Creighton's Doug McDermott an Iowa Star

Creighton’s Doug McDermott is an All-American.

Yet there is a sense that because the junior plays in the Midwest and the Missouri Valley Conference that he doesn’t receive proper recognition. Put the guy in the Big Ten or ACC and college basketball fans all around the USA would know about McDermott.

Creighton has always been a basketball school but McDermott’s feats have provided the Jays with greater creditability.

Friday night, McDermott tossed in 39 points to lead his team to a road victory over Missouri State. Creighton is ranked 13th in the country with a 16-1 record. McDermott has been productive since his freshman year and is currently averaging 23.6 points per game.

The interesting thing is McDermott was the second best player on his high school team at Ames, Iowa. Harrison Barnes was the poster boy and received all the national attention. Barnes went to North Carolina and played two seasons before turning pro. I contend that McDermott is a better college player than Barnes.

There are still some fans in Iowa upset that McDermott left the state. He was scheduled to play for Northern Iowa but was granted his release when his father, Greg, took the Creighton job. Creighton and Northern Iowa are fierce rivals in the Missouri Valley. Greg McDermott was a former player and coach at Northern Iowa.

But regardless of where Doug McDermott plays, Iowans can celebrate the accomplishments of this All-American. The terms Iowan and All-American are a rare occurrence.