Thanks to a great source who got HoopDirt.com out in front of this one last Monday.  It has now been made official that former Oakland University basketball player Drew Valentine has been named assistant basketball coach at his alma mater OU. Valentine, a native of Lansing, Mich., spent the last two seasons as a graduate manager on Tom Izzo’s staff at Michigan State.

“We are delighted to announce that Drew Valentine will be joining in a full-time position as an assistant coach with bench duties, recruiting duties, and the whole gamut,” said Kampe. “To be 23 or 24 years old and have that position is quite rare in this day in age, but this young man deserves it.”

The Spartans made a run to the NCAA Final Four last season, finishing 27-12. Over the last two seasons, Valentine was part of MSU’s back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances as the Spartans posted a record of 53-21.

“Drew Valentine is one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the nation,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. “The job he did as a graduate manager in two years at Michigan State was second to none. His passion, discipline and work ethic are special, but his ability to motivate players is as good as I have ever seen. He will be a great fit in Coach Kampe’s system, one in which he excelled as a player. I look forward to watching him grow over the next few years as the latest member of the Spartan coaching tree.”

Valentine was a four-year letterwinner for the Golden Grizzlies from 2009-13 and led Oakland to consecutive NCAA tournaments in 2010 and ’11. He finished his career second in Oakland history with 136 games played and fourth all-time in defensive rebounds with 480. Valentine garnered all-league honorable mention honors as a senior and was one of the top defensive players in the conference, posting an O’rena record eight steals versus UMKC (1/17/13).

http://www.goldengrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062915aab.html