Who is Drew Valentine's brother, Denzel? Closer look at Loyola Chicago HC's personal life

Drew Valentine's time with Loyola Chicago began on a great note. As the program's coordinator for defense, he guided the Ramblers to the Final Four in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, a first since 1963.

In 2021, Valentine was promoted as the head coach, the youngest HC in NCAA Division I men's basketball, at the age of 30. Although Loyola has not been to the finals again, the Ramblers went as far as Sweet Sixteen that year.

Drew Valentine's career went from college to coaching, but his brother, Denzel, is a different story.

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Who is Drew Valentine's brother, Denzel?

Denzel Valentine is an active basketball player playing with the Sydney Kings. The younger Valentine played his college career at Michigan State, where he won the John R. Wooden Award, the Adolph Rupp Trophy, Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year and the NABC Player of the Year.

Playing as a shooting guard, Denzel played his best during his junior and senior years. As a junior, he averaged 14.5 points with 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. In his final year with the Spartans, the Michigan native averaged 19.2 with 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists.

About his time at MS, Valentine said:

"I learned a lot at Michigan State. I came there, boy, and, then, became a man there. I learned a lot of stuff off the court. Coach Izzo did a good job with developing us on the court and off the court.

"A lot of talks, a lot of stuff that you realise that you have to grow up on and mature on in college, so I give a lot of credit to him in that."

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Did Denzel Valentine play in the NBA?

Denzel Valentine was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 14th pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Despite staying with them until 2021, his performances were hindered by constant injuries, leaving him sidelined for huge chunks of seasons.

Valentine later signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 but left for the Utah Jazz in 2022. Later, he shifted between the Maine Celtics and Boston Celtics, before joining the Sydney Kings in Australia for the 2023–24 NBL season. In 256 games in the NBA, he averaged 7.0 points, 1.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds,

Despite his impressive career in college that brought him many accolades, the younger Valentine brother has been unable to replicate that success on a professional level.