Even in Loss, Drews Appreciate Gains

On the face of it, yesterday was not a very good day for the Drew family. Scott's Baylor basketball team was blown out of Verizon Center, 90-79, in the first round of the NCAA tournament by a Purdue team that was quicker, stronger and tougher at virtually every position.

But because that last sentence included the words "NCAA tournament," it was a pretty good day for the Drew family.

"You have to remember, when Scott took over, Baylor was below ground," said Bryce Drew, sitting in the Baylor section a few minutes before tip-off. "They were playing walk-ons in the Big 12. I doubt if anyone's ever had to do that."

That was five seasons ago, when Scott Drew left Valparaiso to take over at Baylor in the wake of Patrick Dennehy's murder at the hands of teammate Carlton Dotson and the release of a tape in which then-coach Dave Bliss was heard telling his players to lie to investigators about illegal payments he had made to Dennehy.

At the time, Scott had just finished his first season as the head coach at Valparaiso. He had succeeded his father, Homer Drew, who had retired at age 57 to become a university vice president.

"I was tired," Homer Drew said. "Plus, I thought Scott was ready to be a head coach. It seemed to make sense."

When Scott decided to take the Baylor job in September 2003, finding a coach might have proven difficult for Valparaiso. So the school asked Homer Drew to succeed his son, who had succeeded him.

"I guess if nothing else we're the only family in which the son succeeded the father and then the father succeeded the son," Homer Drew said with a laugh as he worked his way through the Baylor section. "It actually worked out well. The year away rejuvenated me."

Homer and Bryce arrived in town yesterday morning after flying in from Seattle, where Valparaiso upset Washington in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational on Wednesday night. Neither man seemed at all tired.

"I napped at the hotel," Bryce said.

"I didn't," Homer said. "Too excited. I'm going on adrenaline. I never thought Scott would get to this point this quickly, given where the program was when he took over.

Homer Drew had remarkable success during his first 14-year run at Valparaiso, most notably in 1998 when his team reached the round of 16 after upsetting Mississippi in the first round on one of the most famous shots in the history of the tournament.