GLENN WILKES CLASSIC, Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Friday., Nov. 20 -- 12:15 p.m. Drake vs. Georgia State
Saturday, Nov. 21 -- 12:15 p.m. Drake vs. Akron
Sunday, Nov. 22 - 2:30 p.m. Drake vs. Central Florida
PROBABLE DRAKE STARTERS
Pos. Player (Ht., Yr, Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT%
G-10 Ryan Wedel (5-11, Jr., Minneapolis, Kan.) 18.0 0.5 .591 1000
G-20 Josh Young (6-1, Sr., Lawton, Okla.) 11.0 4.0 .375 .800
C-45 Seth VanDeest (6-10, Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa) 6.0 4.0 .375 .750
F-35 Ben Simons (6-8, Fr., Cadillac, Mich.) 18.0 2.0 .600 1000
F-44 Adam Templeton (6-6, Sr., Rapid City, S.D.) 8.0 5.5 .400 -----
Top Reserves
F-2 Aaron Hawley (6-8, Fr., Rogers, Ark.) 3.0 1.5 .222 1000
G-3 Craig Stanley (5-11, Sr., Plano, Texas) 4.0 1.5 .375 1000
G-13 Frank Wiseler (6-0, So., Luxembourg City, Lux.) 9.0 1.0 .500 1000
F-22 Bill Eaddy (6-7, Sr., Ypsilanti, Mich.) 4.0 1.5 .375 .500
G-25 David Smith (6-3, Fr., Chicago, Ill.) 0.0 0.0 ----- -----
F-40 Reece Uhlenhopp (6-8, Fr., Urbandale, Iowa) 2.0 0.0 1000 -----
PROBABLE GEORGIA STATE STARTERS
Head Coach: Rod Barnes, third year
2009-10 Record: 1-1
Pos. Player (Ht., Yr, Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT%
G-2 Joe Dukes (6-1, Sr., Cuthbert, Ga.) 7.0 4.5 .333 .750
G-11 Trae Goldston (6-0, Sr., Decatur, Ga.) 11.0 3.0 .360 1000
F-1 Trey Hamilton (6-7, Sr., Hoover, Ala.) 6.5 5.5 .714 .750
F-23 Xavier Hansbro (6-10, Sr., Trezevant, Tenn.) 10.5 9.0 .348 .800
F-30 Kevin Lott (6-7, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.) 7.0 4.5 .417 .500
PROBABLE AKRON STARTERS
Head Coach: Keith Dambrot, sixth year
2009-10 Record: 0-1 before Nov. 20 vs. N.C. State
Pos. Player (Ht., Yr, Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT%
G-5 Brett McClanahan (6-4, So., Nitra, W. Va.) 7.0 1.0 .300 ----
G-12 Darryl Roberts (6-0, Sr., Toledo, Ohio) 6.0 3.0 .500 .000
F-13 Nikola Cvetinovic (6-8, So., Loznica, Serbia) 8.0 8.0 .571 .000
F-15 Tim Carroll (6-5, Sr., Akron, Ohio) 0.0 0.0 ---- ----
F-30 Chris McKnight (6-7, Sr., Lancaster, Ohio) 11.0 5.0 .286 .700
PROBABLE CENTRAL FLORIDA STARTERS
Head Coach: Kirk Speraw, 17th year
2009-10 Record: 2-0 before Nov. 20 vs. Auburn, Nov. 21 vs. Niagara
Pos. Player (Ht., Yr, Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT%
G-3 A.J. Rompza (5-9, So., Chicago, Ill.) 8.0 3.5 .538 .667
G-11 Isaac Sosa (6-3, So., Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) 20.0 3.0 .538 .800
F-15 Dave Diakite (6-6, Fr., Washington D.C.) 9.0 9.0 .333 .545
F-21 P.J. Gaynor (6-8, So., Jacksonsville, Fla.) 6.5 3.5 .250 .818
F-25 A.J. Tyler (6-9, Jr., Palm Harbor, Fla.) 5.0 2.0 .364 1000
RADIO: KRNT Radio (1350 AM) will broadcast all three Drake games with Larry Cotlar and Dolph Pulliam describing the action
THE SETTING: A young Drake basketball team will do some growing up in a hurry with a four-game road trip starting in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The Bulldogs will play three games in three days in the third annual Glenn Wilkes Classic. First-round games were played on on-campus sites. Drake will close out the road swing with a Nov. 28 test at Austin Peay.
