DePaul Blue Demons

8-2 (0-0 CUSA American)

There’s an old saying in basketball that a good point guard is like an extension of his coach. Well, that certainly applies to 6-5 DePaul sophomore, Drake Diener, in more ways than one. That’s because Diener is not only DePaul’s starting point guard this season, but he also happens to be the son of a coach (Dick Diener, who coached Drake at Goodrich High School in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin). In a seemingly unlikely turn of events, the younger Diener has (at least for this season) abandoned his role as one of DePaul’s designated three-point marksman [along with senior Joe Tulley] in order to take over the helm at the point guard position.

For the last two years, DePaul was led by the talented but erratic Imari Sawyer who averaged 8.9 points and 5.4 assists per game for the Blue Demons during the 2001-02 campaign. When Sawyer failed to return to DePaul for his junior year and incoming junior college transfer, Will Watson (who was recruited by former coach, Pat Kennedy), didn’t make the grade in time to be eligible to play for the Blue Demons this year, new coach, Dave Leitao, was forced to scramble to find a capable floor leader for his team. In June (a month after the official late signing period ended), Leitao signed Chris Exilus from the junior college ranks as an eleventh-hour replacement for Watson. Although Exilus is a more natural point guard, it was Diener who emerged as DePaul’s starter at that position to begin the season.

Diener’s transition to the point guard slot has been made smoother by virtue of the experience he gained this summer when he toured Australia with the People To People All-Star team, which was coached by Lamar University head coach, Mike Deane. During the seven-game Australian tour, Diener played both guard positions and made a very favorable impression on Deane with his ability to handle the point guard duties. In fact, Deane was so impressed with Diener’s performance that he made a recommendation to DePaul’s new coaching staff that they give him an opportunity to try to fill the void at the lead guard spot.

So far, Diener has risen to the occasion and become a stabilizing influence in DePaul’s backcourt, as the team has gotten off to an 8-2 start with him as the floor leader. This season, Diener has averaged 7.7 points and 4.2 assists per game (good for eighth place in Conference USA) and ranks seventh in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. Diener is also shooting 48.2% from the field and 35.7% from behind the arc. To top it off, he is shooting a cool 92.9% from the foul line.

In addition to the on-the-job training he received in Australia, Diener credits his father with giving him the knowledge of the game that has allowed him to step right in and run the team. “That [playing for my father] is probably the biggest thing that has enabled me to be able to succeed a little bit playing the point and has enabled me to switch positions like that because I grew up around basketball. My Dad’s a real good coach and his program breeds smart players, guys that know how to play,” said Diener. “That’s the reason that his program has had success, and he instilled all of his knowledge in me. That’s definitely a factor in me being able to do this. I feel like I’m a pretty smart player, and that’s all because of him.”

Diener may not necessarily be as quick and athletically gifted as many Division-I point guards, but he more than makes up for it with his court savvy and understanding of the game. Those sentiments are echoed by Leitao: “Drake has been very, very heady from that position. He doesn’t create a lot because it’s not a natural position, but he certainly doesn’t turn it over either. He’s real safe for us, and I think the way we’re trying to play, it’s our best asset to have somebody who can get you into your offense and make sure the right guys get the right shots at the right time. He’s been phenomenal for us in that way and has sacrificed a lot of his own personal offense for the good of the team. In today’s day in age, you don’t find that because everybody’s looking for the ‘me’ and the ‘I’ way out of things, always talking about how many shots I got up… so I’m very happy for what Drake has done for our group.”

It’s also worth mentioning that Drake is not the only Diener playing in C-USA. His brother, Drew, is a senior shooting guard at St. Louis University and his cousin, Travis, is a sophomore point guard at Marquette. So has Drake asked cousin Travis for any tips on how to run the point? “No, not really. I don’t think he would want to give me any pointers,” said Diener. I guess blood is not thicker than rivalries in Conference USA.