Last Year: 27-8; Second (15-5) in the Missouri Valley Conference, Conference Tournament champions, lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament
Head Coach: Darian DeVries (Sixth Year; 122-48 at Drake, with two NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
| G Conor Enright – 6’0″, 180 – Sophomore |
| G Atin Wright – 6’1″, 185 – Junior |
| W Ethan Roberts – 6’5″, 195 – Sophomore |
| F Tucker DeVries – 6’7″, 210 – Junior |
| C Darnell Brodie – 6’10”, 270 – Senior (5th) |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Conor Enright: 4.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.7 spg – 43.4% FG
Atin Wright: 16.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 spg – 39.4% FG @ Cal State Northridge
Ethan Roberts: 12.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.6 spg – 40.7% 3FG @ Army
Tucker DeVries: 18.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg – 37.3% 3FG
Darnell Brodie: 9.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 bpg – 53.7% FG
Experienced Reserves
| G Kyron Gibson – 6’1″, 198 – Senior |
| W Carlos Rosario – 6’7″, 185 – Junior |
| F Nate Ferguson – 6’8″, 220 – Senior |
| F Eric Northweather – 6’10”, 225 – Junior |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Kyron Gibson: 11.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.2 spg – 36.0% 3FG @ UT Arlington
Carlos Rosario: 2.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.3 spg, 0.2 bpg – 42.5% FG @ Washington State
Nate Ferguson: 3.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.3 bpg – 67.9% FG
Eric Northweather: 2.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.5 bpg – 32.8% FG
Freshmen
| W Kevin Overton – 6’5″, 180 – Freshman |
| G Kolby Garland – 6’1″, 183 – Freshman |
| F Elijah Price – 6’9″, 195 – Freshman |
| G Chico Johnson – 6’3″, 180 – Freshman |
| F Patrick Bath – 6’9″, 210 – Freshman |
If it is the ultimate ambition of Darian DeVries to transform his blue-clad Bulldogs into a Midwestern Gonzaga, he’s off to a passing fair start.
DeVries took over as head coach at Drake in 2018, and in the five seasons since, the Bulldogs have won at least 24 games four times. He has twice been named Missouri Valley Coach of the Year, and has twice guided his group to the NCAA Tournament. Now comes another bridge to cross on the journey towards reputation, as a trio of guards who combined to start 354 games over the past four-plus seasons have exhausted their eligibility. Can Drake replace a huge chunk of the veteran core which has driven the team to those heights, and keep ripping off great seasons?
As a fantastic place to start, Darian DeVries has the luck of lineage in that his son plays for the Bulldogs, and his son is an absolutely terrific basketball player. Tucker DeVries is the defending MVC Player of the Year, and, entering just his third season, has already scored 1,133 career points. As befits an outfit which has big dreams, though, Darian DeVries has made sure to build a strong support system for his son and fifth-year star big man Darnell Brodie, the Little John to Tucker’s Robin Hood. Little ol’ Drake is welcoming not just a deeep, talented freshman class, but has lured some genuinely good players from the Transfer Portal to shore up what’s been lost. Now, Bulldogs aren’t just out to show that they can roll with the punches – they’re planning to continue their ascent.
Tucker DeVries is not just the returning league PotY, he is a burgeoning All-American candidate. At a solid 6’7″, he is a terrific fit as the forward in his father’s 4-out lineups, and proved last year that he’s ready to be the dude around whom Drake rallies. While he is a dangerous scorer from all three levels, it’s between about five and fifteen feet from the goal that he is truly exceptional. Tucker DeVries is a steward of the Art of the Mid-Range Jumper. DeVries hit 48.4% of his 161 in-between two-point tries last year – the tenth-best figure among all players who attempted at least 150 such shots, per Bart Torvik. He is simply smooth with the ball in his hands; probing, driving, or posting around the lane, and DeVries has an elite sense for setting his man up to get into a turnaround or stepback shot with great fluidity.
