we are drake basketball drake basketball mike mahon, sports

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TRUE BLUE WE ARE DRAKE BASKETBALL Mike Mahon, Sports Information Director Drake University Bell Center 2507 University Ave. Des Moines, Iowa 50311 O: (515) 271-3014 F: (515) 271-3015 C: (515) 208-8281 [email protected] www.godrakebulldogs.com GAME ONE I IUPUI AT DRAKE I Knapp Center (Des Moines, Iowa) I Nov. 14, 2009 I 1 p.m. DRAKE BASKETBALL 2009-2010 1 WWW.GODRAKEBULLDOGS.COM 2009-10 SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time/Result Nov. 7 Upper Iowa (exhib.) 74-58 Nov. 14 IUPUI 1 p.m. Nov. 17 IOWA STATE 7:07 p.m. Nov. 20 #Georgia State 12:15 p.m. Nov. 21 #Akron 12:15 p.m. Nov. 22 #Central Florida 2:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at Austin Peay 7:00 p.m. Dec. 4 ^SIU EDWARDSVILLE 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 ^N. DAKOTA/UTA 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 +SOUTH DAKOTA 7:05 p.m. Dec. 12 +Binghamton 5:00 p.m. Dec. 19 at Iowa 5:35 p.m. Dec. 22 SAN DIEGO STATE 8:05 p.m. Dec. 29 *BRADLEY 7:05 p.m. Jan. 1 *at Wichita State 7:05 p.m. Jan. 3 * INDIANA STATE 6:05 p.m. Jan. 6 * at Creighton 7:05 p.m. Jan. 9 * at Southern Illinois 6:35 p.m. Jan. 12 * MISSOURI STATE 7:05 p.m. Jan. 17 * ILLINOIS STATE 7:05 p.m. Jan. 20 *at Evansville 7:05 p.m. Jan. 23 *WICHITA STATE 1:05 p.m. Jan. 27 *at Northern Iowa 7:05 p.m. Jan. 30 *CREIGHTON 7:05 p.m. Feb. 2 *at Bradley 7:05 p.m. Feb. 6 *at Illinois State 7:05 p.m. Feb. 10 *NORTHERN IOWA 7:05 p.m. Feb. 13 *at Indiana State 1:00 p.m. Feb. 16 *SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 7:05 p.m. Feb. 19/20 at BracketBusters TBA Feb. 24 *at Missouri State 7:05 p.m. Feb. 27 *EVANSVILLE TBA Mar. 4-7 State Farm MVC Tournament TBA # Glenn Wilkes Classic (Daytona Beach, Fla.) ^ Drake Hy-Vee Classic + Drake Invitational * Missouri Valley Conference Game DRAKE (0-0, 0-0 MVC) BULLDOGS IUPUI (0-0, 0-0 Summit) JAGUARS RECENT EXHIBITION RESULTS Drake def. Upper Iowa, 74-58 Nov. 7 IUPUI def. Anderson, 95-60 Nov. 2 IUPUI def. St. Joseph’s (Ind.), 86-62, Nov. 7 SERIES INFORMATION First Meeting PROBABLE DRAKE STARTERS Pos. Player (Ht., Yr, Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT% G-10 Ryan Wedel (5-11, Jr., Minneapolis, Kan.) G-20 Josh Young (6-1, Sr., Lawton, Okla.) 15.4 3.8 .381 .848 C-45 Seth VanDeest (6-10, Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa) F-35 Ben Simons (6-8, Fr., Cadillac, Mich.) F-44 Adam Templeton (6-6, Sr., Rapid City, S.D.) 5.5 3.8 ..347 .811 Top Reserves F-2 Aaron Hawley (6-8, Fr., Rogers, Ark.) G-3 Craig Stanley (5-11, Sr., Plano, Texas) 7.9 1.8 .486 .720 G-13 Frank Wiseler (6-0, So., Luxembourg City, Luxembourg) F-22 Bill Eaddy (6-7, Sr., Ypsilanti, Mich.) 2.1 1.0 .351 .769 G-25 David Smith (6-3, Fr., Chicago, Ill.) F-40 Reece Unlenhopp (6-8, Fr., Urbandale, iowa) PROBABLE IUPUI STARTERS Pos. Player (Ht., Yr, Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT% G-1 Leroy Nobles (6-5, Jr., Louisville, Ky.) 9.9 3.6 .468 .742 G-5 Alex Young (6-6, So., Indianapolis, Ind.) 10.8 3.5 .440 .597 G-42 John Ashworth, 6-3, Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.) 3.0 1.6 .345 .792 F-23 Robert Glenn (6-7, Sr., Indianapolis, Ind.) 13.9 5.4 .610 .718 F-54 Billy Pettiford (6-7, Sr., Marion, Ind.) 5.0 5.2 .396 .611 Top Reserves G-12 Greg Rice (5-11, Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.) G-20 Jon Avery (6-7, Sr., Mansfield, Ohio) 9.2 5.9 .679 .534 G-55 Christian Siakam (6-7, So., Cincinnati, Ohio) 1.4 0.9 .615 .600 *2008-09 statistics DRAKE UNIVERSITY Location: Des Moines, Iowa Nickname: Bulldogs Colors: Blue and White Home Arena (capacity): Knapp Center (7,152) Conference: Missouri Valley THE SETTING: Drake opens its 104th season of intercollegiate basketball, playing host to IUPUI in the inaugural meeting between the schools. This is one of five on-campus games in the first round of the third annual Glenn Wilkes Classic. DRAKE IN SEASON OPENERS: The Bulldogs own a 66-37 record in season openers, having won seven of their last eight dating back to the 2001-02 season. During that span, Drake has opened the season playing in Honolulu, Hawaii (2001-02), as well as Fairbanks, Alaska (2006-07). Drake beat Sam Houston State in the first round of the 2001 Hawaii Nike Classic and stopped Southeast Missouri State, 78-51, in the first round of the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Head Coach: Mark Phelps Drake Record: 17-16 Overall Record: 17-16 Head Coach: Ron Hunter IUPUI Record: 249-194 Overall Record: 300-127

