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Vanderbilt welcomes Bryce Drew as coach

By The Sports Xchange

Bryce Drew was officially named Vanderbilt's new men's basketball coach on Wednesday.

Drew left Valparaiso, his alma mater, to take the job that became vacant when Kevin Stallings left after the season for Pittsburgh.

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ESPN reported Tuesday that Vandy reached agreement with Drew on a six-year contract.

The school announced Drew's hiring Wednesday afternoon with a series of tweets that showed Drew arriving at the airport with the mascot greeting him and also urging students to welcome him.

"Our goal was to identify a proven head coach capable of exciting Commodore Nation and perhaps most importantly, able to mirror Vanderbilt's values and aspirations," Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams said in a statement. "With Bryce Drew, we were able to check all those boxes. We are thrilled to welcome Coach Drew and his family to the Vanderbilt community and the great city of Nashville."

Drew, 41, led Valparaiso to the championship game of the NIT this season before losing to George Washington. He posted a 124-49 overall record and guided the Crusaders to two NCAA Tournament berths and four Horizon League regular-season titles in five seasons after replacing his father, Homer, as head coach.

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"We are so excited to be part of the Vanderbilt family. Go Commodore nation," Drew said in a video.

Vanderbilt finished 19-14 overall and 11-7 in the Southeastern Conference under Stallings in 2015-16, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last month. Stallings, who will replace Jamie Dixon at Pitt, went 332-220 in 17 seasons to become the Commodores' winning coach in history.

Drew is the younger brother of Scott Drew, who has been coach at Baylor since 2003. He played for the Crusaders from 1994 to 1998 and was drafted 16th overall in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets and also played for the Chicago Bulls and in Charlotte before spending two years playing overseas.

Bryce Drew was an assistant coach at Valparaiso from 2005 to 2011.

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