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
2017–18 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Loyola Chicago153 .833326  .842
Southern Illinois117 .6112013  .606
Illinois State108 .5561815  .545
Drake108 .5561717  .500
Bradley99 .5002013  .606
Indiana State810 .4441318  .419
Missouri State711 .3891815  .545
Evansville711 .3891715  .531
Northern Iowa711 .3891616  .500
Valparaiso612 .3331517  .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

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Bill Wampler2F6'6"200SophomoreEau Claire, WITransferred to Wright State
T. J. Thomas10F6'8"205JuniorStone Mountain, GALeft the team due to personal reasons
Jacob Enevold11C7'0"246SeniorLunderskov, DenmarkGraduated
A. J. Rutter14G6'1"180RS JuniorAmes, IAWalk-on; didn't return
Will Halfon21G6'2"200FreshmanGreenwood Village, COWalk-on; didn't return
Nick Girardi24G6'4"180FreshmanFort Collins, COWalk-on; didn't return
Johannes Dolven25F6'8"230RS FreshmanOslo, NorwayTransferred to Barry

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 C. J. Rivers 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)187 lb (85 kg) SrCahokia Cahokia, IL
G 1 Samm Jones (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS FrNorthwestern
De La Salle
Minneapolis, MN
G 2 Jalen Gibbs 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrNorth Point Waldorf, MD
G 3 Graham Woodward 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)182 lb (83 kg) RS SrPenn State
Edina HS
Edina, MN
G 4 De'Antae McMurray 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg) SrSouthwestern Illinois College
Alton HS
Alton, IL
F 11 Antonio Pilipovic 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrRheinStars Köln Cologne, Germany
G 12 Reed Timmer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrEisenhower New Berlin, WI
G 14 Noah Thomas 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) Fr22 Ft Academy Sydney, Australia
F 22 Casey Schlatter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)207 lb (94 kg) RS JrIowa Falls Alden Iowa Falls, IA
G 23 Ore Arogundade 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrSt. Viator Arlington Heights, IL
G 25 Connor Gholson (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)170 lb (77 kg) FrNewton Newton, IA
F/C 32 Kory Kuenstling 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)234 lb (106 kg) RS JrDunkerton Dunkerton, IA
F 35 Nick McGlynn 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)223 lb (101 kg) JrStoughton 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[lower-alpha 1][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

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