Ten teams will play three games in three days in Daytona Beach, Fla., starting Friday. Drake will face Georgia State at 12:15 p.m. Friday, Akron at 12:15 p.m. Saturday, and Central Florida at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Akron has four starters back from last year's team which advanced to the NCAA Tournament where it dropped a first-round game to Gonzaga.
Drake is among five teams that played in 2009 post-season tournaments that are competing in the Glenn Wilkes Classic. Central Florida, North Carolina State, Auburn and Akron also are in the field.
TOURNAMENT TESTED: For the fourth straight year, Drake will play in a school-record tying three regular-season tournaments. Besides the Glenn Wilkes Classic, Drake will host the second annual Drake Hy-Vee Classic Dec. 4-5 in the Drake Knapp Center with the Bulldogs facing SIU-Edwardsville in the opening round before meeting either North Dakota or Texas-Arlington the following night. The second annual Drake Invitational is scheduled for Dec. 11-13 at the Drake Knapp Center, featuring Binghamton and South Dakota. Binghamton has two starters back from last year's squad which posted a 23-9 record while falling to Duke in the NCAA Tournament.
THE SERIES: Drake owns a 2-0 lead in the series against Akron, while the Bulldogs will be facing Georgia State and Central Florida for the first time.
Drake claimed an 82-78 overtime victory at Akron as part of the inaugural ESPN BracketBusters on Feb. 21, 2004. The Bulldogs then opened the 2004-05 campaign with a 90-88 victory in Des Moines in the return visit.
THE COACHES: Mark Phelps was named Drake's 25th head basketball coach, April 21, 2008. Phelps served as associate head coach at Arizona State for two seasons. The Virginia Beach, Va., native had served on the coaching staff at North Carolina State under head coach Herb Sendek from 1996-2006 before joining Sendek at Arizona State in 2006.
He was part of Sendek's staff that led North Carolina State to a 53-39 record (.576) in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament play in the final five seasons in Raleigh, N.C. The Wolfpack tied for the second most wins in the ACC from 2001-2002 through the 2005-06 season. He joined the North Carolina State staff in 1996, serving as director of basketball operations before becoming assistant coach in 2000. He was promoted to recruiting coordinator, director of scouting and assistant coach with the Wolfpack in 2005.
Phelps posted a 148-53 record (.736 winning percentage) in six years as a high school head coach in Virginia. He was head coach at Atlantic Shores Christian High School in Chesapeake, Va., where he compiled a 44-12 record. The 1996 Old Dominion graduate also coached four years at Rock Church Academy, constructing a 104-41 record while leading teams to three straight Metro Conference championships.
Rod Barnes, a 1988 graduate of Mississippi, is in his third year as head caoch at Georgia State owning a 21-41 recrod. He has a 162-150 mark in 11 years as a collegiate head coach, including a 141-109 record at Ole Miss from 1998-2006 where he guided the Rebels to the 1999, 2001 and 2002 NCAA Tournaments.
Keith Dambrot, a 1982 graduate of Akron, is in his sixth season as head coach of the Zips recording a 115-52 mark to rank fourth all-time in victories at the school. He is 223-122 in 12 seasons as a collegiate head coach including stops at Tiffin (40-23, 1984-86), Ashland (48-13, 1989-91) and Central Michigan (20-34, 1991-93).
Kirk Speraw, a 1980 graduate of Iowa, is in his 17th year as head coach at Central Florida becoming one of just 14 coaches in the country who have spent at least 16 years at the their current school. He has a 266-216 record, leading the Knights to fourth NCAA Tournament appearances. A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Speraw played at the University of iowa as a member of the 1978-79 Hawkeye team that won the Big Ten title and the 1979-80 team which played in the NCAA Final Four.
NBA CONNECTIONS: In recent years, Akron head coach Keith Dambrot became known as the man responsible for bringing the modest Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School boy's basketball team into the national spotlight. As head coach of the Fighting Irish, Dambrot's teams won a pair of state championships.
A key component to those squads was NBA phenom LeBron James. The story, according to some, labels Dambrot as the man responsible for helping develop James. At the age of 13, the future NBA All-Star participated in $1 clinics Dambrot conducted at the local Jewish Community Center. James is another example of someone who takes his connection to the Akron community to heart, and is a regular at games in UA's Rhodes Arena and at off-season team workouts.
Central Florida freshman guard Marcus Jordan is son of NBA legend Michael Jordan who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles. He was ranked as the 60th best shooting guard in the country as a senior at Whitney Young High School in Wilmette, Ill., last year according to ESPNU.
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: Drake is fielding one of its better perimeter shooting teams in recent years, hitting at a 48.1 percent clip from the floor, including 47.9 percent from three-point range. The Bulldogs are averaging 11.5 three-point baskets in their first two games.
