College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 28-7; 16-4 in Missouri Valley Conference, 2nd place – MVC tournament champs

Head Coach: Ben McCollum (First year; 394-91 in 15 years at Division II Northwest Missouri State with 4 national championships)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG Isaiah Jackson – 6’3″, 180 5th-year Senior

SG Bennett Stirtz – 6’4″, 180 Junior

W Mitch Mascari – 6’5″, 200 5th-year Senior

W Tavion Banks – 6’7″, 200 Junior

F/C Cam Manyawu – 6’8″, 240 Sophomore

Experienced Reserves

G Kael Combs – 6’4″, 190 Sophomore

G Eli Shetlar – 6’6″, 190 Sophomore

F Nate Ferguson – 6’8″, 225 5th-year Senior

F Daniel Abreu – 6’6″, 220 5th-year Senior

Freshmen

W Isaia Howard – 6’5″, 190

F Joey Matteoni – 6’8″, 215

Not many programs in America have undergone more profound changes since last season ended than the team from Des Moines. Not only are the DeVries boys gone (head coach Darian and his superstar son Tucker), but nearly every other player from last year’s Arch Madness championship has departed, as well. 

Fortunately, the new coach that Drake hired has brought a few friends with him from his previous job, as well. Northwest Missouri State’s Ben McCollum is moving up from Division II level to the Missouri Valley Conference, and he’s brought four former Bearcats – and a freshman recruit who was going to be a Bearcat – along for the ride. McCollum isn’t any old Division II coach, either. He won four national championships at the lower level, and the Iowa native has bided his time waiting for the right opportunity to move up to the big leagues. Now, his Drake Bearcats are ready to carry the torch that DeVries lit for their program. 

The top options for this rather young team will be Bennett Stirtz, who became a star for McCollum last season, on the outside and Cam Manyawu, who debuted as a key piece for Wyoming last winter. Manyawu is a big, physical dude who should be one of the best pick-and-roll finishers in the Valley this year. Last year, Manyawu led the Cowboys and ranked sixth in the Mountain West with 71 offensive rebounds despite averaging less than 23 minutes per contest. His 17.7% overall rebounding rate was good enough for third in the veteran-laden MWC, and Manyawu converted 67.0% of his shots close to the rim with 15 dunks, per Bart Torvik. With that sort of a Bulldog approach, the hype for Manyawu to quickly become one of the Valley’s top big men is understandable. 

A playmaking guard who became one of NWMSU’s primary ballhandlers last season, Stirtz is poised to translate a very successful sophomore season into a star-making debut in the Valley. Over the years at Northwest Missouri State, McCollum frequently played his star guards for virtually all 40 minutes in a game; Stirtz played at least 40 minutes eight times last winter. He is a three level scorer who has enough size to get to the rim, and Stirtz got to the charity stripe nearly five times per game last year, shooting 83.4% there. His three-point rate fell off from 43.8% during freshman year to just 32.7% in his second season, though, and McCollum will be counting on his rising star to provide steady production all over the floor. He’s particularly creative and fluid from mid-range, and Stirtz should drive a good bit of Drake’s offense. 

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

79.7 – Points Per Game (30th)

22.1% – Offensive Rebounding Rate (313th)

15.9 – Assists Per Game (29th)

.323 – Free Throws Per FG Attempt (188th)

1.165 – Shooting Efficiency (18th)

Even though Stirtz can do a little bit of everything, he shouldn’t have to do it all by himself. His former Bearcat teammate Isaiah Jackson is a veteran hand at the point, while Kael Combs – Manyawu’s former teammate at Wyoming – is a creative young guard who can play on or off the ball. Both figure to see the floor often in McCollum’s frequent 4-out lineups, and are expected to compliment Stirtz well. Combs, who was also a star football player in high school, has power conference size and the dribble-drive game to blossom given the opportunity to do his thing. Stirtz became the latest lead guard to take advantage of his coach’s preferred attack featuring high ball screens and wings full of well-spaced shooters; Combs should be another beneficiary. 

