Drake Blending New Era With Familiar Faces
After 14 years on the coaching staff, head coach Allison Pohlman takes over the reins of an experienced team looking to return to the top of the Valley.
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After nine years with Jennie Baranczyk at the helm, the Drake Bulldogs are entering a new era under first-year head coach Allison Pohlman. However, one could make the case that this isn’t a new era, just a new configuration, because Pohlman was on the staff since long before Baranczyk took over.
Pohlman, a Wellsburg, Iowa native, knows all about the tradition of success at Drake as well as the entire state of Iowa from her 14 years with Drake and her playing days at Northern Iowa.
“I think we have the best women's basketball fans in the state of Iowa and that's across the board, whether that’s Drake, Iowa, Iowa State, or UNI,” said Pohlman. “I think it speaks to the level of student-athlete that we're able to keep in our state.”
Pohlman is ready to keep up the momentum for Drake and expects her tenure with the program and her knowledge of the system the team will continue to run to be a major benefit.
“One of the things I think that really speaks to Drake’s success has been that our personnel really suits our system,” said Pohlman. “They're able to really showcase what they do well, and our personnel really fits what we do.”
That system is a fast, unselfish offense that has established itself among national powerhouses over the past several seasons. Drake has ranked in the top 11 in assists per game nationally since 2014, including the top three nationally for the past five seasons.
“You know, the game of basketball is fun. And that love of the game really has to be showcased. And I think it's just fostering that,” said Pohlman. “I think we will be another high assist sort of team where we're looking to really score on the pass, and it's just a fun style for them to be able to play and just set each other up and then celebrate the buckets.”
Pohlman wants to pair that offensive style with the team’s depth to keep players fresh so they can out-hustle and pester opposing teams.
“I'm really hoping that as [opponents] feel Drake basketball, it's almost like it's five on eight, you know, where they're like, ‘Where are they coming from?’” Pohlman said. “It just means that you've got five players in double figures and they’re trying to figure out ways to guard specific players, but [opponents] can't because everyone is doing what they need to do to step up.”
The team returns offensive anchor Maddie Peterson (formerly Monahan) for a fifth year, who has started in all but two of her 121 games played. Peterson is a smart passer with an assist rate (25.4%) and an assist-to-turnover ratio (1.60) that were both in the top 10 percent nationally. She was the only MVC player with an assist rate over 25%, an assist-to-turnover ratio over 1.5, and at least 3.5 assists per game last season.
Drake also returns fellow fifth-year senior Hannah Fuller, a hard-nosed player that stepped up to start games last season when called upon.
“When she steps on the floor she raises the level of intensity and competes each and every day,” Pohlman said of Fuller’s impact on the game.
The backcourt also returns sharpshooting junior Sarah Beth Gueldner and redshirt-sophomore Taylor McAulay, as well as adding Iowa transfer Megan Meyer, who will be available immediately.
Drake returns all but one piece in the frontcourt, including 2020-21 MVC Newcomer of the Year Grace Berg. Berg finished last season fourth in the MVC in Win Shares at 5.5 thanks to strong contributions on both sides of the ball. Berg ranked in the top three on the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in just her second collegiate season.
The Bulldogs also return MVC Sixth Player of the Year Maggie Bair, who put up impressive all-around numbers in her own sophomore season. Despite playing the fourth-fewest minutes on a team with tons of forward depth, Bair managed to lead the team in rebounds (7.0) and blocks (1.8), amassing the third-best Win Share total on the team at 3.1. In fact, Bair’s block rate of 11.1% was the eighth highest in the nation among players with 20 or more games played.
The major frontcourt departure for Drake is Monica Burich, who was a strong interior presence and rebounder in her two seasons in Des Moines after transferring from Colorado. Allie Wooldridge, a 6-foot-1 senior, and 6-foot sophomore Courtney Becker round out the returning frontcourt players for the Bulldogs.
Pohlman, who served as recruiting coordinator across her various roles on the Drake staff, played a big part in keeping Iowa kids in the state, including past players like Caitlin Ingle and Becca Hittner. The team also recruited well outside of the state of Iowa, finding players like Lizzy Wendel and Sara Rhine, both from Missouri.
In this year’s freshman class, there are some promising players vying to be the next cohort of building blocks for the program in the years to come.
Katie Dinnebier, a 5-foot-8 guard, comes in as one of the most highly touted recruits in several years for the Bulldogs, after a senior year at nearby Waukee High School that was capped off with a state championship. She was also named 2021 Miss Iowa Basketball and 2021 Gatorade Iowa Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Two other guards, Hannah Nilges from Jefferson City, Mo. and Maggie Phipps of Ankeny, Iowa, will join the team and hope to provide more bench depth after the departures of Kierra Collier and Maggie Negaard this offseason.
In the frontcourt, Drake adds 6-foot-1 Ashley Iiams of Ames, Iowa, and 6-foot-3 Anna Miller from Rochester, Minn. to bolster the impressive experience and depth at forward.
With such an even mix between returning talent and exciting newcomers, Pohlman has taken full advantage of having regular preseason practices.
“The summer has been priceless. It's been really nice to mesh our newcomers with our returning players. And it's been a great transition.”
Looking at the whole conference and the rising recognition it has received, Pohlman was excited for what it will bring going forward.
“This last year being so successful, having people step onto the national scene, having multiple bids constantly to the NCAA tournament, it just speaks volumes for our conference. And my expectation is that we will continue to garner that [respect] as we continue to push our conference forward.”
The Bulldogs kick off their season with a three-game homestand, beginning with Creighton on Nov. 10. That game will be followed by a gauntlet of Midwestern foes, as Drake will face Summit League power South Dakota, followed by in-state rivals Iowa State and Iowa. Drake will kick off their conference schedule on Dec. 30 at home against Indiana State.
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Stats include only games against Division I opponents.