However, opponents are shooting 61.1 percent against Drake, including 60 percent (24-40) from beyond the three-point arc.
YOUNG RETURNS: Senior guard Josh Young, who missed Drake's season opener last Saturday with a hip-pointer, returned to the starting line-up against Iowa State Tuesday, scoring the Bulldogs' first seven points of the game. Young finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Young, a preseason first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference performer, has led Drake in scoring the past two seasons.
IOWA STATE DUO STING DRAKE: Junior guard Lucca Staiger set a Drake Knapp Center record by making 10 three-point baskets as Iowa State snapped a three-game losing streak to Drake with a 90-70 victory Tuesday night. Staiger finished with a career-high 32 points, including 19 in the second half.
Junior forward Craig Brackins dominated the inside for Iowa State collecting 22 points and 10 rebounds.
The loss was just the second for Drake in its last 13 games against Big Four opponents from the state.
Newcomers accounted for 51 of Drake's 70 points, led by freshman Ben Simons with 24. The 24 points were the ninth best in school history by a Drake freshman. Simons made 8 of 11 shots, including 4 of 6 from three-point range.
Junior transfer guard Ryan Wedel added 13 points for Drake. After a three-point basket by Simons brought Drake within 28-22, the Cyclones scored the next six points to build their first double-digit lead of the game.
Drake opened the second half with a 9-3 run, capped by Adam Templeton's 3-pointer, to cut Iowa State's lead to 54-41. The Bulldogs got to within 13 one other time, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers to cut the lead to 75-62 with 6:38 to play.
Iowa State outrebounded Drake, 39-21. Brackins led Iowa State with 10 rebounds. Templeton's five rebounds led the Bulldogs. Drake shot 45.3 percent from the floor, making 24 of 53 shots. Iowa State hit at a 56.3 percent clip, drilling 36 of 54 shots.
HOT SHOOTING SPOILS OPENER: IUPUI shot a sizzling 76.2 percent from the floor in the second half to rally from an 11-point deficit, spoiling Drake's season opener, 88-82, in the opening round of the Glenn Wilkes Classic last Saturday.
Alex Young hit back-to-back three-point baskets giving IUPUI a 83-80 lead it never relinquished. Drake closed out the game making just one of its last eight shots from the floor.
A layup by freshman center Seth VanDeest pulled Drake within 85-82 with 13 seconds left, but IUPUI made three of four free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Junior Ryan Wedel, a transfer from Arkansas State, moved from point guard to off guard replacing Josh Young and responded with 23 points. Forward Robert Glenn scored a game-high 37 points for IUPUI, hitting 15 of 17 shots from the floor. Glenn netted 23 in the second half.
The Bulldogs shot 50.9 percent from the floor, while making 13 of 26 three-point shots. Freshman forward Ben Simons scored 12 points for Drake -- hitting four three-point baskets all in the second half. He also collected a game-high four steals.
VanDeest finished with 10 points and a team-high six rebounds for Drake. Sophomore Frank Wiseler, who started at point guard for Drake, added nine points and seven assists.
HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES: Drake junior transfer guard Ryan Wedel had a conspicuous debut for Drake by opening his first game on fire, making his first five shots including four from three-point range in the opening 3 minutes 29 seconds of the game. The four consecutive three-point baskets made rank third on the Drake single-game list.
Wedel's 15 points in the opening minutes of the game weren't really any surprise. As a high school senior in Minneapolis, Kan., Wedel was featured on ESPN SportsCenter after scoring 25 of his school-record 46 points during a 2:02 span against Southeast-Salin, knocking down six straight three-point baskets. The video is on www.youtube.com.
YOUNG GUNS: One game doesn't make a season but if last Saturday's season opener is any indication, Drake has improved its perimeter shooting. The Bulldogs knocked down 13 three-point baskets against IUPUI with newcomers Ryan Wedel and Ben Simons each making four three-point baskets. Senior forward Adam Templeton and sophomore guard Frank Wiseler added two three-point baskets apiece. Last year Drake reached double figures in three-point shooting in only seven games.
MR. BASKETBALL: Drake has two players on its roster who have been named Mr. Basketball in their respective states as well as a freshman who earned runner-up honors last year. Junior guard Ryan Wedel was named Mr. Basketball in Kansas as a high school senior in 2006. Redshirt freshman forward Cory Parker was named the 2008 Colorado Class 3A Mr. Basketball as a senior at Aspen High School.
