MEDIACOM: Both Drake games in the Drake-Hy-Vee Classic will be televised on Mediacom, Channel 22 in central Iowa with Larry Morgan and Al Lorenzen describing the action.

DRAKE RADIO: KRNT Radio (1350 AM) is the flagship station of Drake basketball with Larry Cotlar and Dolph Pulliam handling the broadcasting. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tipoff.

ISISERETTES: The Isiserettes Drill and Drum team, comprised of Des Moines area youth from ages seven to 18 years old, will perform at halftime of Saturday's Drake game., The Isiserettes have traveled throughout the United States and marched at the 2008 Inaugural Parade of President  Barack Obama.

THE SETTING: Drake, coming off a 78-72 road victory at Austin Peay, opens a season-long four -game homestand, hosting the second annual Drake Hy-Vee Classic.
   
The Bulldogs will host the Drake Invitational next weekend, entertaining South Dakota Dec.   11 and Binghamton Dec. 12.

TOURNAMENT TIME: This is Drake's second tournament in three weeks, after playing in the Glenn Wilkes Classic Nov. 20-22 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Drake has won 15 of 20 regular season tournament games dating back to 2006, claiming titles at the 2006 Sun Bowl Invitational, the 2006 and 2007 Drake Regency Challenge and the 2007 and 2008 Iowa Realty Invitational, while finishing runner-up in the 2008 Drake Hy-Vee Classic and third in the 10-team 2008 Cancun Challenge.   
   
DRAKE HY-VEE CLASSIC HISTORY: Senior forward Josh Alexander scored all of his team- high 18 points in the second half as Stephen F. Austin held off Drake, 66-64, to capture the inaugural Drake Hy-Vee Classic championship last year. The loss overshadowed a brilliant second-half performance by then Drake junior guard Josh Young who scored a game-high 22 points.
   
Young, who became the 21st player in school history to reach 1,000 career points, scored 19 of Drake's last 29 points after he made his first basket of the game with 10:37 remaining. Young made his last four three-point shots including a jumper from the right wing with 7.8 seconds which pulled Drake within 65-64.
   
Drake was forced to foul, sending Walt Harris to the free throw line where he made his first shot with 5.8 seconds but missed the second. Drake forward Adam Templeton then ball faked his defender from the right baseline but was unable to get a shot off as the final horn sounded.
   
Senior forward Jonathan Cox had 19 points for Drake while moving into the No. 12 spot on the school career rebounding list at 627.
   
Stephen F. Austin, which posted a 26-8 record in 2007-08 en route to winning the Southland Conference and playing in the NIT, showed no effects of a 112-111 triple overtime victory against North Dakota State Friday. Alexander scored 12 of his team's 14 points during a 2-minute 48-second stretch that allowed Stephen F. Austin to turn a 39-35 lead into a 53-45 advantage with 7:05 left.
   
Cox, Young, Alexander and Eddie Williams from Stephen F. Austin made the Hy-Vee Classic all-tournament team, along with Georgia Southern's  Willie Powers. North Dakota State senior guard Ben Woodside was named the most valuable performer of the tournament after averaging 45.1 points in two games following his 2008-09 NCAA single-game high 60 points against Stephen F. Austin in the first round.

SCOUTING THE FIELD: SIU Edwardsville, in year two of the four-year reclassification process  to Division I, already has played Missouri Valley Conference schools Illinois State (L, 82-60) and Evansville (L, 76-46). The Cougars became members of the Ohio Valley Conference in July of 2008 but will not begin regular season competition until 2011-12 and will not be eligible for postseason play until the following year. The Cougars scored Division I victories over Western Michigan and UMKC last season and return two starters, including sophomore forward Mark Yelovich who averaged a team-best 13.7 points.
   
Senior forward Travis Mertens is the lone returning starter from last year's North Dakota team which posted a 16-12 record. The Fighting Sioux, in year two of the four-year reclassification process  to Division I,  are one of seven schools playing in the inaugural Great West Conference. Mertens and senior guard Travis Bledsoe were named to the second team Great West Conference preseason all-league team.
   
Senior guard Marquez Haynes, who was named to the Southland Conference preseason all-league team, is one of three returning starters for Texas-Arlington which posted a 16-14 record including a 9-7 third-place mark in the West Division.  Haynes ranked third in the league in scoring last year with a 16.5 average and has picked up where he left off. He scored 30, 29 and 32 points in the first three games of the season against Dallas Baptist, North Texas and Eastern Washington.

PRESEASON POLLS: North Dakota was picked to finish fourth in the Great West Conference preseason coaches poll. Future Drake opponent South Dakota (Dec. 11) was tabbed to win the league crown. Texas-Arlington was ranked fourth in the Western Division of the preseason Southland Conference coaches and sports information directors poll.

