{"id":19859,"date":"2021-04-07T19:06:09","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T00:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=19859"},"modified":"2021-04-07T19:06:09","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T00:06:09","slug":"loyolas-drew-valentine-at-29-becomes-the-youngest-head-coach-in-division-i-basketball-hes-just-a-natural-born-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=19859","title":{"rendered":"Loyola\u2019s Drew Valentine at 29, becomes the youngest head coach in Division I basketball. \u2018He\u2019s just a natural-born leader\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"a <\/span> \u00a0Drew Valentine greets his parents, Carlton and Kathy Valentin<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Drew Valentine, who has spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Loyola University Chicago, helping the team to three Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championships, two NCAA Tournament berths and a National Invitation Tournament appearance, was named the Ramblers head\u00a0men\u2019s basketball coach on April 5, 2021.<\/strong>
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\n\u201cIt is with great excitement and enthusiasm that we introduce Drew Valentine as the head coach of our men\u2019s basketball program,\u201d Loyola Director of Athletics Steve Watson said. \u201cOver the course of his career as both a player and as a coach, Drew had proven that he\u2019s a winner who does things the right way. We are extremely proud of the recent success of our program and Drew has played a key role in those accomplishments. He is the perfect person to lead us as we continue to build upon that success as we begin the next chapter of Loyola basketball.\u201d<\/strong>
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\nIn eight seasons on coaching staffs in his career, Valentine has guided teams to the postseason seven times, including three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, two of which wound up with trips to the Final Four.<\/strong>
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\nAt 29 years of age, Valentine, a native of Lansing, Mich., is believed to be the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I men\u2019s basketball. In 2017, he was named to the Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team, presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), as one of the top coaches under the age of 30.<\/strong>
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\nOver the last four years on Porter Moser\u2019s staff at Loyola, Valentine has played a pivotal role in the program\u2019s ascension to national prominence, helping the Ramblers to a 99-36 (.733) overall record and a 56-16 (.778) ledger in Missouri Valley Conference action. During his tenure in Rogers Park, Valentine, whose brother, Denzel is a guard for the Chicago Bulls, helped Loyola produce three MVC Player of the Year award winners (Clayton Custer in 2018, Marques Townes in 2019 and Cameron Krutwig in 2021), two MVC Defensive Player of the Year selections (Ben Richardson in 2018 and Lucas Williamson in 2021), a MVC Sixth Man of the Year (Marquise Kennedy in 2020) and a MVC Freshman of the Year (Cameron Krutwig in 2018). In addition, both Custer and Townes collected Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America distinction, while this year, Krutwig became Loyola\u2019s first AP Third Team All-America selection since 1985, and in 2018, Custer was tabbed Third Team Academic All-America.<\/strong>
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\nFor the last two seasons, Valentine has served as the de facto defensive coordinator for a Ramblers unit that ranked 21st<\/sup>in the nation in scoring defense in 2019-20 (62.7 ppg) and first in the country (56.1 ppg) in 2020-21. During his four seasons on the Loyola staff, Loyola ranked in the top six in the nation in scoring defense three times but it wasn\u2019t just the defense that thrived. Although defense has been Loyola\u2019s calling card, the Ramblers have also ranked among Division I\u2019s best in field goal percentage in each of the last four seasons.<\/strong>
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\nA proven winner, Valentine has helped lead Loyola to four consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins, including a school-record 32 victories in 2017-18 during a magical run to the NCAA Final Four. Loyola is 6-2 in NCAA Tournament games since Valentine joined the Ramblers\u2019 staff in 2017-18 and Loyola is one of three teams outside the Power 6 conferences to have reached the Sweet 16 in two of the last three years.\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
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\nThis marks the first time the Ramblers have won 20 or more games in four straight seasons since the 1945-46 through 1948-49 campaigns. On top of that, Loyola has earned five wins over nationally ranked opponents since the start of the 2017-18 season, including a pair of victories over teams ranked in the top five in the AP Top 25 Poll (No. 5 Florida in 2017-18 and No. 2 Illinois in 2020-21).\u00a0<\/strong>
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\nThis season, Valentine\u2019s influence was evident as Loyola posted a 26-5 overall record as well as a program-record 16 conference victories, while capturing the MVC regular season and tournament championships. Earning the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Ramblers reached the Sweet 16, picking up wins over the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament champion, Georgia Tech, as well as the top seed in the Midwest Region, Big Ten Tournament champion, Illinois.<\/strong>
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\n\u201cIt is an absolute honor to be named head men\u2019s basketball coach at Loyola University Chicago,\u201d Valentine said. \u201cI\u2019d like to congratulate one of the biggest mentors and role models in my life, Coach Moser, on his new opportunity at the University of Oklahoma. The impact that he has made on this entire University will not forgotten. We will continue to do things the right way, with character and passion! The vision and standard that Coach Moser established will forever remain a part of the culture.<\/strong>
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\n\u201cI\u2019d like to thank Steve Watson and the entire athletics administration for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be the head coach at such a prestigious University. The commitment and vision that Steve has had for the entire department has taken off and his leadership is shown through the success of Ramblers teams across the board.<\/strong>
