Grand Canyon University has hired Bryce Drew as their next head basketball coach. He will replace “Thunder” Dan Majerle who was fired last week. Drew last coached at Vanderbilt University where he was fired last spring. He spent the last year as an analyst for ESPN. After making the NCAA tournament in his first year at Vanderbilt, Drew struggled in the following two seasons where he finished with 19 straight losses and an 0-18 record in conference play in 2018-19. Prior to Vanderbilt, Drew coached at his alma mater, Valparaiso. He is probably best known for his March heroics when he hit a buzzer-beater to upset Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA Tournament playing for his father, Homer Drew.  

Click here to download the basketball plays

Question is…was this the right hire? Is Drew a good fit for the Grand Canyon University program? I think so. Despite the struggles at the end of his tenure at Vandy, Drew has a great resume: 3 straight Horizon Championships, 2 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 2nd place in the NIT at Valpo. He made the NCAA Tournament his first year at Vanderbilt. While it was a rough last year at Vandy, his team started 7-2 that lost 2 five star players early in the year to injury. He has big-name recognition between him, his brother Scott (Baylor), and his father Homer (Valparaiso). He has both big-time college basketball and NBA credentials to his name as well. He is known in coaching circles as a good recruiter and even a better person. It will be interesting to see how he does back at a mid-major that operates with a major budget. My guess, he will knock it out of the park.