Dru Joyce

Previously named as USA Today’s Coach of the Year, head coach Dru Joyce is one of the nation’s most influential high school basketball coaches. Under his leadership, Coach Dru has led the St. Vincent St. Mary Fighting Irish in Akron, OH to win seven State Championships and a National Title.

Coach Dru, as he is affectionately known, has been motivator and mentor to countless young men, who have played basketball professionally, including four-time MVP Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jakarr Sampson, and Malaki Branham just to name a few. Coach Dru is qualified to talk about Creating Champions, Success and Winning.

McDonald’s All-American Basketball Games in 2011 named him “All American Coach.” In 2009, The Ohio Athletic Association called Coach Dru Joyce “Coach of the Year”, and he is a recent 2016 Inductee into the Summit County Hall of Fame. Speaking to youth, corporate employees, sales professionals, and educators with his compelling message of Faith, Success, and Winning has helped many individuals and organizations create peak performance. For over 22 years, Coach Dru has shared the playbook for success in not only winning at basketball, but maximizing one’s potential to win in all areas of life. Lebron James credits his former high-school coach with helping him reach his potential as both a basketball player and a man.

Serving as Director of the Northeast Ohio Basketball Association and author of “Beyond Championships: A Playbook for Winning at Life”, Coach Dru spent over 25 years in corporate America and learned, through study and life’s experience, what it means to step out on faith to become successful and help others see value in themselves to become successful MVPs (Most Valuable Person). Coach Dru knows how to connect people to their potential and position themselves to WIN. In his book, Coach Dru gives step-by-step principles on how to navigate teams through challenging obstacles and the blueprint to help individuals achieve their dreams.

Coach Dru is a graduate of East Liverpool High School and Ohio University with a degree in Business Economics and is one of a select few coaches, who has built a business around basketball. Dru and his wife, Carolyn, are the proud parents of four (daughters, Ursula and India, and Sons, Dru III and Cameron) and grandparents of eight (Davien, Alexander, Alivia, Kanin, KJ, Amaya, Averie and Cruz). Dru is a member of the House of the Lord in Akron, OH and served as a Trustee. He also serves on the board of Emmanuel Christian Academy.