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Family Dynasties in March Madness: NCAA’s Greatest Bloodlines
How Basketball’s Iconic Families Have Shaped the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Legends
One good thing about nepotism is it’s hard to come by in sports if the talent isn’t there. You won’t play if you’re not good enough, and basketball especially is small on roster size.
Great genes can help a family produce generations of stars. They can also put pressure on those young offspring to live up to their parent’s legacy. Still, some families have thrived to reach dynasty status in NCAA basketball.
NCAA’s Iconic Families
We wanted to highlight three basketball family dynasties who all had some degree of success in the NCAA tournament.
The Barrys: Basketball’s First Family of Shooting 3s
Rick Barry is a legendary basketball scorer who was known for his underhand free throw technique that worked so well. He would have loved to play in today’s NBA with an emphasis on 3-point shooting.
On this day in 1966, Rick Barry set the record for most free throws without a miss by a rookie, going 17-17 from the line.
Most FT on 100 FT% by a rookie:
17 — Rick Barry
16 — Charlie Davis, Derek Anderson
15 — Oscar Robertson, Clark Kellogg, Glenn Robinson pic.twitter.com/BvXN6dYoKe— Bol don’t lie (@bol_dont_lie) February 7, 2025
Barry was one of the best college basketball players and a prolific scorer at Miami, but the Hurricanes were on probation, denying him a shot at the NCAA tournament. However, Barry had five sons who were all professional basketball players, and three of them played in the NBA.
“Scooter” Barry was a key part of the 1987-88 Kansas Jayhawks team that won the national championship. You may know Jon Barry more for his NBA broadcasting career than his playing career. Brent Barry was an integral defender and 3-point shooter for the San Antonio Spurs. Drew Barry is Georgia Tech’s all-time assists leader. Canyon Barry continued his father’s free throw legacy at the University of Florida.
The Currys: Changing the Game, One Three at a Time
Years before there were basketball influencers on TikTok, Steph Curry put his name on the map with some impressive games in the NCAA tournament for Davidson. His father Dell had already carved a legacy at Virginia Tech before the 3-point line was installed.
LEBRON & STEPH WITH ANOTHER DUEL ⚔️
James: 42 PTS | 17 REB | 8 AST | 6 3PM | W
Curry: 37 PTS | 7 REB | 4 AST | 6 3PMNEVER. GETS. OLD. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/x4J5N4PMUN
— NBA (@NBA) February 7, 2025
Dell Curry went on to have a successful NBA career, but it was his son Steph who became the best Curry with the dynasty he helped build with the Golden State Warriors. However, many of us can remember watching him at Davidson where he was the NCAA scoring leader as a junior.
0n this date in 2008, Steph Curry and the Davidson Wildcats!
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) March 23, 2024
Steph’s brother Seth appeared in multiple tournaments for Duke before he also enhanced the legacy of the Curry family with his own NBA career.
The Drews: Coaching Legends and Court Stars
You can’t talk about the history of March Madness without the Drew family of coaches.
Homer Drew put Valparaiso on the map and won 640 career games, including one Sweet Sixteen season where he beat the March Madness odds in 1997-98. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Drew’s sons have carried on his coaching legacy in the NCAA. Scott Drew has coached Baylor since 2003, helping the Bears win the national championship in 2021. He is up to 461 career wins as he hopes to improve his March Madness championship odds for 2025.
“I’ve been here 22 years and I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a group”
– @BUDREW #SicEm | #CultureofJOY pic.twitter.com/OREhWupI9e— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) February 2, 2025
Bryce Drew was briefly an NBA player and has coached Grand Canyon since 2020 where he’s hoping to reach his fourth March Madness tournament and is up to 275 wins, giving the family more than 1,000 wins between them.
How Family Ties Influence March Madness
It’s only natural for family legacy to modify one’s expectations of a player or team. Granted, no one thinks Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brother Thanasis can ball like him, but if Steph Curry has a kid in the NCAA tournament someday, that could draw enough interest and hype to move betting lines a bit because of the expected public bet going with that player’s team.
But everyone knows you still need a sound team to advance far in the NCAA tournament, and that’s why the true line movement probably shouldn’t change much regardless of the name on the back of the jersey.
