Join us for the inaugural episode of our NEW program, The Winning Link, hosted by Billy Taylor!

Each episode, Billy will take a deep dive into personal and business leadership with leaders of all types, from sports to business icons, to break down the anatomy of excellence. And who better to kick off the program than living legend and Head Basketball Coach at St. Vincent – St. Mary High School Dru Joyce? Join Billy and Scott to get the lowdown on Coach Dru’s professional path, life lessons and coaching insights. You don’t want to miss this inspiring conversation with a famed leader, mentor and change maker! (Case in point: Scott took 18 pages of notes … )

Intro/Outro (00:00:05):

Welcome to the winning link, a show dedicated to dissecting business and leadership excellence. We take a deep dive into various aspects of business and operational excellence, current events and personal and leadership development topics. The guests on the podcast will be credible industry leaders and practitioners offering a portfolio of techniques and methods for positive growth.

Billy Taylor (00:00:31):

It’s the winning link powered by supply chain. Now I tell you today’s show we’re in Akron, Ohio in the LeBron James arena. This is exciting. Uh, thank you for joining the show. I like to welcome my co-host Scott Luton. Scott, how are you doing

Scott Luton (00:00:49):

Today? Doing fantastic man, here with a legendary figure and a legendary arena, and we’re gonna have an outstanding conversation. And by the way, talk about legendary. You and I had dinner with our friend Ellis at Edgars last night. Yes. And it wasn’t that

Billy Taylor (00:01:03):

Delicious. Oh, phenomenal. I think the smoke prime rib you had was, and I wanted to reach over to your plate and leave mine. I wanted to let you, I wanted to let you,

Scott Luton (00:01:13):

Uh, Fri green tomatoes, rib tips, uh, you name it. All of it was delicious.

Billy Taylor (00:01:18):

Wasn’t it was phenomenal. And, and the ambient, uh, environment was nice. Yes, it was. It was really nice.

Scott Luton (00:01:24):

And the conversation, maybe that’s the only thing that may have topped that smoked prime rib. Cause that was delicious. But as great as that mill was last night, we’ve got an outstanding conversation teed up today,

Billy Taylor (00:01:35):

Right? Absolutely. Absolutely. We have a living legend who was today. Uh, shall I say an active legend? There we go. Right. As he continues to win coach drew Joyce, uh, drew Joyce is the, um, head coach of Akron St. Vincent St. Mary’s high school. You probably heard about it. A lot of legendary players have come out of this, this, this, uh, institution of learning. Uh, so welcome coach drew,

Coach Dru Joyce (00:01:58):

Billy. Thanks for having me. I’m excited to be here and, uh, to talk with you and Scott.

Billy Taylor (00:02:04):

Yeah. Oh, well, thank you. Thank I tell you what, um, I’ve known drew, um, personally, as well as he’s actually mentored my children, some of my children, cause they’ve come through this institution. Yes mm-hmm <affirmative> uh, and so he’s, he’s clearly a developer of, of, of, of youth, right? Uh, he invests in, in people and, and that’s why I thought he’d be a great guess because, uh, the winning link is a show about personal and leadership business development, right. So we can tap into your personal growth, uh, business growth, because you are gonna hear today about coach drew Joyce, uh, his portfolio extends further than basketball,

Scott Luton (00:02:41):

Right. Right. You know, in the operative word in your podcast, serious title is winning. And gosh, I couldn’t imagine too many other guests that can epitomize that that’s right. Beyond coach drew. Uh, so coach, as I shared with your pre-show mm-hmm, <affirmative>, I’ve made it almost a third through your book here beyond championships. Yes. Uh, and I’m gonna read the rest of my flight back to, uh, ATL mm-hmm <affirmative>, but man, what a, what a story. And, you know, Billy, we’re gonna get into some of this, but I really appreciate, uh, the transparency and kind of opening yourself up and your journey up and let folks know, you know, the, the real, uh, the real deal, keeping it real about your journey and, and what you faced and what you overcame.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:03:20):

Uh, yes. Uh, it wasn’t, uh, going to be like that, but, uh, the, a gentleman from Zondervan said, Hey, you know, you just can’t talk about principles. They people wanna know about you. Right. Uh, honestly I felt like, uh, me why they were know about me. So

Scott Luton (00:03:39):

<laugh> probably has something to do with, uh, the trophy case back to the brim out there. Huh?

Coach Dru Joyce (00:03:45):

Yeah. So, uh, but, uh, yeah, I, so once we started on that road and we, we started to share, there was, there was just some things that I knew that, uh, I could share that would be, uh, beneficial because they, they were, you know, my life is kind of like 99.9% of all American lives. You know, I’m not that in, I’m not in that, that group that is superstardom, I’m just, uh, uh, a regular guy trying to do some things, uh, to, you know, to make life better. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:04:15):

So, Billy, I, I know we’re gonna get started here in a second, but I gotta say, so, uh, the live, the active legend living legends, you put it, uh, coach drew very humble. Uh, he is exactly what you’re here and what you’re gonna see here today. You know, he’s, he’s a very humble guy for seven state titles now. Absolutely. National championship. Yes. You know, had all kinds of, to your point, he’s invested in all kinds of talent. Yes. Including some worldwide icons that have come out of the school here and his coaching

Billy Taylor (00:04:44):

Tu. Absolutely. Because right. LeBron wasn’t LeBron back then that they people know today. Right. Right. And, and so let’s be very transparent about that. In fact, the school has won 10 state championships and drew has been a part of nine of those dang and head coach for seven of those. So, you know, I was kidding about just taking it for granted. We expect drew to be in the state championship every day. Right? Yeah. It’s like, we, we, we, we buy our tickets at the end of the last game <laugh> and so, but Drew’s modest. And, and I’ll say this and, and he doesn’t know this. I don’t, I no longer have a child playing. Okay. But there’s a lot of parents and community people that were in the audience and I was going in the men’s room. And, uh, it was, it was someone part of the cleaning service of the arena. They ran into the bathroom with me and just, Hey, is, is, is the same guy still coaching that team? And I said, coach drew George. He goes, yeah. I said, yeah, same guy. <laugh> same guy. So not only we notice him, appreciate him. He noticed appreciated, I think

Scott Luton (00:05:47):

The Legion of fans, Legion of fans

Billy Taylor (00:05:50):

So started, but Scott starting there. Yeah. You know, that had to come from some sort of foundation for drew and drew. I’d like to hear, tell us a little about growing up in, uh, east Liverpool, Ohio.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:06:01):

Wow. Wow. So for so many years, I wanted to deny that <laugh>

Billy Taylor (00:06:05):

<laugh>

Coach Dru Joyce (00:06:06):

Yeah. East Liverpool, Ohio is a small town, uh, when I was growing about 30,000 people down on the Ohio river, if you can imagine it’s the first city in Ohio on the Ohio river, Pennsylvania, West Virginia bordering it. And, uh, you know, it was just, uh, small town, uh, you know, lot, I grew up, uh, in a very humble beginnings, uh, on a dirt hill road, uh, that, uh, you know, uh, from a gen in a generational household, my grandmother was there, my great uncle, my mother and father, and, uh, you know, so that’s what I saw. My cousins lived right across the street and I had some cousins up the street. And so that’s the best,

Scott Luton (00:06:49):

I bet y’all had all kinds of games with

Coach Dru Joyce (00:06:50):

All cousins. That’s how, that’s, how it was. And, uh, we grew up and that’s, uh, uh, football was the, the main sport. So that’s what I played growing up. And, uh, you know, and, uh, through high school and ran track. And, but, uh, it was, you know, small town, there’s only one high school. So everybody, you know, goes to high school together, those who are more affluent and those who are less and, uh, you know, I was, uh, not the best student, but, you know, I was always gonna be competitive. Right. You know, I, wasn’t gonna be the one who, uh, had to hide their paper when the teacher passed it back, you know, I’ve been there,

