After the Madness
The 2018 NCAA March Madness tournament was one for the ages. It was the tale of multiple “Cinderella Stories” and upsets. From 16-seed UMBC upsetting top seeded Virginia, to Kansas State sending John Calipari and his Kentucky Wildcats packing in the Sweet 16, this year’s tourney was unpredictable beyond measures. However, out of all of the underdog storylines, there’s one Cinderella Story that stood out amongst the pact. That’s the journey of Missouri Valley Conference Champs, Loyola University Chicago Ramblers. Entering the tourney as an 11-seed, the Ramblers shocked and awed the nation, game after game, en route to San Antonio for the Final Four, where the clock ultimately struck midnight in a 69-57 loss to the Michigan Wolverines.
As much of a surprise as this run was for the Ramblers and the entire nation, first year Assistant Coach, Drew Valentine, of Lansing, MI, is no stranger to the big stage as this was his 2nd time to the Final Four in 3 years after making an appearance as a Graduate Assistant for the Michigan State team, led by his younger brother, and Chicago Bulls standout, Denzel Valentine. Now that the madness is over and everyday life is back in play, we had a chance to catch up with Coach Valentine to learn more about this legendary season the Ramblers accomplished.
Drew and his brother, Denzel, share a moment after a win in the 2015 NCAA Tournament (via Lansing State Journal)
Was this the craziest experience that you’ve had since you’ve been involved in college basketball?
I would say it’s top 2. I was a GA on staff when my brother made it with Michigan State in 2015, so the fact that I was just getting my start in college coaching and my brother was on the team and it’s the team that my dad played for, [and] we’re from there, there was just a lot of hype for that with me and it was really cool from that perspective; but this [tournament] was incredible too. Obviously, a Cinderella story, nobody expected us to make it to the Final Four. We knew how good our team was and our dudes completely just bought in and believed and played with so much confidence, that we were able to do something special.
What would you say was the biggest between this run to the Final Four and the run with Denzel [and Michigan State] back in 2015?
I would say the first thing is the whole year in 2015 every time they brought up the huddle, the Final Four was in Indy (Indianapolis) that year, so every time they brought up the huddle it was ‘Indy on 3, 1-2-3, Indy,’ and the end goal was Indy. Every player that plays 4 years for Coach Izzo has been to the Final Four except for the year before with Keith Appling and Adreian Payne, they lost in the Elite 8. So the goal the next year, the seniors wanted to make sure they didn’t repeat, they wanted to continue on with the tradition. From the spring and summer, that was the end goal. At Loyola, we didn’t talk about an end goal at all. All coach preached all year was ‘the process’ and our team motto was ‘no finish line.’ We didn’t talk about an end goal, we just talked about how the process leads to no finish line. As long as our guys are completely bought into the culture and coaching and getting better and competing and playing with toughness, we felt like we could win the National Championship. Those are the biggest differences between the two.
Valentine cutting down the net after Loyola's Elite 8 win over Kansas State. (via @coachdrewlu Instagram)
In your wildest dreams, with no finish line, could you have imagined that you guys would have hit the Final Four or even the championship?
I would say...no (laughs). I thought that we could win the first weekend. I thought that we could make the Sweet 16, I thought that was very realistic. Once we knew that we were making the tournament for sure after we won our conference tournament that Sunday in St. Louis, the coaching staff was all celebrating with each other after and a I told the staff, “we’re going to win a weekend in the tournament.” They were like, “uhhhh,” but I’m like, “I’m telling you. We got the team, we got the personnel, we got the belief and we got the coaching to do it.” I envisioned that and knew this team was special enough to do that. As far as making the Final Four, I had no idea.
At what point during the tournament were you like, “We got a chance to win this thing”?
I would say, just how we came out against Miami and how we played against them. They finished third in the ACC, which every year is probably the best conference top-to-bottom in the country and we were playing right there with them. We were up by I think 7 at halftime and I’m like, “man, this team is really special. These dudes got balls, they got toughness, they’re competitive as hell.” We were more prepared than every team. Our guys attention to detail with our preparation was second-to-none throughout the tournament. Then our confidence grew each round and guys started stepping up. I would say after we beat Nevada and we saw that Kentucky lost to Kansas State, we liked our matchup versus Kansas State a lot.
