Radio Iowa
03/21/06
McDermott named new I-S-U basketball coach
New I-S-U, and former U-N-I basketball coach, Greg McDermott
by Darwin Danielson
Northern Iowa mens' basketball coach Greg McDermott hung up his purple and
gold colors Tuesday in exchange for the cardinal and gold of Iowa State
University.
I-S-U Athletic Director Jamie Pollard introduced McDermott on a stage set up
on the basketball floor at Hilton Coliseum in Ames amidst fans, cheerleaders and
the pep band. Pollard said in introducing McDermott, "He's a native Iowan, he's
one of us. He wants to make Cyclone basketball the center of this state, of the
midwest and of the NCAA."
McDermott walk the steps from the upper level down to the floor, shaking hands
of the students before taking the microphone. McDermott says it's been an
interesting couple of days and said he appreciates the confidence placed in him
to do the job that needs to get done. McDermott who played at U-N-I thanked the
president and athletic director at the school for all they'd done for him as a coach.
McDermott said it was a "heartwrenching" decision to take the I-S-U job.
McDermott says, "And that has nothing to do with Iowa State, because I have
great admiration for Iowa State and this athletic department. But, I left a special
place to come here, the University of Northern Iowa is a big part of who I am." He
says, "This place was special enough to me that I could leave home to come
here. I'm one of you. A farm boy from Cascade, Iowa."
McDermott says he wants to get Iowa State back into postseason play as soon
as he can. He says he doesn't think getting back is that far away. "Part of me
could have stayed at U-N-I forever and sailed of into the sunset. But the
competitive side of me wanted to coach in the Big 12 conference and wanted to
win a championship in the Big 12 Conference."
McDermott says he also wanted to go to a place where he could remain in his
home state and not have to leave family and friends. McDermott says,"That only
leaves two places...and beating the Hawkeyes is way too much fun." McDermott
also addressed the students who sit in a section during games that's know as the
Cyclone Alley. He says, "They're going to have to come with some new names
for me. Because what I've been referred to before when I walked through that
tunnel before(as the U-N-I coach), I don't think that cuts it any more." McDermott
says he talked with the current I-S-U players and told them that they will start
over and whatever happened in the past won't matter.
McDermott says his team at I-S-U will play defense. He says, "We're going to
value the basketball, and were going to play unselfish basketball, and it's going to
be about the team." McDermott says the players seemed excited about that.
McDermott comes to I-S-U after five seasons at U-N-I where he led the Panthers
to their first ever national ranking and the N-C-A-A Tournament each of the last
three years. He had a 90-63 record at U-N-I, including a 1-4 record against his
new team.
McDermott replaces Wayne Morgan who was fired last Thursday after the team
failed to make it to postseason play after a late-season slide. Athletic Director
Jamie Pollard says McDermott fit the bill for what he was looking for. Pollard says
he wanted to find a proven winner, both athletically and academically. Pollard
says he wanted and individual that had a clear passion to be the coach of Iowa
State, and he says McDermott emerged as the clear cut favorite.
Pollard says he wanted to act quickly to hire McDermott. He says they weren't
going to mess around as there are 30 coaching openings and they didn't want
someone else to hire the coach they wanted. Pollard says mcDermott has signed
a six-year contract with a base salary of 650-thousand, plus various incentives.