Scott Luton (00:07:27):

I’ve been there and you speak to that in your book. Mm-hmm, <affirmative> uh, about that competitive spirit. It wasn’t just related to sports. You apply that to academics too.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:07:36):

Yeah. Yeah. You know, uh, my mother wasn’t gonna have it any other way. She didn’t care anything about, uh, any kind of a ball bouncing or me running down the field, catching the pass. That was not, you know, I’m the first person in my family to, to go to college and to graduate from college. So, uh, that was, uh, stuff that she, uh, you know, put in me and, and, and, uh, over the years made sure I, there was love that a time after my first year in college, uh, I transferred. And, uh, I, I, you know, there were some steel mills around the area and I got a job in the steel mill and I’m finally making a few dollars. Right. I’m like, wow, this is good. And some of my friends who didn’t go to college, they got cars and mm-hmm <affirmative> and they making money and I’m go to my mom. And I said, look, yeah, I don’t think I’m gonna go back to school. And <laugh> she said, uh, no, don’t, you can forget that right here. <laugh> well,

Scott Luton (00:08:25):

So I gotta interject really quick cause Billy, on some of your previous appearances, your mother had a certain acronym for NFL.

Billy Taylor (00:08:32):

Right. If you didn’t make it at least to be, it meant not for long when you be playing.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:08:37):

Okay. That, that’s what I appreciate that. Yeah. Not for long. Yes. But you know,

Billy Taylor (00:08:40):

But that segues to Scott and, and drew values. Yes. And that’s something that’s for the next generation for values. Talk about some of the biggest values your mother instilled in you that you instilled in the people you mentoring coach.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:08:56):

Oh. You know, you know, it is been, it’s been great. Uh, you know, the one thing that, you know, we always talked about was, you know, just being thankful mm-hmm <affirmative>, you know, we come from a modest, uh, background, like I said, but there was a lot of love in the household and we were thankful for everything that we got mm-hmm <affirmative>. And so, you know, I talked to my kids now about being thankful, you know, you guys don’t get it, you’re in a situation you got LeBron sponsor in the school, you know, you need to be thankful. There’s a whole bunch of people and kids that don’t have this opportunity. Right. Mm-hmm <affirmative> yeah. Then, you know, then we, you know, we talk about, uh, you know, just having some integrity, understand, you know, my mother was, you know, about being, being truthful and honest, you know, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, she, she always would press me about, uh, you know, just, just carrying yourself and, and, you know, she always said to me, you know, character is, uh, who you are when no one’s looking that’s right. <laugh> so that’s right. And so we, you know, we talk about that with the team, you know, that, Hey, uh, I need to understand who you are in the classroom, you know, in front of me on the C, but we, we need to talk about who you are in the classroom, because that’s gonna be who you are in the court in some moments, you know? Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:10:03):

So quick follow up. I know there’s a couple of questions we gonna tell there’s so much about your, uh, early days. That’s fascinating to me, at least me and Billy. Um, so you’re a really, really humble individual despite all the success. And you had a successful career with ConAgra, which we’re gonna talk about, uh, successful career, obviously as a, as a future hall of fame basketball coach. We’ll see. That’s, that’s my words. <laugh>, um, you’re really so humble. Did, is that part of what you also got from your parents?

Coach Dru Joyce (00:10:31):

You know, my mother was never, uh, you know, one to, to brag. She always would point out that person to me, that she felt was braggadocious. And she, uh, you know, uh, kind of just, you know, let me know that, uh, do what you need to do. Uh, and you know, you don’t have to, uh, stand up and shout all, uh, all, let everyone know. Right. You know, you don’t have to always get the pat on the back, you know, this, you know, and it’s about to work. So, right. Uh, she was a hard working woman and, uh, I’m very appreciative. Uh, you know, both my, neither of my parents graduated high school. So, uh, you know, it was always about, uh, getting the work done and, and, and putting in that kind of, that kind of time. So, yeah. Yeah. The, uh, she’s, she helped me to become, uh, uh, humble. She helped me to understand that humility can go take you a long way. You know, you don’t, you know, you’re not in, you know, you’re not in everyone’s face and, you know, and that the accomplishments that you have are to be shared because you didn’t get there by yourself. That’s right. Yeah.

Billy Taylor (00:11:42):

True. You know, it, it is definitely coming across, you have a, a, a distinct value for family mm-hmm <affirmative> and I know you have a sister.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:11:49):

Yeah.

Billy Taylor (00:11:50):

Right. And, uh, you spent some influential time with your sister and, uh, was it Queens?

Coach Dru Joyce (00:11:54):

Yeah. In New York. Yeah. My sister she’s now passed, but, uh, growing up, uh, that was, it kind of helped me to understand, uh, city life. Uh, the, I can remember it. It’s kind of strange that my wife and I talk about this all the time, uh, in our first grade, my sister’s 18 years older than me. Uh, so I guess I always ask my mom was I really a mistaken <laugh>, you know, <laugh>, but anyway, my sister’s 18 years older than me, and I would go to New York first grade, uh, day after school was out, I’m on a plane, you know, my mother, they, you know, back in the day, they could put you on a plane and right. My sister be right there at the, the gate to, uh, take me off. So every summer from first grade through eighth or ninth grade, I spent the summers in New York city. And it was, it was, uh, uh, it really helped, it helped me to under see the city and, uh, understand city life. I made some good friends there and, uh, it was educational. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:12:50):

All the influential figures.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:12:52):

Yeah. Oh yeah.

Scott Luton (00:12:53):

St Alban’s era. I said

Coach Dru Joyce (00:12:54):

That wrong. Is that St Alvin’s? Yeah. Mm-hmm <affirmative> we used to ride and past Ja James Brown house, and, you know, we would, you know, those kind of things. And that was, that was a lot of fun. And to, uh, just to, you know, the energy of a city, you know, you could just feel it. And, uh, uh, you know, from that point forward, uh, I, you know, I, I, you know, I told my wife, I said, that’s where I made up my mind. I wanted to marry a, a woman from a city, you know, I wanna marry a city girl. So now what,

Scott Luton (00:13:22):

What a tremendous advantage to be able to have that experience every summer? What were those ages? You did that from

Coach Dru Joyce (00:13:28):

First grade through eighth grade. Yeah. You know, and I would spend two months there and, uh, it was, you know, and, uh, it was so much, it was so different. I mean, there were kids, you know, my, my, my family where I grew up and there was a few of us, but, you know, we go to New York and there’s you go outside and there’s 40 kids from up and down the block. So, yeah. It’s just a lot of, lot of fun. Lot of fun growing up.

Billy Taylor (00:13:52):

Yeah. Scott. Yes, sir. This has been interesting.

Scott Luton (00:13:56):

Oh man. Fascinating. I wish we had six hours with coach truth,

Billy Taylor (00:14:00):

But we were talking last night at dinner. We were like, wow, what was it before basketball? So not, you know, yeah. We got deep into

Scott Luton (00:14:08):

That. So this is, this is, you know, so at supply chain now, right. Mm-hmm, <affirmative> which we’re very fortunate to have winning link, be part of which new series Billy, this is gonna be a lot of fun if this sets the standard, holy cow. Um, but ConAgra, you know, solo you now we’re all about industry global business, obviously ConAgra is a big name. Yes. Uh, and some folks may not realize that you had a successful about a 25 year career at ConAgra, right?

