Huss Hire About Securing Future for Creighton Men's Basketball
Omaha has been home to Greg McDermott for the last decade and a half. He’s led the Creighton men’s basketball program from the Missouri Valley to the Big East and helped elevate the program beyond what anyone could have expected when he first arrived. At 60 years old and with interests outside the game he […]
Omaha has been home to Greg McDermott for the last decade and a half. He’s led the Creighton men’s basketball program from the Missouri Valley to the Big East and helped elevate the program beyond what anyone could have expected when he first arrived.
At 60 years old and with interests outside the game he wishes to pursue, the end of McDermott’s coaching journey is approaching. He’s accomplished so much during his tenure that the school named a building after him and his family, but for McDermott, what comes after he retires will mean as much to him as all the wins and accolades the program earned with him in charge.
That perspective set in motion the events of this offseason, when McDermott — with the blessing of Creighton president Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, S.J. and athletic director Marcus Blossom — brought Alan Huss back to Creighton as associate head coach and coach-in-waiting.
“It’s just a reality in this day and age, a coach gets fired, if a coach retires, the program gets decimated,” McDermott said. “[Darian DeVries’] example of the Indiana job’s a pretty good job, and four days after taking the job, he didn’t have anybody on this roster. I guess maybe his son was even questioning if it was a good idea. So when the time comes, I don’t want that to happen to this program. I’ve invested too much in it, and it means too much to this community, and if we could figure out a way to get one of our own back here, it seemed like a no brainer to me.”
McDermott said he first broached the topic with Hendrickson a couple months ago, then brought it to Blossom as well around the Big East Tournament. Those conversations centered around McDermott’s desire to see one of Huss or DeVries (known as D-Rock) succeed him. Creighton’s leadership was on board with and helped facilitate Huss’ hire.
“I’ve had a lot of great assistants that have gone on,” McDermott said. “Steve Lutz is at Oklahoma State, does a terrific job, but D-Rock was here 20 years, so this was home, and Al played here and was here as an assistant. So those two guys had probably more of a connection to the place organically than anybody else that came and worked for me. In my mind, I think any head coach would love to see that happen when the time comes to have one of your own take over for you. And in this case, it’s not just one of my own, it’s one of Creighton’s own. He got his degree from here, and I think he’ll tell you this place is home to him.”
The Decatur, Illinois, native played at Creighton under Dana Altman from 1997 to 2001, helping the Bluejays reach the NCAA Tournament three times. He coached under McDermott from 2017 to 2023, giving him direct ties to the two most successful coaches (and eras) in program history.
“It’s amazing,” Huss said. “If you’d have told me when I was a freshman high school basketball coach back in 2005 that I’d be back at my alma mater, and then we’d be somehow in the Big East basketball conference, and at some point I’d be in charge, I would have laughed. I was sitting there trying to figure out a way to win freshman basketball games. It’s amazing.
“The two guys have both been incredibly impactful in my life. Coach Altman taught me that I wasn’t a very good player, which is a great life lesson; I knew I needed to learn other things. Coach Mac taught me how not only to run a program, but how to treat people and how to be a part of something bigger than myself. In certain ways, both of them taught me those lessons in different ways. It hasn’t even set in yet, just how fortunate I am to be here. I can’t wait for my opportunity to continue to lead this place forward.”
McDermott saw DeVries rise up the ranks quickly, from Drake to West Virginia to one of the most storied programs in the country in Indiana. After two terrific seasons for Huss at High Point, and with Ryan Miller departing to lead his own program at Murray State, McDermott seized the opportunity to bring Huss back into the fold.
“Timing is everything,” McDermott said. “He ends up at a high-major job, it’s hard to probably pull him out of there … My guess is probably there’s not another place in the country he would have agreed to this. It certainly shows, I think, how much Al cares about this place, and how much it means to him that, that he would come back and be my associate head coach until I decide that’s it.”
Huss said he was humbled and honored that Creighton chose him. He took a self-deprecating tone throughout much of his conversation with local media on Monday. McDermott was more than happy to sing Huss’ praises, however — and there’s plenty to talk about. The Panthers went 27-9 in his first season at the helm, finishing as CBI runner-up. He followed that with a 29-6 season this year, leading High Point to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. He went 27-5 in conference games during his two seasons.
