The fourth annual Drake University basketball Hoops Fest is set to take place on Sept. 26 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event will occur at the Brenton Skating Plaza in Des Moines’ East Village.
Hoops Fest is the first basketball fan event of the 2024-25 season for both Drake men’s and women’s teams. Both teams will come to the plaza to interact with fans, play games and build excitement for the upcoming basketball season.
“Hoops Fest is a great time for any Drake basketball fan to see the rosters for the men’s and women’s [teams],” said Joseph Joswiak, a sophomore at Drake who is an active member of the women’s basketball practice squad. “It’s a good event to help out the kids and youth in the community.”
Joswiak, who worked at the event last year, said there will be stations for youth attendees to practice their basketball skills, introductions from the players and a 3-point shooting competition between the men’s and women’s team players.
“I’m really looking forward to the shooting competitions since there are always some really entertaining drills,” Drake women’s basketball senior and two-time Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year Anna Miller said via an email interview.
Miller will participate in her third Hoops Fest this year, which she described as a fun event for the Drake and Des Moines communities.
“Interacting with fans is probably my favorite part of the event since there is so much excitement for the upcoming basketball season,” Miller said. “Seeing the Drake community’s support for our teams is so special to us all.”
Hoops Fest is an annual event that occurs once a year, and it’s one of the only chances for fans to see the teams before the season begins.
“Any Drake student should attend Hoops Fest because it is a taste of the fun of home basketball games more than a month before the season starts,” Miller said via email. “There are so many fun activities, and it is such a cool environment to be part of!”
This year’s Hoops Fest has an extra level of excitement to it; both teams are reigning conference champions. The men’s and women’s teams won their respective Missouri Valley Conference tournaments last season, which earned them championship trophies and trips to the NCAA March Madness tournament. Both teams will look to win their third consecutive conference championship in the 2024-25 season. The men and women lost their March Madness contests in the first round both years, so the hunger to win an NCAA playoff game still exists for both highly decorated teams.
“I feel like right now we’re at the peak of Drake basketball,” Joswiak said. “I think this is a huge season for both programs to see if the women’s team can three-peat in the Valley.”
Hoops Fest is one of the only events that features both the men’s and women’s teams, giving fans a chance to see the familiar faces of the women’s team and welcome the new players of the men’s team to Des Moines.
“It’s great that we get to participate in an event with the men’s basketball team and get all Drake fans together,” Miller said via email. “It also gives us an opportunity to cheer each other on and look forward to the year to come.”
The women’s team’s returning key players for the 2024-25 season include Miller and the 2023-24 MVC Player of the Year Katie Dinnebier. The men’s team, however, is full of mostly new faces.
The departure of former men’s head coach Darian DeVries led to a domino effect of Drake players transferring, leaving only Nate Ferguson and Andrew Alia as returners with an entirely new coaching staff.
The new Drake men’s head coach, Ben McCollum, previously coached at Northwest Missouri State, where he won four Division II national titles and amassed a 394-91 total record. He’s assembled a squad at Drake of mostly former Northwest Missouri State players and transfers from other Division I programs.
“I think [Hoops Fest] will be quite different,” Joswiak said. “I think we could see more people. I know a lot of people are antsy to see how this team is going to be this year for the men’s program.”
The season starts in earnest on Oct. 27 for the women and Nov. 21 for the men, but Hoops Fest is the first public event the teams have to look forward to.
“The players are very excited for Hoops Fest every year; they look forward to it,” Joswiak said. “It’s a good intro level to the season. It’s good for the fans and the community.”