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Page 1: WE ARE DRAKE BASKETBALL DRAKE BASKETBALL Mike Mahon, Sports

TRUE BLUE

WE ARE DRAKE BASKETBALL

Mike Mahon, Sports Information DirectorDrake University Bell Center2507 University Ave. Des Moines, Iowa 50311O: (515) 271-3014 F: (515) 271-3015 C: (515) [email protected] www.godrakebulldogs.com

GAME ONE I IUPUI AT DRAKE I Knapp Center (Des Moines, Iowa) I Nov. 14, 2009 I 1 p.m.

DRAKE BASKETBALL

2009-2010

1 WWW.GODRAKEBULLDOGS.COM

2009-10 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Time/ResultNov. 7 Upper Iowa (exhib.) 74-58Nov. 14 IUPUI 1 p.m.Nov. 17 IOWA STATE 7:07 p.m.Nov. 20 #Georgia State 12:15 p.m.Nov. 21 #Akron 12:15 p.m.Nov. 22 #Central Florida 2:30 p.m.Nov. 28 at Austin Peay 7:00 p.m.Dec. 4 ^SIU EDWARDSVILLE 7:30 p.m.Dec. 5 ^N. DAKOTA/UTA 7:30 p.m.Dec. 11 +SOUTH DAKOTA 7:05 p.m.Dec. 12 +Binghamton 5:00 p.m.Dec. 19 at Iowa 5:35 p.m.Dec. 22 SAN DIEGO STATE 8:05 p.m.Dec. 29 *BRADLEY 7:05 p.m.Jan. 1 *at Wichita State 7:05 p.m.Jan. 3 * INDIANA STATE 6:05 p.m.Jan. 6 * at Creighton 7:05 p.m.Jan. 9 * at Southern Illinois 6:35 p.m.Jan. 12 * MISSOURI STATE 7:05 p.m.Jan. 17 * ILLINOIS STATE 7:05 p.m.Jan. 20 *at Evansville 7:05 p.m.Jan. 23 *WICHITA STATE 1:05 p.m.Jan. 27 *at Northern Iowa 7:05 p.m.Jan. 30 *CREIGHTON 7:05 p.m.Feb. 2 *at Bradley 7:05 p.m.Feb. 6 *at Illinois State 7:05 p.m.Feb. 10 *NORTHERN IOWA 7:05 p.m.Feb. 13 *at Indiana State 1:00 p.m.Feb. 16 *SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 7:05 p.m.Feb. 19/20 at BracketBusters TBAFeb. 24 *at Missouri State 7:05 p.m.Feb. 27 *EVANSVILLE TBAMar. 4-7 State Farm MVC Tournament TBA

# Glenn Wilkes Classic (Daytona Beach, Fla.) ^ Drake Hy-Vee Classic+ Drake Invitational * Missouri Valley Conference Game

DRAKE (0-0, 0-0 MVC)

BULLDOGSIUPUI (0-0, 0-0 Summit)

