Bluejays star earns his wings

There's a saying in basketball that goes something like this: "If you're not in the gym, someone else is. And they're getting better."

Sounds like coachspeak. But Doug McDermott believed it. Lived it. Has flourished as one of the nation's best players because of it.

Six years ago, McDermott was a sophomore at Ames (Iowa) High School. January mornings in the Midwest tend to be chilly, and there was plenty of temptation to remain warm under the covers, sleep in for an extra hour and work out later.

Instead, McDermott pulled himself out of bed, went out into the cold and made his way into the gym. He took shots, improved his footwork, lifted weights and made himself into an Associated Press preseason first-team All-American at Creighton.

"I saw it as an opportunity to get better," said McDermott, a 6-foot-8-inch junior forward who was third in the nation in scoring last year with a 22.9 average and was the Missouri Valley Conference's 2012 Player of the Year while playing for his father, Greg. "It was hard to get up in the mornings, though."

So was going against his dad's former Iowa State teams. Greg let his young son scrimmage against his Cyclones, and it was one of the nice perks that came with being a coach's kid.

"It forced me to work harder to get better," he said. "I was pretty young and pretty weak. I probably weighed 170 pounds back then, and I wasn't even the best player on my high school team. I was worried about getting embarrassed out there. But there's no better feeling than seeing yourself get better."

McDermott is the marquee attraction at the 12th annual Las Vegas Invitational, which moves into Orleans Arena for the semifinals today with the 14th-ranked Bluejays (4-0) facing Wisconsin at 7 p.m.

Is McDermott really that good? And how is he able to excel when teams are hell-bent on stopping him?

"It's almost like a game of chess," said McDermott, who averages 16.8 points this season as a junior. "You have to try and stay a step ahead of your opponent. I see a lot more double-teams now, and I'm trying to read the defense before the double-team arrives and put myself in better position to make a play."

Creighton actually lucked out in getting McDermott. He was initially going to play at Northern Iowa, where his father had played from 1983 to 1988 and coached from 2001 to 2006. But when Greg got the Creighton job after Dana Altman left for Oregon in 2010, Ben Jacobson, the Panthers' coach who is Doug's godfather, allowed Doug to bow out of his commitment, giving him the special opportunity to play for his dad.

Greg McDermott said he initially wanted to redshirt his son. But injuries and circumstances being what they were, Doug found himself playing as a freshman. In his first game, he had 16 points and seven rebounds in the first half.

"So much for redshirting him," Greg McDermott said with a laugh. "The truth is, he gets the ball off so quick and so versatile. He earned his time.

"What I'm so proud of is how hard he has worked to get where he is. Sure, being a coach's kid, he had access to things most kids don't. He got to play against older players, and it helped him become better. But he deserves all the credit."

Doug McDermott has handled the added exposure well, knowing that the spotlight also shines on his father and his teammates.

"It creates some unreal expectations, but it has given me and the program a lot of positive attention," he said. "I'm just trying not to let it become a distraction. Once the game starts, I just concentrate on my game."

Tonight's game with the Badgers (3-1) will be nationally televised on ESPN2, giving the country its first look this season at McDermott. He expects a tough, physical game, almost NCAA Tournament-like.

"It's a really good test for us," he said. "Wisconsin is well-coached, athletic and smart."

How's that for some coachspeak? His dad couldn't have said it better.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.