In your team’s situation, I didn’t really know any of the players, so I spent a lot time watching you and the way that were as a coach. You’re an active coach. Even down the stretch against Michigan, you were out of your seat, clapping and screaming. How important do you think that it is for the guys to see you like that especially during a time like that?
Coach Drew Valentine (via 247sports)
I think they just gotta know that you care; that you’re invested because you’re asking them to basically trust their lives and their careers with you. If the guys know you care about them and you’re invested in them and you’re invested in the program, then they’re going to be willing to do the same thing. Our Head Coach, Coach Moser, does a great job of bringing energy every single day and attention to detail. He requires the guys to do it, so obviously he requires the staff to do it. I’m just a naturally energetic guy and my dad was our high school coach and coached us all the way growing up and as a player, he was a high motor guy and cared about winning first and put all the individual stuff aside. He passed that along to myself and my brother and I try to do the same thing as a coach; be selfless and try to do whatever I can to help the guys be as great as they can be as people and as players.
So now, offseason is here, with seniors graduating, how do you think this run sets the precedent for the future of Loyola basketball?
We’re definitely a more recognizable brand nationally. The first phone call that you make to a kid is the one where you’re like, “This is Coach Valentine from Loyola Chicago,” and they’re like, “Oh, what league are you in?” or “Oh, where’s your campus at?” But now, people are going to have a better idea of our players, of the style we play, where our campus is and our potential. People are going to know that [if] you come here, you can do big things and you’re going to have a chance to play at a national, recognizable scale.
The mantra for your crew of friends is “E.A.C.” (Embrace All Challenges), how has that phrase been any more prevalent to you than this run and how much did that mean to you in this run as well?
It means a lot, man. It’s just a blessing to be around those guys and have such a great relationship and a strong brotherhood with guys that are are doing such great things at young ages. The fact that we’re all self-sufficient at 23 to 26 [years old]. Just to have everybody’s support and see how everybody was out posting stuff. Bryn, Denzel, Jordan and Mike all came to the game. Jalen came to the game in Atlanta. Just the amount of love that those guys showed during this run was symbolic of what you said, to have such a strong brotherhood and we’re going to continue to push each other until we’re doing great things for the rest of our lives.
EAC (left to right): Bryn Forbes, Gary Harris, Anthony Clemmons, Jalin Thomas, Mike Step, Denzel Valentine, Jordan Howenstine, Drew Valentine (via @coachdrewlu Instagram)
Valentine with his parents Kathy & Carlton (via @coachdrewlu Instagram)
Within the past year, you’ve gotten married, you just pulled off the run of a lifetime as a Cinderella Story; how do these past 365 days compare to all the others in your past 26 years?
It’s going to be probably one of the most memorable years of my life. I’m just super humbled. I tell everybody all the time, “I don’t understand why, but I’m just going to continue to thank God and keep praying for more blessings and health.” I just couldn’t be happier with some of the sacrifices that I’ve made at such a young age that have put me in the position to be successful. I tell my parents all the time that I’m just so thankful for everything that they’ve taught me and instilled in me. There’s so many people that have been given the wrong guidance and I’m in a position where I’m recruiting high school kids and talking to parents and seeing how people are raising their kids, so just to know how I was raised and the values that they gave me is something that I’m thankful for. I gain more respect for my parents each and everyday. I hope to be a parent like mine were to me one day.
Season’s over, what’s next for Drew Valentine?
(Laughs) Man, we’re trying to wrap up this 2018 recruiting class. We’ve got a scholarship left to give. We’ve had a really successful run with a bunch of transfers that’ve been able to come in and contribute pretty much immediately and we’re going to try to keep finding guys that we really like on the transfer market; hopefully somebody that can come in here and make a huge impact. We set the bar high for ourselves, but I think it’s one thing that this group and this coaching staff is going to embrace.