Drake basketball media day: Bulldogs need Tucker DeVries to make teammates better
New season, new look.
That’s the best way to describe what Drake men’s basketball fans can expect from the Bulldogs this season. There are 10 new additions to the roster, after all.
But even with the turnover — graduating a few of the best players in recent Drake history, a loss in the transfer portal, several transfer pickups and six incoming freshmen — expectations are high for the Bulldogs.
Drake was picked as the preseason favorite in the Missouri Valley Conference after winning the championship last season.
Reigning preseason Player of the Year Tucker DeVries was tabbed to win the award again, and Darnell Brodie was selected to the Preseason All-MVC Second Team.
“Love the group, love the way they’ve been working, excited to get going (and) excited for another season of Drake basketball,” head coach Darian DeVries said Monday.
High expectations don’t begin to describe Tucker DeVries’ preseason hype
Tucker DeVries has spent the last two seasons developing behind a veteran group.Now a junior, it’s time for the Bulldogs star to take on an even larger role.
“He has to become more of, not just a scorer, but also a facilitator,” Darian DeVries said of his son. “We’re putting a lot more on him on the offensive end in terms of what he needs to be able to do to provide offensive opportunities not only for himself, but to get everybody else involved.”
Drake’s coach isn’t worried about Tucker’s development, even as he shoulders a larger role. With DeVries in his third season of college basketball, the game has slowed down and he’s less of a boy going up against men.
There isn’t a set starting five … at least according to Darian DeVries
For the past several seasons, the same few players have ruled the court for Drake basketball.
Sure, the Bulldogs had a deep bench, but fans knew who to expect on the court for tipoff. That might not be the case this season.
Tucker DeVries and Darnell Brodie have secured spots in the starting lineup. With Roman Penn graduated, Conor Enright should slot in at point guard. From there, the question marks begin.
“We have some ideas on a few positions,” DeVries said. “To be honest, we’re still working through some of that.”
Could freshman guard Kevin Overton — a top-10 recruit in the state of Kansas — take on a larger role right away? Do any of the four transfer-portal pickups have what it takes to slide into a starting spot?
“This is going to be a season where you could see different lineups throughout the year,” DeVries said. “In the past two years, we’ve been pretty consistent with our starting lineup and rotations. It may be more of a variable this season.
“We don’t know yet what they can do on game day in a Drake uniform, so we’re going to figure that out as we go and see how they play together.”
A lot of fresh faces on this season’s roster
Drake basketball fans will need to learn some new names and faces this year.
The Bulldogs brought in four transfers in the offseason: Kyron Gibson (Sr., Texas-Arlington), Atin Wright (Jr., Cal-Northridge), Carlos Rosario (R-So., Washington State) and Ethan Roberts (So., Army).
Roberts — last season’s Rookie of the Year in the Patriot League — may come in with most of the preseason hype, but don’t rule out Wright. He averaged 16.7 points per game and has scored more than 1,000 career points.
In addition to the transfers, Drake brought in six freshmen: Kevin Overton, Colby Garland, Patrick Bath (walk-on), Bennett Fried (walk-on), Chico Johnson and Elijah Price.
“With 10 new guys on our roster this season, it was a little different offseason for us in terms of how we had to prepare to get ready for our season opener,” Darian DeVries said.
Who is the next great defensive player for Drake?
The Bulldogs lost a big piece of their defense with the graduation of D.J. Wilkins, who was regarded as one of the best defenders in the Missouri Valley Conference.
His absence leaves a hole in Drake’s defense, and while there are certainly plenty of options for DeVries to choose from, it’s unclear which player could become the guy who fills Wilkins’ shoes.
“A lot of D.J.’s (success) was because he was so smart,” DeVries said. “He understood angles, he understood what people were trying to do on the offensive end. We’re still trying to figure out which guys that’s going to be for us this year.
“I think we have several guys that can really guard. It’s just about committing to be that guy.”
Could the Bulldogs start the season with a healthy roster?
DeVries knocked on the podium as he discussed the health of his roster, with the start of the season just a couple weeks away.
“We’re in a pretty good spot right now, from an injury standpoint,” DeVries said. “We’ve had some tough luck with injuries the last five years. Right now, though, we’re about as healthy as we’ve been two weeks before the season’s starting.”
Enright was one major piece of Drake’s possible starting lineup who dealt with some injuries in the last few weeks. As he gets back into full practice, DeVries expects that the redshirt sophomore guard will be on track to return in time for the season opener.
“Conor should be in a really good spot, hopefully within this next week or so,” DeVries said.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tucker DeVries expectations and more from Drake basketball media day