THE SERIES: Drake won the lone previous encounter against SIU Edwardsville (then called SIU Alton), 100-53, Dec. 3, 1960, at Veterans Auditorium in Des Moines. The Bulldogs own a 2-0 lead in the series against North Dakota and are 3-0 against Texas-Arlington.
   
Drake earned a 49-46 victory past North Dakota in the 1936 District Olympic  and an 84-50 triumph Dec. 1, 1959, at the Drake Fieldhouse.
   
Two of the three games against Texas-Arlington occurred in tournaments. Drake best Texas-Arlington, 102-83, in the Texas Classic at Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 18, 1970. The Bulldogs also claimed an 81-70 victory past Texas-Arlington in the opening round of the 1987 Heritage Drake Classic. In between, Drake escaped with a 116-106 victory Dec. 22, 1979, at Vets Auditorium in Des Moines.

THE COACHES: Mark Phelps was named Drake's 25th head basketball coach, April 21, 2008. He owns an 19-20 record in two years with the Bulldogs. 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.
   
Lennox Forrester, a 1992 graduate of Evansville, is in his third year as head coach at SIU Edwardsville owning a 27-41 record. He set a school record for most victories by a rookie coach when he guided the Cougars to a 17-11 record in 2007-08. Forrester guided SIU Edwardsville to a 10-20 finish in its first season as a Division I program in 2008-09.
   
He spent 10 seasons (1992-2002) as an assistant coach and an administrative assistant at Evansville, under head coach Jim Crews. He was an assistant coach at Bradley from 2002-07 when the Braves advanced to the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.
   
Like Lennox Forrester, fourth-year North Dakota head coach Brian Jones is no stranger to the Missouri Valley Conference. He is a 1994 graduate of Northern Iowa and served as an administrative assistant at Missouri State in 1998-99 before joining Steve Alford's staff as an assistant coach at Iowa from 2001-06. He owns a 43-50 overall coaching record.
   
Scott Cross, a 1998 graduate of Texas-Arlington, is in his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater with a career coaching record of 53-45, reaching 50 victories faster than any coach in school history. He led the Mavericks to a school-record 21 victories in 2008, capped by the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

YOUNG UPDATE: Guard Josh Young, appearing in his 100th career game, broke out of a shooting slump, by making five of seven shots from the floor -- including 3 of 5 from three-point range - to key Drake to a 78-72 win at Austin Peay last Saturday. Young entered his senior season on the verge of becoming the school's career three-point basket leader, needing only 38 treys. He struggled getting out of the gate by shooting just 11.8 percent from three-point range (2-17) in his first four games.

VALUABLE COMMODITIES: Newcomers Ryan Wedel and Frank Wiseler have proven to be a welcome addition to Drake's backcourt. Wedel, a junior transfer from Arkansas State, leads the MVC in three-point baskets with 18, while shooting 56.3 percent (18-32) beyond the arc. Wiseler, a sophomore point guard who has been a member of the Luxembourg National Team, leads the MVC in assist-turnover ratio at 4.0. Wedel, who has enjoyed two 20-plus scoring games, leads Drake with a 15.5 scoring average.

CHARITY TOSSES: Drake is shooting 77.9 percent from the free throw line with two starters having yet to miss a free throw.  Junior transfer guard Ryan Wedel has made all nine free throws, while freshman forward Ben Simons has made all eight free throws. Senior guard Josh Young is shooting 85.7 percent, making 12 of 14 charity tosses.

STERLING IN-STATE RIVALRY DEBUT: Freshman forward Ben Simons got his first taste of Iowa's Big Four rivalry and responded in flying colors. Simons scored a career-high 24 points against Iowa State which was the ninth most points scored by a Drake yearling in a game. He made 8 of 11 shots, including four of six from three-point range.

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 against IUPUI. 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.

TRIFECTA: Drake is fielding one of its better perimeter shooting teams in recent years, averaging 9.5 three-point baskets in its first six games. The Bulldogs have made 10 or more treys in three games so far, including season highs of 13 in the opener against IUPUI and 13 at Austin Peay last Saturday. Newcomers Ryan Wedel (18) and Ben Simons (14) have combined for more than half (32) of Drake's 57 three-point baskets.
   
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

YOUNG TEAM, EARLY CURFEW?: Drake entered the 2009-10 campaign with 10 players on its roster having never played a college game. So was it a coincidence that three of Drake's first four games this season were played in the afternoon? In addition to the season opener against IUPUI , Drake had afternoon affairs against Georgia State, Akron and Central Florida in Daytona Beach, Fla.

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 thebasketball 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 is 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 1,375 points, needing 283 points to becoming Drake's scoring king. Young also needs 35 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 already played 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.
       
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.

TOURNAMENT TESTS: For the fourth straight year, Drake will play in a school-record tying three regular-season tournaments. The Bulldogs played in the third annual Glenn Wilkes Classic with three games in Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 20-22.  Besides the second annual Drake Hy-Vee Classic, 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.

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 10 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.