JAGUARS

RECENT EXHIBITION RESULTSDrake def. Upper Iowa, 74-58 Nov. 7IUPUI def. Anderson, 95-60 Nov. 2IUPUI def. St. Joseph’s (Ind.), 86-62, Nov. 7

SERIES INFORMATIONFirst Meeting

PROBABLE DRAKE STARTERSPos. Player (Ht., Yr, Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT% G-10 Ryan Wedel (5-11, Jr., Minneapolis, Kan.) G-20 Josh Young (6-1, Sr., Lawton, Okla.) 15.4 3.8 .381 .848C-45 Seth VanDeest (6-10, Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa)F-35 Ben Simons (6-8, Fr., Cadillac, Mich.) F-44 Adam Templeton (6-6, Sr., Rapid City, S.D.) 5.5 3.8 ..347 .811

Top ReservesF-2 Aaron Hawley (6-8, Fr., Rogers, Ark.)G-3 Craig Stanley (5-11, Sr., Plano, Texas) 7.9 1.8 .486 .720G-13 Frank Wiseler (6-0, So., Luxembourg City, Luxembourg)F-22 Bill Eaddy (6-7, Sr., Ypsilanti, Mich.) 2.1 1.0 .351 .769G-25 David Smith (6-3, Fr., Chicago, Ill.)F-40 Reece Unlenhopp (6-8, Fr., Urbandale, iowa)

PROBABLE IUPUI STARTERSPos. Player (Ht., Yr, Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT% G-1 Leroy Nobles (6-5, Jr., Louisville, Ky.) 9.9 3.6 .468 .742G-5 Alex Young (6-6, So., Indianapolis, Ind.) 10.8 3.5 .440 .597G-42 John Ashworth, 6-3, Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.) 3.0 1.6 .345 .792F-23 Robert Glenn (6-7, Sr., Indianapolis, Ind.) 13.9 5.4 .610 .718F-54 Billy Pettiford (6-7, Sr., Marion, Ind.) 5.0 5.2 .396 .611

Top ReservesG-12 Greg Rice (5-11, Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.)G-20 Jon Avery (6-7, Sr., Mansfi eld, Ohio) 9.2 5.9 .679 .534G-55 Christian Siakam (6-7, So., Cincinnati, Ohio) 1.4 0.9 .615 .600*2008-09 statistics

DRAKE UNIVERSITYLocation: Des Moines, IowaNickname: BulldogsColors: Blue and WhiteHome Arena (capacity): Knapp Center (7,152)Conference: Missouri Valley

THE SETTING: Drake opens its 104th season of intercollegiate basketball, playing host to IUPUI in the inaugural meeting between the schools. This is one of fi ve on-campus games in the fi rst round of the third annual Glenn Wilkes Classic.

DRAKE IN SEASON OPENERS: The Bulldogs own a 66-37 record in season openers, having won seven of their last eight dating back to the 2001-02 season. During that span, Drake has opened the season playing in Honolulu, Hawaii (2001-02), as well as Fairbanks, Alaska (2006-07). Drake beat Sam Houston State in the fi rst round of the 2001 Hawaii Nike Classic and stopped Southeast Missouri State, 78-51, in the fi rst round of the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Head Coach: Mark PhelpsDrake Record: 17-16Overall Record: 17-16

Head Coach: Ron HunterIUPUI Record: 249-194

Overall Record: 300-127

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WWW.GODRAKEBULLDOGS.COM2 TRUE BLUE

2008-09 Statistical Comparison

DRAKE IUPUI64.5 Scoring Offense 65.5 62.5 Scoring Defense 63.3.417 FG% .478.420 Opp. FG% .440.348 3-pt. FG % .337.346 Opp. 3-pt. .379.753 FT% .65432.7 Reb. Avg. 31.032.6 Opp. Reb. 29.711.6 Assist Avg. 13.312.8 TO Avg. 12.82.2 Blk. Avg. 3.66.3 Steal Avg. 7.2

ANALYZING DRAKE’S RETURNING VETERANS

Games Games Played Started Josh Young 95 74 Bill Eaddy 55 0 Craig Stanley 33 30 Adam Templeton 33 30

