Fellowship of Christian Athletes Honoring Two Coaches with Kay Yow and John Lotz Awards

KANSAS CITY, MO - During the most exciting time in college basketball, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA, www.fca.org) is honoring two outstanding basketball coaches with awards named after close friends of FCA to recognize leadership, dedication and commitment both on and off the court.

On Sunday morning during the FCA Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Breakfast at the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Convention in Tampa Bay, Florida, Liberty University head women’s basketball coach Carey Green will be honored with the 2019 Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award.

Named for the late North Carolina State coaching icon Kay Yow, the award is presented annually by FCA to honor a basketball coach who has exemplified biblical principles over the course of his or her career. Kay Yow, who passed away from breast cancer in 2009, was presented with the inaugural award at the 2008 Women’s Final Four in Tampa.

FCA will also soon present the 2019 John Lotz “Barnabas” Award to Baylor University head men’s basketball coach Scott Drew. This award is presented annually to honor a basketball coach who best exhibits a commitment to Christ, integrity and encouragement to others, and lives a balanced life. Drew is the 17th recipient of the “Barnabas” Award, named for former North Carolina assistant and Florida head coach John Lotz. Drew’s father, former Valparaiso coach Homer Drew, received the inaugural John Lotz Award in 2003.

“All of us at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes are thrilled to honor Liberty’s Carey Green and Baylor’s Scott Drew, who have displayed the FCA values of integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence throughout their careers,” said Shane Williamson, FCA President and CEO. “These outstanding leaders guide their players in matters much more eternal than the game of basketball. The greatest influence in an athlete’s life is a coach, and there is no greater calling for Christ-following coaches than to influence their players for Jesus.”

Carey Green | Liberty University

Carey Green’s award was originally announced in front of a Liberty home crowd March 13 before the Lady Flames’ semi-final game of the Atlantic Sun Tournament, where they defeated the North Florida Ospreys, 65-51, to advance to the championship game March 17, when the Flames fell to No. 1 seed Florida Gulf Coast University.

Green has served as the Liberty women’s basketball head coach since 1999, instilling a winning tradition during his tenure with the Lady Flames. His teams have averaged 23 victories per year, while becoming a regular fixture in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. Green ranks 16th among active NCAA Division I women’s basketball coaches in winning percentage.

Before his time at Liberty, Green spent 12 years as an assistant coach at Clemson and has been to the postseason on 28 occasions (25 NCAA, 3 WNIT). Liberty has notched 16 20-win seasons in Green’s 19 years at the helm. He is a five-time Big South Coach of the Year and a five-time Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) State Coach of the Year, including his latest VaSID honor in 2017-18.

The 2017-18 Lady Flames enjoyed the second biggest single-season turnaround in program history, going from 13-17 to 24-10 in one year. Liberty claimed both the Big South regular-season and tournament titles during its final year as a conference member, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.

The Lady Flames have not only gotten the job done on the hardwood under Green’s tutelage but have also excelled in the classroom. Liberty has ranked in the top 15 nationally for team GPA five times during Green’s leadership.

“The reason we are here at Liberty is to develop not only a winning tradition at the national level, but champions in all areas of life,” Green has said. “I am so excited to observe our players’ development and achievements. I am thrilled our team’s GPA regularly ranks among the nation’s leaders. This is evidence of our goal to have a ‘whole program,’ neglecting no area of our players’ development.”

Prior to his days at Liberty and Clemson, Green coached at Jackson State Community College, Rockwood High School, Coalfield High School and Roane State Community College, all in Tennessee.

Green is a native of Louisville, Tennessee. He and his wife, Denise, reside in the Lynchburg area and have two children and five treasured grandchildren.

Daniel M. Lumpkin, Liberty Director of Player Development, shared that Green “faithfully intertwines the teachings of the Holy scriptures into team meetings, practices and games and knows that his purpose is ultimately a higher calling than simply coaching basketball. He cares deeply for the hearts of the young ladies he coaches and mentors and knows that the most important lessons he can teach them deal with their spiritual well-being and their future in the Kingdom of God.”

