![]() ![]() “I always wanted to be part of March Madness. “It’s such a fond memory for myself because I grew up watching the NCAA Tournament,” Bryce said. That sent Valparaiso to its first and only Sweet 16 appearance (a 74-68 loss to No. In the stands was mother Janet, sister Dana, and her husband, Casey Shaw.īryce finished the game with 22 points, and followed it up with another 22 in the second round, an 83-77 win over No. Dad, of course, was on the bench, as was the oldest child in the family, Scott, serving as an assistant coach. “When God blesses you and He gives you something that you don’t deserve - and He gave me an awesome platform with that ball going in the rim it very easily could’ve been short and not gone in - it’s something that I really enjoy talking about, just because there was a lot of commitment in it, a lot of hard work, a lot of faith, a lot of belief,” Bryce said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast.Īnd the whole Drew family was there to witness it. So Jamie Sykes threw a deep pass to Bill Jenkins, who caught the ball past half-court and quickly passed it to Bryce running by him on the right wing.īryce’s second attempt at a game-winner was true. Homer then called for a play named “Pacer” in honor of the NBA team that plays 150 miles south of Valparaiso’s campus. Valparaiso ball along the baseline with 2.5 seconds on the clock. Sesay’s second free throw came off the back of the rim and went out of bounds. The rebound was collected by Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Ansu Sesay, whom Valparaiso fouled with 4.1 seconds remaining. “One of his dreams was always to hit a game-winning shot.”īut this attempt hit the front of the rim. “All of us were very excited because I’ve seen Bryce make that shot in our backyard and in our arena at Valparaiso for years, so was thrilled when he had that opportunity,” Homer recalled. Viskovic immediately gave the ball back to Bryce, who was wide open and took a shot with seven seconds left. ![]() He pump faked, dumped the ball off to center Zoran Viskovic and reset himself on the 3-point line. The ball found its way to Bryce - the team’s leading scorer (19.8 points per game) and a two-time Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year - at midcourt. Trailing 69-67 with 20 seconds remaining, Valparaiso got a defensive stop and secured the rebound. Twenty-five years later, that shot remains one of the most iconic in college basketball history. “Bryce realized it wasn’t him, but it was God’s power through him that allowed that shot to go in,” Homer said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in November. Only when they were walking out of the locker room at Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City that afternoon of March 13 did Homer learn the real reason.īryce told Homer he dove on the floor because it was the closest place he could get to where he could give thanks to the Lord. Homer thought it might have been an attempt to protect himself as his teammates came running at him. His dad and head coach, Homer, was asked after the game why Bryce dove onto the floor. ![]() 4-seed Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA Tournament, Bryce Drew hit the deck. Immediately after hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift No. ![]() Spring 2023 Issue With the 25th anniversary of one of the most iconic shots in college basketball history upon us, the Drew family reflects on that moment, their shared faith in Christ, and the coaching journeys of Homer, Scott and Bryce. ![]()
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