Drake Basketball: New Era Under Coach Ben McCollum
The Drake Bulldogs rebuild under Ben McCollum after the Darian Devries era ends. Meet the new roster and season expectations.
It was an all out battle last season between the Drake Bulldogs and the Indiana State Sycamores within the Missouri Valley Conference. Ultimately, the Drake Bulldogs prevailed in the Arch Madness Championship to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, following the season, head coach Darian Devries accepted a the job at West Virginia, bringing his standout son, Tucker Devries along with him.
Devries leaves behind one of the best runs in the Bulldogs’ history with a record of 150-55 across six seasons. Drake reached the NCAA Tournament three out of those six seasons and even reached the Top 25 AP Poll in the 2020-2021 season. Now, with the Devries era behind them, the Bulldogs have plucked one of the top talents from the Division II ranks, Ben McCollum.
McCollum’s name has been tossed around for Division I openings for years, but he was hesitant on accepting a position until he thought it was a true fit. He found that in Des Moines. Across 15 seasons at Northwest Missouri State, he finished with a 394-91 record, including a perfect 38-0 season in the 2018-2019 seasons and four NCAA Division II Championships. If you remove his first two seasons, that record improves to 372-60, missing the NCAA Tournament just once.
McCollum has brought in multiple players from his team at Northwest Missouri State, along with other pieces from the transfer portal. Let’s check out what his roster looks like entering year one as a Division I coach.
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Roster Overview:
Let’s recap who the Bulldogs have returning on their roster:
Nate Ferguson (Senior)
3.7 points, 2.9 rebounds
Andrew Alia (R-Sophomore)
0.9 points, 0.3 rebounds
The Bulldogs added the following players from the transfer portal:
Daniel Abreu (Senior) - Northwest Missouri State
10.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists
Isaiah Jackson (Senior) - Northwest Missouri State
7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists
Bennett Stirtz (Junior) - Northwest Missouri State
15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals
Eli Shetlar (Sophomore) - Indiana State
2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds
Cam Manyawu (Sophomore) - Wyoming
7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1 steal
Tavion Banks (Junior) - Northwest Florida State
10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals
Kael Combs (Sophomore) - Wyoming
2.7 points, 1 rebound
Mitch Mascari (Senior) - Northwest Missouri State
10 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1 steal
The Bulldogs added the following player as incoming Freshman:
Isaia Howard
Joey Matteoni
The Bulldogs lost the following players:
Kyron Gibson (Ineligible)
3.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Darnell Brodie (Ineligible)
11.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists
Eric Northweather (Graduated/Chose not to use COVID year)
1.8 points, 0.7 rebounds
Bennett Fried (Sophomore / RS Freshman) - Augustana
Redshirt
Patrick Bath (Sophomore) - North Dakota State
DNP
Elijah Price (Sophomore) - Fresno State
DNP
Chico Johnson (Sophomore) - USC Upstate
DNP
Colby Garland (Sophomore) - Longwood
5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Tucker Devries (Senior) - West Virginia
21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals
Ethan Roberts (Junior) - Penn
DNP
Brashon Hall (Senior) - TBD
0.6 points, 0.3 rebounds
Carlos Rosario (Senior) - Oral Roberts)
2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds
Conor Enright (Junior) - DePaul
6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1 steal
Kevin Overton (Sophomore) - Texas Tech
11.3 points 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assist
Atin Wright (Senior) - North Texas
14.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals
Usually in these offseason reviews, I’ll recap the key pieces each team lost and the impact that has…well in this case, Drake lost all but two players following Devries’ departure to West Virginia. The largest loss is obviously Coach Devries’ son, Tucker. Tucker is an NBA Talented player and will be a huge piece for the Mountaineers this coming season.
Let’s dive straight into the additions in the portal thus far. The Bulldogs’ roster features four players from Coach McCollum’s Northwest Missouri State team last season: Daniel Abreu, Isaiah Jackson, Bennett Stirtz, and Mitch Mascari.
Bennett Stirtz is a star in the making. As a freshman, he averaged 12.6 points, 3.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game on a team that went 31-3 on the season. As a sophomore last year, he averaged 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals while leading the team to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16. He is a tremendous shooter, as a freshman he shot 60.1% from the floor and 43.8% from 3pt. Last season, he shot 51% overall and 32.7% from beyond the arc. Stirtz has Division I talent, so he’ll slide in well his first season in the Missouri Valley. In fact, I’m putting Stirtz on my preseason newcomer watch list for the MVC.
Daniel Abreu has consistently gotten better over his career. As a freshman, he averaged 3.1 points, then 6.2, 6.5, and now 10.6 last season. He averaged 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and nearly one block per game as well. Shooting wise, he averaged 54.6% from the floor overall and 35.9% from 3pt. The 6’6 SF will be a key piece in the Bulldogs rotation to offset Stirtz.
