Before Larry Drew rose to the top of his profession, he needed to start somewhere.

 

Before he could play 10 seasons in the NBA, before he could earn a head-coaching job in the same league, before he could lead the Atlanta Hawks to two playoff appearances, his story began in Columbia, Mo., where he remains the only Missouri point guard to lead his team in assists for three straight seasons.

 

Thirty-two years have passed since Drew's college career ended with a Sweet 16 loss to top-seeded LSU in 1980. Since the Detroit Pistons drafted him, Drew has played and coached at eight different pro organizations, cementing himself as a productive NBA guard and a rising star on the sidelines.

 

His legacy is not Missouri. Not to fans of the Atlanta Hawks or anyone who watched him play as a pro, at least.

 

Ask Larry Drew himself, though, and he'll give you a different answer.

 

"I reflect back on my time at Missouri, and I think, 'How did I end up being here today?' I think I owe a lot to Norm Stewart," Drew said in a telephone interview from Atlanta. "I really believe he molded me into the man I am today."

 

It does not take much for Drew to begin reminiscing about his career under Stewart. There are too many career highlights to count, including his 12-assist performance in an overtime win over Notre Dame in the second round of the 1980 NCAA Tournament. For as many point guards who've starred at MU since then, that still stands as a single-game assist record.

A year earlier, Drew crossed the 1,000-point mark with 19 against Kansas in the 1979 Big 12 Tournament, making him the first player in program history to reach that milestone as a junior. There was a game his sophomore year, too, in which his pass in the final seconds led to Clay Johnson's game-winner over Iowa State in the Big 12 quarterfinals, a tournament eventually won by a sub-.500 Missouri team to earn a surprising spot in the NCAAs.

 

With 433 career assists and 1,401 career points, Drew could probably write a book about everything he accomplished at Missouri. And yet beyond all the post-season accolades and gaudy assist totals, the first memory Drew recalls as a Tiger occurred in a pre-season practice, away from the lights, the glory and the capacity crowds at the Hearnes Center. MU had just dropped an exhibition game, and, true to form, Stewart organized a hellacious practice the following day. The first session began at 8 a.m. and ran until noon, at which point team managers brought out drinks and snacks for a 30-minute break.

 

Then, it was back to work.

 

"I think we were there close to seven hours in total," Drew said. "As I look back, I can see how it did some good for me personally. Any situation you get into, you have to be prepared for any type of adversity and any type of situation. That has helped. And it's uncommon to have a six or seven hour practice, but we did that day. It's something that I'll always remember."

 

It's also a perfect example, Drew says, of what defined Norm Stewart as a basketball coach.

 

"He was probably the first coach who, you talk about a coach who would crack the whip," Drew said, "He could crack the whip! Very intense, very hard-nosed. That's something I've always tried to instill in my coaching philosophy and how I approach things."

 

Whether he cracks the whip like Stewart did, something's working for Drew as a coach. In two seasons as Atlanta's head coach, he's 20 games over .500. In 2011-12, he overcame injuries to key stars like Al Horford to make a second consecutive playoff appearance and earn a contract extension. The challenge now begins in 2012-13 after first-year general manager Danny Ferry revamped the roster and sent eleven players packing, including star Joe Johnson. If Drew can survive this season, the organization appears ready to make a big slash after the season in free agency after ridding itself of Johnson's crippling contract.

 

Still, there's talk the Hawks aren't fully behind Drew- otherwise, they may not have limited his contract extension to just one season.

 

In other words, it's not easy at the top.

 

"I think you have to be a little bit lucky to get an opportunity like this," Drew said. "It was a situation where the timing was good, and then getting the opportunity, I just tried to put my best foot forward and ended up with the job."

 

And hey, if coaching doesn't work out down the road for some reason or another, basketball will always stay in the family. His oldest son, Larry Drew II, will play his first season at UCLA this year after transferring from North Carolina. The elder Drew laughs when he realizes his alma mater will square off with the Bruins in December.

 

He'll also eagerly watch UCLA on Nov. 28, when it faces Cal-State Northridge. Drew's younger son, Landon, enters his freshman season with the Matadors, meaning the two Drew brothers will face each other for the first time.  

 

"We're rooting for them both," Drew said. "May the better team win."

 

Interestingly, Drew said both Larry II and Landon grew up talking about how they'd play at Missouri, just like dad. Since it didn't work out that way, it's no secret Drew will probably have to shun the black-and-gold for a few hours when UCLA faces off with the Tigers at Pauley Pavilion.

 

That's the only time Drew will betray his alma mater, though, even if it's almost impossible to get back to Columbia with the demands of his job.

 

"I still keep up, still watch the games on TV. I hope in the next two or three years, I can get back out there and visit the campus again, because it's been awhile since I've been there," Drew said.

 

If he ever visits and earns a standing ovation at Mizzou Arena, it may surprise younger generations that the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks did indeed once play at Missouri. But no matter how long it's been, the record books will always tell the story: 117 games, 114 starts and the third-most assists in school history.

 

A Mizzou legend, whether anybody younger than 40 remembers it or not.