set continued to build on success at their particular programs and now fulfill in the 2nd round of the NCAA Competition in a game with lots of history and personal connections.”He’s an actually hero, truly good basketball coach, and a lot much better golf player than I am,”Altman stated of McDermott.”I love the task he’s done at Creighton. It’s so great to watch from afar.

… I still cheer for them. My household is all back in Nebraska. “Oregon might be 1, however Creighton is 1A. “Altman, who joked that McDermott left his six-iron club in the back of his SUV after their golf game, acknowledged Saturday night’s game is going to be a complex one for him and for his old neighborhood in Creighton.”It is difficult to play Creighton,”Altman said.”I wish the committee would not have done that. There are other 3s we might have played. But they did and so we’ll have to play a game. But my focus is on [

N’Faly] Dante and Jermaine [Couisnard] and the fellows I got now. And I make certain Creighton feels the same way. “Oregon assistant coach Kevin McKenna likewise has his own connections to the program, playing for the group from 1977-81 before being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1981 NBA Draft. And, Rasmussen, who played in that fateful golf game with McDermott and Altman, also took a trip to Pittsburgh to support 2 coaches he understands well.”Besides being our employer and the guy that gave us an opportunity, he was a mentor to me and became an excellent buddy, “McDermott stated of Creighton’s former sports director.”And I believe you can see a lot of what’s occurring in Oregon’s program and our program and the manner in which people are treated is probably a direct outcome of Dana’s relationship and my relationship with Bruce due to the fact that of what we learned from him and his ability to have absolutely no agenda for himself. “… I have not seen him deal with to face, however he made it clear in a late-night text– due to the fact that neither of us sleep after a game– I’m supposed to kick Oregon’s ass, as he said.” Oregon and Creighton’s coaching staffs aren’t alone in having special people in the crowd. The games in Pittsburgh are likewise extra meaningful for Oregon guard Jermaine Couisnard. His grandma, Claudette Jackson, attended Thursday night’s win versus South Carolina where Couisnard dropped 40 points, marking the very first time she’s seen her grandson play in college. Jackson, who Couisnard stated has a fear of flying, made the 6.5-hour drive to Pittsburgh from her home in East Chicago, Ind.”I met her last night, and I informed her, where the heck have you been?,”Altman stated.”She doesn’t like to fly, and if I ‘d have known that, we ‘d have had the bus pick her up in Chicago and drive her all the method out to Eugene. … Grandma had a huge smile. That was among the excellent things you get to see, and that’s a night he’ll never forget, his granny and mommy and family will never forget.” If I ‘d have understood that result was coming, we might have got her to the games a lot quicker.”