National : No. 22 Drake turning MVC upside down
Forgive the coaches and media in the Missouri Valley Conference for choosing the Drake men’s basketball team to finish ninth out of 10 teams in the preseason media/coaches poll.
The Bulldogs have consistently struggled in conference play during the past few seasons. Last year was the first time in more than 15 years Drake finished with a winning record at 17-15.
Choosing the Bulldogs to finish at the bottom of the increasingly competitive league seemed like a sound pick, especially with Southern Illinois and Creighton bringing back solid squads.
But someone forgot to tell Drake that.
Behind stellar play from its backcourt and a transformation in team mentality, No. 22 Drake has become the nation’s Cinderella story. The Bulldogs have stormed out to a 17-1 record, the best starting record in the history of the program.
This season is becoming a season of firsts for Drake. The national ranking is the first in 32 years, while the 16 straight games the Bulldogs have won since starting the season 1-1 are a school record. The Bulldogs are also undefeated and in first place in the MVC with an 8-0 record.
Although the coaches and media did not pick them to be a competitive team this year, the Bulldogs said they had a strong team.
‘We felt like we had a chance to be pretty good, and a lot of people didn’t feel that sentiment,’ senior guard Adam Emmenecker said. ‘We were picked ninth in the pre-season, and we felt like we had a kind of special group. We thought we would exceed expectations, and we kind of reveled in being the underdog.’
The most impressive thing about Drake’s success is the way it has been accomplished. First-year head coach Keno Davis, who took over for his father, Dr. Tom Davis, said if a team is going to compete at the top of the MVC, it has to beat teams such as Creighton, Southern Illinois and Bradley. Those three have all made tournament appearances in the past two seasons.
Drake has done just that. The Bulldogs defeated Southern Illinois, 61-51, in early January for the first time in the past 18 attempts. Drake later defeated Bradley, 69-68, and on Tuesday knocked off Creighton in overtime for the first time in seven meetings.
Drake has ‘a good basketball team, and they have some veteran leadership from seniors who are playing very well,’ Bradley head coach Jim Les said. ‘They aren’t going to beat themselves, and you have to find a way to beat them. They’re efficient and sound on both ends of the floor.’
Since an early loss to St. Mary’s (Calif.), the Bulldogs have been as hot a team as any in the country. Besides its conference foes, the Bulldogs have also beaten Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Iowa and Iowa State.
The transformation of the program began when Dr. Tom Davis took over for the 2003 season and has continued with his son Keno. Emmenecker said there was change in the toughness and attitude of the team, particularly in mental mindset.
Tom and Keno ‘really helped transform the program into one where the kids don’t think about trying to play games and just win one game; we think about how well can we do over the course of the season,’ Emmenecker said. ‘We think how good can we get when March comes around and how good can we get when conference (games) come around, so it really has helped instill a different type of attitude.’
Perhaps the most acclaimed part of the new and improved Drake team and a big reason for Drake’s success is the play of its backcourt, led by Emmenecker and sophomore Josh Young, a 2007 MVC All-freshman team selection.
Emmenecker came to Drake four years ago as a walk-on and was finally given a scholarship this season. Waiting his time in the wings, Emmenecker has finally emerged this season, averaging a team-best 5.3 assists per game.
‘Emmenecker is just a really smart player,’ Creighton head coach Dana Atlman said. ‘He makes things happen, and he’s playing with a tremendous amount of confidence. I think he’s a young man that understands his strength and understands his team’s strength, and he plays to those.’
Keno Davis said Emmenecker is a representative of the team in that he was not overly recruited, like most of Drake’s players, but has a tremendous work ethic.
Young, who just returned from an ankle sprain, leads the team in points (15.7 points per game), averaging in double figures for a second consecutive season.
‘Young is unique in last year. If you didn’t know, you would’ve thought he was a senior on the court as he just plays with an incredible amount of poise,’ Keno Davis said. ‘He is a standing influence for us on the court and on the practice court.’
Although an NCAA Tournament bid seems possible for the Bulldogs, Davis does not want his team to get too far ahead of itself. For a squad that was picked ninth in the preseason and has exceeded all expectations to this point, Davis is just focusing on getting better each week, not its national rankings.
‘I’m not expecting us to be 29-1 or anything like that,’ Keno Davis said. ‘I just want to see if we can keep improving because by the time the conference tournaments comes around, our job is to be playing our best basketball by then. Whatever our record turns out to be, then I can live with that.’
One more to go
University of San Francisco head coach Eddie Sutton’s return to the coaching ranks has not been the easiest of trips. Seeking the 800th win of his career, Sutton has gone 1-5 with the Dons, after a loss at Gonzaga on Monday night.
Sutton’s 800th win would put him in select company with only four other coaches: Texas Tech’s Bob Knight, former North Carolina coach Dean Smith, former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp and former Mount Saint Mary’s coach Jim Phelan.
Game of the week
No. 16 Dayton at No. 23 Xavier
Tonight, 8:00 p.m.
Although the Atlantic 10 might not receive as much recognition as some other conferences, it has a good possibility of getting four teams into the NCAA Tournament this season, headlined by Dayton and Xavier.
Xavier has been consistent all season, knocking off Indiana, Cincinnati, Kansas State and Virginia. Dayton has been just as good, especially against the Big East, with wins over Louisville and Pittsburgh.
The winner of this game most likely has the inside track to the top seed in the A-10 conference tournament and adds another win over a ranked opponent to its resume. Expect Xavier to come away with the victory at home, where the Musketeers have only been vanquished by Tennessee.
Xavier 77, Dayton 71