With great range on his jumper, DeVries is also a very real deep threat, and opposing defenses focus constant attention upon preventing him from getting untracked. He’s knocked down 163 triples at a 35.7% rate over the past two years, and his 88 treys last season were good for third-most in the Valley. “First of all, it’s very hard to compare a player of his capability because he’s so versatile. The closest one might be Hunter Tyson from Clemson…The thing about DeVries is he can do everything,” Miami’s Jim Larrañaga marveled about Tucker DeVries last year at the NCAA Tournament. “So we don’t find many guys like that in college basketball at all. The guy is an NBA talent.” It’s not just his scoring talent which makes DeVries such a dynamo. He owns a 12.6% assist rate, and DeVries keeps his giveaways low despite the glut of defensive attention he sees. He’s had more proven help around him in his first two seasons, but DeVries has still taken 3.5 trips to the foul line in that span, where he is an 81.1% shooter. He will be taking a bunch more walks to the charity stripe this year, because opponents are going to throw the kitchen sink and all of the cleaning products from below it at DeVries this winter. So far, DeVries has been impressively comfortable shooting off the bounce, and this time around, he’ll have to be craftier than ever at creating openings in which he can operate.
It’s hard to overstate how valuable Darnell Brodie has been to the Bulldogs’ success the past few years. Brodie is the physical presence and big-game player in the lane who allows seemingly everything else to flow smoothly at both ends of the floor, and this year, he will be featured on offense like never before. In an age when many bigs are wont to spend lots of their time on the perimeter, Brodie is a wide-shouldered throwback who does his business in the lane and carves out space for his buddies with tremendous strength. His hands have improved each year, and he’s become more patient, coordinated and confident with each successful campaign. “When Brodie’s hooked up and engaged, that’s such a big difference-maker for us,” Coach DeVries said of Brodie at the MVC Tournament last season. There aren’t many battalions who can keep Brodie off of the glass when he’s got position inside; he grabbed 17 rebounds in the Arch Madness semifinals last year, and then got 12 & 9 against Bradley’s outstanding frontcourt tandem of Rienk Mast and Malevy Leons in the title game. And further went for 20 points and nine more boards plus his third consecutive multi-block effort against Miami (FL) – an eventual Final Four team – in the NCAA Tournament.
“Brodie played phenomenal this week,” Tucker DeVries glowed as accepted the MVC Tourney MVP award, when asked about his burly teammate. “With the ball screen defense, he had a tough assignment this week and he owned up to it and did a great job.” Brodie has ranked among the league’s top five offensive rebounders in each of his three seasons, and last year he finished second in the MVC in total boards. In fact, after just three seasons, Brodie ranks 23rd in Valley history in offensive rebounding, and if he keeps up the pace, he’s likely to make a run at the top five by season’s end. Brodie averaged 10.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game from the beginning of conference play through the end of last season, and Drake will need that sort of production from him in each contest going forward. He’s the anchor of Drake’s terrific and physical defense, and Brodie did the best job of his career defending the rim and playing high-leverage minutes without foul trouble last year. He likes a mid-range shot now & then, but Brodie hasn’t yet been a great shooter. He also could really help the Bulldogs by making two out of every three foul shots he tries (or better) this year. If he can take that next step as offensively, Brodie will become a truly outstanding all-around player. “He looks great,” Coach DeVries told WeAreIowa.com of Brodie this summer. “He’s at about 267 pounds right now which is a great playing weight for him. So super excited for where he’s at as we head into this fall and get ready to play games here in November.”
The Bulldogs accomplished more than many teams are able to when they won the Valley’s tournament championship last year. It felt extra special because Drake had been so close and fallen so painfully short in the years prior, and their title was the culmination of tremendous effort, perseverance, and physical rehabilitation. Twice-injured star point guard Roman Penn finally led the Bulldogs to their goal, complimented not just by Brodie and Tucker DeVries, but by sharpshooting scorer DJ Wilkins and Garrett Sturtz; Drake’s all-time leading rebounder and, at just 6’3″, one of the toughest pound-for-pound dudes to play college basketball in years. It’s going to be virtually impossible to replace the skill and grit which the three departed veterans brought to the Bulldogs. As such, Coach DeVries is going with a slightly different approach in building this year’s crew. Even so, some of the newcomers may have some familiar abilities to Bulldog fans.
