Vanderbilt Basketball Coaching Search: Bryce Drew

Bryce Drew, head coach, Valparaiso Crusaders

Career Record: 124-48 (5 years); 2 NCAA Tournament appearances; 0-2 NCAA Tournament record

Accomplishments: There was this:

Also, has won 72 percent of his games, has won the Horizon League four times in five years, has been the Horizon League Coach of the Year three times, including each of the last two years.  He may win the NIT Championship tonight.  Any questions?

Before He Was A Head Coach: Played for his dad, Homer Drew, at Valparaiso, where he graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer.  Then he played six years in the NBA before returning to Valpo as an assistant coach, again under his dad.

Ties to Vanderbilt: None that we are aware of.

Stylistic Tendencies: Defense and rebounding, man.  His last three teams at Valpo have ranked in the top 50 nationally in effective FG percentage, and in the top 30 nationally in two-point percentage defense.  His last two teams have ranked in the top 40 in defensive rebounding percentage, and #55 and #27, respectively, in offensive rebounding.  If there's a real knock here, it's that his teams have tended to be careless with the ball.

Would he come here? You noticing a consistent theme here, though?  Aside from his stint in the NBA, he's spent literally his entire adult life at Valpo.  He's a legend there, and he signed a 10-year contract in 2013.  He's also rumored to be a top candidate for the Georgia Tech job.

Thoughts: On paper, Drew seems like a great hire.  There's really no questioning a guy who's had that kind of success, even in a relatively short career, and even if he doesn't work out in this case "not working out" probably means he's Kevin Stallings 2.0.  That's certainly a lot better than your upside being Kevin Stallings 2.0.  Plus hiring him would be a strong troll move considering we share a conference and a kinda-sorta rivalry with Ole Miss.  Bryce Drew is to Ole Miss what Christian Laettner is to Kentucky.

But, well... I'm skeptical that Drew would actually take the Vanderbilt job if it were offered.  The recurring theme in his profile is that that's a lot of Valpo, and you really have to wonder if his goal in life is to be the northwest Indiana version of Mark Few, staying at a small school just because he loves it and doesn't really want to go anywhere else.  A lot of this (and the Georgia Tech thing) is why I held off on writing a profile on him because he just seems like an unlikely candidate.