Isaiah Jackson is a crafty 6’2 guard. Last season he averaged 7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on 43.4% shooting overall and 34.8% from 3pt (just 46 attempts). Jackson racked up some massive games including a 12 rebound performance against Fort Hays State and an 11 assist game against Nebraska-Kearney. Jackson is a perfect point guard, but he won’t give you a ton of offense. We’ve sometimes seen guards like that struggle in an ultra-competitive Missouri Valley, but his ability to dish it out, create offense for others, and rack up the boards will help alleviate the offensive gaps.
Mitch Mascari is another senior that has continuously developed under McCollum. Throughout four years, he has gone from averaging just 1.3 points as a freshman, to 10 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and one steal per game. On the season, he shot 47.3% overall and a ridiculous 48% from beyond the arc on 171 attempts. Mascari can absolutely light it up from deep. He shot a season high 9/12 from 3pt against Washburn, in which every single attempt was a 3pt shot. Jack Goehlke 2.0 incoming? He’s fun to watch and he’s lethal from deep. Perfect combo for the Missouri Valley.
Wrapping up the non-DI transfers, Tavion Banks is incoming from Northwest Florida State. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on 44.5% shooting overall and 22.4% from 3pt. Banks at 6’7 had some impressive performances including a 15 rebound game against Central Georgia Technical College, 12 rebounds against Gaston College, and six 10+ rebound games in total. He won’t light it up from deep as he took just 49 shots from 3pt, however he’s a monster rebounder that can clean up the glass. At 6’7, he’ll have to battle up against some big talent down low in the Valley, but it’ll be fun to watch some old fashion basketball.
McCollum nabbed two transfers from Wyoming. Cam Manyawu had a fantastic season as a freshman in the Mountain West. He averaged 7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and one steal per game on 60.7% shooting. The 6’9 Manyawu will certainly hold down the 5 spot for the Bulldogs this season. He had ten 10+ rebound games and seven double-doubles last season. Against some tough teams like Colorado State and Nevada he posted some impressive games. He’ll need to get the fouling under control as he averaged nearly three a game. He fouled out in six games and finished with four or more in 11 games. Staying on the floor will give the Bulldogs a competitive edge.
Kael Combs was another freshman last season for the Cowboys that’s now headed to Des Moines. Combs appeared in 27 games, averaging 10.4 minutes. On the season, he shot 48.1% and 33.3% from 3pt, while averaging 2.7 points and one rebound per game. He finished the year strong, averaging 6.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and nearly one steal per game. This includes a 12 point, 5 assist game against Boise State. Coming out of high school, he held only one other offer from Missouri State, but the skilled guard averaged 23.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists as a senior.
The last incoming transfer is Eli Shetlar from Indiana State. Similar to Combs and Manyawi, Shetlar will be a sophomore this coming season. For the Sycamores, he appeared in just 11 games, averaging 5.5 minutes. In the limited opportunities, he did average 2.5 points and 1.1 rebounds on 41.7% shooting. His best game of the season came against Southern Indiana in a 98-54 blowout win. He finished the game with 13 points and two rebounds on 5-9 shooting, 3-7 from 3pt in 17 minutes. Shetlar scored in just three other games, but there were signs that he can knock down some shots. He posted six points in eight minutes against Valparaiso and seven points in eight minutes against IU-Indy. Coming out of high school, he had several mid-major offers including, Fordham, SEMO, Toledo, Illinois State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and Radford. Shetlar is yet another shooter on the roster for McCollum with some extra height at 6’6.
The Bulldogs have two incoming freshman joining year one of a new era in Des Moines, Joey Matteoni and Isaia Howard. Joey Matteoni is a 6’8 forward out of Kansas. He held offers from Army, Navy, Washburn, and yep you guessed it, Northwest Missouri State. Matteoni was already on McCollum’s radar and had signed a letter of intent with the Bearcats, so now he’s following the coach to the Missouri Valley. As a senior, he averaged 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 21 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Unfortunately, there isn’t much footage or information on his style of play, but certainly his 6’8 height will be some nice depth on the roster.
Isaia Howard held offers from North Dakota State, Pittsburg State, and Missouri Western before receiving his offer from Drake. The 6’5 freshman out of Missouri initially committed to North Dakota State, but decommitted on April 16th. It’s almost certain he was already on McCollum’s radar in Missouri, so when coach saw the chance, he swooped in. Howard had some impressive stats as a senior averaging 34.4 points, 13.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 5.6 steals per game.
Lastly, Drake has two returning players in senior Nate Ferguson and Andrew Alia. Ferguson has spent his past four seasons with the Bulldogs and has decided to ride out one more year in Des Moines. He’s started just one game in his career, but he’s provided meaningful minutes off the bench. On his career, he is averaging 11.4 minutes per game. Last season, he averaged a career-high 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. His veteran leadership will be a crucial piece for McCollum’s first season.