Coach Dru Joyce (00:14:34):

Yeah, yeah. Yes. Uh, first job outta college, uh, my only job outta college and, uh, it was hunt Western foods then, and as I said earlier, first person to graduate from college and, uh, it was a sales job. And I can remember, uh, I came home, uh, I, you know, from east Liverpool in two east Liverpool and my wife’s from Pittsburgh. So I go to Pittsburgh and I’m interviewing for the job. Uh, and we hadn’t, we, we were, we weren’t married yet. And we were planning to get married that, uh, uh, that, uh, October. Yep. And I’m you interviewing? And, uh, it was funny because, uh, I get through the first interview and they want me to wait, uh, you know, a few weeks for the next interview. I’m like, Hey, I’m trying to get, I’m getting married in a few weeks. I need to, you know, good job.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:15:21):

I need job. Right. So I actually drove the district manager. The district office was here in Cleveland. Okay. So I drove to Cleveland to get to the second interview. And, uh, so I, you know, I was, I was, Hey, I, I felt like if you want me, I want you. And then, you know, and let’s, let’s get hitched. Right? Yeah. My wife wants us <laugh> right. Exactly. You know, the other thing that sold me is, you know, um, they gave me a company car, you know, and I was like, I was driving a little, uh, Opal cadet <laugh>, you know, that I had through college. And, uh, it was honest, last legs, you know, and they were saying, yeah, we’ll give you a car every two to three years, you get a new car and, you know, and I’m like, sign me up. Yeah. That was it. That was it.

Scott Luton (00:16:11):

So, so I gotta ask you kind of a quick aside, cause I wanna, I wanna kinda learn more about what you loved about that role, what you didn’t like about that role. But, um, little side, I used to work in the food business myself. Okay. Uh, uh, with a big food distributor. Okay. And we’d cut all kinds of products, right. A taste test and differences between them. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and it dawned on me how much, hopefully I don’t get in trouble. Yeah. It dawned on me how much more I like Hz ketchup versus hunts ketchup <laugh> any, so did you, did you convert the hunts when you’re 25 years there? Get

Coach Dru Joyce (00:16:41):

Us in troubles. Here’s the crazy thing. My wife’s my wife’s father worked at Hines in Pittsburgh. Oh, really? Man. So, so, you know, and you know, I would bring the hunts ketchup up home, but she would be bringing the Hines. So <laugh> good. So yeah. So those, uh, first five years in Pittsburgh, it was kind of a trade off. I’m saying, look, uh, hunts bringing is a paycheck. We need to buy hunts, but she was like, Hey, I grew up on this. Hi,

Scott Luton (00:17:08):

I’m with her. Well, so ConAgra, huge, uh, so many different brands folks know mm-hmm <affirmative> so 25 years there before you get into highlight successful coaching career, mm-hmm <affirmative> two part question. What did you love about your time at ConAgra mm-hmm <affirmative> and what did didn’t you like so much about

Coach Dru Joyce (00:17:26):

It? Well, honestly, what I, I loved about it is sales sales is, you know, it’s rewarding. You, you, you know, at the end of the day, did you, did you, did you accomplish something mm-hmm <affirmative> did you make a sale? Did you, you know, and uh, I had a, a great man who was my mentor and it’s, it’s a funny story. And, uh, it, wasn’t funny then, but as I think about it now, <laugh>,

Scott Luton (00:17:48):

Uh,

Coach Dru Joyce (00:17:48):

That’s always how it good, right? It is, he’s a Italian gentleman. Who’s now he’s passed. But, uh, uh, you know, I went through the, the interview process and, you know, I had a beard, a full beard back then and, you know, they were telling me, they liked me, but said, you know, you know, Hey, salesman, don’t wear beards. And I’m like, well, do you have a, a, you know, a dress code? And he said, well, you know, we wear a suit. So was like, well, do you have a, you know, is how extensive is it? And he said, well, you know, it’s, it’s pretty extensive, you know, and salesman don’t. And I said, well, are you guys gonna hire me? He said, oh yeah, you’re gonna start in two weeks. I, I said, well, I’ll see you guys in two weeks. And <laugh>, you know, so I come back and they, I guess they fully believed I was gonna shave.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:18:31):

And I came back the next, that two weeks later, I hadn’t shaved. And, you know, I could see that he was taken a little back by that, the fact that I hadn’t shaved. So we’re riding around, going to the cuz I, I started out going to retail supermarkets and making sure all of our product was on, on the shelf and in the right spot. But he says to me, and I’m driving and I’m a young man just outta college. He says, uh, drew affirmative action. Got you. This job. Goodness gracious. But your performance is what’s gonna keep it. Wow. And I’m like, dang, the, the I’m like, wait, who you, you don’t even know me. You become like that. You know, you don’t even know me. How do even respond? You know? So, uh, and you know, but I, I got out the car after I took him back to his car and drive driving home.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:19:23):

I’m like, do, do I really want to be involved with this? This man came at me like that, but you know what? Over the years he became my mentor. He taught me everything. I, I need to know about sales. And it was a great five years that I spent with him. And, uh, he really took me under his wing. And, uh, I was like a surrogate son, you know, that’s how he treated me. And that was so, uh, beard or no beard. He, he helped me, uh, to, to, to go through it. So, uh, but over the years, like I said, the, the sales was rewarding. You know, we had early on, it was all kind of contest and you could win this and spiffs. Yeah. You know? Okay. Oh yeah. With you, you know, we won. So, you know, and I was pretty good at it.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:20:04):

You know, I’m competitive. I wanted to win. I won trips to the super bowl. We went to, we even looked to London. In fact, uh, when we got married, cuz I had didn’t really have, uh, a job. So we had no honeymoon <laugh>, you know, it was a, a night at the hotel down the street <laugh> so, and we got married, you know, so, you know, I’m so thankful now, but you know, people talk about weddings now. Right? Uh, my wife’s mother, my mother-in-law and her sisters cooked all the food for our wedding. Wow. Wow. You know, I mean, that’s how it was. And I mean, I mean her and my wife’s my mother-in-law’s sisters, they came up from Alabama. Wow. To help her prepare, to prove for this move for the wedding. And it was, you know, that’s the kind of, you know, family that it was. And, but, you know, uh, we, I’m just thankful and you know, we, we went to the hotel down the street and we had our, our time together and, you know, uh, so, and it’s

Billy Taylor (00:21:04):

A great memory,

Coach Dru Joyce (00:21:05):

Looking back now, you didn’t even mean great memory, you know, you

Billy Taylor (00:21:07):

Don’t know what you don’t

Coach Dru Joyce (00:21:08):

Know. Hey, and we didn’t know. And you know what, and, but, you know, so those were just, uh, some of those, uh, uh, special things that you, that happened early on in that, in, in the, in the career. And, uh, but as you know, we, uh, the children started coming and we had, you know, two daughters, uh, couple years in. And then, uh, you know, I was, I, because I didn’t shave, I was kind of, they had me there cuz you know, Hey, affirmative action had me there. <laugh> so, uh, and I was doing some good things and winning some trips. But uh, what I started to say is that first year of, uh, that was our honeymoon, we won a trip and our honeymoon was to Washington DC and uh, uh, uh, Williamsburg, Virginia, Virginia. So we went to, we, that was our honeymoon. Fantastic gardens maybe. Yeah. We went to Bush gardens. Yes. Yes. Lock

Billy Taylor (00:22:05):

Next monster. Big, bad Wolf I’ve

Coach Dru Joyce (00:22:06):

Been there. Okay. Yeah. So

Billy Taylor (00:22:08):

You were gonna say you were gonna comment on something. I think he, he, you pointed out something that I think is a lost art yeah. In today’s leadership. Mm-hmm, <affirmative> that level of transparency and I call it the ugly baby, having the ugly baby <laugh> right. You can’t in business, you can’t walk up and, and avoid that question. Mm-hmm <affirmative> you have, and, and that leader to say what, what he said to you, trust transparency to let you know. Right. What’s your current reality. And, and often we avoid that and, and, and that’s the lost art on today’s youth because, you know, when we grew up, they just think about our grand great, great grandparents. They essentially lived to work mm-hmm right. They had the farm, they had to go do this. Right. And our parents, they went to work so we could live. Right, right. <laugh> they, they paid for our college and you said grades and stuff, weren’t a priority back then. Mm-hmm <affirmative> today. Our kids do what they work and live. Right. Mm-hmm <affirmative> they get information so quick on their phones. And so the loss, art of transparency yes. Is some parents skirt around that. Yes. And, and, and I’ve seen you do this with, with, with young men, uh, around that conversational, transparent, how important do you think that is? And was it in your professional life of ConAgra?

