Sports Analysis
After a record-setting year, Drake basketball will once again reset and try to land on its feet. Both the men’s and women’s programs had great success this season but will see a massive overturn in the rosters and coaching staff. From the departure of men’s head coach Ben McCollum to the graduation of record-breaker Katie Dinnebier, Drake basketball might have rougher days ahead — but that’s not to say they won’t bounce back soon.
The men’s program set numerous program records, including the most wins ever in a single season with 31. The McCollum-led Bulldogs achieved their best start to a season since the Darian DeVries era. Drake went 23-2, falling just shy of the 24-2 start by the 2020-21 squad.
They went 27-3 in the regular season, their best record ever through 30 games, and marked the third straight year the Bulldogs have won 27 or more games in a season and the fourth time in school history. By winning the Arch Madness Tournament championship, Drake clinched its third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth in five seasons.
Once the Bulldogs reached Wichita, they upset No. 6 seed Missouri by a score of 67-57. It was their first tournament victory since 2021, when Drake won in the First Four against Wichita State. It was far and away the Bulldogs’ best season since 2007-08, and their first time advancing past the First Round of the NCAA Tournament since the 1970-71 season.
When all was said and done, McCollum had become Drake’s winningest first-year coach and won conference Coach of the Year, the fourth awarded to a Bulldog head coach. However, he would subsequently depart for Iowa City, where he became head coach of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes basketball program.
In terms of individual achievements, junior guard Bennett Stirtz became the sixth player in Drake history to win the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year award. Drake has had eight winners of the award; Tucker DeVries (2023, 2024) and Lewis Lloyd (1980, 1981) won it twice.
Stirtz was also named conference Newcomer of the Year, as well as a member of the All-MVC first-team. He scored 20 points in 20 different games and scored in double figures in 33 of the 35 games Drake played this season. Bennett became just the second player in school history to collect 200 assists in a season, joining Bulldogs legend Adam Emmenecker.
Stirtz ended his lone season in Des Moines by becoming the first player in MVC history to record 600 points, 200 assists, and 70 steals in a season. Shortly after McCollum was announced as Iowa’s next head coach, Stirtz announced he would be following him and joining the Hawkeyes as well.
Drake had four senior players graduate from the program this season: forward Daniel Abreu, guards Mitch Mascari and Isaiah Jackson, and fan-favorite Nate Ferguson. All of them had excellent seasons. Abreu averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 37.5% from three-point range. He scored 30 points in his Drake debut against York University on Nov. 4. Mascari became an unexpected three-point specialist, shooting 40.3% on the season and accumulating some notable highlights. Isaiah Jackson was marketed as the Bulldogs’ defensive specialist, as he averaged just 3.8 points per game, although he scored 21 against Green Bay on Dec. 21 to lead Drake to victory. As for Ferguson, he was noted as one of two players who remained with the program after the departure of former coach Darian DeVries, with the other being redshirt sophomore guard Andrew Alia. Ferguson provided a veteran presence and leadership, as he helped the new players integrate into the new culture and environment.
After such an unprecedented season, it was inevitable that the Bulldogs would experience change. In addition to McCollum and Stirtz heading to Iowa, other Drake players, including Cam Manyawu, Kael Combs, and Isaia Howard, entered the transfer portal. Other players will likely enter their names into the portal shortly. On March 28, Drake hired their next head coach in Eric Henderson, who had been coaching the South Dakota State Jackrabbits for the past six seasons.
The women’s program experienced great success as well, although they failed to reach the NCAA Tournament. Heading into the season, the Bulldogs lost starters Grace Berg and Taylor McAulay, as they had graduated and run out of eligibility. This year, Drake started 6-5 through the non-conference portion of the schedule, then began to heat up once the conference schedule started, as the Bulldogs won the first five games and were 11-5 in mid-January. Unfortunately, they would drop the next three games, including to conference front-runners Murray State and Missouri State. Subsequently, the Bulldogs went 10-2 over their last twelve games, heading into the Hoops in the Heartland Conference tournament at 21-10 overall, and 15-5 in conference play. They entered the postseason tournament as the No. 4 seed in the conference, and beat the fifth-seeded Illinois State Redbirds in the quarterfinals before falling to No. 1 Murray State the next day.
Seniors Katie Dinnebier and Anna Miller led the way for the majority of the season, along with graduate student Courtney Becker and junior transfer Abbie Aalsma, who played for Illinois State in the previous two seasons. Dinnebier had an incredible season, averaging a career-high 23.4 points and 7.2 assists per game. She had six double-doubles and shot nearly 40% from three-point range. She was named to the First Team All-MVC, All-MVC Defensive Team, and won her second straight Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year.
Dinnebier was also listed on the All-MVC Tournament Team and was a First Team MVC Scholar-Athlete. She earned eight MVC Player of the Week honors throughout this season. She was the first player since the NCAA started tracking assists as an official stat (1985) to average at least 22 points, seven assists, and 2.5 steals in a single season. After the conclusion of the conference tournament, the Associated Press named her as an All-America Honorable Mention, becoming the eleventh player in Drake women’s basketball history to achieve All-America status.
Anna Miller, in her final season at Drake, averaged 13.8 points per game and shot career-high percentages from both three-point range and the free-throw line, in addition to being named MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Courtney Becker recorded career-highs in several categories, including points, rebounds, and assists. She also had four double-doubles this year.
Although the Bulldogs missed out on the NCAA Tournament, they accepted a bid to play in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) for the first time in program history. On March 20, Drake hosted the Marquette University Golden Eagles (20-10 overall) at the Knapp Center. Although the Bulldogs led 40-30 at halftime, they would ultimately fall thanks to some late-game heroics by Marquette.
Miller recorded her eleventh double-double of the season, and senior Ashley Iiams notched the first start of her career. Becker ended the season having played more games than anyone in program history. The loss ended an illustrious era of Drake women’s basketball, but head coach Allison Polhman has proven her ability to win games and will likely continue to do so going forward, with new faces and new skill sets.
