Drake Looks To Be “Back To Back” (To Back) MVC Champs
Something is happening in Des Moines, Iowa. The casual fan probably isn’t aware, but the Drake Bulldogs have built a winning culture over the past four seasons. Drake has been so under the radar that multiple major media outlets had “Duke” in the 13-seeded Bulldogs’ place in the 2018 Women’s NCAA National Championship brackets for about an hour before correcting the error.
With more than 20 wins in each season since 2013–14, head coach Jennie Baranczyk has the Bulldogs in prime position to make 2018–19 the season they cement themselves as a top team. Baranczyk has coached the team to a 42-game conference win streak between regular season and tournament play, which is second among active streaks, behind only UConn’s 87 in the AAC.
Drake has improved in offensive, defensive and net HHS ratings for three straight seasons with the exception of a slight dip in defensive rating last season, and there is no reason to think they won’t improve again this season. The biggest difference between this year and past years is that nearly the entire team is returning. Drake lost three seniors going into 2017–18, including Lizzy Wendell, who ended her career as one of the best players in the history of Drake’s program. Despite the significant losses, the Bulldogs’ offensive rating actually jumped from 105.4 to 107.9. In her seventh year as head coach at Drake, Baranczyk says, “This is far and away the most veteran team [we] have ever had.”
The lone departure this offseason was guard Paige Greiner, a three-point specialist who averaged 3.0 points per game as a senior in 2017–18. Her 89.3% three-point rate was No. 18 in the country. Even though it might not show up in the box score, Greiner was instrumental to the team’s chemistry on the court as a facilitator and off the court in preparation for games, and the Bulldogs will need to find a new player, or two, who can take on a similar role.
All five starters return, highlighted by junior guard Becca Hittner. Hittner received the Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year award her sophomore season as well as being named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team. Hittner lit up the MVC, becoming the first player in conference history to shoot 50% from two and three-point range, and 90% from the free throw line in conference play, and was second in the Valley with 15.7 points per game.
Drake is far from a one-star team, and their depth is what makes them dangerous. Joining Hittner on both the All-MVC First Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete First team were guard Sammie Bachrodt and forward Sara Rhine. Bachrodt won the MVC’s Defensive Player of the Year thanks to her 1.9 steals per game, which was in the 94th percentile among eligible players nationwide. On offense, she led the Valley with 4.0 assists per game, and was another of the team’s players to average double-digit points.
Rhine is a statistical anomaly. The 6-foot-1 redshirt junior was second on the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game, shooting a blistering 62.9% from two-point territory. That was good for No. 25 in the nation last season, and it was one of the primary reasons Drake was No. 2 in the country for two-point shooting percentage. All of that is impressive in its own right, but there’s a twist. Rhine came off the bench in 26 of 32 games last season and was awarded the MVC’s Sixth Player of the Year.
Rhine has an opportunity to take the Bulldogs from a good team to a great team, and the basketball world has begun to take notice. Rhine was one of 20 players named to the 2019 Katrina McClain Preseason Watch List, an award given to the country’s top power forward in Division I. Baranczyk praised her progress this offseason, saying that “she’s better defensively” and “she’s stronger than she’s ever been.”
In addition to Rhine’s excellent production off the bench, senior Maddy Dean provides another well-rounded skill set to complement the starters. Dean was the third highest scorer last season at 10.6 points per game, as well as assisting on 30.1% of field goals while on the court.
The depth of the Drake bench is by far their greatest asset, and Drake plays with an “everybody eats” mindset. As a result of their unselfish play, Drake led the nation in assists per game, 22.9, and assisted shot rate, 76.7%. The team has found such a balance between the starters and the bench that the starters scored just 4.3 more points per game than the bench, 43.35 vs. 39.05. Baranczyk knows their depth means spreading out playing time more than a typical team, but she notes that “ if we care about [playing time], we’re not caring about the right things.”
The bench will be even deeper this season, as Drake will add a pair of freshmen as well as a pair of players with past experience who missed last season. Redshirt sophomore Monica Burich makes her Drake debut after transferring from Colorado and sitting out the 2017–18 season. Baranczyk describes Burich as a “tweener” with the versatility to play both inside and outside, and throughout last season she developed her rebounding skills as a member of the scout team. Another redshirt sophomore, Mya Mertz, returns from a medical redshirt that kept her sidelined all of last season.
Freshmen Allie Wooldridge and Maggie Negaard have both played well in exhibition play and round out the roster, adding height to a relatively short roster. Of the four players added to the mix this season, three are 6-foot-1 or taller, bringing the team to eight six-footers after having just five such players last season. The added size will help in non-conference and postseason games against more physically imposing rosters.
Over the past several years, the mid-major spotlight has been on teams like Green Bay, South Dakota State, and Quinnipiac. In addition to the premier mid-major teams, every March a Buffalo arises and knocks off a few pretty good teams. However, it seems like the basketball world might be beginning to take notice of what Drake has built. The Bulldogs received votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Preseason polls. Their first major test will come in the Vancouver Showcase, a tournament that includes three of last season’s Elite Eight competitors, most notably Notre Dame and South Carolina.
As the season progresses, don’t be surprised to see the small school from Des Moines, Iowa, climb their way into the Top 25.
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