Andrew Alia redshirt as a freshman, but didn’t see much time on the court last season. He appeared in 16 games, averaging just 2.5 minutes. He managed his best game against Belmont where he had five points on 2-2 shooting in just three minutes. He’s listed as a walk-on, so don’t expect to see Alia take over many minutes this season.
Preseason Expectations
This is an intriguing Drake team, no doubt. The roster isn’t full of top recruited talent, but there’s enough pieces to compete in a wide open Missouri Valley Conference. One thing that has really caught my eye is McCollum’s investment in the future. Looking at the transfers, he picked up three sophomores, all with high upsides that can be a part of building the new era in Des Moines.
At point guard, Isaiah Jackson will certainly lead the way. Last season, he averaged 4.6 assists per game and had a season high of 11 in one game. Bennett Stirtz will be the main offensive weapon for the Bulldogs, however, he can also help dish it out to his teammates. He averaged 3.5 assists per game and had a season high of eight in one game.
Down low, they are going to have to rely on Nate Ferguson and his veteran leadership to lock it down, along with sophomore Cam Manyawu as he’s coming off an impressive freshman campaign at Wyoming. Tavion Banks had two successful seasons in JUCO and will be right in the middle of the rotation as well this season. Don’t be shocked if incoming freshman Joey Matteoni plays some meaningful minutes. Drake doesn’t have a ton of depth with height, so developing Matteoni will be crucial for the future success of the program.
For offense they are going to have to rely on Stirtz being the go-to player. He has done nothing but impress in his first two seasons at Northwest Missouri State, so I have no doubt that his abilities will translate to the Division I level. I’m excited to watch Mitch Mascari as well, his 48% 3pt shooting will help open up more opportunities for his teammates. You could imagine a rotation of Isaiah Jackson, Bennett Stirtz, Mitch Mascari, Cam Manyawu, and Nate Ferguson (feel free to swap Tavion Banks here). Jackson isn’t a huge offensive threat, but he’s a crafty playmaker. Stirtz has a tremendous offensive ability, Mascari can force defenders out to ensure no open look threes, and Manyawu and Ferguson/Banks control the paint. There’s a ton of different options for McCollum, and he can run plays through multiple players without having to rely on one single individual, such as Stirtz.
Referencing the hypothetical rotation above, you still have one of Tavion Banks or Nate Ferguson, Daniel Abreu, Kael Combs, Eli Shetlar, and the two freshman in Joey Matteoni and Isaia Howard on the bench. Banks is a rebounding machine, so truthfully he could slide into the starting line up and Abreu is a veteran senior with a strong offensive prowess as well. Combs and Shetlar can provide meaningful rotation minutes for the guards, while you allow Matteoni and Howard the opportunities to develop. There’s a reasonable chance one of the two freshman redshirt this season.
Defensively, there is a bit of a question mark here. None of the big men are strong shot blockers and the roster is full of 6’6 players or below. Their on-ball defense has the potential to be strong if everyone’s abilities transfer to the Division I level. Mascari, Banks, and Stirtz all averaged at least one steal, while Manyawu also averaged one steal last season for Wyoming. I’d be curious to see how Manyawu develops this season because he is already a prolific rebounder. Adding the presence of Banks and Ferguson to help on the boards could open up an opportunity for Manyawu to take a step forward on his shot blocking abilities. Last season, he did have a couple of 2+ block games.
Drake hasn’t posted a full schedule yet, however, here are the confirmed games thus far: Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia Southern, Miami (MTE), either FAU or Oklahoma State (MTE), Kansas State, Green Bay, and Stephen F Austin. This is a fairly tough schedule. Playing in the Charleston Classic is attributable to the Bulldogs recent success, but they built out even more opportunities with Kansas State and Stephen F Austin. Green Bay, Georgia Southern, and Florida Gulf Coast are all respectable mid-majors as well. There is discussion of a home-and-home with UAB, however, it has not been confirmed whether that starts this year or next year (seems to be most likely 2025). I want to give some kudos to Drake for not holding back in year one with a new head coach. It is clear, they want to continue to build on the momentum the program has even in a new era.
Regardless of the way you look at this team, the largest question is, will all of these player’s abilities translate to the Division I level? There’s just five players entering the season with previous Division I experience and the Missouri Valley is one of the better mid-major conferences in college basketball. It’s not going to be a walk in the park, however, several players are coming from one of the top teams in Division II. Additionally, they already know the coach, his system, and processes. There’s a lot of potential in this Drake Bulldogs team and they are going to be a fun one to watch and monitor as Ben McCollum begins his Division I coaching journey.
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