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Basketball (Men)

Homer Drew

Head Coach

ARC A 114

219-464-5254

Homer.Drew@valpo.edu

Dr. Homer Drew has built a championship legacy at Valpo and developed a program considered by many to be among the best at the NCAA Division I mid-major level. The 2006-07 season marks the fourth season in Drew's second stint at the helm of the Crusader program, and 18th season at Valpo overall. In 2003-04, his first season back after taking a year off to serve as Special Assistant to the President for University Advancement, Drew returned the Crusaders to the NCAA Tournament, winning the Mid-Continent Conference title with nine sophomores and freshman. The title Valpo took home in 2004 was the tenth straight year the Brown and Gold had won either a regular season or conference tournament title, which marked the second-longest streak of its kind in the nation. A nine-time Coach of the Year, Drew took over a program in 1988 that had never produced a winning record at the Division I level, a stretch that began in 1976. Drew helped put Valpo basketball on the map by guiding the Crusaders to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including five consecutive from 1996-2000. His teams have won 20 or more games eight times in his tenure, and during his seventeen seasons at the helm, Valpo has captured eight regular season titles and eight conference tournament championships. A collegiate head coach for 29 seasons, Drew has compiled a career record of 555-347, good for a .615 winning percentage. He previously served as the Head Coach at Bethel (Ind.) College from 1976-87 and at IU-South Bend during the 1987-88 season, establishing solid foundations at both schools. The “Building a Tradition" philosophy which Drew introduced upon his arrival reached euphoric heights in 1998 as Valpo advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, generating priceless worldwide publicity for the University and community. Drew guided the Crusaders to upsets of Mississippi and Florida State before a tough loss to Rhode Island in the Regional Semi-Finals ended the Cinderella run. The victory over Ole Miss catapulted Valpo onto the national scene when the Crusaders' last-second play, “Pacer", worked to perfection. When the Crusaders captured the 1999 Mid-Continent Conference regular season and tournament championships they joined the likes of Kentucky, North Carolina State and Massachusetts as the only schools to win both titles in at least five straight seasons. Under Drew's guidance, Valpo was one of just seven Division I schools to win 20 or more games each year from 1993-99. In 1995-96, the Crusaders made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament when they earned both the Mid-Con regular season and tournament championships. Those titles duplicated the previous season's achievements, when Valpo won both crowns for the first time in school history. The continuous success of Drew helped him win Mid-Con Coach of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons from 1993-96. Now in his 18th season at Valpo, Drew has enjoyed many other moments as the Crusaders' leader. In the final regular-season game before the conference tournament in 1992-93, Valpo traveled to Notre Dame and defeated the Irish, 80-66. The victory was Drew's second in five years over Notre Dame, joining a 71-68 overtime upset of the Irish in 1988 in front of a packed house at the Athletics-Recreation Center, known as “The Miracle on Union Street." Although the Crusaders led the nation in three-point field goal percentage in 1992-93, it was not the first time a Drew-coached Valpo team made the national spotlight for its shooting beyond the arc. During the 1988-89 campaign, the Crusaders set a then-NCAA Division I record with 19 successful three-pointers against Butler. Valpo finished second in the nation in three-point field goals made per game that year, making 8.9 per contest. Not only have Drew's teams been a success on the court, but also away from the hardwood. Each year the team is involved in at least two community events to give back to the fans who support the team so well. The charitable work includes bagging groceries for cancer, reading and working with young children at the Spring Valley Homeless Shelter, reading programs at area elementary schools, conducting clinics at the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club, participating in various charitable walks and runs, and attending the mayor's black tie dinner for charity. In his early coaching years, Drew had an opportunity to assist the well-respected Dale Brown at Louisiana State from 1972-76. Prior to his days at LSU, Drew spent the 1971-72 season as an assistant at Washington State University. A native of Saint Louis, Drew earned a Doctorate in educational administration from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan in 1983. He achieved a Bachelor of Arts in physical education and social studies at William Jewell (Mo.) College in 1966 before completing his Master of Arts in education at Washington (Mo.) University in 1968. In August of 1995, Drew served as Head Coach of the Athletes in Action European Tour Team which traveled to Germany, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece. The AIA team consisted of two players from Duke University, the University of Tennessee and the University of Miami, along with two Valpo players, Chris Ensminger and Bryce Drew. Coach Drew has had 25 players, including Ensminger and his son Bryce, go on to play professional basketball or baseball, and Bryce was a first round NBA draft choice in 1998. Drew was honored in October 2006 with the Amicus Certus Award from Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. The award is given to individuals that have made significant contributions to the human community. In October of 2002, Drew received the Mid-Continent Conference's Commissioner's Award of Merit, the league's most prestigious honor. Drew was also honored with the Naismith Good Sportsmanship Award in 1998 by the Naismith International Basketball Foundation. He received distinguished recognition for his coaching career when he was inducted into the Bethel College Hall of Fame in 1998. He was also inducted into the Halls of Fame at William Jewell College and Webster Groves High School in St. Louis, Mo. for his achievements on the basketball court. Following Valpo's magical run to the Sweet 16 in 1998, Drew coauthored Find a Way: Valpo's Sweet Dream with Shawn Malayter and Rob Rains. He has also produced 12 videotapes to help coaches in the profession. In May of 2001, Drew was asked to give the commencement address at Valparaiso University's graduation ceremonies. An active civic speaker who has created numerous community activities for his teams, Drew was presented in 1999 with the Lumen Christi Medal, Valparaiso University's highest honor, in recognition of a lay person's distinguished service to church and society. By his own admission, one of Drew's greatest achievements is that he has sent over 70 players into either the teaching or coaching professions. Two of his former assistants are now head coaches on the Division I level: son Scott at Baylor and Rex Walters at Florida Atlantic. Drew and his wife, Janet, have three grown children, Scott, Dana and Bryce, and have five grandchildren.