The Drake basketball team opens Missouri Valley Conference play on Tuesday night at home against Bradley. Drake coach Mark Phelps says all the players have returned to campus even though it took a little longer due to the weather over the weekend. Phelps says they were due back on the 26th but had some guys who couldn’t get back, so they practiced with what they had.
Drake is 5-7 on the season but Phelps says the Bulldogs are a confident team heading into the start of conference play. He says they realize they have been close in 6 of 7 losses and they recognize they have pieces to play at a high level, they just need to do it more consistently.
Junior guard Ryan Wedel has been a key addition to the Bulldogs. The transfer from Arkansas State leads the team in scoring. He says Wendel is doing a great job and is playing very well, but says he can still get better and had not fully gotten his game legs after sitting out one year.
After jumping out to a quick start Bradley is 5-5 but Phelps says the Braves showed how good the could be when they knocked off Illinois. He says they are a talented, well balanced team that will be hungry after losing three games.