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\n\u201cI\u2019d also like to thank Dr. Jo Ann Rooney, Tom Kelly and the rest of the University for their support of our program. They have believed in the vision for where this program is headed and without that, we would not be where we are today. Lastly, I\u2019d like to thank the student-athletes, past, present and future. Your commitment to the culture is unmatched and the standards of excellence you set are amazing. Your influence will reign as we enter the next chapter of Loyola basketball and we look forward to continuing to make you all proud.\u201d<\/strong>
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\nValentine also spent two seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Oakland University, where he helped the Golden Grizzlies to 48 total wins and a pair of postseason appearances from 2015-17. While there, he played a crucial role in the development of Kay Felder into a second-round selection of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2016 NBA Draft. Felder earned Horizon League Player of the Year and AP Third Team All-America recognition.<\/strong>
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\nBefore returning to his alma mater, Valentine spent two seasons as a graduate manager at Michigan State, where he helped coach Tom Izzo\u2019s Spartans to a 53-21 record, two Sweet 16 appearances and a berth in the 2015 NCAA Final Four.<\/strong>
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\nAs a player, Valentine, who father, Carlton, was a standout player at Michigan State in the 1980s, was the heart and soul of an Oakland program that notched 87 victories and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths in his career, and he graduated as the winningest player in school history.\u00a0<\/strong>
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\nValentine and his wife, Taylor, are expecting their first child this spring.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/article>\n

For Drew Valentine and Loyola Chicago, the prognosis was clear all along<\/strong><\/p>\n

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As a little boy playing on youth basketball teams, Drew Valentine would grab rambunctious, scattered teammates and move them into position.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI didn\u2019t know he was listening that closely to me,\u201d said Carlton Valentine, Drew\u2019s dad as well as his youth and high school coach. \u201cHe\u2019d say, \u2018You\u2019re supposed to be two passes away, not three.\u2019 They\u2019d get mad at him but he\u2019d be right. Drew\u2019s been a coach since he was 3 or 4 years old.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It came as no major shock to those closest to Valentine that the 29-year-old has now become the youngest head coach in Division I <\/a>men\u2019s basketball<\/a>. Loyola introduced Valentine on Tuesday at a news conference at Gentile Arena, where he takes over as Porter Moser\u2019s replacement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Moser left last week after 10 seasons in Rogers Park to become Oklahoma\u2019s new <\/a> coach<\/a>. He endorsed Valentine \u2014 his assistant the last four seasons \u2014 as his successor.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cEverybody has been asking me if I feel pressure,\u201d Valentine said. \u201cI just have such a high standard for myself. If I\u2019m taking out the trash, I want to take out the trash the best. If I\u2019m getting dressed for the game, I want to be the best-dressed dude.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMy standard for myself is so high already, I\u2019m going to put pressure on myself to do great. One thing my dad always taught me is when you\u2019re doing something you know, there\u2019s no need to be nervous.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Valentine takes over with high expectations after Loyola grew into a midmajor power under Moser with three Missouri Valley Conference titles in the last four seasons and two deep NCAA Tournament runs. The Ramblers had been eyeing him for this moment for years.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Loyola Ramblers basketball coach Drew Valentine.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Athletic director Steve Watson said they became more focused on grooming Valentine the last two years as Moser continued to receive high-major offers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe never formally said he\u2019s the coach in waiting,\u201d said Watson, who declined to specify contract details other than calling it a long-term commitment. \u201cBut we had enough discussions, we knew what direction we were headed in.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Watson didn\u2019t interview other candidates. He called Valentine immediately after Moser confirmed he was accepting Oklahoma\u2019s offer.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s a difference between the quantity of experience and quality of experience,\u201d Watson said. \u201cThe quality of his experience is off the charts.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Valentine\u2019s lineage was made for coaching. Carlton, a former Michigan State player, was a 25-year high school coach in Lansing, Mich. Drew helped shape his younger brother Denzel, a former Michigan State star who\u2019s now with the Chicago Bulls. Drew also played for and coached with Oakland University coach Greg Kampe and served as a graduate assistant for two seasons with Michigan State\u2019s Tom Izzo.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThose two years were like 10 years,\u201d Izzo said. \u201cHe\u2019s probably 39 in terms of experience.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Kampe told Izzo when Valentine graduated from Oakland in 2013, \u201cDrew is a superstar in waiting in the business.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI was a little skeptical of bringing him on,\u201d Izzo said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want people to think I was bringing him here because of his brother. That had zero to do with it. He did an incredible job as a GA: shut your mouth, do your work and make us notice him without flaunting it. Being there early, being there late, a good rapport with players.