Drake 2009 CIT Tournament Preview

Drake Bulldogs - Missouri Valley Conference (17-15, 7-11)

RPI: 162

Big Wins: 11/30 vs New Mexico (68-62), 1/24 at Creighton (74-62), 2/18 at Northern Iowa (47-46)

Bad Losses: 1/21 at Missouri State (44-65), 2/11 at Indiana State (57-69), 3/5 vs Indiana State (55-62)

Coach: Mark Phelps

Probable Drake Starters:

• Craig Stanley, Junior, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 3.8 apg

• Josh Young, Junior, Guard, 15.3 ppg, 1.4 apg, 3.8 rpg

• Adam Templeton, Junior, Guard, 5.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg

• Brent Heemskerk, Senior, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg

• Jonathan Cox, Senior, Forward, 12.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg

Key Drake Roleplayers:

• Jacob Baryenbruch, Senior, Guard, 1.8 ppg, 1.2 apg

• Josh Parker, Sophomore, Guard, 10.6 ppg, 1.6 apg

• Alex White, Senior, Forward, 2.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg

Why Drake Can Surprise:

The old adage says you live by the three and die by the three. Drake has done that yet again this year even under new coach Mark Phelps. The team hits eight three-pointers per game and when they are hot from beyond the arc, they can beat the best teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. That was the case when they knocked off arguably the best two teams in the conference in Creighton and Northern Iowa. However, it works both ways and this team also lost to Missouri State and Indiana State…twice.

No player averages over two three-pointers per contest, but Josh Young, Jonathan Cox, Josh Parker and Adam Templeton all connect on at least one per game. Young, the team’s leading scorer and Cox, a 6-8 forward, are the most dynamic scorers on the team. Young will attack the basket and Cox will also battle in the paint with his back to the basket.

Why The Bulldogs Can Disappoint:
With the big guys being perimeter threats, it can cause some problems on the defensive end. Cox is a great rebounder and has decent size at 6-8 and 225 pounds, but he is not much of a threat to block shots and neither is fellow starter Brent Heemskerk. The perimeter defense is solid and Cox and Heemskerk are not bad defenders, but once the ball gets inside, there is not much that can be done when facing bigger, stronger post players. That allows the opposition to get some easy looks in the paint.

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Who To Watch:
Like Adam Emmenecker before him, Craig Stanley is the unsung hero of this team. The 5-11 junior college transfer might not be at Emmenecker’s level, but he is a quality point guard who does a good job taking care of the ball and finding his teammates. Stanley is one of the few players on the team who is not a threat to take a three-pointer, but he is the team’s fourth best scorer. He will use his speed and quickness to get to the basket and create a shot for one of his teammates or himself. Stanley needs the shooters on the team to hit their open looks, but he can certainly create those opportunities for Drake.

Drake By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 64.4 (245th in nation, 6th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 62.3 (52, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 41.9 (249, 7)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.8 (96, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.0 (33, 2)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.0 (124, 4)

Free-Throw Percentage: 75.3 (15, 1)

Rebound Margin: -0.2 (186, 5)

Assists Per Game: 11.6 (262, 9)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.9 (82, 4)

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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