Doug McDermott has a message for Northern Iowa fans intent on giving him grief Wednesday when Creighton plays in Cedar Falls.

“It’s not my fault,’’ he said with a chuckle. “My dad was the one who took the job.’’

Greg McDermott’s move to Creighton last spring set in motion events that led his son to go from being a prospective Panther to a freshman star at Creighton. Doug originally had signed with Northern Iowa, where he was set to play for his father’s good friend, Ben Jacobson.

When Creighton hired Greg last spring to replace Dana Altman, Doug asked for and received a release from his letter of intent. He since has emerged as Creighton’s leading scorer and rebounder.

Wednesday, he’ll make his first appearance at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls when Creighton plays the Panthers. Doug knows that some Northern Iowa fans probably won’t take kindly to his visit.

“I have mixed emotions about the game,’’ Doug said. “I have a lot of friends that go to Northern Iowa, guys that I grew up with there and when I was in high school in Ames. But I know there are going to be some fans that probably will boo me and my dad.

“Maybe my dad a little more than me. Like I said, it’s not my fault he took a job in the same conference. But I’m happy with how things have worked out, and what’s happened hasn’t changed the respect I have for Northern Iowa and coach Jacobson.’’

Adding to the plot twist is that Greg McDermott was Northern Iowa’s coach for five seasons, leading the Panthers to three straight NCAA tournament appearances his last three seasons at the school. He left after the 2005-06 season to become Iowa State’s head coach.

When Altman moved to Oregon last April, Greg was lured to Creighton. Wednesday’s trip back to Cedar Falls will be his third as an opposing coach, as he took Iowa State there twice during his tenure in Ames.

He said he’s not worried that his son will be a target for more than the normal abuse players get when they go on the road.

“Doug went to elementary school and junior high there,’’ Greg said. “A lot of people know him, and he has a lot of good friends there. I’m sure some things are going to be said, but once we get about 30 seconds into that game, it’s not going to be an issue.’’

Growing up as the son of a basketball coach probably has prepared Doug for some of the chatter that comes from the stands.

“He’s been around the game long enough to have heard just about everything that has been yelled at me,’’ Greg said. “I think he’s learned you can’t pay attention to that kind of stuff. If you do, you’re making a mistake.

“I think the other thing that has helped Doug is the situation he faced in high school. Because of the success his team had, he found himself playing in front of full houses almost every night that they played. He’s played in some hostile environments, and he’s heard a little bit of everything.’’

Doug and Harrison Barnes led Ames High School to unbeaten records and back-to-back state championships in 2009 and 2010. Barnes, considered the top high school player in the country by some recruiting services, signed with North Carolina and now plays for the Tar Heels.

Doug strongly considered Creighton during the recruiting process but decided to sign with Northern Iowa. When Greg took the Creighton job, Jacobson graciously released him from his letter of intent.

Jacobson said recently that he’s not surprised that Doug’s collegiate career has gotten off to such an impressive start. The 6-foot-7 forward ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley with a 13.6 scoring average and third in rebounding with a 7.2 average.

Four times this season, he’s been named the conference’s newcomer of the week.

“I think everybody felt that Doug was going to be a very good player in this league,’’ Jacobson said. “You never know with freshmen until you start playing games because physically most times freshmen are behind.

“But everyone that watched Doug play over the last two years of his high school career felt like he was going to be a very good player. I don’t think it’s a total surprise to anybody.’’

Does the Northern Iowa coach ever ponder how the younger McDermott might be fitting into the mix with the Panthers?

“That situation was decided and dealt with last spring,’’ Jacobson said. “From that point, I haven’t thought about it again. We’re concerned with our team and trying to be as good as we can be.’’

Doug said he’s spoken to Jacobson several times since last spring, including when the Northern Iowa coach spent time last summer at the McDermott family cabin.

“We’ve gotten past all of the awkward tension that goes with something like this,’’ Doug said. “Coach Jacobson has been nothing but understanding through this whole thing. He told me that he would want his son playing for him if he were in the same situation.’’

Doug said he’s grown used to the taunts from the stands about him playing for his dad. He usually gets an earful from opposing student sections since he takes the ball out for the Bluejays after baskets.

“They see my name, and they’re usually all over it,’’ Doug said. “It’s kind of funny, and I usually try to use it as motivation. I get the usual stuff, like the only reason I’m on the team is because my dad is the coach.

“That kind of stuff puts a little fire into my step.’’

Every once in a while, a fan will yell something that leaves him chuckling.

“I forget where we were, but it was snowy that day,’’ Doug said. “I was taking the ball out, and someone yelled, ‘Hey, Doug, did your dad make you shovel the driveway before you could come out and play?’ I had to laugh at that one.

“If someone gets in a good one, I’ll usually give him a thumbs up.’’

Contact the writer:

402-679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com; twitter.com/PivOWH

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