Drake freshman Ben Simons was runner-up for Mr Basketball in Michigan last season. Simons made four three-point baskets in his college debut last Saturday - which ranks fourth best on the Drake single-game freshman records.
SIZING UP THE BULLDOGS: One word can easily describe the fortunes of the 2009-10 Drake basketball team. CHEMISTRY.
How quickly a trio of returning veterans can mesh with a highly touted incoming recruiting class will determine the success the Bulldogs enjoy on the basketball court this winter.
Drake will rely on one of the strongest backcourts in the Missouri Valley Conference to aid in the development of one of the youngest teams in recent program history which features the top recruiting class in the MVC according to three different publications.
Drake returns three starters from last year's squad which posted a 17-16 record, highlighted by an appearance in the 2009 CollegeInsider.com Tournament, marking the first time the Bulldogs had played in back-to-back post-season tournaments since making the NCAA Tournament from 1969-71.
Two-time All-MVC guard Josh Young enters his senior campaign on the verge of becoming the school's career scoring and three-point basket leader. Young, who led the MVC in scoring as a sophomore, hopes to bounce back from an injury riddled junior campaign. He ranks seventh on the school career scoring list at 1,328 points, needing 330 points to becoming Drake's scoring king.
Young averaged 15.4 points last year, while leading the league in free throws made at 168. Despite his 6-foot 1-inch frame, Young also enjoyed one of the best rebounding averages of any MVC guard at 3.8, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds in a home victory against Indiana State.
“Josh is fully embracing his role as the leader on our team,” said Drake head coach Mark Phelps. “We've seen some terrific things out of Josh in the preseason. He has made significant improvement in his explosiveness and I feel like he is back to where he was as a sophomore before he suffered an ankle injury.”
Senior point guard Craig Stanley looks for continued improvement after ranking fourth in the MVC in assists (3.8 avg.) last year, while averaging 7.9 points.
Six-foot 6-inch senior Adam Templeton is the lone returning starter on a young frontline. He averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds last year. Senior two-year letterwinner Bill Eaddy also returns at forward.
Phelps is counting on the senior leadership provided by Eaddy, Stanley, Templeton and Young to aid in the development of a young team.
“We will rely heavily on our seniors because they have an understanding of what it takes to win in the MVC,” said Phelps. “The returning veterans are going to be motivated about the chance to improve on last year.
Graduation claimed forward Jonathan Cox who departed ranking second on Drake's career rebounding charts, while leading the MVC in rebounding (8.5 avg.). Phelps admits there are big shoes to fill in the void left by Cox.
“It will be a challenge,” Phelps added. “We will have to rebound by committee. Everyone in the frontcourt will certainly have to have a major focus in rebounding.”
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK:Drake fans have to go back to the 1990-91 campaign to find a Bulldog team as young as the 2009-10 edition.
During that 1990-91 season then first-year coach Rudy Washington had the youngest team in the NCAA with eight freshmen on the roster.
This year the Bulldogs have 10 new faces eligible on their roster. In its lone exhibition game against Upper Iowa Drake played at least two freshmen on the floor at the same time.
Junior guard Ryan Wedel is eligible after transferring from Arkansas State where he was a two-year starter, leading the Sun Belt Conference in three-point baskets (90) in 2007-08. Wedel, who is versatile enough to play both point and off guard, averaged 15.1 points, earning All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2007-08.
If that's not enough sophomore point guard Frank Wiseler, who was a member of the Luxembourg National Team the last two years, becomes eligible. Freshman guard David Smith, who was one of the top prep guards in Chicago, Ill., also is expected to see action.
“Certainly we know that we will be an extremely young team with six freshmen, along with three redshirt freshmen and two transfers becoming eligible,” Drake head coach Mark Phelps said. “It is important for them to have some early success and for us to keep things simple.”
Several freshmen are expected to play key roles in the frontline, headed by 6-8 Ben Simons, who was runner-up for Mr. Basketball in the state of Michigan. Six-foot 8-inch Aaron Hawley, named the most valuable player of the Arkansas All-Star Game, along with 6-8 Reece Uhlenhopp and 6-10 Seth VanDeest, are expected to contribute right away.
“I foresee our freshmen getting lots of playing time,” said Phelps. “They will have to be ready to hit the ground running. They have a lot of self pride and have been high achievers across the board.”
Simons averaged 29.4 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior at Cadillac (Mich.) High School and should aid a Drake perimeter attack.Hawley averaged 17.8 points and 7.4 rebounds at Rogers (Ark.) High School, while Uhlenhopp and VanDeest were first team Iowa Class 4A all-state choices.
