Creighton basketball is reportedly hiring former assistant Alan Huss as its coach in waiting, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
Huss served as an assistant under Bluejays coach Greg McDermott from 2017-23 before taking over at High Point in 2023. He took the Panthers to their first men’s NCAA Tournament in his second season at the helm.
The reports do not indicate or suggest McDermott is planning to step down, but that the move is meant to ease the transition away from the longtime coach, who has coached in some capacity since 1989 and who has been a head coach at the Division I level since 2000.
Huss, 46, is also a Creighton alum, having played there from 1997-2001 alongside future NBA All-Star Kyle Korver. Huss started 38 career games for his alma mater and made three NCAA Tournament appearances under then-coach Dana Altman, who’s now at Oregon.
Huss had previously agreed to a contract extension at High Point on March 6 after becoming the fastest coach to reach 50 wins in Big South history, also winning the conference to earn a spot in the 68-team bracket for the first time in program history. The Panthers were a 13 seed and fell to 4 seed Purdue, 75-63, in the first round.
McDermott has helped build Creighton into one of the most consistent college basketball programs, as the Bluejays have made five consecutive NCAA Tournaments with trips to the Elite Eight in 2023 and Sweet 16 in 2021 and 2024. Creighton won its first-round game against Louisville in 2025 before falling to Auburn in the second round.
Creighton is losing All-American Ryan Kalkbrenner and senior point guard Richie Ashworth next season due to running out of eligibility, along with dynamic guard Pop Isaacs, who’s transferring to Houston.
