After his senior season as an Oakland Grizzly came to a close, Drew Valentine had a tough decision to make — go overseas in hopes of starting a basketball career, or join MSU’s basketball team as a graduate assistant.
Already suffering an ACL tear, a torn meniscus and a removed tumor in his pinky during his career, he decided he had too many bumps and bruises to continue playing basketball. Instead, Valentine took head coach Tom Izzo up on an offer he made last year in Indianapolis after the Spartans fell to Duke in the Sweet 16.
“Coach Izzo actually approached my parents during my junior year, right around the time my brother (sophomore guard Denzel Valentine) committed,” Drew Valentine said.
“After the season last year … (Izzo) came up to me and said ‘When your season is over let me know what you’re thinking about overseas and call me and we’ll make it happen.’”
What will happen next for Drew Valentine is rare to say the least, as he will be seeing a showdown between MSU and the team he played on less than a year ago Saturday at The Palace of Auburn Hills. (4 p.m., ESPN2)
Wearing black and gold, Drew Valentine averaged 7.9 points and scored 11 points in a nailbiter against MSU at the Detroit Pistons’ home floor in 2010. Now sporting the green and white, he is helping the Spartans as they prepare for OU, but not too much.
“It’s like a deadline where you can’t tell too much … I don’t think he’s going to tell us X’s and O’s, but he’s going to have something,” Denzel Valentine said when asked how much his older brother has leaked to the team.
And Drew Valentine would agree he is taking a back seat as well. Being a graduate manager, he understands going overboard on giving tips to beating OU’s offense doesn’t fit his role.
“I’m trying to stay out of it as much as I can,” Drew Valentine said. “I’m letting the coaches do their jobs, and players do their jobs. If I can add something here or there, I’ll do that, but I’m not trying to do much, just staying to play my role.”
Friendly foes
Playing with a group of guys for four years, it’s no surprise to learn about the bonds Drew Valentine made while at Oakland. But how often does he talk to the Grizzlies that will be playing against his current team on Saturday?
“All the time,” Drew Valentine said. “(Senior guard) Travis Bader is one of my best friends, we played together for four years. I credit him for a lot of the things I’ve accomplished … and he really kept me in the gym. Competitively when you’re out there on the court, if one of your friends are out there you’re not going to want to fall off.”
Bader will undoubtedly be one of the players MSU will have to shut down.
Even with one of his best friends facing his younger brother on the court, Drew Valentine believes he will be keeping his emotions in check on Saturday.
“I’ve had practice with that this year trying to keep my emotions out of my brother and stuff like that, so I’m going to try to play it cool.”
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