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EAST LIVERPOOL – Anytime Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary boys basketball head coach Dru Joyce II gets to return home, he says it’s a great feeling.
“Anytime you get to come home and you’re received well at home, you feel good about it,” Joyce said. “I was blessed to speak at last year’s commencement and to come back and be able to share a few words, it’s very nice.”
Joyce – a 1973 East Liverpool High School graduate, three-time state champion coach and author of the book “Beyond Championships” – returned to his hometown Sunday as the guest speaker during a program at the East Liverpool Area Community and Learning Center. The program was sponsored by the Sheridan AME Church.
Joyce’s message during the program was that of faith of God, which he noted has helped him throughout his life and career.
“I just want them to understand exactly what faith is and how it works and how it’s worked in my life,” Joyce said. “Hopefully somebody can leave here with a better understanding and be willing to try God.”
Before sharing his story, he acknowledged his aunt Florence, who asked Joyce to speak before the crowd, along with his wife Carolyn, who was also in attendance, and his mother, who passed away.
While speaking to the congregation, Joyce mentioned that faith can be spiritual and healing, but it can also involve taking risks. Case in point: Joyce’s decision between following his dreams to become a basketball coach or work as a manager for Conagra Foods where he received a stable income to provide for his family.
Joyce said that although he was doing well in his managerial role, he wanted to pursue his dream in coaching. Eventually he joined the Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary boys basketball team, first in 1999 as an assistant, and then in 2001 as head coach.
While still holding his job, he coached the first of his three state title seasons in 2003, which included the lineup known as “The Fab Five,” consisting of his son Dru III, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee, and the most well-known name from the team, current Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James.
However, despite the success and the team’s national recognition, as Joyce mentioned, he experienced problems at work, including falling performance and a recent change in management. After being placed on probation, Joyce was given a choice by the new management: either accept a reassignment out-of-state or leave the company.
“They informed me that since I had passed all the tests in my probationary period, that I would be reassigned at an account in Syracuse, N.Y.,” James said. “He (the district manager) had kind of seen the look on my face, and he looked at me and said ‘Well Dru, if you don’t want to go on and do this, we can put together a severance package and call it a day.”
He ultimately said goodbye and continued to follow his dreams. Today he serves as the director of the Northeast Ohio Basketball Association (NEOBA), organized the LeBron James tournaments throughout the country and has also coached the Irish to state championships in 2009 and most recently 2011.
As for James, Joyce expressed pride and admiration as James earned Most Valuable Player honors and led the franchise to its first NBA championship by defeating the Golden State Warriors, 93-89, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, which saw the Cavaliers come back from a 3-1 deficit.
“Very proud, like a father who’s proud of his son,” Joyce said. “He’s done great things, he’s done it in the right way. So, you know, you feel good about it. He’s a family man. He’s there for his kids and his wife, and that’s a big thing because that’s not what he saw growing up.”
With 15 seasons of head coaching experience under his belt so far, Joyce said he has no plans to retire anytime soon and also said he’s looking forward to working with the team for the upcoming season.
“I’m enjoying it still,” Joyce said. “I’ve got a good group of young men after school now, so we’re excited about the opportunity to work with them and see where we can take this group. We’ve kind of come close three out of the last four years and stumbled at the end, but, you know, that’s part of it.
“I’m sure every coach would like to win every game, but at the end of the day, it’s more about the kids and watching their development and how they’ve kind of grown and crossed that bridge from youth to young adult.”
Following his speech, guests had an opportunity to speak with Joyce and receive his autograph during a book signing. In addition, members of the Second Baptist Church Choir and Sister Linda McEwen from the Mount Calvary Chapel of Midland, Pa., were also on hand to provide musical selections.