The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball program's all-time leading scorer is returning to the coaching staff of his alma mater.

 

Drew Blair has joined UMD head coach Justin Wieck and Co. as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs after spending the last season with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association as the Player Development/Video Coordinator Assistant.

 

"We're thrilled to get Drew back in our program," said Wieck. "His ability to think and teach the game will help our program tremendously. Drew has a contagious personality that will relate to our guys and on the recruiting trail. He has a bright future in coaching and I'm excited to help him in his journey."

 

The former Bulldog scoring guard left his mark in the UMD record books during his time in the maroon and gold, starting in all 143 games of his career while helping the Bulldogs earn a total of 105 wins and make an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2023 – the deepest NCAA run in program history. Blair became UMD's all-time leading scorer in 2023-24 during a season opening win at Oklahoma Baptist, and closed out his resume with 2,772 total collegiate points. By the end of his career, Blair left the program as its leader in all-time total field goals made with 926, total 3PT field goals made with 344, and total free throws made with 576.

 

Blair was a five-time Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference All-Conference honoree and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Central Region Tournament in 2023. During his senior season, Blair was named a finalist for Small College Basketball's Bevo Francis Award and Trevor Hudgins Award while also named a D2CCA and NABC All-American. Blair also received an invite to the 2023-24 NABC Division II All Star game.

 

"I am excited to be back at UMD," said Blair. "Duluth is a place and program that I have a lot of love for. I look forward to continuing to build on what has been built here and help elevate our program. I can't wait to get to work with our guys and compete for championships!"

Blair graduated from UMD in May of 2024 with a degree in marketing. A native of Stevens Point, Wis., Blair is a 2018 graduate of Stevens Point Area Senior High School, and averaged 28.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during his senior season with the Panthers. He helped lead SPASH to a pair of Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I championships during his prep career and was twice named a WBCA All-State performer. Blair also earned a First Team Associated Press All-State citation and landed the Wisconsin Valley Conference Player of the Year award on two occasions, in addition to being two-time First Team All-Conference honoree.