PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
Drake Bulldogs: 4-2  (Coach: Mark Phelps, first year)
Pos.    Player (Ht., Yr., Hometown)        PPG    RPG    FG%    FT%
G-3    Craig Stanley (5-11, Jr., Plano, Texas)        6.3    0.8    .545    .722
G-20    Josh Young (6-1, Jr., Lawton, Okla.)        16.5    3.0    .377    .917
F-4    Brent Heemskerk (6-8, Sr., