Like father like son. Homer Drew will pass the torch to one of his sons for the second time as he hands off the coaching reigns to Valparaiso's all time leading scorer, son Bryce. Homer Drew coached the Crusaders from 1988-2002 before stepping down in favor of his son Scott. Scott Drew coached the team for a year before moving on to Baylor, and Homer Drew was rehired and held the position again from 2003 until now. In his two stints as the Crusader head coach, Homer Drew won 371 games and led Valparaiso to the NCAA tournament 7 times including a run to the Sweet 16 in 1998.
Bryce Drew was the star for Valpo back in 1998. The Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year for the second straight time, Drew averaged 19.8 points and shot 43.3% from long range. In a game against Western Illinois he hit 9 3-pointers and finished with a season high 33 points, but Drew saved his best work for the NCAA tournament. In the opening round, Drew hit one of the more famous shots in NCAA tournament history when his 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Crusaders a 1 point win over 4th seeded Mississippi. The Crusaders would continue their run to the Sweet 16 when they knocked off Florida State in overtime 83-77 behind Drew's 22 points, but their season ended at the hands of a Rhode Island team featuring Drew's future Houston Rockets teammate Cuttino Mobley. Drew ended his collegiate career as Valpo's all-time leader in points (2,142), assists (626), steals (186), made 3's (364) and field goals (696), and became the Crusaders' first ever first round draft pick when the Houston Rockets took him with the 16th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. Drew played 6 seasons in the NBA with the Rockets, Bulls and Hornets, averaging 4.4 points and 2.2 assists over 243 career games including 46 starts. In 2005, Bryce returned to Valpo as an assistant coach and now at age 36 takes becomes the third Drew to take over as head coach.
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