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August 9th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Drake
Bulldogs
Overall Rank:
#95
Conference
Rank: #6 MVC
2005-06:
12-19, 5-13, 7th (t)
2005-06
postseason: none
 Drake was
disappointing at best last year, but with four starters
returning and Klayton Korver coming back from injury, there is
reason to be optimistic. Hopefully, for Drake fans, Korver will
provide the spark they lacked at the end of last season when the
Bulldogs lost 11 of their last 12 games. That is not the type
of momentum you want with so many players returning. Coach Dr.
Tom Davis has some work to do to turn this team around.
Unfortunately, he didn’t earn his doctorate in sports
psychology.
Who’s Out:
Chaun Brooks and Sean
Tracy have graduated, yet there are still plenty of options and
talent in the backcourt. Brooks averaged a team high 10.4
points and was the only player to start all 31 games for the
Bulldogs. Tracy, who earned three starts, averaged 3.8 points
per contest.
Who’s In:
Drake fans
hope that the return of Korver is the answer to all their
problems. After averaging 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in the
2004-2005 campaign, the 6-5 junior missed the following year
while recovering from a knee injury. If he’s back to where he
was two years ago, Drake could see a drastic improvement. The
frontcourt doesn’t need too much more depth, but it’s never bad
to have too many big men, or in most cases here, undersized big
men. Armel Traore dit Nignan is a solid rebounder and shot
blocker who is ready to contribute immediately. Of course, at
6-6, 235 pounds, the junior from Burkina Faso is a little
undersized for the center spot, but his reach makes up for it.
Bill Eaddy, a redshirt freshman and Keither Worner, an incoming
freshman, will add more depth at both forward spots. Shooting
guard Josh Young is a scoring machine. He led the state of
Oklahoma in scoring while at Lawton Christian High School the
last two years. If the 35.2 points per game weren’t enough,
Young tacked on 10.3 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 3.9 steals during
his senior campaign. It will take some time to adjust to the
level of play, but Young can do some scoring right away.
Who to Watch:
Al
Stewart stepped right into the Bulldogs starting lineup and did
a solid job running the point, racking up 144 assists on the
season. With a year of experience at Drake, the senior has the
ability to make a bigger impact this season. Chris Bryant and
Nick Grant were part-time starters last season. Bryant, the
only player to average over one three-pointer per game, should
get more open looks this season with Korver back and firing up
the long ball.
Final
Projection:
The returning
frontcourt depth is immense with Ajay Calvin, Aliou Keita,
Jonathan Cox, and Brent Heemskerk. Calvin, who averaged 10.2
points and 5.3 rebounds as junior, is a little undersized at
6-5, but gets the job done on the glass and in the scoring
department. Keita, a 6-7 center, gets most of his props on the
defensive end. With a year left to go, the Senegal native
already is the school’s career shot blocking leader. With a
little more consistency on the offensive end, Keita can regain
his starting job that was lost in the middle of last season. No
matter who starts this year, Cox and Heemskerk will see quality
minutes up front. The experience is there, but the overall
talent level is lacking compared to the upper echelon of teams
in the Missouri Valley Conference. If Korver can hit the big
shots down the stretch, this team can win a few of those close
games that they lost last year. And if that can happen, maybe
an NIT bid won’t be that far away.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected
Starting Five:
Al Stewart,
Senior, Guard, 9.8 points per game
Chris Bryant,
Junior, Guard, 8.2 points per game
Klayton Korver,
Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Ajay Calvin,
Senior, Forward, 10.2 points per game
Aliou Keita,
Senior, Center, 4.8 points per game
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