Homer Drew gets 600th win in blowout in 2009

After five tries, Homer Drew picked up career win number 600 at the ARC Friday night.

“The guys did great, said Associate Head Coach Bryce Drew.  “We are excited for the win.  Good things can happen if we get a streak going.”  When asked what the 600^th win meant to Homer, “I am very excited for him,” Bryce stated after the game.  “It was a great night. If we can get some wins, we will improve our chances of hosting a first round game in the tournament,” Bryce stressed.

After the game, the fans heard head coach Homer Drew talk about the milestone. “600 to me is just a number,” he said.  “I want to thank the loyal fans who have come out to the games.  We are young, but we are improving. I would also like to thank our loyal students,” he stated. 

Howard Little shook up the Ramblers’ offense most of the night.  The sophomore guard had 17 points, 4 steals, and 5 rebounds in the win.  “It feels great to give Homer his 600^th win,” he said.  "Any win is great, but it even greater when you show it just for the coach,” he told me after the game.

With the Crusaders right now in seventh place and only two games behind Youngstown State, a win on Sunday is important if Valparaiso wants to host a home game in the first round of the tournament. 

Riding a 33-19 halftime lead, the Crusaders fired up all cylinders in the second half en route to a 71-47 victory.  Despite the Ramblers’ attempts to come back, Valparaiso made sure that did not happen. 

“It feels pretty good to get that win,” freshman guard Erik Buggs said.  “A win on Sunday would give us a look at where we stand.  Stats do not matter.  If you come out on top, you know that you have done your job.”  He also grabbed six rebounds in the win. 

Freshman walk-on Andrew Ferry had 7 points in 11 minutes.  “It was good to get 600 wins,” he said after the game. “It gives us a lot of relief.  We are ready to move on.” 

When asked what the chances are of hosting a first round game, “Anything can happen.  Winning at home is key since we have to defend our turf.” 

Freshman forward/center Cameron Witt had six points for the Crusaders as well as one rebound. “The win tonight takes a monkey off of your back,” he said in a post game interview.  “We can start to relax a little bit now.  It takes a lot of hard work to knock off a team that toppled you earlier,” he said. 

Next up for the Crusaders are the Flames of UIC who come into the ARC only a half game behind.  UIC won the last meeting back in January at the Pavilion.