Drake University men's basketball has signed four student-athletes for the 2015-16 season, head coach Ray Giacoletti announced Thursday, Nov. 13. Set to join the Bulldogs' program are Billy Wampler (Eau Claire, Wis.), Nick McGlynn (Stoughton, Wis.), Dominik Olejniczak (Torun, Poland) and Johannes Dolven (Oslo, Norway).
“We are excited to add these four quality student-athletes to our program,” Giacoletti said. “They are the next piece to our building process and will join a strong foundation that is already in place. We've added length, skill and scoring ability in this class. Aside from a basketball standpoint, they are committed to being academically successful and are high-character individuals.”
All four measure 6-6 or taller with both Wampler and McGlynn rated as three-star prospects by 247sports.com and Wampler ranked as the sixth-best player in the class of 2015 in Wisconsin by wissports.net. Olejniczak and Dolven add to the Bulldogs' pool of northern European talent and bring international experience combined with tremendous upside to the Bulldogs' roster.
Wampler is a 6-6, 200-pound wing from Eau Claire Regis High School in Eau Claire, Wis. During his junior season with the Ramblers under head coach Bill Uelmen, he averaged 25.5 points per game and was a unanimous Division 4 first-team all-state selection while earning honorable mention all-state honors from the Associated Press.
“Billy is an extremely skilled perimeter player that adds length, athleticism and versatility to this recruiting class,” Giacoletti said. “He is a perfect fit at Drake because he was looking for a great education and an opportunity to help build something special here.”
Wampler was also the Cloverbelt Conference Player of the Year as a junior and is a three-year honor roll student that intends to study business at Drake. He is also an AAU product of D1 Minnesota where he was coached by Nick Carroll.
“Billy had an amazing summer, and continues to improve his overall skill set every day,” Giacoletti added. “He has also experienced winning at a high level at Eau Claire Regis High School.”
Fellow Wisconsinite Nick McGlynn is a 6-8, 215-pound forward from Stoughton High School in Stoughton, Wis. As a junior for head coach Matt Hockett, he averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds to earn honorable mention all-state honors and first-team all-conference accolades. He also played in the AAU ranks for head coach Ritchie Davis and the Wisconsin Playground Warriors.
“We've been recruiting Nick since our staff arrived on campus 19 months ago,” Giacoletti said. “He possesses length, lots of versatility, skill and a good feel for the game. He has a background of winning and will be a great teammate and is another guy that is very academically inclined. He truly represents what a Drake student-athlete is all about.”
Dominik Olejniczak is an agile, 7-0, 230-pound center who averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game in his current Polish league and averaged 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game during the U-18 Division A European Championships this past summer.
“Dominik is a post player with excellent potential,” Giacoletti said. “He is very active and mobile and has quickly demonstrated continuous improvement despite only having played basketball for four years. He plays very physical and is advanced defensively for this stage of his career while being a natural shot blocker with a good feel for the game.”
He was also invited to the 2014 Euroleague Nike Junior Invitational in Kaunas, Lithuania, where he averaged 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per outing.
“Dominik is excited to get his degree from a great academic institution and about the opportunity to play basketball in the United States.” Giacoletti said. “In Poland, he plays at a very competitive level with the U-18 National team and at SMS Cetniewo Academy and is coached by Marcin Klozinski.”
Johannes Dolven is a 6-8, 225-pound forward from Oslo, Norway, who competes for Baerum Basket and the Norwegian National U18 team. During the FIBA European B U18 Championships he averaged 16.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game over eight games against international competition.
“Our staff has been recruiting Johannes since October of 2013 and we were instantly impressed with his character and love of the game of basketball,” Giacoletti said. “Johannes has represented his country in the FIBA U-16s and U-18 championships and put up impressive numbers, helping his country finish higher than ever. Johannes brings toughness, rebounding and the ability to score in the low post and we're excited about his future as a Bulldog.”
Drake's four incoming signees will join a 2015-16 roster that is projected to include four juniors and seven sophomores.
The 2014-15 Bulldogs open their season on Saturday, Nov. 15 against Bowling Green. Tipoff in the Knapp Center is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.
