Davis happy with return to bench

Drake is on the road Saturday night in Missouri Valley Conference action against Evansville. The Bulldogs are 5-6 in the Valley and 9-10 overall. In his first season at the helm Tom Davis has been pleased with his return to coaching. He says one of the most pleasant things has been the way the Des Moines area has embraced and supported the team. Davis says he is as competitive now as he ever was. He says having four years off hasn’t made him take the games any less seriously. Steve Merfeld is in his second season as the head coach at Evansville. He is best remembered as the coach of the Hampton team that stunned Iowa State in the opening round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament in Boise, Idaho. The conclusion of the game featured Merfeld being held up by one of his players and the coach kicking up his heels in joy. He says it seems like it was only yesterday, but he says it also seems like it was 30 years ago. He says that may be the way it is with great moments.Evansville is 2-9 in the Valley, 3-16 overall.