A current Liberty player said this of Coach Green in a nomination letter: “The girls he has coached throughout his years have been subject to many battles and through each one the Lord has laid continuous wisdom on his heart. He fights for his players as if they were his own children: he counsels, guides, loves, encourages, and prays for each of his players.”

Past winners of the FCA Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award include:

2008: Kay Yow, North Carolina State
2009: Jane Albright, Nevada
2010: Nancy Wilson, College of Charleston
2011: Sue Ramsey, Ashland
2012: Deb Patterson, Kansas State
2013: Sue Semrau, Florida State
2014: Kristy Curry, Alabama
2015: Matt Bollant, Illinois
2016: Kirk Martin, Cedarville
2017: Julie Goodenough, Abilene Christian
2018: Lynn Plett, University of Colorado Springs

Scott Drew | Baylor University

Ben Johnson, FCA Metro Director/Heart of Texas, who nominated Scott Drew for the 2019 John Lotz Award and will present it to the Baylor coach, said that under Drew’s leadership, several chaplains have ministered to the Baylor Bears over the years. Drew has also served as a featured speaker at the Baylor FCA Huddle.

“Scott Drew loves Jesus and serves his coaches and players,” Johnson shared. “He openly prays with them—win or lose—after the game.”

Drew began coaching at Baylor in 2003, taking on one of college basketball’s most daunting rebuilding projects. Eleven years later, he became the program’s all-time wins leader.

Drew has built Baylor into one of nine programs to be nationally ranked in each of the past 11 seasons and one of 14 programs to advance to postseason play in every season since 2012. From 2008-18, Baylor has been one of the nation’s most consistent programs, with Drew leading the team to nine 20-win seasons, 11 postseason appearances, the Big 12’s first NIT championship, Baylor’s first postseason tournament title in its 110-year history and a school-record 20 postseason wins.

The Bears advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2010 and 2012, made the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2014 and 2017, won the 2013 NIT championship and advanced to the 2009 NIT championship game. BU also played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, marking its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1988, and the Bears went to the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons from 2014-17, marking the first consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. Baylor’s 20-8 postseason record over the past 10 seasons is tied for the nation’s seventh-best among teams with at least four NCAA Tournament appearances.

In the 2019 tournament, Baylor defeated Syracuse in the first round, then fell to No. 1 seed Gonzaga.

Baylor has also had six NBA Draft picks since 2012, which ranks 11th nationally. BU has also accounted for six of the 18 NBA Draft picks from Texas colleges in the past seven seasons—the only other Texas programs with multiple draftees in that span are SMU, Texas and Texas A&M.

Before his time at Baylor, Drew spent a decade coaching at Valparaiso, the final year as head coach and for nine seasons as an assistant under his father. In 10 seasons at Valpo, Scott Drew helped lead the program to six NCAA Tournament berths, including the magical 1997-98 squad that shocked the nation by advancing to the Sweet 16. Valpo made five straight NCAA appearances from 1996 to 2000. The younger Drew was also responsible for three national top-20 recruiting classes during his last five years at Valpo and worked with the Butler’s men’s basketball program from 1991-93 as well.

Success in the basketball world runs strong in the Drew family. Besides the father-son success at Valpo, Bryce Drew is a former NBA player and former Vanderbilt head coach.

Scott Drew is a former first vice president for the NABC Assistant Coaches Committee and previously served on the National Invitation Tournament advisory committee. A 1993 graduate of Butler University with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, he earned a master’s degree from Valparaiso in 1994. Scott and his wife, Kelly, have three children and reside in Waco.

Since its launch by FCA in 2003, the John Lotz “Barnabas” Award has honored the following:
2003: Homer Drew, Valparaiso
2004: John Wooden, UCLA
2005: Dale Clayton, Carson-Newman
2006: Steve Alford, Iowa
2007: Dale Layer, Colorado State
2008: Willis Wilson, Rice
2009: Ritchie McKay, Virginia
2010: Gary Waters, Cleveland State
2011: Billy Kennedy, Texas A&M
2012: Don Meyer, Northern State
2013: Tom Crean, Indiana
2014: Bob Hoffman, Mercer
2015: Jayson Gee, Longwood University
2016: Ed Schilling, UCLA
2017: Gregg Nibert, Presbyterian College
2018: Hubert Davis, North Carolina