By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher
I’m going to be updating this part of the site all day long with the latest of what I am hearing/seeing in Ames. Just keep refreshing this portion of the site. I’ll also be posting updates/reminders on my Twitter feeds: @ChrisMWilliams and @CycloneFanatic.
4:19 p.m. – ISU Release — Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said Monday that Greg McDermott informed him this afternoon that he has accepted the men’s basketball head coaching position at Creighton.
“I know this was a very difficult decision for Greg and his family,” Pollard said. “The contract terms that Creighton offered him and an opportunity to coach his son were significant factors in his decision. We wish Greg the best of luck at Creighton.”
Pollard said that his immediate attention is focused finding a replacement and he would have no further comments at this time.
3:55 p.m. – Reports now state that Creighton will name Greg McDermott their next head coach at a 10:30 press conference on Tuesday morning.
3:53 p.m. – Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com reports that Creighton will pay Iowa State $800,000 to buy out McDermott’s contract.
3:44 p.m. – The KC Starthrows Larry Eustachy’s name out there. I still think it is a long shot.
3:39 p.m. – A source tells me that the team meeting is going on right now. I have no idea where it is taking place at though. Want to react? I’ll be live on 1460 KXNO today from 4-7 talking about this.
3:06 p.m. – Official reports are starting to surface. Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com reports that McDermott has agreed to a $10 million deal over nine years.
3:01 p.m. – Teem meeting in Ames this afternoon. McDermott will tell the team that he is taking the Creighton job.
1:26 p.m. – Just a thought here. I realize that it is a stretch to call for T.J. Otzelberger as Iowa State’s next head coach. But why not give him the interim tag for a season? He’s a seasoned recruiter. Some out there think that he is among the best in the nation at it. Why not name him the interim coach, keep some players and then have an entire year to look for the next guy if it isn’t working out? Just thinking out loud about some different possibilities.
1:22 p.m. – The Des Moines Register caught up with Jerry Crawford, the owner of the Iowa Energy. According to this report, Iowa State associate head coach Nick Nurse can have his job back with the Energy. A source tells me that Nurse would NOT follow McDermott to Omaha.
1:13 p.m. – The Des Moines Register reports that as of noon, Greg McDermott had not made a decision. I still think he’s as good as gone. Really, there’s no doubt in my min. It is only a matter of time.
1:06 p.m. – Per Charles Boozer’s Twitter feed : "no matter what happens with coach mac, we are still going to get our hilton magic back to where it belongs! im not going anywhere! all eyes."
12:29 p.m. – Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com is reporting vis his Twitter feed that the McDermott to Creighton deal should be done in the "next hour or two."
12:24 p.m. – Just ran into Brian Peterson.
"I really don’t know anything right now," he said. "I’ve tried to get in touch with some of the coaches but that is about it."
More hush hush from the practice facility. Nobody is talking. Nobody knows anything. No sign of McDermott. The AP spotted McDermott leaving the Jacobson Building earlier today and he gave them a "no comment."
11:05 a.m. – My opinion here and that alone. If McDermott was planing on staying in Ames, SOMETHING would have happened by now. He would have made a comment or something. A fleet of reporters is hanging out at the practice facility right now. Again, this is only my opinion but there is no way that Iowa State would let this go on if he was sticking around.
10: 59 a.m. – Just spoke with Chris Hassel of WHO Channel 13. He told me that Dominique Buckley and Justin Hamilton both entered Iowa State’s practice facility minutes ago but refused to make any comments at all to members of the media. I am currently at a local coffee shop due to lack of Internet at the practice facility.
10:43 a.m. – Been hanging out at the men’s basketball practice facility. Scott Christopherson just told reporters that the team hasn’t been told anything regarding McDermott and that a team meeting has not been scheduled at this point in time. Because of the uncertainty, Christopherson declined to comment on the situation.
Charles Boozer and LaRon Dendy did speak with Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register earlier this morning though. Included in Peterson’s report are some emotional quotes. CLICK HERE to read what they had to say.
8:48 a.m. – Now I’m EXTREMELY confident that McDermott will take the Creighton job. I posted this earlier but I’ll write it again now. It is imperative for Iowa State to somehow retain T.J. Otzelberger as an associate head coach or heck, even give the guy a shot to be the new head coach. If Otzelberger stays, the names Melvin Ejim, DeMarcus Phillips, Jordan Railey and Elgin Cook will likely stay. If Otzelberger follows McDermott to Creighton, we’ll likely see another mass exodus that will make winning at Iowa State extremely difficult over the next few years. I have my ear to the ground with this Erik McKnight situation as well today.
8:27 a.m. – Nothing is official still at this hour according to my sources. ESPN.com has now jumped into the mix, reporting that McDermott is gone.
These reports will continue to surface today. Personally, I believe that McDermott will accept the Creighton offer but as I wrote a handful of times last night, I do not believe that it is a done deal…yet.
Keep an eye on CF for the rest of the day as I’m getting ready to leave my home office in Urbandale for Ames. I’ll keep updating my Twitter feeds as well.
