Drake senior forward Ajay Calvin has been named the Missouri Valley Conference player of the week. Calvin scored 21 points and had a career high 13 rebounds in the Bulldog’s victory over Iowa and in two games last week averaged 18-and-a-half points and 11 rebounds.
Calvin is the leading scorer in the Valley at just over 19 points per game for Drake coach Tom Davis.
Davis says Calvin has been pretty steady if you look at his numbers early in the season. Davis says it’s hard to now if that consistency will continue as the scouting gets better as you get into league play.
Davis says the success of the Missouri Valley Conference overall has helped give the Bulldogs a bigger home court advantage. Saturday’s matchup against Iowa drew a record crowd in the Knapp Center, and he says the enthusiasm during the game was at a pitch they hadn’t seen in the past. Davis says the excitement over the Valley helps generate excitement throughout the cities in the conference.
The Bulldogs are 7-2 and return to action against Toledo Friday night in the opening round of the Sun Bowl Tournament in El Paso, Texas.