“I know I have a brain that doesn’t work correctly to some people,” she continued. “It’s so basketball oriented. I watch March Madness right now, and I’ll pick up plays and Xs and Os and things I want to do that are kind of frightful. I believe basketball is a gift. But ultimately it helps me do what my real passion is.”
Drew is passionate about her Thunderhawks, who posted a 19-6 record and reached the Division I regional finals this season.
Among the best female players to ever come out of Greater Cincinnati, the former Nikki Kremer is the JournalNews All-Area Coach of the Year.
“Yes we had talent, but we were blessed in a lot of ways this year,” Drew said. “We were fortunate to not have a lot of injuries. I have an amazing staff. And our team was very unselfish. I never had to address with this team sharing the ball more, making better decisions. It was something they truly cared about and did on their own, which is very nice. That’s the kind of team you really like to coach.”
Drew wasn’t surprised by this year’s success, despite the fact that East had just one senior (Megan Costa).
Expectations are consistently high in Drew’s world. The 2011-12 season will be no different.
“This year we said the final four, and we were one win short,” Drew said. “Next year, I’m going to convince our kids that we’re going to be in that final game. Anybody that coaches at the level we do, I think you have to set the bar pretty high. Your goal is to get your kids to overachieve. That’s what our purpose is.”
She’s always been an aim-high individual. A standout player at Mother of Mercy High School and Xavier University, Drew played professionally for a year in Germany and France.
A knee injury ended the self-described basketball junkie’s playing career.
“I was a pure junkie,” she said. “You couldn’t get me out of the gym. And I didn’t like to lose.”
Drew is toughness and light, all at the same time. She believes you have to be demanding, but she also knows that many of today’s athletes won’t connect with a drill sergeant.
“(Mercy coach Mary Jo Huismann) would probably tell you I was a little bit of a clown at times because I like to have fun and joke around,” Drew said. “But I know when to be serious. I think I have a good balance.”
About the Author