July 29, 2016
By Rod Williamson
The spacious parking lot was nearing capacity at 7:15 Friday morning as area business and community leaders streamed in for a big dose of inspiration.
Stephanie White and Bryce Drew, Vanderbilt’s head basketball coaches, were appearing on the same public stage for the first time since they were hired last spring. People were eager to hear, meet and learn from them and the newcomers didn’t disappoint.
The event was hosted by A Well Placed Smile, a leadership and training organization that appeals to life-long learners. Many in the audience were interested in possible similarities between the board room and the locker room. They found out there is considerable cross-over in the culture and character needed for success.
Moderator Caroline Williams Hipps – herself a former Commodore basketball star – opened the 90-minute session with a variety of probing questions and later those in the standing room crowd got to ask their own as White and Drew discussed their philosophies of coaching and life itself.
The two new faces of Vanderbilt basketball have remarkable similarities. Both were high school super stars in Indiana, both gained national attention as collegiate student-athletes and later coaches in the Hoosier State and both acknowledged long-time attractions to Vanderbilt.
Drew, who won four conference titles in five years at Valparaiso, pointed to Vanderbilt’s “national brand”, the tradition of the Commodore program, the city of Nashville and the Southeastern Conference among the primary reasons he’s had Vanderbilt on his short-list.
The Drew family seems drawn to private institutions. Bryce’s dad, Homer, is a coaching legend at Valparaiso, brother Scott is head coach at Baylor and a sister, Dana, was a Hall of Fame basketball player at Toledo.
The similarities continued between White and Drew.
When asked about the relationship she seeks between her basketball team and the community, White said “it’s not simply about winning although that is important. It’s about relationships. I open my arms and my heart to people; we want this community to feel a part of our family. We want to be role models for kids.”
Drew reiterated that point, understanding that the community wants to feel a relationship with the team while the program wants the community to feel a sense of pride in the team.
White, star of Purdue’s national championship team under Coach Carolyn Peck, the Vandy Hall of Famer now on her coaching staff, said she has realized good communication is critical and that she is constantly striving to improve those skills.
The current head coach of the Indiana Fever in the WNBA said tongue-in-cheek that she wanted to borrow Drew’s informal Nashville “restaurant tour” when she arrives in Nashville full-time this fall. Drew met many grassroots fans not long after he became head coach by eating at iconic restaurants, making friends in the process.
Not surprisingly, both coaches said if there was anything that surprised them about coming to Nashville it would be that the people are even friendlier than advertised.
The two coaches are high achievers bringing lofty goals but both noted that quality programs are built over time. Drew cited trust as vital to the health and success of a basketball program, realizing trust requires time to develop. White noted three pillars to her success are hard work, team first and service.
The personable coaches hung around well after the session concluded, shaking hands, chatting and meeting many for the first time. As with their programs, they continue forming a network of meaningful relationships, one person at a time.