His reputation as a playmaker outpaces the threat of his jumper, but Jackson is a steady, heady, and experienced distributor whose experience should be of great value to this young team. He will be a fifth-year senior, and despite his limitations as a scorer, Jackson saw the floor for more than 32 minutes per game a year ago. He’s a quality defender with enough size and plenty of toughness to hang in the Valley, and McCollum is sure to rely upon his proven point guard in establishing a new culture for the Bulldogs. Also coming aboard is former Bearcat sharpshooter Mitch Mascari, who became one of the more dangerous deep threats across the Division II ranks last year. Two years back, the 6’5″ veteran made 56 triples at a 46.7% rate; last winter, Mascari ripped off 82 of them at an even better 48.0% mark. While he’s not a flashy athlete, Mascari’s name has been circled on scouting reports for years yet he keeps on improving as a shooter. He was also clever enough defensively to average more than 34 minutes last season, and will bring those veteran smarts to bear as McCollum’s youngsters come together. 

McCollum’s ties to the Missouri and particularly Kansas City-area recruiting scene are deep and strong; you can tell by how many of the guys on his first Drake roster are from the region. Forward Daniel Abreu, Stirtz, Jackson, Manyawu, and Combs all hail from Kansas or Missouri.

He spent his freshman year at Valley rival Indiana State, but Eli Shetlar is another youngster from Kansas who has signed on to play for Drake. With a fluid release from the outside and great size, Shetlar projects as a dangerous shooter, and he’s got quick enough feet to drive it on defenders who close out aggressively. As he gets stronger and further hones his scoring game, Shetlar is expected to emerge as a key piece going forward. 

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

N Miami (FL) – November 21

N Kansas State – December 17

N Florida Atlantic/Oklahoma State – November 22

TBD – Shriner’s Classic Third Game – November 24

vs Florida Gulf Coast – November 16

Continuing the geographic theme, Kansas City product Tavion Banks has signed on with McCollum and Co, and he’s one of the highest-rated former junior college recruits in the country. A big, powerful wing, Banks – who had received significant interest from such high major programs as Iowa State and Xavier – comes to Drake off of a standout season. He plays a versatile game, and Banks has the sort of athleticism that would have played in the Big 12 or Big East. At JuCo powerhouse Northwest Florida State last season, Banks posted nine double-doubles, including a 16-point, 15-rebound, three-steal showing in the junior college tournament against eventual national champions Barton (KS) College. A slick passer and playmaker on defense, Banks does many things at a high level, and he should get the chance to show off all his skills in a significant role for the Bulldogs. 

The frontcourt around Manyawu will have experience – if not jump-out-the-gym athleticism – on their side. The only returning Bulldog from the DeVries era is Nate Ferguson, a tough-as-nails sixth-year senior who’s grown his role each of the last two years. Across his previous four seasons, Ferguson has knocked down nearly two-thirds of his career shot attempts and earned ; last year, his best, he sank a spectacular 73.8% of his shots. What’s more, his hard-nosed approach has led to Ferguson holding a better career free throw rate (63.7%) than the guy who won the last two national Player of the Year awards, Zach Edey (63.2%). Ferguson’s greatest asset may be that he knows exactly what he does well, doesn’t try to do too much, and plays a highly reliable role near the rim at both ends of the floor. 

He’ll be joined by another tough customer and former Bearcat, Daniel Abreu, in the competition for post minutes. Ferguson and Abreu are cut from similar cloth; they aren’t the biggest guys, but they are tireless workers whose strength and savvy inside allows them to make consistent contributions. Though he will be undersized for the Valley, Abreu won’t be pushed around. He can step outside to shoot it a bit, which could add a new wrinkle for the Bulldogs, and Abreu will make opponents fight for every clean look they get. The Bulldogs are also welcoming forward Joey Matteoni, who plays a smooth offensive game, to the mix as a freshman. If he can hang physically, Matteoni should play. 

It would be difficult to predict the future for most teams which have undergone the amount of change that’s taken place in Des Moines the past few months. Drake has an advantage of continuity, though, and regardless of where McCollum enjoyed his success, championships are championships. The guys he has brought from NWMSU know nothing but winning and expecting to play well in March, and that pedigree travels across any boundaries. 

The Bulldogs will face the sort of non-conference schedule that a contending program would schedule. It will test this group’s athleticism and depth immediately, and should well prepare Drake for Valley competition. A contending program is what they’ve been, and it’s what McCollum’s team will remain. The Bulldogs won’t play quite as quickly or smoothly as they did a year ago, but they will guard the heck out of people and grind out wins. By bringing in the right coach and his merry men to guide the program, Drake is set up to remain a Valley power.