GLENN WILKES CLASSIC SCHEDULEDec. 12North Carolina State 69, Georgia State 53

Friday, Nov. 13Niagara at Auburn

Saturday, Nov. 14IUPUI at Drake

Tuesday, Nov. 17Austin Peay at Akron

Wednesday, Nov. 18Howard at Central Florida

Friday, Nov. 20 (Ocean Center)Howard vs. Niagara, 10 a.m. Georgia State vs. Drake, 12:15 p.m.Akron vs. North Carolina State, 2:30 p.m. Auburn vs. Central Florida, 5 p.m. IUPUI vs. Austin Peay, 7:15 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 21 (Ocean Center)Georgia State vs. Howard, 10 a.m. Drake vs. Akron, 12:15 p.m. Niagara vs. Central Florida, 2:30 p.m.Auburn vs. IUPUI, 5 p.m.North Carolina State vs. Austin Peay, 7:15 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 22 (Ocean Center) Akron vs. Howard,10 a.m. IUPUI vs. Georgia State, 12:15 p.m. Central Florida vs. Drake, 2:30 p.m. Austin Peay vs. Niagara, 5 p.m. North Carolina State vs. Auburn, 7:15 p.m.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: IUPUI, located in Indianapolis, Ind., has four starters back from last year’s team which posted a 16-14 record, including a 9-9 fourth-place fi nish in the Summit League. The Jaguars were picked to fi nish third in the Summit League preseason coaches and media poll with enior forward Robert Glenn being named to the preseason all-league team. Glenn was named the 2009 Summit League Newcomer of the Year after leading the Jaguars with a 13.9 scoring average and a 5.4 rebounding mark. Forward Alex Young was named to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Freshman All-America Team last year after averaging a school freshman record 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds. Junior swingman Leroy Nobles started the last 11 games of last season, averaging 9.9 points.

Ron Hunter, a 1986 graduate of Miami of Ohio, is in his 16th year as head coach at IUPUI owning a 249-194 record. He led IUPUI to a school-record 26-7 mark in 2007-08 and also guided the Jaguars to their lone appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2003.

DRAKE VS. SUMMIT LEAGUE: Drake has a 25-6 record against teams from the Summit League. The last time the Bulldogs played schools from the Summit League occurred during the 2005-06 campaign when Drake earned home victories past North Dakota State (69-68) and Southern Utah (73-60)

GLENN WILKES CLASSIC: This is one of fi ve on-campus games in the fi rst round of the third annual Glenn Wilkes Classic. Ten teams will play three games in three days in Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 20-22. Drake will face Georgia State at 12:15 p.m. Nov. 20, Akron at 12:15 p.m., Nov. 21 and Central Florida at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 22. Drake is among fi ve teams that played in 2009 post-season tournaments that will compete in the Glenn Wilkes classic. Central Florida, North Carolina State, Auburn and Akron also are in the fi eld.

DRAKE WINS EXHIBITION TUNE UP: Guards Ryan Wedel and Josh Young combined for 29 points to lift Drake to a 74-58 exhibition victory past Upper Iowa Saturday night at the Drake Knapp Center. Young scored a game-high 18 points, including 12 in the second half, as Drake shot 56 percent from the fl oor in the fi nal period to break away from a 32-26 halftime lead. Wedel, a junior transfer from Arkansas State, ignited a 15-0 run in a 3 minute 16 second span early in the second half by scoring eight points, including two straight three-point baskets. The fl urry allowed the Bulldogs to turn a 33-30 lead into a 48-30 cushion with 15:16 left in the game. The Bulldogs’ pressure defense forced Upper Iowa into 31 turnovers with Drake scoring 32 points off the miscues. Drake had 17 steals with senior forward Adam Templeton collecting four, followed by three apiece from freshman Ben Simons and sophomore guard Frank Wiseler. Consecutive three-point baskets by freshman forward Ben Simons in a 31-second span gave Drake a 19-15 lead it never relinquished. Simons led Drake with fi ve rebounds. Drake shot 51.1 percent from the fl oor, hitting 24 of 47 shots. Upper Iowa shot 41.5 percent, making 22 of 53 attempts.

DRAKE IN KNAPP CENTER: The Bulldogs have posted a 37-12 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 nine 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 139-100 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.