Coach Dru Joyce (00:23:29):

Uh, you know, it was very important, you know, that, uh, kind of set the tone for who he was and how, uh, how we wanna deal with this, how we’re gonna, how we’re gonna work. And, uh, you know, over the years, uh, you, you got to appreciate that, that, uh, you know, that he, he dealt with hard truth and, you know, uh, no one wants hard truth anymore. That’s right. You know, I tell my players, you know, Hey, uh, uh, I’m gonna give you the hard truth. I’m not going, I’m not sugar coating this. Uh, you think you’re this, this player, well, here’s where I’m at with you. And, and, you know, and, and it’s not something to, to be, be demeaning or anything, but it’s just to, to give them that, you know, the, a wake up. Yeah. Because you know, a lot of times, uh, you know, you, you, you’re walking around with your head in the, in the clouds, right. And you need to come down to earth and really understand and see things.

Scott Luton (00:24:24):

It might hurt her feelings. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, but it furthers their, their journey for sure. What they need to hear, what we all need

Coach Dru Joyce (00:24:31):

To hear is that, and if that’s exactly what that comment did for me on that first day of work, uh, it was hard truth and yeah, I was either going to perform, okay. Uh, I wasn’t gonna be around. And, uh, I chose to perform and, uh,

Scott Luton (00:24:47):

I’m glad I wasn’t a fly on the wall and that cool. That was a real moment,

Coach Dru Joyce (00:24:52):

Inspiration years. It was. And, uh, then five years in, uh, I get an opportunity to come to, uh, Cleveland and, uh, move into, uh, uh, a, uh, promotion role, senior sales rep, and then from there to, uh, management role as an account manager. And, and so it’s, uh, it was a, it was, it is been a great journey. It was a great journey. I, and I think that, uh, the, the main things that, you know, uh, I still take from that are, are just understanding the process. You know, that I tell, I tell the guys, uh, you know, you gotta trust the process. That’s right. There’s a, there’s a process. There’s a way of, of going about things. Then it doesn’t always match up to what you want or how you, how you see it. But if you trust the process, then we can get to the same, uh, that same goal that both of us want, but there there’s a process here, and we need to trust this process.

Scott Luton (00:25:44):

Love that. Um, I wanna short change 25 years in a successful career at con group, but I wanna move us ahead because I wanna, um, you had a really tough decision to make. Yeah. And that you speak to in the book, I love the exchange you put in the book about it. Um, and that was to leave ConAgra mm-hmm <affirmative> and chase your passion. Right. So talk to us about that a little bit.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:26:05):

Yeah. As, uh, I got going in this, uh, in my, my kids were growing up and, uh, I actually, uh, I, you know, drew, uh, would follow me around I’m, uh, the weekend warrior, you know, and your son. Yeah. My son drew follow me around and, you know, I could see he, he was falling in love with basketball and I, I took him to a rec center, uh, and, uh, you know, the first one I took him to, he was seven and you had to be eight years old. He turned, this is like in December, I’m like, look, he turns eight in January. He’s pretty good. You, I let him play, they turn me down. So I take him to ed Davis, community center and, uh, uh, Jerry Roland, uh, kind of an Akron legend here. I walk in, I said to Jerry, I said, look, uh, he’s, uh, he’s pretty good, but he’s, oh, he’s only seven.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:26:51):

And Jerry said, uh, uh, I’m going to, I’m going, I’m gonna let him play under. Okay. But he said under, you know, under one circumstance and I said, well, what’s that? He says, you got to coach the team. Wow. That’s quite a as. Yeah. So, uh, you know, I had kind of in high school thought about being a coach. So this was, but coaching football. So it was an opportunity. So I, I jumped at it, you know, and over the years that first year, you know, we, I had fun with it, then responsibilities at work, got a little more, so I couldn’t do it the next year, but I was that dad who was always trying to be in the stands, trying to be there. And, uh, one time, you know, drew gets, uh, uh, you know, uh, asked to play on a, on a travel team. I didn’t know anything about travel basketball, but I’ve taken him around and we play. And some of the kids on the team, uh, they leave. And I happened to, you know, tell the guy who was coaching. I said, Hey, I know another pretty good player. <laugh>, you know, <laugh> and, uh, you’re

Scott Luton (00:27:53):

Kind of agent part agent too

Coach Dru Joyce (00:27:55):

There. Right. I said, yeah, I know another pretty good player. And, uh, you know, and it was LeBron James. And, and so I take LeBron to a practice and it was right at the end of the travel season in June. So we didn’t really get to play. Uh, but maybe I really, we didn’t get to play any terms. The team kind of fell apart that next fall, uh, the guy who was coaching the team, he, he leaves, he, he was in, he was a younger guy. Yep. He got graduated. College goes to, gets a job in, uh, coaching, in teaching in the school. And the parents come to me and say, why don’t you coach the team? So again, I’m saying this is fun. And as I started coaching the team over those years at 11, 12, 13, you know, I just said, like I said, in the book, there was times I, I, I, you know, I would drive, I’d pull up in the driveway after work.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:28:43):

And I would just sit there in the car for a moment. And, and the question became, you know, what have you really done today that matters? And, you know, then I’d get out the car and, uh, we’d have a practice and I’d pack all these kids in our, our van and drive ’em to Cleveland. And then I, I would see in, wow, this is, this matters. These, these kids they’re, you know, the joy on their face when we would travel and all those first, you know, LeBron and all the guys, the first time they seen the ocean was with us. Mm-hmm <affirmative> the first time they rode in a plane, not just LeBron, but a bunch of kids. Right, sure. With us. And, you know, so the, the, the, the passion to, and coaching was, it just started to grow. And, um,

Scott Luton (00:29:28):

Can I pan interrupt just for a second? Sure. Because we knew we were gonna get moments of brilliance with coach. True. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and he just dropped, I think a question Billy, that we all should be asking ourselves. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, uh, he talked about coming home from ConAgra one day and, you know, sitting in the driveway, what have, what have I really done today that matters? That’s different Philly speaks to that really quick. Cause that hit me like a ton of bricks.

Billy Taylor (00:29:50):

No. And, and when he said that, what have I done and, and think of the title of his book beyond championships.

Scott Luton (00:29:56):

Right. That’s right. Those

Billy Taylor (00:29:57):

Are the things that are beyond championships, beyond paychecks. Mm-hmm, <affirmative> beyond. Right. Because, you know, when I look at what he’s talking about as a parent there’s presence and presence, right. Okay. Right. You can give your child a, present, a bike. Mm-hmm <affirmative> a PlayStation

Scott Luton (00:30:13):

Nintendo, right. For me back in the day

Billy Taylor (00:30:15):

<laugh> but you know what? Your child will forget those things, but the things that they take to the grave, the things we’ve talked about withdrew today, mm-hmm <affirmative> are the presence his, his, his, his family had yeah. The presence his mom had, you know, as, as I always say, define winning. Yeah. Me as a father, winning is being present. Mm-hmm <affirmative> being available for my kids. Yes. Those are the values. That’s when, you know, you make a difference. Yep. The coach, the people you coach, they don’t come back and say, Hey, drew, there’s our banner.

