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Former Provo boys basketball coach Craig Drury, center, was inducted in the UHSAA Circle of Fame during a halftime ceremony at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Former Provo boys basketball coach Craig Drury, left, walks out onto the UCCU Center court with his wife, Robin, and family members before a ceremony inducting him into the UHSAA Circle of Fame on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Former Provo boys basketball coach Craig Drury, right, was inducted into the UHSAA Circle of Fame during a ceremony at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Former Provo boys basketball coach Craig Drury, right, shares a joke with UHSAA Director Rob Cuff during a ceremony inducting Drury in the Circle of Honor at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Boys basketball coach Quincy Lewis won his ninth state title (seven at Lone Peak, two at Lehi) on March 1, beating Corner Canyon 78-67 for the Utah 6A title. That victory allowed Lewis to pass former Provo legend Craig Drury for the state record.

Drury was in the stands of the Huntsman Center that night, though he said he was rooting equally for Corner Canyon coach Dan Lunt. Both Lunt and Lewis are friends and picking sides wouldn’t have been very sporting.

A few days earlier, Drury was honored at halftime of the 4A boys state championship game at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center, inducted into the prestigious Circle of Fame by the Utah High School Activities Association for his accomplishments. Family and friends joined him at center court as UHSAA Director Rob Cuff, himself a former coach who battled with Drury on occasion, making the presentation.

“I’m proud that somebody put my name in,” Drury said. “I don’t know who did it or how it got there, but I feel honored that the Circle of Fame decided to do that. With the Utah Hall of Fame, you have to apply for it yourself, but in the Circle of Fame, you have to be nominated. I’m not a guy who wants to stand up in front of everybody and be honored, but I’m glad the Circle of Fame felt I had a good enough career to go in there.”

Drury accepted the head coaching job at Provo High School in 1983 and coached 32 years, winning those eight state titles and posting 546 career wins. He coached numerous All-State players who moved on to college and beyond: Kyle and Chris Collinsworth, Hala Kaufusi, all of the Wesley brothers (Mekeli, Tai, Russell, T.G. And Tika) and Brandon Davies, among others.

Drury’s Provo teams were known for playing a tough brand of defense and that “Bulldog” mentality is being coached now by Chris Collinsworth, who took over the program last season. Kyle Collinsworth, who played eight years of professional basketball, is an assistant at Salem Hills and Kaufusi is an assistant for Golden Ingle at Timpanogos.

“I love it,” Drury said about his former players. “I love what’s going on. It makes me proud.”

Drury credits his assistant coaches, which includes the ever-present Keli Lobendahn (an assistant for 21 seasons) for much of his success.

Drury said he doesn’t watch the NBA — “They play too many games,” he noted — but still takes in plenty of college and high school basketball. The game has changed since he retired in 2015, but he can always appreciate the sport.

“It’s still five guys and one basketball,” Drury said. “The basket is 10 feet high, so the more it changes the more it stays the same. The shot clock and the 3-point line helped the game from a spectator’s point of view, but the game is basically the same and always will be.”

Drury worked in the business world for seven years after retiring from coaching but says he’s totally retired now.

“I get up every morning and go to bed at night when I want to,” he said. “I watch Netflix, I guess. I have callings in the church and I hang out with family members.”

Drury and his wife, Robin, have seven daughters.

As for the coaching records, well, he knows they are made to be broken.

“Someone will get nine (championships) eventually,” Drury said a few days before Lewis did just that. “I might as well be there to watch it.”

Lewis remains impressed by Drury’s accomplishments.

“He’s got eight state championships over four decades, if I’m not mistaken,” Lewis said. “That is an amazing ability to relate to different kids over a period of time. I think when you look at him, you say he was a sensational teacher of the game and how to play the game. His teams were just so sound, just didn’t make mistakes. The award is just fantastic. The UHSAA recognizes people. The reason why it means so much is it’s so hard to do. He put a ton of time into it and it was great for him to be recognized on a sensational career.”

Lunt has had many great matchups with Drury over the years, including twice in the state finals.

“Craig is an unbelievable guy,” he said. “Coaching-wise he’s second to none. What he accomplished at Provo is second to none. It was just the expectation level and the culture. And Craig is a great guy, too. Throw the coaching out of it.  I had a lot of battles with him and he was usually on the top end of it but back at Payson, watching the culture of Provo is what drove me to get Payson to that point one day or Corner Canyon to that point one day, the level that he had, because he was second to none when he was there.

“He was so driven. In today’s game I see a lot of coaches who won’t hold players accountable. He did. You were either doing it the Provo Bulldog way or you weren’t playing. It was as simple as that. There was no bending the rules. He stayed firm with what he believed.”

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