JOSH YOUNG COUNTDOWN

CAREER 3-POINT BASKETS CAREER SCORING1. Luke McDonald, 2001-03 241 1. Red Murrell, 1955-58 1,657 Klayton Korver, 2003-08 241 2. Melvin Mathis, 1982-85 1 ,651 3. Josh Young, 2006-present 202 3.Willie McCarter, 1966-69 1,626 4. Lewis Lloyd, 1979-81 1,577CAREER FREE THROWS MADE 5. Lynnrick Rogers, 1993-97 1,5461. Melvin Mathis, 1982-85 439 6. Wayne Kreklow, 1975-79 1,4712, Red Murrell, 1955-58 435 7. Luke McDonald, 2000-03 1,3283. Lonnie Randolph, 2001-05 356 8. Josh Young, 2006-present 1,3284. Willie Cerf, 1953-56 3395. Lewis Lloyd, 1979-81 3336. John Rennicke, 1947-50 3227. Josh Young, 2006-present 316

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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. There are 10 players on the Drake roster who have yet to play a college basketball game. 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 fi rst 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 coach Mark Phelps. “We’ve seen some terrifi c things out of Josh in the preseason. He has made signifi cant improve-ment 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 fi ll 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 fi nd a Bulldog team as young as the 2009-10 edition. During that 1990-91 season then fi rst-year coach Rudy Washington had the youngest team in the NCAA with eight Thfreshmen 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 fl oor at the same time. Junior guard Ryan Wedel becomes 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,” Phelps added. “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 Rog-ers (Ark.) High School, while Uhlenhopp and VanDeest were fi rst team Iowa Class 4A all-state choices.

WWW.GODRAKEBULLDOGS.COM3

SIZING UP THE BULLDOGSbasketball 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. There are 10 players on the Drake roster who have yet to play a college basketball game. Drake returns three starters from last year’s squad which posted a 17-16 record, highlighted by an appearance in the 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 coach Mark Phelps. “We’ve seen some terrifi c things out of Josh in the preseason. He has made signifi cant improve-ment 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 fi ll 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 BLOCKBulldog team as young as the 2009-10 edition. During that 1990-91 season then fi rst-year coach Rudy Washington had the youngest team in the NCAA with eight Thfreshmen on the roster. This year against Upper Iowa Drake played at least two freshmen on the fl oor at the same time. Junior guard 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 guardLuxembourg National Team the last two years, becomes eligible. Freshman guard 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,” Phelps added. “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 SimonsHawleyUhlenhopp and 6-10 “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 Rog-ers (Ark.) High School, while Uhlenhopp and VanDeest were fi rst team Iowa Class 4A all-state choices.

2009-10 MVC PRESEASON POLL

School (First-Place Votes) Points1. Northern Iowa (38) 3892. Creighton (1) 3363. Illinois State 2994. Southern Illinois 2725. Wichita State 2166. Bradley 2087. Indiana State 1738. DRAKE 1059 Missouri State 9210. Evansville 55

PRESEASON ALL-MVC TEAM

Pos. Player, Ht. Year, Team G Josh Young, 6-1, Sr., Drake G Kwadzo Ahelegbe, 6-2 , Jr., UNI G Tony Freeman, 6-1, Sr., Southern Illinois G P’Allen Stinnett, 6-3, Jr., Creighton G Osiris Eldridge, 6-3, Sr., Chicago, Ill. F Adam Koch, 6-8, Sr., UNI

2008-09 MVC STANDINGS MVC Overall W L W LCreighton 14 4 27 8Northern Iowa 14 4 23 11Illinois State 11 7 24 10Bradlley 10 8 21 15Evansville 8 10 17 14Wichita State 8 10 17 17Southern Illinois 8 10 13 18DRAKE 7 11 17 16Indiana State 7 11 11 21Missouri State 3 15 11 20

AROUND THE VALLEYSaturday, Nov. 14

Creighton at Dayton, 12 p.m.IUPUI at DRAKE, 1 p.m.

Oakland City at Evansville, 7:05 p.m.Tennessee-Martin at Southern Illinois, 7:05 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 15Illinois State at SIU Edwardsville, 2:30 p.m.

Farleigh Dickinson at Wichita State, 3:05 p.m.Idaho State at Bradley, 6:05 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 16Indiana State at LSU, 7 p.m.

Auburn at Missouri State, 7:05 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 17Indianapolis at Southern Illinois, 7:05 p.m.

Florida A&M at Creighton, 7:05 p.m.IOWA STATE AT DRAKE, 7:07 P.M.

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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. There are four players recognized last year as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans. Eleven men’s players are from teams ranked in the preseason top 25 poll; while 11 women represent teams ranked in the top 25 women’s preseason poll. 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 in April. The list of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists 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. 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.

TOURNAMENT TESTS: For the fourth straight year, Drake will play in a school-record tying three regular-season tournaments. The Bulldogs will play in the third annual Glenn Wilkes Classic with three games in the 10-team field scheduled in Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 20-22. The second an-nual Drake Hy-Vee Classic will be held 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.

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.

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 national letters of intent Wednesday 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.