Scott Luton (00:30:45):

<laugh>

Billy Taylor (00:30:45):

They don’t say, I say, coach, thank you for making my son will text him. My son will actually have those relationships. Right. Because of his presence. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and that’s the thing. When you say you make a difference in yeah. The kids that are in the bleachers that play for you, they all come back to the game. Yeah. Yes. Right. And, and so that’s what I mean,

Scott Luton (00:31:05):

I love that. And speaking to that, we’re gonna have a quote here in a minute. I’m not share with you, but you were thank you for letting us interrupt just for a second. Sure. So, uh, so you took us right up to

Coach Dru Joyce (00:31:16):

The moment, right? You thinking about coaching for a living? Yes. Uh, you know, and I have to admit, you know, as I grew into this and this love for coaching and being involved with the young men, uh, grew with me, honestly, my, you know, my desire to be at work and to do the ConAgra thing, kind of, it was kind of it kind of dwindled. So, uh, you know, the company, I don’t think that I was still getting the stuff done, but I don’t the word got out because now you I’m coaching, you know, the best player in the country on a high school. And I, I can remember, uh, one time, uh, you know, uh, LeBron, because he’s LeBron, he’s on the front page of USA today. Right. You know, that’s crazy. And I’m in the background and my, the president of our company of con group foods, uh, he calls my boss.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:32:10):

He says, what is drew doing on the front page of us today, a today coaching this high school team. So, uh, wow. You know, and, uh, my, my boss, uh, uh, Gordon ever a personal friend, uh he’s he explained, Hey, he’s doing this after work. There’s not, he’s not cutting any corners while, uh, but you know, so I don’t think the company really was, you know, gung ho about everyone in their, in the sales force becoming a coach or anything, you know, in the headline. Right. So, uh, there was, uh, a, I, I felt like they were putting me out to pastor. I was calling on the largest account here in the Midwest, uh, giant Eagle supermarkets, 15 million a, a year. And wow. They made a decision that they were, wanna move me out of the account. They were going to, um, move me to an account in New York that had been in Syracuse, New York that had been in chapter 11 twice.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:33:07):

Wow. So I’m like, wow. Now, you know, I’m like, so at that meeting, when they were telling me this, uh, my son drew is a freshman in college and my son’s youngest son, Cameron is a freshman in high school. So when this comes up, I said, well, yeah, I’ll, I’ll, I’ll, I’ll do it. Take, take, take it, take I’ll drive the Syracuse. Mm-hmm <affirmative> once a week. And, and, uh, and I’ll do it. And, but I got in the car, I’m driving home from the meeting and I called my wife and I said, uh, I said, my, my mouth said yes, but my heart is saying no,

Scott Luton (00:33:44):

No. Wow. Wow. So really quick aside, driving that once a week, the Syracuse, it was a good thing. They gave you a company car. Cause that Opal cadet may not make

Coach Dru Joyce (00:33:54):

No, no, the Opal, the Opal had died years earlier. <laugh> yeah. The Opal had died. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:34:01):

So you, so you made that decision, you took that leap mm-hmm <affirmative>, uh, we’re not gonna be able to give it justice today, but one of the first things you did, I believe mm-hmm <affirmative> was create like a 50 team, a U

Coach Dru Joyce (00:34:12):

Leave a, a you lead, Hey, I was trying to figure out how am I going to make a living? <laugh>

Scott Luton (00:34:15):

Sure. Hey, every entrepreneur can, can relate to this.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:34:18):

Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:34:18):

Yeah. Um, so let’s talk, you mentioned LeBron James of course. A couple times. Yeah. Uh, and, and, you know, we don’t wanna dwell on LeBron. It it’s, gosh, goodness gracious. What he’s been doing. Let’s talk about what’s one impact that you believe you’ve had on him as a player or as a person. Yeah. And then what’s one impact he’s had on you as a coach and a

Coach Dru Joyce (00:34:37):

Person. Sure. You know, uh, me, uh, he said it to me, he, he said it more than once that, uh, I helped him become a man helping grow into becoming a man. And he really said, I taught him about understanding what it means to sacrifice cuz he saw sacrifices that I made for those, for all those boys that were riding around. And uh, so, uh, I think sacrifice and helping him understand, you know, uh, what it means to be a man, uh, and helping him grow into, because LeBron was very, very observant. He watched everything. Not only was he observant when we had basketball practice, but how I treated my wife, how I treated the, the, you know, the, the, the lady at the restaurant who maybe messed up the order, you know, he’s watching all those things. So we were very cognizant, not just me, but the, the other coaches of how we portrayed ourselves in front of those young men that we, you know, we, uh, we just believed at that moment that we needed to, uh, whole uphold a, a value, uh, uh, and you know, a role model. We, we recognize, Hey, we’re we’re role models and we need to, to do it in the right way. Yeah. So, uh, but you know, for me, you know, I think one of the things that, that he’s helped me understand really truly is about the work.

Scott Luton (00:35:58):

Mm. Ah,

Coach Dru Joyce (00:36:00):

You know, I’ve seen him in high school, I’ve seen him, I had the pleasure with the, the documentary, the release of the documentary, right. To travel around the world with him. But in everywhere we went, he took time out every day to put in time on the court to work. I mean, we’re in China and it’s funny, you know, it’s, it’s, uh, you know, I, I, I still think about it. You know, we go to this gym, it’s supposedly a gym and it’s got a, a hoop, but the bathrooms were just like holes in the floor. Wow. You know, and this is the, but he’s there and he’s, he’s putting in that time. So over the years, uh, it’s been a great lesson for me and I, and I, and I share it with all the kids. It’s about the work. There’s no, there’s no shortcuts to this. Yes.

Scott Luton (00:36:48):

I love that. Uh, I’m gonna have to go back and find her name. Um, we had a, um, a chemical industry PhD with us. She formally worked at NASA. Uh, brilliant. We had back a couple times with us on supply. You now mm-hmm <affirmative> and Billy, to your point, uh, coach, she was asked by one of our attendees, Hey, how do I move into a, you know, how do I earn my PhD? How do I, you know, become a leader? How do I move into, you know, to C-suite and all that kind of stuff. And to her, to that question, she said, you do the work, you do the work, you wanna do this, you do the work. You wanna do this, you do the work. I mean, I hate to be too simplistic, but simp simplicity is a good thing sometimes.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:37:30):

Oh, very good. Very good. Sometimes it’s the best thing, right?

Scott Luton (00:37:33):

That’s right. Um, alright, so Billy, I’ve got one more thing. I wanna ask coach. Sure. As I said, we, we need six hours. Yes. Maybe 12. Yes. Coach. There’s so many elements of your journey. Um, I wanna get both of you y’all to speak to this, but, but the quote is about you, uh, coach LeBron says, I think in the foreword of your book, mm-hmm, <affirmative> says, quote, my brothers and I were no different from all or from other kids all over the world. We all had dreams for too many kids. Those dreams feel unreachable, but for us, they never did because coach drew showed us that no matter what sort of obstacles we faced, we could make our dreams a reality. What does that mean to you?

