DES MOINES, Iowa – The 2017-18 Bulldog Club Drake Basketball Tipoff Breakfast took place Thursday, Oct. 26 morning at the Downtown Marriott in front of a record crowd. The annual breakfast is an opportunity for Drake basketball fans and supporters to wake up and socialize with the men's and women's programs as another season of Bulldog basketball is set to start.

The voices of Drake basketball Larry Cotlar and Hunter Phillips served as co-emcees of the morning's event. Cotlar started the event with a few remarks, including thanking the Downtown Marriott for their continued support of the annual preseason event. He then welcomed the seniors from the men's basketball team, Ore Arogundade, De'Antae McMurray, C.J. Rivers, Reed Timmer and Graham Woodward to the stage. Arogundade introduced the rest of the team to the audience.

Phillips then took the stage and welcomed Paige Greiner, the lone senior from the women's basketball team, who introduced her teammates to the group.

In addition to the introduction of both teams, fans had the chance to catch up and eat breakfast with the student-athletes and the basketball coaching staffs while listening to comments from women's head coach Jennie Baranczyk, first-year men's head coach Niko Medved and interim director of athletics Megan Franklin.

This season fans will have the opportunity to check out the women's team first as it hosts Grand View in an exhibition contest on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. The men's team welcomes Minnesota Crookston on Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. in its lone exhibition game. The women will play one more exhibition against Truman State on Nov. 5 at 2 p.m.

The regular season opens the following week as the women host Milwaukee on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in the first round of the preseason WNIT. The following afternoon, the men welcome Coe College with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m.

Single game, flex packs and season tickets men's and women's games are on sale now. For more information call the Drake Ticket Office at 515-271-DOGS (3647) or visit www.draketix.com.