OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Alan Huss was officially introduced as the 17th head coach of the Creighton men's basketball team on Wednesday, taking over for retiring coach Greg McDermott.
McDermott spent the last 16 seasons at the helm of the BlueJays.
Huss previously served as an assistant for McDermott for seven seasons before taking the head coaching job at High Point, which he held for two years.
He returned to Creighton as the head-coach-in-waiting this season.
A major theme around Wednesday's introductory press conference was joy, with both coaches discussing how it plays a role in their approach to the game. McDermott said it is special to see how everything came together and explained why he chose to step away now.
"I felt it's time," he said. "There's some things about the profession I don't like very much right now, and I don't want to become that bitter old guy that walks away with his head down, ticked off at a profession that's given me so much.
"So, I leave feeling good about college athletics and about what's possible at Creighton University, and I'll do everything I can to support Al," McDermott said.
Huss described the transition as bittersweet.
"I wanted Mac to coach for 10 more years and I got into (watching) Creighton winning (when he was at High Point)," he said. "I think there's nothing that makes me happier. So it's a little funky to step into these shoes, want my opportunity, but also at the same time to make that opportunity happen, Mac's got to be done. And that's a challenging conundrum to kind of wrap your mind around."
McDermott reflected on the challenges of maintaining joy during the current season.
"We always talk about having some fun with what we're gonna do and not coaching the joy out of the game," he said. "It was difficult this year because of some of the things, you know, we had a different guy hurt, it seemed like every day. We were all fully aware of what Josh was going through prior to his mom's death and then the weeks following.
"It's really hard to have joy when you're dealing with real-life stuff like that. So, there's a lot of things that impacted this team that didn't allow us probably to get to the level that I'd like."
Huss shared what brings him joy in his new role.
"Finding some way that ... let's just say 30 or so people that are associated with our program when it comes to staff and players and all the people that go into it. I love the idea that if we come together in the right way, our 30 can be better than the 30 on a given night in Philadelphia," Huss said. "Competition is what I'm chasing. That's what brings me joy is that the competition piece, the process of trying to drive that piece, and then it's the relationships that kind of organically happen as you try to achieve success in this space."
McDermott will continue to coach the team in the Crown Tournament.
The Bluejays face Rutgers in the tournament quarterfinals on April 2.
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