Coach Dru Joyce (00:38:15):

Oh, you know, it, it, it, it just goes back to when we were 11 years old, that team was so that I wasn’t, I’ve coached in 11 years old team. And we would go through the first national championship. And, you know, we, we, you know, it’s funny if I think about it, we had, uh, put five guys in our car. Two kids had never even played with us. Uh, we picked up two new kids. We drive to cocoa beach, Florida, and we play in the AAU nationals and we’re in awe. You know, they have all the teams marching in like this, the Olympics. And you know, so, uh, and we played, well, we finished ninth. And, uh, from that point, I said, look, fellas, uh, let’s win a national championship. We can do this. And we started talking. I said, look, when we get, Hey, we’re gonna tell, I want you guys to, to say this.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:39:00):

I want you guys to talk about it. I want you guys to, you know, tell we’re gonna win a national championship. And I said, don’t, there’s gonna be people who look at you, like you crazy. And you foolish, and that ain’t going happen. And you wanna hear? I said, but you gotta keep talking it, keep saying it. And you know, uh, over the years, you know, Hey, the next year we went, uh, we finished 10th. Then we go to 13 and under, we get knocked out. We don’t finish. We don’t win at all. Then at 14. And under, we get to the championship game, man, and we lose and I’m thinking, wow, this is the last time I’m gonna get to coach ’em. And, uh, there’s pressure on you

Scott Luton (00:39:39):

At that moment. I believe you Don think

Coach Dru Joyce (00:39:41):

You speak to that. Yeah. Cause you know, I thought, Hey, I I’d spent so much time with them. And uh, you know, I, we were grooming them to all go to high school together. And uh, and I just felt like, Hey, this is it’s been great. And I I’ve enjoyed it. And, you know, Hey, you could see the LeBron was going to, you know, at that point, I, I didn’t know he was gonna be the star that he is now, but I knew that he was going to have a great future in basketball. I knew that there was no doubt. He was the best player at that 14 and under AAU national championships. And, uh, so, uh, you know, it was, it was tough. And then, you know, so they, they make the decision to come here. Uh, and um, honestly, Keith Dan brought, asked me to come on.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:40:23):

Right. And you know, so that’s, that’s the previous head coach head coach prior to you. Yeah. And I’m, I’m, I, I, he asked me to come on and be an assist. He said, Hey, these are your kids. These are your guys. And then two years after that, he leaves and calls me up. Uh, well, honestly I’m doing, uh, parade of homes with my wife <laugh> and we’re going, walking through homes and a reporter calls me and says, Hey, uh, the kids are, uh, are you gonna take the kids and leave? Now that Keith’s going to acronym? And I like, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I hadn’t heard anything. So I get home that evening. I call Keith. He says, yeah, I took the job at, I want to get back into college coaching and I want you to replace me. And I, you know, for a minute, you know, I was like, wow, ah, I don’t know.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:41:06):

I don’t think I’m ready for this. <laugh> because the team’s nationally ranked mm-hmm <affirmative> they’ve, uh, over the two years, they’ve only lost one game in two years. Uh, dang. And I’m thinking, uh, you know, coaching AAU and coaching high school was, uh, I’m I’m not sure about this, but my wife just said to me, she says, how can you say no? Right. How can you said that earlier? Yes. Yeah. She said, this is God, you know, honoring all those years, you driving up and down the highway with those boys. How can you say no? So I needed, I needed to hear that. Sometimes you need that little push. Yes. That’s why it’s important for everyone. I talk about it in the book that there’s no bootstraps. You don’t pull yourself up by your bootstraps. There’s always someone out there that’s going to help you.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:41:50):

Someone’s going to just, if it’s just a comment, like she made to me yes. That you need to hear at that moment. And, uh, and I needed to hear it. So, you know, I, I, you know, accept the job and, uh, I understood if we win, it’s gonna be because they were Keith’s kids. Right. But I said, if we lose, it’s going be my fault. That’s right. And that first year, what did we do? Yeah, we lost. And it was tough, but we still had that dream. We kept that dream right. Of winning a national championship. And, uh, the guys came back and, uh, you know, the gentleman just walked in. He was one of the ones that, uh, really said, uh, to the, to the guys, after that junior year, they’re going to their senior year, Hey, we’re gonna listen to coach you. We’re gonna get this done. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And to, to have that happen, to win that national championship, I know all those years of saying, having them tell people we’re gonna win a national championship. They got to see that, Hey dreams come true. Right. It may not happen. Like you want it. It may not come. It may, it may not be, you know, uh, as

Scott Luton (00:42:55):

Come as quick, quick as you want, you

Coach Dru Joyce (00:42:56):

Want it, or, you know, but there’s the, if you stay with it, if you stick with it, if you, if you are, are willing to go through the obstacles, the ups and downs to, you know, and figure out how to, to make it work, you know, you know, that’s what you do. And when you, you look at everyone, anyone’s life who’s been successful. That there’s been those, those, that adversity. Yeah. That you have to go through and know those guys, uh, they, they stuck together and, and it made it happen. And, and now that the Banner’s hanging and it’s all fun,

Scott Luton (00:43:28):

Which Billy we’re about to dive into really quick aside, you’ve you have, uh, alluded to a couple times and, and, um, we can’t get into it today, but having all the players in the van taking ’em coast to coast down in Florida, you name it. I bet there’s a series just focused on those stories from those trips, but we’ll save that for another time. Oh,

Billy Taylor (00:43:48):

I saw at the, uh, last Friday, uh, couple of former players were up in my office

Coach Dru Joyce (00:43:53):

And

Billy Taylor (00:43:54):

Okay. They were actually just telling they’re like true siblings. Right. They’re picking on each other. One says, you know, I was a pretty skilled big man. And the other one looked over and like, <laugh>, it was kind of the old thing. My mom would say, the older you get the better you were.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:44:08):

Right. <laugh> the better you were.

Billy Taylor (00:44:10):

Right. And so I saw that, but I don’t wanna miss out on something too. And we’ve all shared the same thing since we’ve been talking this morning and he said, his wife, Carolyn mm-hmm, <affirmative> called him. And, and, and was his best advisor in that situation. Mm-hmm <affirmative> what did you say this morning? My wife was a big part of integral part of your business. That’s right. As well as linked Excel, my wife lived a big role. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and so, so drew, that leads me into right. Let’s talk about, you know, Scott, the, the, the formula for winning this’s. Right, right. You, you seem to have the recipe, right. You know, the fact chef, chef drew, chef drew drip. Yeah. Chef of winning chef basketball chef. We give him a new nickname, the basketball chef, who has the ingredients of winning. Now he’s also a chef for your, those. We do have, uh, like cooking events around Akron and drew, drew always wins. I don’t know if he has a stack deck or what, but he’s beat me a couple of times in those shows, but,

Scott Luton (00:45:04):

Well, well, hang on sec, I took notes earlier. Evidently one of the winning dishes is spice, rubbed chicken with a, a spicy coast

Coach Dru Joyce (00:45:12):

Law. Yeah. Right? Yeah. That’s that’s, that’s, that’s the signature one. Okay.

Billy Taylor (00:45:16):

He crushed, he crushed my lobster, Mac and cheese. Let me tell you, he crushed it.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:45:21):

Me. See,

Billy Taylor (00:45:23):

But drew, let’s talk about, you know, in business, I always go into companies and I say the, the formula for winning is strategy plus execution equals results. And what I mean by that, that plus is what often get to overlook mm-hmm <affirmative> who owns what? Okay. Right. You gotta look at, and for me, it’s always extreme ownership because in the happens of ownership, people wanna blame you. Yeah. They wanna blame the coach when they do, they want, but coach in play, coach didn’t make any passes, but there’s several intangibles that come into play. So drew, I just wanted to just talk about the formula for winning for you and in basketball. Yeah. Just talk a little bit about that.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:45:59):

Yeah. You know, uh, you know, what’s, it kind of goes back to that first group. It’s it’s selling the vision. Yeah. You know, we were able to sell the vision and that’s, uh, what I I’ve been good at. I’ve been good at getting, getting the kids to every year to buy in that this is your time mm-hmm <affirmative>, you know, we talk about it before the season. And I know some of the younger kids probably think, oh, he’s he? Well, he’s kind of crazy. <laugh> I’m telling, I need you to visualize, I need you to visualize right now, you cutting down those nets at the final game, in the state championship. I need you to see it. I said, so, you know, and, and I need you to think about this and I need you to, to understand that’s the destination. Now there’s gonna be a lot of stops on this journey, but, you know, I want you to start to, to, to visualize that.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:46:48):