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Izzo provided Valentine opportunities most GAs don\u2019t get a taste of, such as recruiting and working on scouting reports. Valentine also treated his brother like other players.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI was impressed he was mature enough to handle that,\u201d Izzo said. \u201cHe was incredible.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It was nothing new for Drew and Denzel, who grew up playing for their dad and pushing each other<\/a>. They worked on defensive shell drills as youngsters and lifted weights as preteens. Basketball and family were everything.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Drew wiped tears at his news conference while thanking his brother and reflecting on their sacrifices for the game. Denzel credits Drew for his success.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHe\u2019s always been a leader,\u201d Denzel said at Bulls practice, unable to attend the event. \u201cHe\u2019s always had incredible knowledge for the game. He knows his analytics, he knows X\u2019s and O\u2019s, he knows how to talk to people. He\u2019s just a really good leader.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cEven when we go on vacations and stuff like that, he\u2019s just organized. We always look to Drew: \u2018Drew, what should do? What restaurants should we go to?\u2019 He\u2019s just a natural-born leader.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Denzel Valentine, left, and his brother, Drew,\u00a0greet one another during a Loyola team practice Friday, October 27, 2017.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Valentine never focused on a future coaching career while devouring every aspect of the game. Sometimes he even surprised his own family with his drive.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019d say, \u2018Let\u2019s run this set and go there,\u2019 \u201d Carlton said. \u201cHe\u2019d stop and say, \u2018This isn\u2019t going to work. Let\u2019s do a back cut and go over top.\u2019 We\u2019d watch film and he\u2019d be right. He was pinpoint accurate on things.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Teammates noticed his determination.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Jordan Howenstine, who played on youth, high school and college basketball teams with Valentine, recalled an under-10 travel game for which most of the team was just happy to be on a road trip and excited about the hotel.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe got our butts kicked,\u201d Howenstine said. \u201cAt 10, everyone was like, \u2018We have a pool! We\u2019re going to Denny\u2019s! This is great.\u2019 Drew was the only one who was like, \u2018That is not happening again.\u2019 He was mad the whole night.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHe would hold people accountable. It wasn\u2019t just, we\u2019re going to play games and go home. It\u2019s, let\u2019s go running. Let\u2019s play in the driveway. This is what we\u2019re going to do because this is who we are.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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At Sexton High School, he was a two-time captain of the football team as a quarterback but sat out his senior season after tearing his ACL. He devoted himself to rehabilitating in order to come back in time for his last basketball season, returning in January.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He also tore his MCL at Oakland and rarely practiced as a senior, saving himself for games.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHe attacked it,\u201d said Travis Bader, Valentine\u2019s former Oakland teammate and roommate. \u201cI never saw him doubt himself. I saw him go all out in college, the way he trained not just his body but studying scouting reports and film more than other guys.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Kampe quickly noticed Valentine had the traits to be a coach.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He earned coaches\u2019 respect. He focused on making teammates successful. He rallied players when they were trailing. He orchestrated off-the-court gatherings and, considered the team\u2019s best dancer, knew how to get a party started.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHe had that unique ability to be demanding but in a way that they followed and didn\u2019t dislike him for it,\u201d Kampe said. \u201cHe was always a guy in the huddle I\u2019d look at. If it was late in a game and there was a big possession, I\u2019d look at him to see him nod or shake his head no.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Committed to the Culture \ud83d\udc4a@CoachDrewLU<\/a> x #OnwardLU<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/aRAXfuUOni<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Loyola Men’s Basketball (@RamblersMBB) April 6, 2021<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Being a head coach is admittedly \u201cweird\u201d for Valentine. He felt so awkward in the Loyola head coach\u2019s office, he left after 20 minutes and worked in his smaller office down the hall. He plans to make it a second home soon, decorating it with photos of his family, including his wife, Taylor, who\u2019s expecting their first child, a daughter, in July.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s still surreal that that\u2019s my office,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m just blue-collar. I don\u2019t feel entitled to anything.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0Drew Valentine greets his parents, Carlton and Kathy Valentin Drew Valentine, who has spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Loyola University Chicago, helping the team to three Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championships, two NCAA Tournament berths and a National Invitation Tournament appearance, was named the Ramblers head\u00a0men\u2019s basketball coach on April […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2405,330,11,8,1314,1456,1156,13,14,104,187,1,7,9,10],"tags":[3894,3895,3896,3897],"class_list":["post-19859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-global-sports","category-health","category-most-commented","category-ncaa","category-ncaa-basketball","category-news","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-drew-valentine","tag-head-coach","tag-loyola-university-basketball","tag-loyola-university-chicago","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}