Scott Drew
Scott Homer Drew is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of Baylor University Bears men's basketball team.
Valparaiso
Drew graduated from Butler University in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. While at Butler he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. Although he never played college basketball at the varsity level, Drew spent two years as a student assistant for the men's basketball team, and also played on the men's tennis team but did not earn a letter.Afterwards, Drew assumed an assistant coaching position with the Valparaiso University Crusaders men's team under his father Homer Drew. He spent nine years in this position, during which he earned a master's degree from Valparaiso and a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the nation. Once the elder Drew retired, he became the team's head coach for one year. In that year, Valparaiso won the regular season conference championship, but lost to IUPUI in the Mid-Continent Conference tournament, thus losing the bid to the NCAA tournament. However, the team proceeded to earn an NIT bid. When Drew went to Baylor, his father came out of retirement to coach Valpo.
Baylor
On August 22, 2003, Drew took the head coaching position of the men's team at Baylor University after the resignation of Dave Bliss due to scandal. Drew took over the team in August, unusually late for a coaching change; practice was only two months away and the first game was only three months away. and most of Baylor's top players from the previous year had chosen to transfer.Drew took over a program left in a shambles as a result of the scandal. Most of Baylor's top players had transferred after school officials granted a full release to every player on the team. Additionally, the program was put on probation until 2010, and paid scholarships and paid recruiting visits had been significantly reduced until 2007. Post season play was also cancelled for the 2003–04 season, and only Big 12 Conference games were permitted for the 2005-06 season. With these handicaps, Drew led the Bears to an 8–21 record in the 2003–04 season, 9–19 in the 2004–05 season, and 4–13 in the conference-only 2005–06 season.
In the 2007–08 season, Drew turned around his Bears to finish with a 21–9 regular season record and 9–7 Big 12 record, and rank 4th in the Big 12. The 21 wins and 9 conference wins were Baylor's best since joining the Big 12 in 1996. It was enough to make the NCAA Tournament for only the fifth time in school history and the first time since 1988. At the end of the regular season, when Drew made an appearance on the sports show Pardon The Interruption, host Tony Kornheiser suggested on the air that Drew be voted "unanimous coach of the year". After the season, Drew signed a 10-year contract extension to stay the head coach of the Bears.
Prior to the 2008–09 season, a Rivals.com writer called Drew the Big 12 "coach on the rise", due to Drew's success in recruiting talent to Baylor.The Big 12 coaches picked Drew's squad to finish fourth in the conference.
In 2010, after finishing tied for second in the Big 12 with a squad picked to finish tenth in the preseason poll, Scott Drew was elected the Austin American Statesman's Coach of the Year. That year he went on to beat the Longhorns three straight times. He went on in the same year to enjoy a NCAA Sweet 16 berth, making him and his father Homer Drew one of the few father and son coaches to accomplish such feat. Then he made an Elite 8 appearance eventually losing to the national championship-winning Duke Blue Devils.
In 2011, Drew led Baylor to an 18–13 overall record and a seventh-place finish in the Big 12. In the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, Baylor lost to Oklahoma. Hours before the game, Baylor was informed that star player, Perry Jones III, would not be allowed to play for accepting impermissible benefits, a decision that was later reversed. The team did not participate in a postseason tournament.
In 2011–12, the Bears started the season 17–0 and rose to third in the AP Poll and the coaches' poll—the highest weekly rankings in school history at that time. However, Baylor finished the season on a 13–8 run in their last 21 games and finished in a tie for third in the Big 12. In the Big 12 Tournament, they defeated No. 3-seeded Kansas in the semifinals, but lost to Missouri in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Elite Eight loss before losing to Kentucky. The loss marked the second time in three seasons that the Bears' season ended at the hands of the eventual national champions.
During the 2012–13 season, Baylor fell to 23–14, 9–9 in Big 12 play to finish in sixth place. An early loss in the Big 12 Tournament resulted in the Bears failing to get an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. They accepted a bid to the NIT where they would advance to the championship game and Iowa to win the NIT.
In 2013–14, the Bears finished with a 26–12 record, again finishing in sixth place in the Big 12. However, they advanced to the Big 12 Tournament championship with three straight wins, including a win over No. 17-ranked Oklahoma, before losing to No. 16-ranked Iowa State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. In the Tournament, the defeated Nebraska and Creighton, before losing to Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteen. Also during that season, Drew won his 202nd game at Baylor, vaulting him past Bill Henderson to become the winningest coach in Baylor history.
The following year, the Bears finished 24–10, 11–7 to finish in fourth place in Big 12 play. They lost in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament to No. 9 Kansas and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. As a No. 3 seed, they were upset by No. 14-seeded Georgia State in the Second Round.
A third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament followed in 2016, but another early exit followed the Bears 22–12 campaign. An upset by No. 12-seeded Yale, knocked the Bears out of the Tournament in the First Round.
In 2016–17, the Bears began the season 15–0 and led to a No. 1 in the country for the first time in Baylor history. However, in their first game as No. 1, they were blown out by No. 10-ranked West Virginia. Later in the season Baylor would beat West Virginia at home to notch their fourth win over a top 10 team on the season. Baylor was an at large 3-seed to the NCAA tournament.
Personal life
Drew is a Christian. Drew has spoken about his faith saying, "We may not win another game this year, and I may be a horrible coach, but if any of these guys leave without knowing Christ, that will be the real loss."Drew is married to Kelly Drew. The couple have one daughter named Mackenzie and two sons named Peyton and Brody.
Drew's brother, Bryce Drew, was head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team at Vanderbilt University.