And so, you know, I, you get the kids to you start out to buy into that vision. And then, you know, as we said earlier, it’s about trusting the process, you know, uh, you know, I, I I’m, you know, I, I, I tell the kids all the time that the difference between good and great is the, are the details. Mm. So, you know, we’re gonna focus on the details. Mm-hmm <affirmative> uh, and then the other thing that has been really good for me is, you know, this is management, I learn and management, you manage to your strength, your staff, to your weakness. That’s right. <laugh> I love that

Billy Taylor (00:47:20):

Dude.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:47:20):

That’s that is

Billy Taylor (00:47:21):

A quote add is, so you repeat that for the,

Coach Dru Joyce (00:47:24):

Yeah. You manage to your strength, your staff, to your weakness, and you know, and that, that not only goes with my coaching staff, but with the who, the players, you put on the floor. Yeah. You, you manage to that strength and you staff around those guys to the weakness and mm-hmm <affirmative> so that’s, that’s how we, that’s how we go about it. And then the other thing, you know, that I think that is sometimes overlooked. Do what you do best mm-hmm. Uh, I, Hey, my guys tell you, you might come to our practice and you just going to go, it’s all about defense, the whole practice. Mm-hmm <affirmative> we’re going guard. You mm-hmm <affirmative> that’s what everyone knows. That’s what everyone understands. You play Saint. Doesn’t say, Mary, they’re going guard. You, you ain’t getting no easy ones here. <laugh> so, you know, and we, you know, so those are the kind of things that have built the culture. Yes. You know, and we, you know, we don’t, I tell the other thing I tell the kids coming in. Yeah. Uh, I don’t know. I don’t know. Y’all right now. We’ll get to know each other, but I’m not lowering the standard. I love that. This is the standard. I’m not lowering the

Scott Luton (00:48:23):

Standard. I gotta ask you really quick. So I’m a big Clemson fan. Yes. Oliver Pernell. What? Coach? Clemson. Basketball was one. My favorite coaches. He had the diamond press. Mm-hmm <affirmative> cause to your point, there was no easy buckets. You’re and, and, and he wasn’t gonna give up any real estate from the time you inbound the ball all the way down. Yeah. We’re gonna be all on you. I love that. It sounds like

Coach Dru Joyce (00:48:44):

That’s core. You’re coaching philosophy too. Yeah. We’re we’re going to guard you 94 feet. Sometimes we might trap you, but Hey, even if we don’t trap you, that one guy on you, you gonna know he is there. <laugh> you gonna know he is there. I love that.

Scott Luton (00:48:57):

All right. You

Billy Taylor (00:48:58):

Know, he said something I wanna touch on. And you said manage to your strengths after your weakness. You know, a lot. I do keynote speaking as well. And I know you do. You’ve actually came to good year. Yeah. And spoke to the whole leadership team. And I would say, you know, I had 13 degrees, I was smart. I had 13 degrees and there was, wow, you got 13 degrees. I said, yes, I was smart enough to earn two. And I hired 11 <laugh>. Right. And I use all

Coach Dru Joyce (00:49:22):

13. Right, right.

Billy Taylor (00:49:23):

Because I know that there are some weaknesses mm-hmm <affirmative> and that leads me into, you know, even culture. Right. And I look at, you had a profound impact on my daughter, Alexis who came to the school, it was all new to her. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Yeah. And you were her source of mentorship, the source because she played basketball really aggressive. And she would often coach drew, coach drew. And now she still, she sees coach drew she’ll shoot through those doors. Mm-hmm <affirmative> cause he had an impact and he didn’t, she didn’t play boys basketball. <laugh> right. She has a relationship, but I think of you and the impact you’ve had, and I’m thinking a hundred years from now. Yeah, yeah. A hundred years from now. What do you want people to think or, or say about the legacy of coach drew Joyce? You’re most proud of?

Coach Dru Joyce (00:50:12):

Oh boy. Uh, I, you know, honestly, um, you know, it’s been about,

Scott Luton (00:50:18):

Um,

Coach Dru Joyce (00:50:19):

You know, giving back, you know, mm-hmm, <affirmative> that, um, you know, I truly believe that you know that in life that you, everyone says, you know, people talk about your life’s purpose. Mm-hmm <affirmative> I think you, you know, everything in your life should have purpose mm-hmm <affirmative>, but, uh, this has, you know, coaching has purpose for me. I, I see it as a, my sacred responsibility. I get to pour my life into the lives of young men at a very impressionable age. And, uh, I need to take it serious. I need to, I need to understand that, you know what I do, how I carry myself, even like Billy Billy’s talking about his daughter, I can remember it was it’s funny. Um, she came to the school, she’s new. They, they have a, a basketball retreat and, uh, uh, I, they asked me to come to, to the girls’ basketball retreat and speak at the retreat.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:51:13):

And I go in and, you know, you know, I’d seen other girls around and I see this new face and she’s kind of sitting back and, you know, and, but her, she, Hey, her eyes didn’t come off me. She was listening. Like every word I said, so, uh, but you know, those moments, you know, and, and, you know, uh, my pastor always used to tell me, you know, you don’t, you just don’t know how much, you know, you’ve impacted someone. And, and sometimes they don’t really understand it. He used, he used an example of one time he used it in a, in, in a sermon. And he says, do you remember what you had for dinner September 13th? And you know, all everybody’s like, no, no, I can’t remember. I had yesterday. And he said, but that’s, you know, there’s been people in your life. And, uh, that sometime in your past, took a moment with you, pour it into you for that one day, with that one hour. Right. And helped you become to who you are.

Scott Luton (00:52:13):

Yeah. There’s a, there’s a quote. I’m gonna butcher this. I’m sure. Uh, it’s been attributed to Saint Francis of a Sisi. I think I got that. Right. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and it, it goes along the lines of what you’re sharing. Uh, basically be careful with your words, because it may be the only sermon that

Coach Dru Joyce (00:52:29):

Oh,

Scott Luton (00:52:29):

Yes. You interact with mm-hmm <affirmative> here’s today. Yeah. And to your point, you never know. Yeah. We might be, we just cast it off. We don’t think about it. Mm-hmm <affirmative> but clearly you had a big impact whether you knew it or not with Alexis. Right. Absolutely. And gosh, I, I think about all the other students that come through here, folks that played for you folks that didn’t yeah. They, they interacted with you, they were observing you. Yeah. I mean, you have touched on talking about legacy. Yeah. You touched on countless lives. That’s gotta be going back to that moment as you’re sitting in your driveway. Yeah. And you’re thinking about what have I done today, man? That’s gotta be fulfilling coach.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:53:07):

Yeah. It is. And, uh, you know, I’m very thankful and, and uh, honestly, it, this is, uh, very blessed. And even this year, uh, here at the school, they, they, they used my book in the leadership class and, um, there were players in there in the class that I had cut mm-hmm <affirmative>. Ooh. And mm-hmm <affirmative>, you know, to have, you know, after the class, they, they let me come in the last day and speak and I, I shared, and then, you know, they, the teachers told me afterwards, yeah. This young man, you know, he he’s, he, he was just talked about how much of an influence you are in his life. And I’m thinking, wow, that’s a guy that mm-hmm <affirmative>, uh, I cut, you know, mm-hmm <affirmative> so you, you just don’t know, you just don’t know. So you, you, you need to be conscious of, uh, all those moments, uh, right. All those moments,

Scott Luton (00:53:55):

All those sermons you’re making, whether you know it or not.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:53:57):

Exactly. Yes, absolutely.