The highest-scoring newcomer is Atin Wright, a bucket-getting guard who has spent the first three years at Cal State Northridge. There, he ranked fourth in the Big West in scoring average last winter, and though he’s not a big guy, Wright’s knack for putting the ball through the net should translate very nicely to Des Moines. Though he hasn’t posted the same excellent percentages from deep which Wilkins often did, Wright is a shooter. He doesn’t exclusively launch triples, but has grown more confident from deepest range the last two seasons, ripping off 115 combined treys. With the expectation that Wright will get to be a bit more selective as his team’s third scoring option for a change, those figures should rise.
Wright’s more impressive production has come, by and large, from the in-between spots and at the charity stripe. Like Penn, he is great at using his bounce to get to the places on the floor where he’s most comfortable shooting. Wright is adept at using step-back and fading, hanging shots to create space. His 49.3% mark from mid-range was even better than DeVries, though on 136 attempts, per Bart Torvik. Wright’s decisive approach to creating his looks inside the arc and beyond it should help to ensure that defenses don’t simply overload the part of the floor where Drake’s best player likes to go. As the Matadors’ leading scorer each of the past two seasons, Wright has seen a great deal of attention and pressure from opposing defenders, and still produced. Wright wasn’t counted on as much of a playmaker at CSUN, but he can facilitate for his buddies on occasion, and should fit well with Drake’s motion concepts. Whether he starts as an undersized off-guard or becomes a light-it-up 6th man, Coach DeVries is counting on Wright to keep up the good work, and balance out the Bulldogs’s attack.
Wright is adept at using step-back and fading, hanging shots to create space. His 49.3% mark from mid-range was even better than DeVries
Being that Wright isn’t a playmaker first and foremost, it’s nice that Drake will have a pair of guys who are. Though Darian DeVries has brought in veteran talent at the position, reports this fall indicate that the Bulldogs will go with second-year guard Conor Enright to start the season. His coach enjoyed what Enright brought to the rotation last year; though he was a freshman reserve playing behind one of the best backcourts in program history, Enright acquitted himself well. The redshirt freshman averaged nearly 19 minutes per game, and played a maximum-effort style and starting four contests as a rookie. Though he is a good outside shooter, Enright rarely scored big as a freshman, and Darian DeVries is hoping to see more every-game scoring this year. Enright was not much overmatched defensively or as a ballhandler, and though he had veteran help, looked confident initiating offense and getting after people on the other end. Though he was rarely the team’s primary ballhandler as a rookie, Enright managed a 14.7% assist rate. If he can continue to take good care of the ball while knocking down outside shots and energizing the Bulldogs with his hustle, Enright should hold onto a starting job.
The team’s other point guard is newly-arrived from Texas-Arlington, and before that, Kyron Gibson was a big star at the junior college level. Last season, in his first Division I campaign, Gibson led a Mavericks attack which featured now-Texas Longhorns guard Chendal Weaver in both scoring and assists. Gibson can score from all three levels, and is a creative playmaker. He’s best as a spot-up shooter from the land of trey, but like Penn, Gibson has both some veteran wiggle and a no-nonsense approach around the goal when he’s got an advantageous matchup. Though he wasn’t extraordinary with a 41.8% on two-point shots last winter, Gibson was good from distance with a 36.0% mark on 49 makes. His ability to score from most places will push Enright, and Gibson’s proven that he will attack the lane and earn trips to the foul line – something which the Bulldogs will need. Gibson finished fourth in the Western Athletic Conference last year with a 29.7% assist rate, and he should provide contrast, competition, and a safety net at the point.
