Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
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at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Insider: NBA drafts pair of Drew recruits
11/19/2020 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
GCU coach's Vandy players hit NBA Draft lottery for 2nd straight year
There is one college basketball head coach who saw a former player become a lottery pick in each of the past two NBA Drafts: Grand Canyon head coach Bryce Drew.
A year after Darius Garland was drafted No. 5 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Aaron Nesmith gave Drew a second NBA Draft lottery pick from his Vanderbilt recruiting classes on Wednesday night. Nesmith was drafted 14th overall by the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, when a third Drew signee at Vanderbilt, Saben Lee, was taken 38th overall by the Detroit Pistons.
"When you recruit a player, you also recruit the family and grow very close during the recruiting process and through coaching them," said Drew, who coached Vanderbilt from 2016 to 2019. "To see Saben and Aaron drafted and the joy they had with their families, it's a special feeling as a coach. That dream that started when they were in high school became fulfilled a few years later."
Neither Nesmith or Lee were highly recruited players when Drew began pursuing them, but Nesmith's stature grew in the summer of 2017 before the South Carolinian committed to Drew in September of that year.
Nesmith played 32 of his 46 college games for Drew, moving into a major role for him as a freshman when Garland suffered a season-ending injury in November. The 6-foot-6 wing is an outstanding shooter who Boston expects to be an immediate rotation player.
Lee, a 6-foot-2 point guard, is a Phoenix-area product from Corona del Sol High School. Lee's path to the pros also began during that freshman season under Drew, who moved him to point guard when Garland suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game. The speedy, athletic playmaker will be part of the new Detroit management's rebuild.
"They're both first-class young men from great families and they have tireless work ethics," said Drew, whose first GCU season starts Wednesday at home. "They were always in the gym before practice and after practice. They were excellent students and first class in their whole approach to life."
Nesmith and Lee made Vanderbilt one of only eight college programs to have at least two players drafted Wednesday night.
It is a feeling that Drew can appreciate. The former guard was drafted 16th overall by Houston out of Valparaiso in 1998.
"To get your name called on draft night is such a special feeling," Drew said. "For the families and players who dream together, seeing it come to fruition is such a good feeling that they achieved their dreams."
A year after Darius Garland was drafted No. 5 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Aaron Nesmith gave Drew a second NBA Draft lottery pick from his Vanderbilt recruiting classes on Wednesday night. Nesmith was drafted 14th overall by the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, when a third Drew signee at Vanderbilt, Saben Lee, was taken 38th overall by the Detroit Pistons.
"When you recruit a player, you also recruit the family and grow very close during the recruiting process and through coaching them," said Drew, who coached Vanderbilt from 2016 to 2019. "To see Saben and Aaron drafted and the joy they had with their families, it's a special feeling as a coach. That dream that started when they were in high school became fulfilled a few years later."Neither Nesmith or Lee were highly recruited players when Drew began pursuing them, but Nesmith's stature grew in the summer of 2017 before the South Carolinian committed to Drew in September of that year.
Nesmith played 32 of his 46 college games for Drew, moving into a major role for him as a freshman when Garland suffered a season-ending injury in November. The 6-foot-6 wing is an outstanding shooter who Boston expects to be an immediate rotation player.
Lee, a 6-foot-2 point guard, is a Phoenix-area product from Corona del Sol High School. Lee's path to the pros also began during that freshman season under Drew, who moved him to point guard when Garland suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game. The speedy, athletic playmaker will be part of the new Detroit management's rebuild.
"They're both first-class young men from great families and they have tireless work ethics," said Drew, whose first GCU season starts Wednesday at home. "They were always in the gym before practice and after practice. They were excellent students and first class in their whole approach to life."
Nesmith and Lee made Vanderbilt one of only eight college programs to have at least two players drafted Wednesday night.
It is a feeling that Drew can appreciate. The former guard was drafted 16th overall by Houston out of Valparaiso in 1998.
"To get your name called on draft night is such a special feeling," Drew said. "For the families and players who dream together, seeing it come to fruition is such a good feeling that they achieved their dreams."
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