Drake Bulldogs
- Thread starter Spirito76
- Start date
15 players on that 2024 Drake team
12 transferred out
2 graduated
1 quit basketball
2025 rotation is MVC regular season and MVC tourney champs, sits at 30-3 and includes 4 D2 players and 2 frosh on a team he assembled last spring.
He's been a head coach for 15 years with a career winning percentage better than 4 out of 5 games.
This year he set a record for wins at Drake in his first year of D1 and currently has the most wins this season in all of Division 1.
He has NEVER HAD A SEASON WITH DOUBLE DIGIT LOSSES.
In one 3 yr span he went 97-3 with an undefeated season.
IU might do different, but they won't do better than BM.
EDIT: 3 seasons with double digit losses
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If he’s interested…he’s the right choice, at the right time. The timing didn’t line up like this for Stevens. There are other great candidates. And I’m sure there are others that would have really good success. But there aren’t any like this guy.
Completely different world for Knight and K’s transition. A P4 coach today has way more on their plate and also, Cig had a long past as an assistant in key positions at D1 football schools like Alabama. Speaking of Cig and his type, great for IU Football, but Basketball is a different monster and takes a completely different type to be successful. Just ask Davis, Crean, Arch and Woody.
How would those guys know?
Also, doubt basketball is different. The qualities that make a highly successful coach are probably 90% the same across all sports.
Fran said earlier this week he wasn’t going anywhere. He has a contract thru 2028. Now, the AD might be thinking otherwise, but Fran says he is staying at Iowa…
Since I didn't watch Drake all season (Big win today!), I like to look at the season stats for comparison. Drake is the first line below and IU is the second. The biggest difference not below is the wins/losses, but we're comparing MVC and the Big. Considering their level of competition and the stats, I don't see a huge upgrade from IU for 2024-2025. No doubt the guy can win at that level. I'm just not overwhelmed.
FG% FT% 3Pt% Pts. Reb Assist Steals Turnovers
48.2 70.7 35.4 70.3 31.0 13.4 9.0 11.2
46.2 70.9 32.3 75.2 36.5 15.7 5.8 11.6
FG% FT% 3Pt% Pts. Reb Assist Steals Turnovers
48.2 70.7 35.4 70.3 31.0 13.4 9.0 11.2
46.2 70.9 32.3 75.2 36.5 15.7 5.8 11.6
I know you were. But I noticed he lost more games every year than McCollum did in year one. (Actually they'll tie with one year of four most likely.)
I doubt it means Drake is so easy to win, just means he's a good coach. He's doing well year one at West Virginia.
,
Did you see what I posted or not? That’s an average of 25 wins a year for a 6 year period. How possible is that in the B1G or SEC?
Conference SOS Ranking
IU 25
Drake 158
Non-conference SOS Ranking
IU 130
Drake 246
Yeah, again apples and oranges
He had to replace an entire roster.
He did so with a bunch of solid D2 guys, a couple freshmen, and a couple Wyoming transfers.
Drake is an established contending program in the Valley. So it’s not like he stepped in the the “Minnesota” of the Valley. He stepped in to one of the top 3-4 programs year in and year out…but without a roster.
And he’s won 30 games, school record I believe…again, good Valley program… he won regular season championship, 12th straight season his teams have won at least a share of conference title. And then he proved it in the Valley tournament.
You’re right McCollums performances of late are VERY apples to oranges to IUs.
So, now that Drake is done until the NCAA, is there time during this off week for a coach to perhaps talk to an interested party?
Read some stuff and listened to some interviews of him today. I see the Cig comparisons, winning at lower levels, he could say the, "Google me, I win," line but it has already been done. Listening to him I got a lot of RMK in how he teaches and prepares and puts his team in position to win.
accept that he teaches the game really well and teaches his player to do what they do best
Sorry, but stupid comment if that’s your best thought for the coach we need. How about a coach who is one of the best in teaching HIS players and the players WANT to represent. Braylon saga is over.
I was just gonna post about keeping an eye on the IU planes the next week or so. But I kinda doubt Dolson sees any of these candidates in person, or at least not in a way that could so easily be noticed as an IU plane going to Des Moines.
So…he’s probably currently sitting middle seat coach on a flight from Ohare to Des Moines!!!
I’m sure feelers have been put out and future interview requests have been made, but don’t see any real action until after those coaches are done in the tournament.
At least the coaching choices BETTER be in the tournament.
A request for anyone on the Board....for some reason I can't copy and paste articles with my present computer. So I'd ask anyone who can to paste a '21 article from the Athletic with a title that begins "Meet Ben McCollum, the Division II Coach Who Wins Titles...." It blew me away.
