2017–18 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team

2017–18 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball
Lou Henson Classic champions
CIT, Second round
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record17–17 (10–8 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaKnapp Center
Seasons
2017–18 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Loyola Chicago † 15 – 3   .833 32 – 6   .842
Southern Illinois 11 – 7   .611 20 – 13   .606
Illinois State 10 – 8   .556 18 – 15   .545
Drake 10 – 8   .556 17 – 17   .500
Bradley 9 – 9   .500 20 – 13   .606
Indiana State 8 – 10   .444 13 – 18   .419
Missouri State 7 – 11   .389 18 – 15   .545
Evansville 7 – 11   .389 17 – 15   .531
Northern Iowa 7 – 11   .389 16 – 16   .500
Valparaiso 6 – 12   .333 15 – 17   .469
† 2018 MVC tournament winner

The 2017–18 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Drake University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs were led by first-year head coach Niko Medved. They played their home games at Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–17, 10–8 in MVC play to finish in to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the MVC tournament to Bradley. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Abilene Christian in the first round in a game referred to as the Lou Henson Classic. In the second round they were defeated by Northern Colorado.

On March 22, 2018, it was announced that head coach Niko Medved had accepted the head coaching position at Colorado State, where he had previously served as an assistant.[1][2] A week after Medved's departure, Drake hired Creighton assistant and Iowa native Darian DeVries for the head coaching job.[3]

Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2016–17 season They finished the season 7–24, 5–13 to finish in a tie for ninth place in MVC play. They lost in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament to Bradley.

Fourth-year head coach Ray Giacoletti resigned on December 6, 2016, after the first eight games of the season.[4] Assistant coach Jeff Rutter was named interim head coach.[4] Following the season, the school chose not to keep Jeff Rutter as head coach and hired Niko Medved, former head coach at Furman, as the Bulldogs' new head coach.[5]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Bill Wampler 2 F 6'6" 200 Sophomore Eau Claire, WI Transferred to Wright State
T. J. Thomas 10 F 6'8" 205 Junior Stone Mountain, GA Left the team for personal reasons
Jacob Enevold 11 C 7'0" 246 Senior Lunderskov, Denmark Graduated
A. J. Rutter 14 G 6'1" 180 RS Junior Ames, IA Walk-on; didn't return
Will Halfon 21 G 6'2" 200 Freshman Greenwood Village, CO Walk-on; didn't return
Nick Girardi 24 G 6'4" 180 Freshman Fort Collins, CO Walk-on; didn't return
Johannes Dolven 25 F 6'8" 230 RS Freshman Oslo, Norway Transferred to Barry

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Gibbs
SG 		Waldorf, Md North Point High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A Apr 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Noah Thomas
PG 		Sydney, Australia 22Ft Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) N/A May 6, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Antonio Pilipovic
SF 		Cologne, Germany RheinStars Köln 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jul 13, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2018)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Adam Thistlewood
SF 		Golden, CO Golden High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 27, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Kendle Moore
PG 		Danville, IL Danville High School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sep 3, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
James Moors
PF 		Auckland, New Zealand Westlake Boys High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 15, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Messiah Jones
SF 		Chicago, IL Neal F. Simeon Career Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 1, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Montrell Horsey
PG 		Joppa, MD Joppatowne High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Oct 22, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Larry Wise
SG 		Waxahachie, TX Waxahachie High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Dec 2, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A
Matthew Gray
PF 		Orange, Australia Canobolas Rural Technology High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) N/A Dec 20, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

In the conference's preseason poll, the Bulldogs were picked to finish in last place in the MVC.[6] Senior guard Reed Timmer was named to the preseason All-MVC first team.[6]