Up front, the Bulldogs return both of Brodie’s backups from last season. The tandem of Nate Ferguson and Eric Northweather offer both useful size and an accumulation of experience which should offer Darian DeVries efficiency and versatility to help match up with the bigger teams on Drake’s schedule.
Ferguson enters his fifth year in the program looking to take a significant step forward. Even though he played through much of the season with a shoulder injury, last year was Ferguson’s best so far. He’s got a bit of mobility, brings a dash of good footwork at both ends, finishes plays when he’s fed a good look, and adds plenty of toughness around the paint. Though Ferguson has not yet been a featured scoring option, he knocked down a fantastic 67.9% of his shots overall last year. If he’s going to be that way, Darian DeVries is going to start trying to get Ferguson more possessions. Ferguson has played some spot minutes on the floor along with Brodie each of the last couple of years. If he can move well enough to consistently defend the quicker forwards and wings which some Valley teams employ, Drake will have increased versatility around the basket. After redshirting his first year and developing slowly over the past three seasons, Ferguson will have the chance to earn a significant role this time, and will continue to provide a highly appreciated effort each game.
After starting out with a redshirt of his own and then a promising rookie year at Division II Truman (MO) State, Northweather took his talents up a level to Iowa’s capital city. Last year, Northweather didn’t play a huge role, but he showed off some outside shooting which presents Drake with something a bit different from his counterparts. Coach DeVries is hoping that his Northweather, the brother of Oklahoma’s Luke Northweather, can provide a consistent and different look in the lane – and outside of it – when Brodie rests. At Truman State, Northweather made 38% of his triple tries, and though he hit just 17.2% in his first campaign as a Bulldog, Northweather has the size to get good looks and form to start knocking ’em down more regularly. Northweather reportedly played well on Drake’s summer exhibition trip to Spain, and splashed more than a few jumpers. He’s not quite as physical as Ferguson, but Northweather posted the highest per-minute block rate on the team last year, and offers potential as a secondary rim protector which the Bulldogs haven’t really had lately. More than anything, Darian DeVries needs to see more offensive rebounding from his reserve bigs this year. Despite Brodie’s great efforts, Drake ranked in the bottom hundred of Division I teams in a host of own-miss numbers last winter.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 64.4 – Opponent Points Per Game (32nd) |
| +9.0 – Average Score Margin (21st) |
| .284 – Free Throw Attempts Per FG Attempt (275th) |
| 1.244 – Team Assists Per Turnover (59th) |
| 6.9 – Offensive Rebounds Per Game (290th) |
With the frontcourt recognizably solid and his backcourt restocked as well as may be, Darian DeVries is welcoming pretty much a whole new cast on the wings. Ethan Roberts has been spoken of as quite a find for Drake out of the Transfer Portal, and the Bulldogs are excited to see how much of his excellent shooting from last year will translate to the Valley. In his first season of collegiate basketball, Roberts averaged 12.4 points per game for the Army Black Knights en route to earning Patriot League All-Freshman honors and being named the league’s Rookie of the Year. The Illinois native slashed an excellent shooting line of 48/41/85% for the season, and it came on a legit sample size; Roberts made 31 starts and saw the floor for more than 27 minutes per contest. In 33 total games played, Roberts scored 15 or more points on 16 different occasions, and he averaged 14.2 points on 62% true shooting over the course of Army’s final 16 games last year.