One note: I bookmarked the article. For some reason the first time you pull it up it looks like you have to subscribe to read it.....pull it up a second time tho and there's no issue.
Anyway....it's an amazing read, imo. It has quotes from Buzz Williams, Shake Smart, and Grant McCasland that everyone on here should see.
3 years prior to the article McCasland asked McCollum for some advise concerning his offense. McCollum watched tape and told McCasland "You're really easy to guard and predictable, and this offense isn't any good". McCasland was shocked because he had greatly improved the offense in his first year, but he sat down with McCollum, and is now a true believer. His $ quote: "He orchestrates an offense that has elite precision but ultimate freedom....". What he meant by that is that McCollum has 0 complex offensive sets.......his O is all about teaching his players how to react to what the D wants to do to them. Does that remind anyone here of a young RMK??
A couple of other things that stood out to me: 1. McCollum refuses to recruit anyone without a positive outlook, no matter how talented; and 2. He finds out what a kid is really good at and then really encourages the kid to be great at that skill. Putting those two thoughts together.....he's not on people's asses trying to get them NOT to do what they're bad at. Instead, he recruits players who have a great desire to win and encourages them to contribute in ways that are the most efficient.
Smart said this about him in '21: "If I was an AD at the Division 1 level, I would have hired him yesterday".
I challenge the doubters to read the article. I'm convinced that recruiting and scheme would NOT be issues with this guy. I think our fans would be all over him. The ONLY question I would have is 'can he handle the IU fish bowl?' On that point, I agree with kkott.....interview him and see if he's up for the challenge. If you're not convinced, pass. But have the balls to talk to the guy and make your own judgment.
If we end up hiring someone like Brownell or…I don’t know, someone like him…and somehow it comes out that Dolson didn’t call or reach out to McCollum or his people… that would be a fireable offense in my eyes.
Agree.
On another thread, I asked what you think of Alan Huss from High Point.....don't know much about him at all except he's in his 40s, 6'9" and balding, and has won a lot of games there in 2 years....80% overall, 84% in conference. Also, he coached at Culver MA and Lu Liemere(?) , and was an asst HC at Creighton when he left......
Great article. Thank you. I hope this is the way Scott goes. I’m on board.
I believe I responded to you? Maybe not. But did to someone on him.
He’s intiguing. Having only been a HC for 2 years, I’d worry about his ability to maintain a high standard at a program. But his offense is really good. Top 30 in KenPom isn’t easy for a school that plays High Points schedule.
And he has the Indiana HS history. And is connected with McDermott.
I floated the idea of bringing he and McDermott back together. 4-5 years HC for McDermott. Then handing off to Huss. Maybe he stays at High Point during that time. Maybe he comes to be a very highly paid assistant?
Yeah, he’s getting really hard to ignore (not that I’m trying to do that, haha), the more I look into what he’s accomplished the more impressive he becomes.
Read an Athletic article last week on McCasland (from 2023 I believe). It was mentioned that he reached out to McCollum for his input regarding something his team was struggling with.
McCollum’s advice was to not spend (waste) time going over what they’re doing wrong, spend it showing them how to do it right.
It was a little blurb but something that resonated with him enough to mention it regarding his (McCasland’s) success.
He has by far the best player in the MVC. He brought 4 guys from his previous team. Lots of continuity.
He might be a coaching savant of sorts ... and I don't think I'm over-selling here.
If taking chances on a D2 coach turned into MVC champ, I’d prefer Josh Schertz. Same winning but a more exciting offense and a scrappy defense.
Hopefully Dolson has a more proven guy though.
Okay, just read the article. This should be our coach.
Get him set up the way he wants it and let him coach.
I think Dolson is capable of this hire. Maybe it’s who he’s had in mind all along?
And that was from four years ago ... and BM's done nothing but bolster his reputation. I know my "want list" changes daily--hell, hourly--but this article...
Sexiest hire? No. Smartest hire? Quite possibly.
Josh Schertz-
In his 13 years coaching, the Railsplitters posted 11-straight 20-win seasons, including four 30-win seasons, en route to 10 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament appearances.[4] Schertz was also named South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year a record seven times, while also having the highest overall winning percentage among all active NCAA head coaches at any level in a 10-year period.
Plus 32-7 last year at ISU.
BM is a 15 yr head coach with 82% career winning percentage. He has proven enough.
I think he is a really good young coach. He isn't the guy I would go with but I am sure he will be another MVC coach that goes on to have success.
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