Baylor University head men’s basketball coach Scott Drew will be honored with the 2019 John Lotz “Barnabas” Award.
The award is presented annually to honor a basketball coach who best exhibits a commitment to Christ, integrity and encouragement to others, and lives a balanced life. Drew is the 17th recipient of the “Barnabas” Award, named for former North Carolina assistant and Florida head coach John Lotz.
After beating Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament, Drew’s Bears fell to No. 1 seed Gonzaga Saturday. Drew’s father, Valparaiso coach Homer Drew, received the inaugural John Lotz Award in 2003. Homer Drew retired from college basketball in 2011 with 640 career wins, which ranked him sixth amongst all Division I coaches at the time of his retirement.
“In his coaching, Scott Drew has exemplified integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence on and off the court, and all of us at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes are honored to recognize him during the most exciting time in college basketball,” said Shane Williamson, FCA President and CEO. “This outstanding leader guides his players in matters much more eternal than the game of basketball.”
Ben Johnson, FCA Metro Director/Heart of Texas, who nominated Scott Drew for the 2019 John Lotz Award and will present it to the Baylor coach, said that under Drew’s leadership, several chaplains have ministered to the Baylor Bears over the years. Drew has also served as a featured speaker at the Baylor FCA Huddle.
“Scott Drew loves Jesus and serves his coaches and players,” Johnson shared. “He openly prays with them—win or lose—after the game. And the Baylor Bears are having an incredible year despite numerous injuries on the team.”
Drew began coaching at Baylor in 2003, taking on one of college basketball’s most daunting rebuilding projects. Eleven years later, he became the program’s all-time wins leader.
Drew has built Baylor into one of nine programs to be nationally ranked in each of the past 11 seasons and one of 14 programs to advance to postseason play in every season since 2012. From 2008-18, Baylor has been one of the nation’s most consistent programs, with Drew leading the team to nine 20-win seasons, 11 postseason appearances, the Big 12’s first NIT championship, Baylor’s first postseason tournament title in its 110-year history and a school-record 20 postseason wins.
The Bears advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2010 and 2012, made the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2014 and 2017, won the 2013 NIT championship and advanced to the 2009 NIT championship game. BU also played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, marking its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1988, and the Bears went to the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons from 2014-17, marking the first consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. Baylor’s 20-8 postseason record over the past 10 seasons is tied for the nation’s seventh-best among teams with at least four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Baylor has also had six NBA Draft picks since 2012, which ranks 11th nationally. BU has also accounted for six of the 18 NBA Draft picks from Texas colleges in the past seven seasons—the only other Texas programs with multiple draftees in that span are SMU, Texas and Texas A&M.
Before his time at Baylor, Drew spent a decade coaching at Valparaiso, the final year as head coach and for nine seasons as an assistant under his father. In 10 seasons at Valpo, Scott Drew helped lead the program to six NCAA Tournament berths, including the magical 1997-98 squad that shocked the nation by advancing to the Sweet 16. Valpo made five straight NCAA appearances from 1996 to 2000. The younger Drew was also responsible for three national top-20 recruiting classes during his last five years at Valpo and worked with the Butler’s men’s basketball program from 1991-93 as well.
Success in the basketball world runs strong in the Drew family. Besides the father-son success at Valpo, Bryce Drew is a former NBA player and former Vanderbilt head coach.
Scott Drew is a former first vice president for the NABC Assistant Coaches Committee and previously served on the National Invitation Tournament advisory committee. A 1993 graduate of Butler University with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, he earned a master’s degree from Valparaiso in 1994. Scott and his wife, Kelly, have three children and reside in Waco.
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