Creighton's Greg McDermott tells a great Rick Barnes story before March Madness reunion

DETROIT – Back in 2010, Creighton basketball coach Greg McDermott faced a tough decision on whether to take the job he has now. The coach at Iowa State then, McDermott wasn't sure what to do as he pulled out of his driveway to meet with Creighton's former athletics director Bruce Rasmussen.

So he called Rick Barnes for job advice.

"I hung up the phone with him when I pulled into the hotel parking lot 40 minutes later," McDermott said Thursday. "He just drilled me with questions and things to think about, short-term, long-term. That, I think, speaks to who Rick Barnes is. He's been a great friend of mine."

Barnes, then at Texas and a Big 12 Conference colleague of McDermott's, will be on the opposing sideline Friday as third-seeded Creighton (25-9) faces No. 2 seed Tennessee (26-8) in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

"One thing I'll tell you about Greg is that he is a program-builder and really and truly a great offensive mind," Barnes said. "After every time we played them, I would take something from what he did to us and add to what we were doing. … He stands for all the right things. He's done it the way that you'd want any coach to do it. He's a guy that could coach at any level."

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During his 14 seasons at Creighton, McDermott has led the Bluejays into the Big East Conference and built the program into a national power, winning at least 20 games each of the past nine seasons.

Oddly enough, it all goes back to a conversation with Barnes.

"Of the guys in the Big 12 at that time, he was the one I thought that could maybe make sure I'm thinking about everything before I made that decision," McDermott said. "To his credit, he asked a lot of the right questions. Then when I had the opportunity, I decided to do it, and it's been a great run."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Creighton basketball coach Greg McDermott tells a great Rick Barnes story