Huss also played a significant role in Creighton’s recruiting efforts and offensive evolution during his previous stint as an assistant. The Jays made runs to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight with Huss on staff, and now he’s back in the fold.
“I’ve always thought you need to hire people that are smarter than you,” McDermott said. “With me, that’s not that difficult, actually, but he’s one of the more intelligent people I’ve ever been around. Honestly, our readiness with the NIL when it hit was all due to him. He had me prepared for that. He had steps ready to put into place. That first year when Nembhard and those guys were freshmen, we did a little deal and gave them a $25,000 check or something, and they thought they died and went to heaven. He was on the forefront of that.
“He’s just an outside-the-box thinker. He’s one of the best offensive minds I’ve ever been around. I think everyone saw what he’s capable of when he went to High Point. He’s a terrific, well-rounded head coach, and he’s going to be very successful for a long, long time.”
McDermott said he has not decided yet how much longer he’ll coach. However, putting the succession plan in place has provided him comfort as he heads into the final stretch of his tenure at Creighton.
“When the time came, it would have been very difficult to walk away not knowing what was going to happen to the program,” McDermott said. “Having said all that, Marcus and Father, they would have hired a great person, but having the person that I think bleeds Creighton ready to go in that position makes me feel pretty good.
“Obviously, when I’m done, I’ll do everything I can to try to help him succeed and put him in a position that he continues to achieve this same success that we have and then some, which I think he is very capable of doing.”
Colorado’s Deion Sanders reportedly away from program to deal with illness
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has been sidelined recently as he deals with an unknown illness, USA Today and ESPN reported. Sanders is away from Colorado’s program and has been resting, his son, Deion Jr., shared in a YouTube video. “He’ll tell y’all soon enough what he’s going through, what he went through,” the younger […]
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has been sidelined recently as he deals with an unknown illness, USA Today and ESPN reported. Sanders is away from Colorado’s program and has been resting, his son, Deion Jr., shared in a YouTube video.
“He’ll tell y’all soon enough what he’s going through, what he went through,” the younger Sanders said, according to USA Today. “When we get back to Boulder, I don’t know. I’m waiting until my dad leaves. When he leaves, then I’ll go. Until then, I’m going to sit here with him.”
While Colorado isn’t practicing at the moment due to summer break, it’s been hosting its annual football camps in Boulder over the first two weeks of June. Sanders reportedly hasn’t been present for those camps this summer after appearing at them in his first two years on the job. Operating the summer camps is part of Sanders’ job description at Colorado, according to USA Today.
The 57-year-old Sanders also recently canceled a speaking engagement at the Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium.
“Due to an unavoidable last-minute scheduling change, our originally scheduled Foundation Keynote Speaker, Deion Sanders ‘Coach Prime,’ is unable to attend,” the organization wrote in a social media post. “We are grateful for his support and look forward to future opportunities to welcome him.”
Sanders hinted that he had been dealing with a health issue when he appeared on former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel’s podcast in May. As Samuel wished Sanders well, the Colorado coach said what he was “dealing with right now is at whole nother level” and that he had lost 14 pounds. Still, Sanders said he planned to return to coaching whenever the illness subsided.
Sanders has dealt with multiple serious health issues over the last few years. In 2021, he had two toes on his left foot amputated due to blood clots that stemmed from a previous surgery. He underwent surgery again to help relieve blood clots in both of his legs in 2023.
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NCAA says online abuse related to sports betting declined during this year’s March Madness :: WRALSportsFan.com
By The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS — INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Online abuse related to sports betting decreased during the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournaments compared with the prior year, but people involved in the competition still received more than 3,000 threatening messages, the NCAA said Tuesday. The NCAA hired Signify Group to monitor messages directed at […]
INDIANAPOLIS — INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Online abuse related to sports betting decreased during the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournaments compared with the prior year, but people involved in the competition still received more than 3,000 threatening messages, the NCAA said Tuesday.
The NCAA hired Signify Group to monitor messages directed at athletes, coaches, game officials, selection committee members and others with official roles in the tournament. Signify used both artificial intelligence and human analysts to confirm the threats and, when necessary, report them to law enforcement.
Overall, abuse related to sports betting was down 23%, the NCAA said in a news release.
