Homer Drew

Homer Drew

Homer Drew (born September 29, 1944) is a former American college basketball coach, most recently for Valparaiso University Crusaders men's basketball team. His younger son, Bryce Drew, succeeded him as the head coach in May 2011. His elder son Scott Drew is the head coach of Baylor University's men's basketball team after having served 9 years assisting under Homer and one year as head coach of Valparaiso. Homer Drew is best known for leading Valparaiso's improbable run in the 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

Early career

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, he achieved his Bachelor of Arts in physical education and social studies at William Jewell College in 1966 before completing his Master of Arts in education at Washington University in St. Louis in 1968. Drew then earned a Doctorate in educational administration from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan in 1983.

Valpo career

In 1988, Drew moved to Valparaiso University. Valpo was a model of consistency under Drew, winning both the Mid-Continent Conference regular season and tournament titles five straight seasons from 1994 to 1999, and again in the 2001–02 season. In 1999–2000, he led the Crusaders to their sixth consecutive conference tournament title, and in 2000–01 to another regular season title. This continuous success helped Drew achieve conference Coach of the Year honors three consecutive seasons, from 1993 to 1996.

The pinnacle of Drew's coaching career came during the 1998 NCAA Tournament. In the Midwest Region, 13-seed Valparaiso was facing 4-seed Ole Miss in the first round. Valparaiso was down 67–69 with 4.1 seconds remaining in the game, and Mississippi's Ansu Sesay at the free throw line. After missing both shots, the Crusaders came up with possession—94 feet from their basket, and with only 2.5 seconds remaining in the game. On the inbound, Drew called the play known as the Pacer. Jamie Sykes inbounded a long throw to Bill Jenkins, who passed the ball to his son, Bryce Drew. Then, as time expired, Bryce released a 23-foot three-point shot, clinching the Crusaders' 70–69 upset and advancing them in the tournament. The Crusaders proceeded to defeat 12-seeded Florida State University 83–77 in overtime. However, the Crusaders finally fell to 8-seeded University of Rhode Island by a score of 74–68.

After coaching for another four seasons, Drew retired at the end of the 2001–02 season and took a post as Special Assistant to the President for University Advancement. As of February 21, 2002, Drew had become one of only 19 active Division I coaches to earn his 500th career victory and mounted a 26-season career record of 505–306, a winning percentage of 62.3. This made him the winningest coach in Valpo history, with a 236–184 record there. Drew is nominated to become one of Valparaiso University's 150 Most Influential Persons in the university's history.

For the 2002–03 season, Drew's son Scott took the head coach position, but then left after one year to become the head coach at Baylor. Homer Drew was rehired as head coach for Valparaiso's men's basketball team in August 2003, and has already led the Crusaders back to the NCAA tournament in 2004.

At the conclusion of the 2005–06 season, Drew's career record was 555–347. His Valpo record stood at 286–225.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Bethel College (1976–1987)
1976–1977	Bethel College	19–11
1977–1978	Bethel College	24–7
1978–1979	Bethel College	22–13
1979–1980	Bethel College	23–10
1980–1981	Bethel College	27–10
1981–1982	Bethel College	28–6
1982–1983	Bethel College	23–7
1983–1984	Bethel College	18–13
1984–1985	Bethel College	25–10
1985–1986	Bethel College	18–14
1986–1987	Bethel College	25–9
Bethel College:		252–110
Indiana University South Bend (1987–1988)
1987–1988	Indiana University South Bend	17–12
Indiana University South Bend:		17–12
Valparaiso (Mid-Continent Conference) (1988–2002)
1988–1989	Valparaiso	10–19	4–8	T–5th
1989–1990	Valparaiso	4–24	1–11	7th
1990–1991	Valparaiso	5–22	2–14	9th
1991–1992	Valparaiso	5–22	2–14	9th
1992–1993	Valparaiso	12–16	7–9	T–6th
1993–1994	Valparaiso	20–8	14–4	T–2nd
1994–1995	Valparaiso	20–8	14–4	1st
1995–1996	Valparaiso	22–10	13–5	1st	NCAA 1st Round
1996–1997	Valparaiso	24–7	13–3	1st	NCAA 1st Round
1997–1998	Valparaiso	23–10	13–3	1st	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1998–1999	Valparaiso	23–10	10–4	T–1st	NCAA 1st Round
1999–2000	Valparaiso	19–13	10–6	T–2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2000–2001	Valparaiso	24–8	13–3	T–1st
2001–2002	Valparaiso	25–8	12–2	1st	NCAA 1st Round
Valparaiso:		236–183	128–90
Valparaiso (Mid–Continent Conference) (2003–2007)
2003–2004	Valparaiso	18–13	11–5	1st	NCAA 1st Round
2004–2005	Valparaiso	15–16	10–6	3rd
2005–2006	Valparaiso	17–12	8–8	T–4th
2006–2007	Valparaiso	16–15	9–5	3rd
Valparaiso:		66–56	38–24
Valparaiso (Horizon League) (2007–2011)
2007–2008	Valparaiso	22–14	9–9	T–4th	CBI 2nd Round
2008–2009	Valparaiso	9–22	5–13	9th
2009–2010	Valparaiso	15–17	10–8	T–4th
2010–2011	Valparaiso	23–12	12–6	4th	CIT First Round
Valparaiso:		69–65	36–36
Total:		640–428 (.599)
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

External links

• Valparaiso University Bio
• Valparaiso University Department of Athletics