Roster

2017–18 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 C. J. Rivers 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Sr Cahokia Cahokia, IL
G 1 Samm Jones (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Fr Northwestern
De La Salle 		Minneapolis, MN
G 2 Jalen Gibbs 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr North Point Waldorf, MD
G 3 Graham Woodward 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 182 lb (83 kg) RS Sr Penn State
Edina HS 		Edina, MN
G 4 De'Antae McMurray 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Southwestern Illinois College
Alton HS 		Alton, IL
F 11 Antonio Pilipovic 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr RheinStars Köln Cologne, Germany
G 12 Reed Timmer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Eisenhower New Berlin, WI
G 14 Noah Thomas 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr 22 Ft Academy Sydney, Australia
F 22 Casey Schlatter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 207 lb (94 kg) RS Jr Iowa Falls Alden Iowa Falls, IA
G 23 Ore Arogundade 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr St. Viator Arlington Heights, IL
G 25 Connor Gholson (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Newton Newton, IA
F/C 32 Kory Kuenstling 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 234 lb (106 kg) RS Jr Dunkerton Dunkerton, IA
F 35 Nick McGlynn 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 223 lb (101 kg) Jr Stoughton Stoughton, WI
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 4, 2017*
1:00 pm 		Minnesota–Crookston W 86–73 
Knapp Center (2,062)
Des Moines, IA
Non-conference regular season
November 11, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		Coe W 101–54  1–0
 Knapp Center (2,685)
Des Moines, IA
November 17, 2017*
7:30 pm 		vs. Wake Forest
Paradise Jam quarterfinals[a][8] 		W 77–74  2–0
 Vines Center (586)
Lynchburg, VA
November 18, 2017*
7:30 pm 		vs. Colorado
Paradise Jam semifinals 		L 81–86  2–1
 Vines Center (568)
Lynchburg, VA
November 19, 2017*
5:00 pm 		vs. Drexel
Paradise Jam 3rd place game 		W 90–88 2OT 3–1
 Vines Center (577)
Lynchburg, VA
November 26, 2017*
2:00 pm, MC22/ESPN3 		Chicago State W 79–67  4–1
 Knapp Center (2,386)
Des Moines, IA
November 29, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at Omaha L 73–75  4–2
 Baxter Arena (1,525)
Omaha, NE
December 2, 2017*
5:00 pm 		at Wyoming
MW–MVC Challenge 		L 89–96 2OT 4–3
 Arena-Auditorium (4,853)
Laramie, WY
December 6, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at South Dakota L 65–93  4–4
 Sanford Coyote Sports Center (2,101)
Vermillion, SD
December 9, 2017*
5:00 pm, ESPN3 		Omaha W 93–74  5–4
 Knapp Center (2,718)
Des Moines, IA
December 11, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN 		at Minnesota L 67–68  5–5
 Williams Arena (11,319)
Minneapolis, MN
December 16, 2017*
1:00 pm, BTN 		vs. Iowa
Hy-Vee Classic 		L 64–90  5–6
 Wells Fargo Arena (13,828)
Des Moines, IA
December 19, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at South Dakota State L 74–87  5–7
 Frost Arena (1,525)
Brookings, SD
December 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, MC22/ESPN3 		Maryland Eastern Shore W 81–57  6–7
 Knapp Center (2,214)
Des Moines, IA
MVC regular season
December 28, 2017
7:00 pm, MC22/ESPN3 		Bradley W 66–64  7–7
(1–0) 		Knapp Center (2,611)
Des Moines, IA
December 31, 2017
3:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Southern Illinois W 70–67  8–7
(2–0) 		SIU Arena (4,230)
Carbondale, IL
January 3, 2018
7:00 pm, MC22/ESPN3 		Illinois State W 87–62  9–7
(3–0) 		Knapp Center (3,113)
Des Moines, IA
January 6, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Indiana State W 75–72  10–7
(4–0) 		Hulman Center (3,249)
Terre Haute, IN
January 10, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Valparaiso L 60–77  10–8
(4–1) 		Athletics–Recreation Center (2,710)
Valparaiso, IN
January 13, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		Evansville W 81–65  11–8
(5–1) 		Knapp Center (3,313)
Des Moines, IA
January 16, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Northern Iowa L 54–68  11–9
(5–2) 		McLeod Center (3,880)
Cedar Falls, IA
January 20, 2018
3:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSC 		Missouri State W 61–58  12–9
(6–2) 		Knapp Center (3,647)
Des Moines, IA
January 24, 2018
7:00 pm, MC22/ESPN3 		Loyola–Chicago L 57–80  12–10
(6–3) 		Knapp Center (3,522)
Des Moines, IA
January 27, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Evansville L 73–77  12–11
(6–4) 		Ford Center (4,295)
Evansville, IN
January 30, 2018
7:00 pm, MC22/ESPN3 		Southern Illinois L 67–78  12–12
(6–5) 		Knapp Center (3,198)
Des Moines, IA
February 3, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Bradley W 78–68  13–12
(7–5) 		Carver Arena (7,793)
Peoria, IL
February 7, 2018
7:00 pm, NBCSC 		at Loyola–Chicago L 57–72  13–13
(7–6) 		Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,802)
Chicago, IL
February 10, 2018
3:00 pm, FSMW 		Northern Iowa W 71–64  14–13
(8–6) 		Knapp Center (5,121)
Des Moines, IA
February 14, 2018
7:00 pm, MC22/ESPN3 		Indiana State W 90–76  15–13
(9–6) 		Knapp Center (2,617)
Des Moines, IA
February 18, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Missouri State W 67–63  16–13
(10–6) 		JQH Arena (4,859)
Springfield, MO
February 21, 2018
7:00 pm 		at Illinois State L 81–89 OT 16–14
(10–7) 		Redbird Arena (5,028)
Normal, IL
February 24, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		Valparaiso L 64–69  16–15
(10–8) 		Knapp Center (4,025)
Des Moines, IA
MVC tournament
March 2, 2018
2:30 pm, ESPN3 		(4) vs. (5) Bradley
Quarterfinals 		L 61–63  16–16
 Scottrade Center (6,410)
St. Louis, MO
CIT
March 12, 2018*
1:00 pm, CBSSN 		Abilene Christian
First Round – Lou Henson Classic 		W 80–73 OT 17–16
 Knapp Center (3,565)
Des Moines, IA
March 18, 2018*
4:00 pm 		at Northern Colorado
Second Round 		L 72–81  17–17
 Bank of Colorado Arena (1,074)
Greeley, CO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.
  1. ^ The tournament was originally scheduled for the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands, but was moved due to damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Organizers decided to solicit hosting bids from the eight participating teams, with Liberty selected as the substitute host on September 29.[7]

References

  1. ^ Star, Sean (March 22, 2018). "Colorado State set to hire Niko Medved as its men's basketball head coach". Reporter-Herald. Loveland, CO. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  2. ^ "Drake's Niko Medved leaves for Colorado State; Dave Thorson takes over as interim coach". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  3. ^ Bain, Matthew (March 29, 2018). "Drake hires Creighton assistant Darian DeVries as head men's basketball coach". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Drake's Giacoletti resigns: 'I think it's time for a new voice'". Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  5. ^ "Jeff Rutter feels he was treated 'fairly and seriously' during Drake search". Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Missouri State Picked to Win MVC Men's Basketball". Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  7. ^ "Storm damage forces Paradise Jam from Virgin Islands; host site to be named next week". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  8. ^ "Liberty will host the 2017 Paradise Jam". September 29, 2017.