Sunday Chat is a weekly feature appearing in the Blade’s print and digital platforms each Sunday.
Dana Drew grew up on the court with her basketball-coaching father and two brothers in hoops-mad Indiana.
Her dad is legendary Valparaiso coach Homer Drew. Her brothers Bryce and Scott have each had their own legendary March moments. Bryce, now the head coach at Grand Canyon, made one of the most famous shots in NCAA tournament history. Scott, the head coach at Baylor, won a national championship in 2020-21.
Dana’s Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame career included 1,125 total points at Penn and Valparaiso high schools. The 1990 Parade All-American led Valpo to a 22-1 record and a state final four appearance. It wasn’t hard to understand why then-Toledo coach Bill Fennelly began recruiting her as a sophomore.
All she did for the Rockets was score in double figures in every game of her career and leave as the all-time leading scorer (1,919 points) and all-time leader in assists (659). She is still No. 5 in points and second in assists.
Drew was twice named the Mid-American Conference player of the year and she was a three-time MAC tournament MVP. After graduating from UT, Drew played professionally in Europe then had a law career at Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick working alongside Bennett Speyer.
Now Dana Drew-Shaw, she is married to former UT men’s basketball great Casey Shaw, who’s an assistant coach at Grand Canyon. Drew-Shaw is the vice president of external affairs and government relations at GCU.
The Blade: How did you end up at Toledo?
Drew-Shaw: Bill Fennelly was the coach at the time. He recruited me since I was a sophomore in high school. I just really liked the school, liked the coaches. Being from Indiana, it was still pretty close to home. That was important that my family could come see me play. It was just a great fit and worked out well.
The Blade: How did you get involved in the game?
Drew-Shaw: I feel like I grew up in the gym. My kids now have grown up in the gym. With my dad being a basketball coach, I remember going to practices with him in my roller skates, and I’d be roller skating around the outside of the court while he was having practice. I was always around the game with my dad. He always included us as part of what he was doing. So I just gravitated toward basketball. Being in the state of Indiana, there’s not a greater state for basketball. I was just really blessed to grow up there and have an older brother and younger brother, and we would play basketball in the backyard all the time.
The Blade: When you look at your Toledo career, it was a great time for the team and you individually. What sticks out?
Drew-Shaw: You always remember the championships and the winning. We were so fortunate to have great players and great coaches. Personally, the older I get, it’s really about remembering my teammates and how special those moments are. I know a lot of them are still in Toledo. I wish I could get back more often to visit with them. The names start scrolling through my head automatically.
Jane Roman. I didn’t get to play with Kelly Savage, but she was a GA and a great mentor for me. Both of them had a big impact on my life. Karen Kopinski. Kim Selkulsi. Kim D’Angelo. A lot of great memories and a lot of great people.
To be honest, I follow the Rockets closely because of Tricia Cullop. We both grew up in Indiana. We played summer ball together in high school. We were teammates in college on a USA basketball team. She’s been a good friend. I couldn’t be happier for her and the success she’s had as the Toledo Rockets head women’s basketball coach. It just feels like family. She’ll text. We try to stay in touch as best we can. She’s great about including alumni. We all feel a part of the program.
The Blade: How big of an honor was it for your jersey number to be retired?
Drew-Shaw: Toledo has such a special place in my heart. Not only did I get my undergraduate degree and my law degree from the university, I also met my husband there. It holds a really special place for Casey and myself. That was such an unexpected blessing. On a side note, it helps me in the house right now because I can remind my kids that mom is the only one who has her jersey retired. I love it for bragging rights. It serves a really important purpose internally.
The Blade: You were a great high school player and you got recruited to play Division I college basketball, so there was no doubt about your talent entering college. But did you have these grand expectations for yourself to go down in history as one of the best players at Toledo?
Drew-Shaw: I’m a coach’s kid, so I love competing. I love playing basketball. I love the life lessons. I think my mentality was, I have a short window to be the best I can and help the team win. The goal was always the NCAA tournament. We were just incredibly blessed with great coaches and great talent. Those NCAA tournament opportunities were what it was all about. We were blessed to make three out of four.
First Published January 14, 2024, 4:30 p.m.
