Homer Drew

Homer Walter Drew, Jr. (born September 29, 1944) is an American athletic administrator and former college basketball coach who is associate athletic director at Valparaiso University. Drew was the head coach of the Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team from 1988 to 2002 and 2003 to 2011. 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 nine 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.

Drew led the Crusaders to five consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 1995 to 2000—the Crusaders' first postseason appearances as a Division I team. 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 69-67 with 4.1 seconds remaining in the game, and Mississippi's Ansu Sesay at the free throw line. After he missed 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 Pacer. Jamie Sykes inbounded a long throw to Bill Jenkins, who drew two defenders and quickly passed the ball to Drew's 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—the deepest run a Mid-Continent/Summit League team made in the NCAA Tournament since Cleveland State's run in 1986.

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 led the Crusaders back to the NCAA tournament in 2004.

On May 17, 2011, Homer Drew stepped down as the head basketball coach and was succeeded by his son Bryce Drew. Having earned 640 career coaching wins (including 371 at Valparaiso), Drew remained with Valparaiso as associate athletic director. On October 12, 2011, in a shocking announcement before the 2011-12 collegiate season, Homer Drew announced that he and his wife were both diagnosed with cancer. His son Bryce Drew wore a light blue blazer the color symbolizing the fight against prostate cancer in his first regular season game versus the Arizona Wildcats to honor his father and the team publicly dedicated their season to their former coach and his wife.

Head coaching record