"I want to win another ring." Drake women's basketball is ready to build off big season
As Drake women’s basketball coach Allison Pohlman stepped up to the podium at the Shivers Practice Facility to begin media day Thursday, she was greeted by a round of applause.
Pohlman, before giving her opening statement, looked to the back of the gym where her players were filing in and cheering her on.
“Thank you for the welcome, team,” Pohlman said with a smile.
The excitement level is hard to miss around the program these days. The Bulldogs, who are coming off an outstanding season, are poised to accomplish even more things when the season kicks off with an exhibition game against Upper Iowa on Oct. 29 at the Knapp Center.
“I think everyone is just itching at the bit to get back on the court and to be playing again,” said Drake guard Katie Dinnebier.
Excitement for this season has been building since the end of last season. The 2022-23 season was the most successful under the watch of Pohlman, who took over the team in 2021 when Jennie Baranczyk left for Oklahoma.
Drake struggled at times as the Bulldogs welcomed in a new roster of fresh faces full of potential. But the group found its footing in Year 2 under Pohlman, going 22-10, including 14-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Bulldogs won the MVC Tournament and nearly knocked off five-seed Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 83-81. The loss stung but the season and that game proved that Drake had gotten back on track.
“I think the best part about it is you step on the floor with these women, and they were excited,” Pohlman said. “I think you get a taste of that success that we had.”
There certainly could be more to come for the Bulldogs who bring back nine players from last season’s squad, including three starters. Grace Berg, who averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists, is back. So does Dinnebier, the team’s point guard who averaged 11.7 points and 5.8 assists per game. Anna Miller, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year/Sixth Player of the Year, also returns.
The biggest void the Bulldogs have to fill is the one left by the team’s leading scorer, post player Maggie Bair. But Pohlman said Drake’s versatility throughout the lineup will be able to help ease the loss. The Bulldogs also brought in three freshmen and added transfer Anna Brown. The new additions and the holdovers have already created a strong dynamic.
“This is one of the best teams, chemistry-wise, that I’ve been a part of,” Berg said.
That’s part of the reason the Bulldogs are hoping to accomplish even more this season. Pohlman admitted the team will embrace the target they’ll likely have on their backs this year after last season's breakout campaign. Berg said she believes they’ve just “scratched the surface of their potential.”
They’ll find out just how good they can be this season with the first official game on Nov. 6 against St. Thomas. It follows two exhibition games.
“The goal is always to win but win another championship,” Berg said. “I want to win another ring. I want to get another shirt and see another banner come down.”
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake women's basketball has sights set on another big season
