Bryce Drew
He hit a last-second shot that became one of the most replayed moments in college basketball history, then built a coaching career on tournament upsets.
Born 1974 (age 52)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: September 21·Generation X
Biography
Bryce Drew’s life in basketball was shaped by family and a single, unforgettable shot. The son of longtime Valparaiso coach Homer Drew, he grew up around the game and became the Crusaders' star point guard. His legacy was cemented in the 1998 NCAA tournament when he caught a length-of-the-court pass and sank a leaning three-pointer at the buzzer to upset Ole Miss, a play immortalized as 'The Shot.' After a journeyman NBA career, he returned to Valparaiso as head coach, succeeding his father and brother, and led the small Indiana school back to the tournament. His ability to develop talent and craft game plans for underdogs earned him a shot at the power-conference level with Vanderbilt, and later at Grand Canyon University, where he transformed the Antelopes into a consistent March Madness contender, proving his coaching acumen extends far beyond one magical moment.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Bryce was born in 1974, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bryce Was Born
The biggest hits of 1974
#1 Movie
The Towering Inferno
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Bryce's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1974Born
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1979Started school
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1987Became a teenager
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Could drive
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1992Could vote
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Turned 21
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2004Turned 30
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 40
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 50
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 52 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Hit 'The Shot,' a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win the 1998 NCAA tournament game for 13th-seeded Valparaiso over Ole Miss.
- Led three different schools (Valparaiso, Vanderbilt, Grand Canyon) to the NCAA tournament as a head coach.
- Won multiple conference coach of the year awards in both the Horizon League and the WAC.
- Guided Grand Canyon University to its first-ever NCAA tournament victory in 2024.
Did You Know?
His famous game-winning play in 1998 was drawn up by his brother, then-assistant coach Scott Drew.
He and his father, Homer Drew, are one of only a few father-son duos to each win an NCAA tournament game as a head coach.
He played parts of six seasons in the NBA, primarily as a backup guard for the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls.
“The shot went in, but the work that led to it is what mattered.”
