New Grand Canyon men’s basketball head coach Bryce Drew announced the addition of three assistant coaches, each with coaching experience at the Power Five level. Drew officially welcomed Jamall Walker, Ed Schilling and Casey Shaw to his staff on Wednesday.
“I am extremely excited about the staff that is coming to GCU,” said Drew, who was named head coach on March 17. “They are great basketball minds who bring a wealth of basketball experiences to our program. All three coaches are also tremendous fits for the GCU community.”
Walker visited GCU Arena last season as a member of the staff at Illinois, where he spent the last eight seasons under head coaches John Groce and Brad Underwood. During the transition from Groce to Underwood, Walker served as the Illini interim head coach for the 2017 NIT, picking up a pair of wins.
Called a “future college head coach” by Underwood, Walker most recently served as an assistant to the head coach and defensive coordinator. Illinois went 21-10 in 2019-20 and was a projected NCAA tournament team.
“I am so excited to be joining Bryce Drew‘s staff and the GCU community,” Walker said. “Coach Drew is committed to not only developing great basketball players but also helping them to strengthen in their faith and grow into young leaders. These are core values that I strongly believe in. I look forward to building a program with him and the rest of the staff.”
Prior to his stint in Champaign, Walker was an assistant coach at Ball State for two seasons and Ohio for three seasons. He also has an Arizona connection after spending a year as the director of basketball operations for Sean Miller at Arizona.
Walker was a four-year guard at St. Louis, leading the Billikens to an NCAA tournament appearance in 1998. He racked up 350 career assists, a top-10 mark in St. Louis history.
“Jamall brings many years of Big Ten experience with him to GCU,” Drew said. “Through his years as a player and coach, he has developed a great feel for the defensive end of the court. Recruiting has always been one of his strengths as he has signed many high-level players in the last few years.”
Schilling comes to GCU by way of — most recently — UCLA and Indiana. He was on the Hoosiers’ staff for the first two seasons of the Archie Miller era, helping lead Indiana to an appearance in the NIT quarterfinals in the second year. He was a key part of the Hoosiers’ recruiting efforts which resulted in a 2018 class that was ranked in the national top 10 with future NBA draft pick Romeo Langford.
Schilling worked alongside Steve Alford for the first four years of Alford’s tenure at UCLA, a stretch when the Bruins went 96-45 (.681) and made three Sweet Sixteen appearances. During his time in Westwood, the Bruins sent nine players to the NBA, including Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Anderson, Norman Powell and Kevon Looney.
“To join Coach Drew at GCU is a tremendous opportunity,” Schilling said. “His experience in playing and coaching in the NCAA tournament is fantastic. But even more exciting to me is the character that he possesses. His ability to relate to his players and sincerely care about them is second to none.”
A Lebanon, Indiana, native, Schilling has spent 15 seasons on a Division I bench with a six-year stint as Wright State head coach. He teamed with John Calipari for four seasons at three stops: UMass, the New Jersey Nets and Memphis. His first collegiate coaching season resulted in UMass posting a 35-2 record and making a Final Four appearance. Schilling went from a high school coach to a UMass assistant to the bench of an NBA team in a span of 310 days, becoming the youngest assistant in the NBA at the time.
After four years as the starting point guard at Miami (Ohio), Schilling still holds single-game (17) and career (629) assist records for the RedHawks. His teams made NCAA tournament appearances twice, narrowly missing overtime upsets over Maryland (one-point loss) and Iowa State (two-point loss).
“Ed has a very decorated history in basketball, from working alongside John Calipari to helping UCLA make three Sweet Sixteens,” Drew said. “Player development is where Ed really excels in, having trained 60 NBA players. His expertise in development will be a huge asset for our players.”
Shaw coached alongside Drew for three years at Vanderbilt after a successful extended playing career. With a 6-foot-10 frame, Shaw helped develop Vandy’s post players.
“I could not be more excited to be joining Coach Drew and the Lopes men’s basketball program,” Shaw said. “GCU offers an incredibly attractive opportunity for prospective student-athletes. From the degree variety to the student support and atmosphere, GCU is a basketball sleeping giant. And on top of that, I love the faith-based mission of the school, and I am thrilled to be able to jump on board with what the Lord is doing in and through GCU.”
Shaw was a four-year standout at Toledo. He capped his career with an Academic All-America honor as a senior while ranking among the top five in program history in career blocked shots (107) and rebounds (871) and top 10 in scoring (1,562).
Shaw’s name was called in the 1998 NBA Draft as a second-round selection of the Philadelphia 76ers. He spent his rookie season with the 76ers in 1998-99 before transitioning to a long-term pro career internationally. In sum, he played 13 seasons professionally spanning from the NBA to Italy to Spain.
“Coming from the SEC, Casey has recruited at a very high level, as he signed Vanderbilt’s first-ever McDonald’s All-American and assisted on signing four other top-70 ranked players,” Drew said. “Being a former professional player, Casey has a unique ability to relate to student-athletes while also specializing in the development of big men.”
https://gculopes.com/news/2020/4/1/mens-basketball-drew-adds-3-assistants-to-bench.aspx
