It's rare for a collegiate student-athlete to give up a scholarship before his career is over. Rarer still when that student led his basketball team with a 23.2 point-per-game average last season.
Creighton senior Doug McDermott, however, is doing just that. The Bluejays forward and two-time All-America honoree will pay for his tuition in 2013-14 to allow teammate Grant Gibbs to have a scholarship, USA Today is reporting. The NCAA on Tuesday granted Gibbs a sixth year of eligibility.
McDermott's sacrifice starts to make more sense when the fact that his father, Greg McDermott, is head coach of the Bluejays. Greg McDermott left Iowa State to become Creighton's head coach during the 2010-11 season.
McDermott's coaching contract is for 10 years, and various media outlets reported that he would make $9 million during that span.
The McDermotts will have to pay the full tuition at Creighton, which ranges between $30,000-40,000, USA Today reported. Even though Greg McDermott is a school employee, NCAA rules prohibit any financial aid unless that person has been employed for more than five years.
"From my perspective, it's worth it to pay for Doug's tuition to have a player of Grant's caliber (on scholarship.) It was really the only option," Greg McDermott told USA Today.
Creighton officially became a member of the Big East on Monday, making a big step up from the Missouri Valley Conference.
McDermott, who led the nation in field goals both during the 2011-12 season (307 field goals) and the 2012-13 season (284 field goals), decided to return to Creighton for his senior season instead of entering the NBA draft.
With Gibbs also making his return, the Bluejays will have four starters returning from their 2012-13 season in which they compiled a 28-8 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tourmament.
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