With current Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson set to step away at the end of the season, the coaching search for Indiana is one of the biggest storylines in college basketball of the year.
Former Purdue basketball legend and current college basketball broadcaster and analyst Robbie Hummel said he would seriously consider hiring current Creighton head coach Greg McDermott to replace Mike Woodson at Indiana.
On a recent episode of the "Field of 68 podcast" Friday, Hummel said that McDermott would be the perfect hire in Bloomington.
“I like (Greg) McDermott,” Hummel said. “And maybe that’s biased because I’ve seen so much of Creighton, but I love their offense. It’s modern. They shoot a ton of threes. He’s won with – not that Creighton has bad resources, but less resources than what Indiana has. He’s a really good coach. I think his demeanor is perfect for that. He’s a great guy. And maybe he could want to stay at Creighton, I have no idea. … And they’ve got a great deal there. That arena’s awesome.”
“To me, I think it would be hard for him to leave Creighton at the end of the day,” Goodman responded. “You know, like, they love him there. He’s done a ton. He’s got a great quality of life.”
Robbie Hummel who played his high school basketball in Indiana at Valparaiso High School and college ball at Purdue is a legend in the state of Indiana and knows a thing or two about the culture of Indiana basketball.
Robbie Hummel's accolades in his college and pro basketball career
- 3× First-team All-Big Ten (2008, 2010, 2012)
- Third-team All-Big Ten (2009)
- Big Ten All-Freshman team (2008)
- Big Ten tournament MOP (2009)
- FIBA 3x3 World Cup champion (2019)
- FIBA 3x3 World Cup MVP (2019)
Hummel was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 58th overall pick in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. He spent two seasons in the NBA and four years in the Euro League.
Robbie Hummel then announced he was retiring from professional basketball to become a studio analyst and color commentator. He has worked for ESPN Big Ten Network, NBC, FS1 and Fox Sports.
Greg McDermott 60, spent five seasons at Northern Iowa, McDermott reached the NCAA tournament three times and won 20 games in each of his final three seasons.
He then took over as Iowa State Cyclones head coach he struggled as he had a losing record in each of his four seasons and never finished better than seventh place in the Big 12.
McDermott was fired and then hired at Creighton where he has been head coach for 15 seasons, where he has found major success.
Greg McDermott coached his son, Doug, a three-time All-American and the national player of the year in 2014. McDermott has been to the NCAA tournament at Creighton in the last four seasons, including a round of 32 appearance, two Sweet Sixteens and an appearance in he Elite Eight in 2022-23. The Blue Jays head coach won the Big East regular season championship in 2020 and was also named Big East coach of the year the same season.
It's been 15 years since he replaced Dana Altman when he left for Oregon, now we shall we if he will finally move on from Creighton and take his talents to Indiana for what would be the final ride and milestone of his career.