Billy Taylor (00:53:58):

You know, my, my most impressional moment and I, I was hitting out and you kind of, you were in the middle of the court, this was last week and you look up to me, you know, and I was leaving mm-hmm <affirmative> and you had, right. Everybody wanted you to have the net. And I, I looked at you and I didn’t see coach a coach. I saw an investor, an investor in human capital mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I’ve seen you invest so much into the young talent in adults so that they can withdraw something out later on because they don’t know. And, and until that, it, it, it, it takes leadership courage. And, and I just want you to, this is the last question I want you to expound upon, cuz I’ve said, and I, and I’ve stole this one from you. Um, I don’t treat everyone equally, but I treat ’em fairly mm-hmm <affirmative> I treat ’em fairly. Right. And, and I laughed Jimmy Johnson once and he said he was talking, he says, you know, Troy Aman was a Dallas cowboy. If he fell asleep, I probably just wake him up. Right. And I talked to him afterwards, don’t do it again. Right. A rookie that he said, I’m on a cut him.

Scott Luton (00:55:01):

He goes after he said about them, Cowboys that right before I think that’s what got him too. How about them cowboy?

Coach Dru Joyce (00:55:08):

Mm-hmm go

Billy Taylor (00:55:08):

Talk about that. Cause I know you treat a lot of people

Coach Dru Joyce (00:55:11):

Fairly. Yeah. You know, when, when guys come in, you know, and I, I, I was just talking with a parent just yesterday and, and I shared, I said, look, uh, your son comes in as a freshman and you know, uh, I’m not gonna hold him back. If he’s good enough to play varsity as a freshman, then he’ll play, uh, you know, I’m gonna be fair. I wanna be fair with him. And you know, uh, that’s one thing you can, you can definitely understand. And, uh, you know how that looks now, you know, going, uh, over the, over the years while he is here, you may not agree with, I have parents all the time that, well, my son’s got a short leash. Well, your son has a short leash because that’s what he’s got. Right. You know, and as, as Jimmy Johnson said, uh, sincere Harris, this you’re our star player.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:55:55):

Yes. I told guys, Hey, Hey, look, he’s going to take some bad shots. Now I’m gonna live with his mm-hmm <affirmative> but I’m not living with yours. <laugh> all right. I’m not living with yours. I’m like, I’m gonna live with his because he leads us in scoring. He leads us in rebounding. He leads, he’s a he’s, he’s the number two guy in assist. And he plays harder than all of you. So he’s earned something that you may have not mm-hmm <affirmative> so, uh, that’s where, that’s where the, the equality comes in now, Hey, I’m gonna be, Hey, this is, this is he’s getting what he’s worked for. <laugh> and you know, now the, the fairness is you show me that work mm-hmm <affirmative> and your day will come too. Mm-hmm <affirmative> let’s try like

Billy Taylor (00:56:36):

That. Good. Well, this has been a great show, uh, and drew one, as we look up and here at St. Vincent St. Mary’s, as you said, they only hang state banner.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:56:46):

Yeah. Only one. That’s all state championships,

Billy Taylor (00:56:48):

No state championships, no, no regionals. But the legacy that, that you have as a person, as a leader, as a coach, it will go 200 years. Oh gosh. It will be right. And it it’s it’s I was at a clothing store, uh, this week, uh, about a week ago. And the guy says he’s golf with you before.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:57:06):

Yeah. Okay. Right.

Billy Taylor (00:57:08):

Uh, leafy. Yeah. And he goes, people see you on the golf course and they wanna come talk to you. And he, he says, so that’s your legacy. And you’re very modest. Right. And so, you know, I’m proud to know you. I really respect you. And when I brought you up to Scott, he was like, wow,

Scott Luton (00:57:24):

Man, I’m I’m, I’m on cloud nine right now, if you can’t know that I got about 18 pages of notes, but you know, you never know when you meet celebrities or insert whatever word, you know, how they’re gonna be Billy, this is better than advertise. And the openness with which and the, and the humility with which you, you share. Mm-hmm <affirmative> man, that’s like a secret sauce. Um, but we gotta make sure Billy, we gotta make sure folks know how to get the book, how they can connect with coach. Yeah.

Billy Taylor (00:57:54):

Right, right. Because he’s a great speaker. Like I said, I had him come in to speak, uh, at Goodyear, he’s actually spoke to some of our affinity groups. Uh, and so drew and in the book, uh, drew, how do people get in contact with you if they wanna inquire about you speaking?

Coach Dru Joyce (00:58:11):

Sure. Yeah. My email address is pretty simple. It’s coach drew, D R u@neobasketball.com and, uh, you know, contact me there. I’m on that, uh, uh, you know, uh, I’m not big on, I got some social media. Yeah. I, uh, I’m I’m on Twitter. I may not answer you if you hit me on Twitter. It’s at, it’s at coach drew Joyce, but I may not, but you come send me an email, uh, go to the, to the website, send me an email. I, I, I will follow up. And, uh, the book is, uh, you can get the book in Amazon and that’s where I got it. Yeah. Yeah. Zondervan is the, is the publisher. And, you know, I’m just thankful, you know, I’ve learned a lot from this guy here too. I, I, I, you know, and, uh, you know, he, uh, I use this one, he, uh, all the time, he says, he said, what you tolerate, you can’t change. And, uh, you know, and, uh,

Scott Luton (00:59:13):

I, you mean the mayor here.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:59:14):

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Billy I’ve, you know, you know, I had him come in and talk to the team also, and he shared, uh, his, uh, his wisdom and, uh, all the things that he’s accomplished in his life. And it’s been great. We’ve had, we have a lot of great fun, you know? Yes. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:59:30):

So, but I got one final question. Mm-hmm, <affirmative>, what’s this basketball game, like,

Coach Dru Joyce (00:59:35):

Ah, you know, he, Hey, he and I don’t get on the court. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. We, we leave that alone. <laugh>

Intro/Outro (00:59:43):

Know your strengths.

Scott Luton (00:59:44):

That’s

Coach Dru Joyce (00:59:45):

Right.

Billy Taylor (00:59:46):

Recruit

Coach Dru Joyce (00:59:47):

Those others do that’s

Scott Luton (00:59:50):

Hey, we have to have you back. We gotta have you back on.

Coach Dru Joyce (00:59:54):

It’s been my pleasure. I I’m thankful for you, uh, to have me come. And, uh, I, I appreciate this opportunity to, to share. Absolutely. I really do.

Billy Taylor (01:00:04):

Thank you. Well, you know, Scott called me Drew’s agent, right. <laugh> and so, you know, again, I, I would recommend him as a speaker. I recommend his book if you’re having some leadership training, because there, the key takeaways in the book are beyond basketball. Yeah. Okay. And so keep that in mind. Uh, Scott, thank you for yes. Treat Scott, Scott fuels a supply chain now and, and Scott and I met through a series of guest podcasts. And so I’ve joined the supply chain now team. All right. So the winning league. So that’s a good thing to celebrate. Mm-hmm <affirmative> Scott, what’s the favorite thing that drew said that resonates with you as a

Scott Luton (01:00:42):

League, man? Well, you, you see all my,

Billy Taylor (01:00:44):

All my, I know that’s why I wanna, I wanna go there to close this out.

Scott Luton (01:00:47):

I gotta, I can’t, um, I can’t harp on this enough, that moment, that Eureka moment he had as he pulled into his driveway and had that real moment with himself mm-hmm <affirmative> and asked him that question. I mean, that, that’s a, there was a pivotal moment for him, but as leaders, as practitioners, as humans, I think that’s a question we all have to ask ourselves and whether you ask it daily or weekly or whatever, the cadence is, the answers to that question is where the secret sauce and our journeys lie, coach.

Coach Dru Joyce (01:01:19):

I like that. Appreciate it.

Scott Luton (01:01:20):

Yeah. Love your story. Very good.

Billy Taylor (01:01:22):

All right. Well, to everyone, this is the winning link. We’re here in Akron, Ohio in the LeBron James arena. And I like to leave you with this. This is my favorite quote. If you make people visible, they’ll make you valuable.

Coach Dru Joyce (01:01:36):

Mm. All right.

Billy Taylor (01:01:37):

Thank you. Signing off on the winning link.