The men’s March Madness bracket was notable this year for the scarcity of upsets, with all four No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four and Florida, a popular pick to win it all, claiming the national title. On the women’s side, three top seeds made the national semifinals and No. 2 seed UConn, among the pre-tournament favorites, won the championship.
The NCAA’s analysis found that overall, abusive statements directed at people involved in the men’s tournament increased by 140% — much of it directed at the selection committee and coaches — while abuse related to sports betting was down 36%.
Abuse was down 83% on the women’s side and betting-related abuse declined 66%.
One women’s player who was targeted online was Chandler Prater of Mississippi State, who was guarding Southern California star JuJu Watkins when she suffered a season-ending knee injury.
“I received all kinds of messages, so many of them hateful and abusive,” Prater said in a statement. “It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.”
Signify’s AI flagged more than 54,000 posts, and its human analysts confirmed that 3,161 messages were abusive or threatening, the NCAA said. Those messages were reported to social media platforms and occasionally to law enforcement. The reporting led to the removal of abusive posts and restrictions on social media accounts.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said he has made curbing online harassment a top priority.
“We have been encouraged to record a reduction in sports betting-related abuse and threat at the 2025 event,” Signify CEO Jonathan Hirshler said, “as this is often the trigger for the most egregious and threatening content we detect.”
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
House Fallout: Lawmakers Present Two Different Bills To Regulate College Sports
Can lawmakers agree on a bill that would help regulate college athletics after House settlement PublishedJune 10, 2025 5:32 PM EDT•UpdatedJune 10, 2025 5:32 PM EDT Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Are lawmakers ready to come together for a Bi-Partisan bill that would protect college sports in the aftermath of the House settlement? In the […]
Can lawmakers agree on a bill that would help regulate college athletics after House settlement
Published•Updated
Are lawmakers ready to come together for a Bi-Partisan bill that would protect college sports in the aftermath of the House settlement? In the upcoming ‘College Sports Act’ that is set to be presented this week, commissioners from the Power Five conferences have also voiced their support for this new legislation that could wrangle some of the biggest issues that are of concern moving forward.
On Tuesday, two different bills were introduced by lawmakers that are aiming to address some of the problems that have plagued college sports over the past few years, especially the NCAA.
Over the past few years, there has been a massive push from athletic directors and commissioners to have Congress intervene and adopt a bill that could give them some type of protection in this growing age of college athletics.
U.S. Representatives Lisa McClain (R-Mich.)and Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) introduced the new bill that is now making the rounds. At the same time, Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R., Fla) and Rep. Brett Guthrie (R., K.Y.) presented a discussion draft for an NIL bill that is being called the SCORE act.
In the first mentioned bipartisan legislation, the following points were laid out for discussion.
NIL Rights: Codifies the right of college athletes to receive compensation for their name, image, and likeness. Prohibits the NCAA and schools from penalizing student-athletes for NIL activity.
Extended Academic Access: Allows student-athletes to use their scholarships to complete a degree within 10 years, even if they leave school early.
Health & Life Skills Education: Requires Division I, II, and III schools participating in a Division I sport to provide training on mental health, sexual violence prevention, nutrition, career preparation, NIL education, and more.
Medical Protections: Requires schools to cover the medical costs of sports-related injuries for at least two years after the athlete leaves the institution.
Scholarship Security: Prohibits schools from canceling or reducing scholarships based on athletic performance, injury, or roster management.
Agent Oversight: Establishes agent registration and disclosure requirements to protect athletes from exploitation.
Employment Status: Prohibits student-athletes from being classified as employees of their university, preserving the collegiate nonprofessional model.
Federal Preemption: Creates a single national standard, overriding inconsistent state laws to ensure clarity for athletes, schools, and sponsors.
‘SCORE’ Act Draft Has The Vote Of Power-Five Commissioners
While there is one bill that was introduced, the ‘Autonomy Conferences’ praised a discussion draft that has been making the rounds on Tuesday as well.
In what is being called the ‘SCORE Act’, leaders from the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC released a statement on Tuesday morning that praised what could potentially be coming down the pipeline over the next few days.
The House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce is scheduled to broach this topic during a hearing scheduled for Thursday. The key talking points of the draft were highlighted by the statement released by Power-Five commissioners on Tuesday.
Replacing the confusing patchwork of state NIL laws with a national standard ensuring all student-athletes are treated fairly, no matter where they play.