While he will have to get both stronger and a bit quicker to handle tougher covers among the Valley’s wings, Roberts has useful size, gets where he ought to be and seems to understand why he should be there. If he can continue to provide a double-digit scoring average, Roberts and Wright could combine to make up a good chunk of what’s been lost. “I believe in Coach DeVries and the program he has developed. It’s a winning one surrounded by a great group of guys and alumni,” Roberts told Ryan Swingler for Drake’s Times-Delphic this summer. Speaking of nearby alumni, Sturtz will be a graduate assistant for this year’s team, while assistant coach Nick Norton is another former Bulldog guard who is entering his third season with the staff.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| @ Nevada – December 9 |
| @ UAB – December 22 |
| N – Cayman Islands Classic 3rd game – November 21 |
| N – Stephen F. Austin / Loyola Marymount – November 20 |
| vs Saint Louis – December 6 |
Darian DeVries brought in another talented perimeter transfer in Carlos Rosario, who arrives from Washington State with plenty of length, quickness, and, his new coach hopes, untapped potential. Rosario spent a redshirt season and then most of his first year dealing with a shoulder injury of his own, and last year he was ill for a chunk of the season. He ended up playing in 22 games, but averaged just under ten minutes per contest, and has decided on a re-start with the Bulldogs. A native of the Dominican Republic who spent his final prep seasons in California, Rosario is a fluid athlete with 3-and-D potential. He originally chose Wazzu over offers from Kansas State, Utah, and Mississippi State, and Rosario would really love to start showing what he’s capable of with a full, healthy year.
Freshmen Kevin Overton and Chico Johnson offer enticing long-term potential for the the Bulldogs. Johnson held a half dozen offers from prominent MAC programs in addition to Drake before tearing his ACL as a junior in high school. The rest of the offers melted away with that bad break, but Darian DeVries and the Bulldogs stuck with their desire to sign Johnson. He missed a bit of his senior season as well, so it wouldn’t be a complete shock if Johnson were to redshirt this fall. He’s a bouncy guard who plays larger than his listed size, and ought to bring real energy to the rotation soon. Overton may have his classmate beat for size and length. “I am long, I have [a] 6-foot-11 wingspan so I bring defense and can guard and I am also more athletic than most people,” he told 247 Sports in late 2022. “I am always going to try to make the right play and do the right thing.” Overton has allegedly grown a bit since those comments, and if Bulldogs fans squint just right this year, they may see a bit which reminds them of a young Tank Hemphill. Overton is a rangy slasher who can finish around the rim and projects as a rather bothersome defender.
Rounding out the freshman class are a couple of talented bigs with high major size and Colby Garland, a playmaking guard from Arkansas. Though he suffered a severe injury in an ATV accident during his high school days, Garland is back to full strength now, and spent a post-grad year playing against strong competition at Link Year Prep. He’s effective scoring and distributing the ball and has some useful quickness defensively. As a developmental point guard prospect, Drake likes Garland’s potential. Elijah Price is a long, bouncy forward with a solid handle and perimeter skills. He may redshirt to add strength, but Price has the inside/out skills to score effectively. Patrick Bath prepped for a Totino-Grace (MN) program which has won like crazy, and he’s a capable post scorer. With good rebounding instincts, Bath just needs to get stronger in order to play.
Darian DeVries ranks second all-time at Drake in wins and winning percentage, and he’s just getting started. “The whole process, the journey together, is so fun and it’s not all this sitting up here after championships,” Darian DeVries told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in March. “There are a lot of good days and a lot of bad days. That’s what makes it so special, the relationships so real and why we care about each other the way we do. We have each other’s backs.”
Drake has to replace so much proven production and grit that it seems like this would be a natural step-back year. It may be so, if not for the presence of a superstar scorer to lead the way. Drake doesn’t just have to lean on one great player doing heroic things, though. Darian DeVries and his staff have added enough veteran talent and yet-untapped potential to make Drake a very dangerous side yet again. In fact, this team fits a few solid college hoops archetypes. There is a proven, every-game leader who can do amazing things; a tough, rising point guard who’s learned from winning veterans; a genuine stalwart in the post who has his best production ahead of him, and secondary scorers who have burgeoning star skills all their own. The Bulldogs won’t be daunted by facing off with power conference foes, and including a trip to the Cayman Islands Classic, they’ll be facing off with a bunch of other teams contending for an NCAA bid. It’s looking like another potentially special year in Des Moines, where Drake’s national stature will continue to rise.
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