Valley slump offers learning experience
Story by Taylor Soule
Photo by Morgan Cannata
Three games, three chances. Chances to rebuild after a regular season rife with highs and lows. Chances to cut the notoriously dooming turnovers. Chances to play 40 minutes of consistent basketball.
The Bulldogs welcome a number of chances as the regular season winds down. Though three dangerous opponents await, Drake looks to hit a winning streak entering the March 7-10 Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
Drake awaits Green Bay at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday at the Knapp Center. The Phoenix rank No. 3 in Horizon League play with a 9-5 record en route to a 15-12 overall ledger.
Sophomore guard Keifer Sykes averages 15.2 points per game to lead Green Bay. Besides a staggering average, Sykes boasts 108 assists on the 2012-13 campaign. Sykes ranks fourth in scoring in the Horizon League.
Taller than the entire Bulldog roster at 7-foot-1, junior forward and center Alec Brown poses an offensive and defensive threat. Brown ranks second behind Sykes with 13.2 points per game. He leads Green Bay on the boards, averaging 6.1 rebounds per game. Defensively, Brown paces the Phoenix with 47 blocks on the season.
Expect the Drake defense to try a number of players on Brown.
Drake marks the second MVC opponent to face the Phoenix this season. Green Bay dropped a narrow 72-70 loss to Valley No. 10 Southern Illinois on Dec. 15.
Though Green Bay owns a better 2012-13 record than 11-15 Drake, the Bulldogs boast a versatile offense. Four or more Bulldogs have reached double figures in scoring in four of the last five games.
Despite positive stats, the Bulldogs have struggled with consistency throughout the season.
Drake opened MVC competition with four straight losses. The Bulldogs have lost their last four MVC contests. The consecutive losses against Valley rivals Illinois State, Evansville, Indiana State and Wichita State yielded a learning experience for the struggling Bulldogs.
“You find out about yourself,” said Drake head coach Mark Phelps after Saturday’s 71-64 loss against in-state rival Northern Iowa. “You find out what kind of character you have. There are no easy answers, especially when you think about the Illinois State and Evansville on the road. The first half against Wichita State really put us in a hole. Give the guys a lot of credit. They have great character. They’re going to do the right thing, and when they make a mistake, they’re going to own that mistake and get on to the next right thing.”
Despite the MVC slump, Phelps expressed his continued fulfillment in leading the Bulldogs.
“While we’re not winning games right now, there’s still a lot, a lot, of gratification in being a leader in these situations,” Phelps said.
Snapping that skid starts in practice, where Drake has sustained energy and unity despite the disappointing streak.
“It’s always frustrating when you loose,” redshirt junior center Seth VanDeest said. “We’re staying together. We’re working every day in practice. That’s all we can do right now is keep working and get this turned around.”
The Bulldogs face Green Bay at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Knapp Center.
