OMAHA, Neb. — High Point coach Alan Huss will return to Creighton as the head coach-in-waiting for when Greg McDermott decides to leave or retire, according to a person familiar with the decision.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the hire had not been announced.
The 60-year-old McDermott just completed his 15th season with the Bluejays. He passed Dana Altman as the program's career wins leader in November and will go into 2025-26 with a 350-171 record.
Huss, who played at Creighton from 1997-2001, was a McDermott assistant for six seasons before he was hired at High Point.
He was 56-15 overall and 27-5 in the Big South in two years. High Point won the conference regular-season title both years, and its league tournament championship this past season earned the Panthers their first berth in the NCAA Tournament. They lost 73-65 to Purdue in the first round to end a 29-6 season.
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The Panthers have posted two back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in their Division I era, which dates to 1999.
As a Creighton assistant, Huss worked with the big men and helped develop the 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner, who became a four-time Big East defensive player of the year and the 2025 national defensive player of the year.
Huss was an assistant at New Mexico from 2014-17 and before that coached at the high school level in Indiana. He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and played at Creighton under Altman and alongside now-retired NBA sharpshooter Kyle Korver.
McDermott has led Creighton to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 10 overall. The 2021 and 2024 teams reached the Sweet 16 and his 2023 team made the Elite Eight. The 2020 team finished in a three-way tie for first place in the Big East, and the Bluejays have been third or higher in the conference all but one season since 2017. The Bluejays have won at least 20 games in 10 straight seasons and in all but one of McDermott's 15 years.
Arizona gives Lloyd five more years
TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona has extended men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd's contract five years through the 2029-30 season.
The Arizona Board of Regents approved Lloyd's new deal at its meeting on Thursday.
Lloyd agreed to a five-year extension in February 2024 with a base salary of $4.15 million and the new deal will bumps his pay to $4.4 million each of the first two years, with $700,000 in addition duties. His salary will increase $250,000 annually starting after the second year of the contract.
Lloyd also will receive a $2 million retention bonus if he remains with the program and is in good standing as of April 1, 2028.
A longtime assistant under Gonzaga's Mark Few before he arrived in Tucson, Lloyd has led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons, including three trips to the Sweet 16. Arizona reached the Sweet 16 in its first season in the Big 12 in 2024-25 before losing to Duke.
Louisville extends Kelsey's contract
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Pat Kelsey led the Louisville's basketball team back to national relevance and the NCAA Tournament in his first season as coach.
The school rewarded him for it on Thursday, with the University of Louisville Athletic Association's board approving a one-year extension to his original five-year deal that will keep him under contract through the 2029-30 season. The new pact will also increase this past season's ACC Coach of the Year's salary from $2.3 to $3.3 million.
After winning just eight games in 2023-24, Kelsey rebuilt a roster that started with no returning scholarship players and oversaw the nation's biggest turnaround with 27 wins. The Cardinals were ranked as high as No. 10 nationally and earned a No. 8 seed in NCAA Tournament —- their first since 2019.
They lost in the first round to Creighton, but the 27-8 finish turned the page on the three previous seasons in which the Cardinals were a combined 25-71.
The school also approved extensions for women's rowing coach Derek Copeland, men's golf coach Ryan Blagg and women's lacrosse coach Scott Teeter. In addition, Rachael Cosgrove was promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Development
Michigan signs two, MSU adds one in portal
Michigan and Michigan State have added much-needed players from the transfer portal.
The Wolverines signed guard Elliot Cadeau, a two-year starter at North Carolina, and former Illinois forward Morez Johnson Jr. on Thursday.
Cadeau averaged 9.4 points and 6.2 assists as the Tar Heels' starting point guard last season. Johnson, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound forward, averaged seven points and seven rebounds in 17-plus minutes last season for the Fighting Illini.
The Spartans landed forward Kaleb Glenn, who played at Louisville two years ago and Florida Atlantic last season.
Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo dipped into the portal to bolster Michigan State's short-handed roster with the 6-6 Glenn, who averaged 12.6 points and made 41% of his 3-point shots last season for Florida Atlanta after averaging four points a game as a freshman at Louisville. Glenn was AAU teammates with Spartans point guard Jeremy Fears.
BRIEFLY
CLEVELAND STATE: Rob Summers will be introduced as the new men's basketball coach at Cleveland State on Friday. The school made the announcement on Thursday.
Faculty concerned about changes to U of A admissions policy