Affirming student-athletes’ right to profit from their name, image and likeness.
Requiring academic support and ensuring access to mental health and well-being resources for student-athletes.
Prohibiting student-athletes from being considered employees of an institution, conference, or athletic association.
Protecting rules that serve the educational mission of college
What does all of this mean? This is simply a way for the conferences and House settlement ‘College Sports Commission’ to set guardrails around college athletics. A push to have some sort of federal legislation has been the main point of emphasis, ramping up again recently as the House settlement was approved.
“This discussion draft comes at a time of historic transition for college athletics,” the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC said in a joint statement on Tuesday morning. “In the absence of federal standards, student-athletes and schools have been forced to navigate a fractured regulatory framework for too long.
“Following the historic House settlement, this draft legislation represents a very encouraging step toward delivering the national clarity and accountability that college athletics desperately needs. We urge lawmakers to build on this momentum and deliver the national solution that athletes, coaches, and schools deserve.”
Will we finally see Congress pass some sort of bill that would satisfy all parties involved? That’s still up for debate, and congressional leaders will meet on Thursday to continue discussing the latest bills that have been presented.
No matter what, it doesn’t sound like college commissioners are going to stop their lobbying for federal legislation on how to fix college athletics.
Coach challenges coming to college basketball in 2025-26, other rule changes approved – The Daily Hoosier
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on Tuesday approved changes they say will help enhance the flow of the game in men’s basketball for the 2025-26 season. Changes include a coach’s challenge at any point in a game to review out-of-bounds calls, basket interference/goaltending and whether a secondary defender was in the restricted-area arc. The […]
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on Tuesday approved changes they say will help enhance the flow of the game in men’s basketball for the 2025-26 season.
Changes include a coach’s challenge at any point in a game to review out-of-bounds calls, basket interference/goaltending and whether a secondary defender was in the restricted-area arc. The panel also approved modifications to the rule on continuous motion on field goal attempts.
Other enhancements to help with the flow of the game focus on the points of emphasis for officials for 2025-26. These will include directives to address delay-of-game tactics, limit time spent at the monitor, improve game administration efficiency and reduce physicality.
Under the coach’s challenge rule, teams must have a timeout to request an instant replay review challenge.
If the instant replay review challenge is successful, teams will be allowed to have one additional video review challenge for the rest of the game, including overtime.
If the first video review challenge is unsuccessful, the team loses the ability to challenge the rest of the game.
Officials can initiate video reviews on basket interference/goaltending and restricted arc plays in the last two minutes of the game and into overtime. Recent data shows these reviews caused minimal game interruptions. NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee members think the coach’s challenge will have a significant impact on the flow of the game. Officials cannot conduct video review on out-of-bounds calls unless through a coach’s challenge.
The coach’s challenge, however, does not impact the NCAA officials’ voluntary use of instant replay for timing mistakes, scoring errors, shot clock violations, 2-point versus 3-point field goal attempts, flagrant fouls, etc.
In considering the decisions last month, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee had conversations about ways to continue this direction in the upcoming years, which includes positive momentum for moving the men’s game from halves to quarters. The committee realizes there are hurdles to implementing the quarter format to the game, including the structuring of media timeouts to accommodate commercial inventory.
The committee recommended NCAA Division I conferences create a joint working group to provide feedback on the potential change from halves to quarters.
The Men’s Basketball Rules Committee would like to have feedback from the conferences by the next rules-change year.
Under the changes to the continuous motion rule, an offensive player who ends his dribble going toward the basket and absorbs contact from the defense will be permitted to pivot or complete the step the player is on and finish the field goal attempt.
Currently, players are credited with field goals only when they are fouled while shooting the basketball.
Other rule changes: – Officials will have the option to call a Flagrant 1 foul when a player is contacted to the groin. A Flagrant 1 foul results in two free throws for the offended team and possession of the ball. Previously, officials could only call a common foul or deem it a Flagrant 2 foul, in which the player receives an ejection, and the offended team receives two free throws and possession of the ball. – If a player uses the rim to gain an advantage, it will be a basket interference violation. – If one of the shot clocks becomes inoperable, the shot clock at the other basket will remain on. Previously, both clocks would be shut off until both are operable.
Coach’s Challenge coming to women’s game also
A coach’s video review challenge in women’s basketball was also approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on Tuesday.
