Former Oakland basketball star Drew Valentine has joined the Golden Grizzlies coaching staff as an assistant coach. Valentine hopes to instill a sense of pride and love for the program in the players. Photo/Jose Suarez (Oakland Golden Grizzlies)
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s not every day that a college basketball player goes from star on the court to joining the coaching staff in two years time. But for former Oakland basketball star Drew Valentine, that’s exactly how things played out.
Last week, Oakland Golden Grizzlies head coach Greg Kampe announced that Valentine was hired to join his coaching staff as an assistant coach.
“We are delighted to announce that Drew Valentine will be joining in a full-time position as an assistant coach with bench duties, recruiting duties and the whole gamut,” Kampe said in the initial release. “To be 23 or 24 years old and have that position is quite rare in this day in age, but this young man deserves it.”
“I was definitely really excited, and to think, you know, to have the opportunity to come back here and kind of continue to build upon what I have began and establishing something that I wanted to do,” Valentine told The Pit of his initial feelings when hired.
Valentine graduated from Oakland University in 2013 after spending four years as a forward for the team. He helped the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2011 as well as Summit League titles. In total, Valentine played 136 games for the Grizzlies and is fourth all-time in defensive rebounds for the university with 480.
He averaged 10.2 points per game his senior year and 6.5 rebounds.
Valentine recalled a conversation he had with coach Kampe once about what his next steps would be after his playing career was over with. After graduation, Valentine joined Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans as a graduate assistant for two seasons.
“I decided to go there – to Michigan State – and be a part of Tom Izzo’s coaching staff and learn under his great knowledge,” Valentine said. “And when I got done, [Kampe] said that as soon as he had an opportunity that it was mine.
“The fact that he had an opening right as I was getting done just made it even more perfect and the fact that I am back here, I couldn’t be happier,” Valentine continued.
His time with the Spartans included back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 and the Final Four in 2015.
The opportunity for Valentine to join the Spartans as a graduate assistant came about because of Izzo’s knowledge of Valentine’s plans to become a college coach. According to Valentine, Kampe gave a recommendation to Izzo supporting Valentine for the GA position.
“We approached each other about making it happen and we made it happen,” Valentine said.
While with the Spartans, Valentine said that he learned a lot in terms of scouting, communicating with players and preparation, as well as the systematic way that things are done.
“Really, just learning how a Top 5 [or] 10 program in the country operates,” Valentine said about his time with the Spartans. “That was pretty different from being at Oakland, being a small school. A top school and program in the country, but Michigan State is just on a completely different level.”
Valentine added that being able to get to a Final Four and experiencing it is like no other and that his experience with Izzo and the Spartans is one that he is very fortunate to have. He said that Izzo will be one of his mentors forever.
“Drew Valentine is one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the nation,” Izzo said in a statement last week. “The job he did as a graduate manager in two years at Michigan State was second to none. His passion, discipline and work ethic are special, but his ability to motivate players is as good as I have ever seen. He will be a great fit in coach Kampe’s system, one in which he excelled as a player. I look forward to watching him grow over the next few years as the latest member of the Spartan coaching tree.”
His time with the Spartans has helped him prepare himself for the next step and more responsibilities, such as hitting the road for recruiting.
“But as far as the mindset from being a player to a coach, I’m still learning and I’m not saying I know everything or that I don’t have anything that I am trying to get better at,” Valentine said. “But, it’s not like I am not going straight from playing on the floor to being a coach. I have already began the transition and just keep trying to become more professional in the coaching groups.”
Valentine returns to Oakland with great pride and love for the program. He hopes to instill that same sense of pride into the players.
“That’s one thing I want these guys to know is that you have to take great pride in this program and this program has a lot of history. I was a part of that history,” he said.
Oakland’s new assistant coach will get his first taste of coaching professionally in August when the Golden Grizzlies travel to Spain for an international trip.
“We really just want to get our guys better,” Valentine said of the trip. “We want to grow as a team but we want to maximize our guys’ potential.”
To hear more from Drew Valentine, including coaching his brother – Denzel Valentine, comparing Tom Izzo and Greg Kampe, and experiences from the NCAA Tournament, tune in to Upon Further Review on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and The Pit.