YOUNG NEARS RECORDS: Two-time All-MVC guard Josh Young enters his senior campaign on the verge of becoming the school's career scoring and three-point basket leader. He ranks seventh on the school career scoring list at 1,328 points, needing 330 points to becoming Drake's scoring king. Young also needs 39 three-point baskets to become Drake's career three-point leader, surpassing current co-record holders Luke McDonald (2001-03) and Klayton Korver (2003-08) who both made 241 treys.
YOUNG HONORED: Drake senior guard Josh Young is one of 30 NCAA men's basketball student-athletes, who excel both on and off the court, who are candidates for the 2009-10 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
This year's candidate class includes 25 players on the preseason watch lists for the men's and women's John R. Wooden Award, eight men's players who are candidates for the AT&T Naismith Trophy, 11 women's players who are preseason favorites for the State Farm Wade Trophy and three men's and women's players who finished their junior seasons as All-Americans. Of the 60 candidates, 13 have cumulative grade point averages of 3.5 or higher and three have maintained perfect 4.0 GPAs during their collegiate academic careers.
Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winner for men's basketball at the 2010 NCAA Men's Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind., in April.
The list of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists each midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of classroom, character, community and competition.
THREE PREPS JOIN PROGRAM: High school basketball standouts Karl Madison, a 5-foot 10-inch guard from Springfield, Ill.; Rayvonte Rice, a 6-3 guard from Champaign, Ill., and Jeremy Jeffers, a 6-6 guard from Wilson, N.C., signed early fall national letters of intent at Drake, indicating they will join the Drake men's basketball program.
A point guard, Madison earned first-team all-league honors after averaging 21.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.4 steals as a junior at Lamphier High School. He shot 42.7 percent from the floor, including 30.6 percent from three-point range. He collected season highs of 32 points and six rebounds against Chatham Glenwood Jan. 9, 2009, and Jacksonville Feb. 27, 2009.
Madison became his high school's first Division I player since Richard McBride signed with Illinois in 2003. Madison played for the St. Louis Eagles AAU team.
Rice was named most valuable player of the 2009 Illinois Class 3A State Tournament after leading Centennial High School to the 2009 Illinois Class 3A state championship. He earned third team all-state honors as a junior by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association after leading the team to a 32-1 record in 2008-09, including the Big 12 Conference title with a 13-0 record.
He was a two-time first team Champaign News-Gazette All-Area selection as well as a two-time All-Big 12 Conference performer. Rice averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.4 assists in 2008-09, while shooting 53 percent from floor. He also started as sophomore, averaging 15.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals. During the summer he played for the Illinois Stars AAU team.
Jeffers averaged 16.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals while leading Greenfield High School to a 31-6 record in 2008-09, en route to advancing to the semifinal round of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A Tournament. He scored a career-high 25 points against Cresset Christian in the quarterfinal round of the 2009 state tournament. He earned first team all-area honors by the Wilson Times and also was a first-team all-conference choice.
Jeffers played for the North Carolina Flight AAU team which finished eighth out of 184 teams at the 2009 AAU National Tournament. He also was named to the all-tournament team at the Big Shots AAU Tournament this past July in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE: Sixteen games against teams which advanced to 2009 post-season play highlight a 31-game schedule for Drake.
The Bulldogs will play Akron, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament where it dropped a first-round game to Gonzaga, in the Glenn Wilkes Classic. Drake has a Dec. 12 home game against Binghamton which played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and a Dec. 22 home date against San Diego State that advanced to the semifinal round of the 2009 NIT.
Drake also has a stern nonconference road test at Austin Peay Nov. 28. Austin Peay has three starters back from a team that went 19-14 in 2008-09 while playing in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
The MVC schedule features 12 games against Bradley, Creighton, Evansville, Illinois State, Northern Iowa and Wichita State which competed in either the 2009 NCAA, NIT, College Basketball Invitational or CollegeInsider.com Tournaments.
CHALLENGE SERIES: The Dec. 22 home game against San Diego State is part of the inaugural Challenge Series between the MVC and the Mountain West Conference. The agreement between the Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences is for a four-year term.
DRAKE IN KNAPP CENTER: The Bulldogs have posted a 37-14 home record in the Drake Knapp Center during the past three seasons, including a 14-1 mark in 2007-08. Drake has won eight of its last 11 nonconference home games. A 16-game home winning streak from 2007-09 was the longest in the 16-year history of the Knapp Center. Drake owns a 139-102 home record in the Drake Knapp Center. Drake is the only private school in the Missouri Valley Conference which plays its home games at an on-campus site.