After a thorough discussion last month, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee voted to recommend the change for the 2025-26 season.
Under the rule change, the following plays can be challenged at any point during the game:
Ruled out-of-bounds violations.
Ruled backcourt violations.
Whether a change in team possession occurred before the ruling of a foul where free throws would be involved.
Whether a foul was assessed to the correct player.
Officials cannot initiate reviews on these calls, with the exception of whether a foul was assessed to the correct player.
Teams will not be required to have a timeout to make a video review challenge in NCAA women’s basketball competition. However, a failed challenge will result in a technical foul for an excessive timeout.
The panel also approved an experimental rule in exhibition games for the 2025-26 season to allow coaches to make video review challenges on a foul charged to their team at any time during the game.
Other rules changes:
Setting the shot clock to 20 seconds when, following a dead ball, the offense is awarded the ball in its frontcourt.
Eliminating the rule that jerseys need to be tucked in.
Using excessive timeouts or playing with six players when the ball becomes live will become team technical fouls. These violations will count toward team fouls, and the team will be awarded possession at half-court following the free throws.
Allowing players to complete a jump stop when their feet land approximately at the same time. This will be a legal move and will not be considered a travel. The NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee thinks this change can increase the accuracy on traveling rulings.
Allowing defenders multiple one-hand (hot stove) touches on stationary players holding the ball or on a dribbler. These touches would be legal as long as they are not repetitive and do not affect the rhythm, speed, balance and quickness of the dribbler or reroute the offensive player.
If a player competes in a game that the player should have missed due to a suspension, the player and the head coach will both have to serve a one-game suspension for the next scheduled game.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
NCAA Panel Approves Coach’s Challenge Rule Change for Men’s College Basketball Games
The NCAA announced Tuesday it’s bringing the coach’s challenge to men’s basketball. Under the new rule, each coach will have one challenge to use at their discretion to review out-of-bounds calls, a defender’s position in or near the restricted area, and cases of goaltending or basket interference. A coach will keep one challenge if their […]
The NCAA announced Tuesday it’s bringing the coach’s challenge to men’s basketball.
Under the new rule, each coach will have one challenge to use at their discretion to review out-of-bounds calls, a defender’s position in or near the restricted area, and cases of goaltending or basket interference.
A coach will keep one challenge if their first was successful, and they must have at least one timeout remaining in order to initiate the video review.
Karl Hicks, chairman of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee, said in May the group was examining ways to ensure missed calls are corrected without slowing down games too much.
“Coach’s challenges were deemed to be the most efficient way to accomplish this goal,” he said, per the Associated Press’ Eric Olson. “Data from the NCAA tournament and membership conferences showed a substantial number of reviews were on out-of-bounds plays. The committee looked at other basketball leagues around the world to see what the best solution would be for the NCAA, and the committee agreed with the NBA coach’s challenge system and its one plus one process.”
Beyond implementing the challenge system, an important facet of the new rule is that only coaches, not the referees themselves, can trigger a review for out-of-bounds rulings. That should help reduce the length of time a game is ultimately delayed.
The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode argued that men’s basketball was getting too bogged down by video reviews. For example, he cited how the last 77 seconds of Michigan’s 59-53 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game actually took 15 minutes in real time to complete.
To that end, Rexrode lobbied for an NBA-style challenge system. Now, he’s getting his wish.
With this change, the NCAA may have struck a better balance between striving for accuracy without significantly disrupting the flow of a game.
Making The Leap: Division III Players Find Success With Husky Baseball
Banks, a San Francisco native, spent his first three years at Chapman University, a Division III school in Southern California. In his career at Chapman, Banks amassed a 12-5 record, a 3.51 ERA, and 185 strikeouts, earning all-conference honors as a sophomore. But when the opportunity to compete at a higher level and access more […]
Banks, a San Francisco native, spent his first three years at Chapman University, a Division III school in Southern California. In his career at Chapman, Banks amassed a 12-5 record, a 3.51 ERA, and 185 strikeouts, earning all-conference honors as a sophomore. But when the opportunity to compete at a higher level and access more advanced resources came up, Banks was up for the challenge. “I got in the transfer portal after my junior year, and ended up getting some interest from UW,” Banks said. “Ultimately, I just think Washington was the best place to develop and become the best version of myself in my final year of college baseball.”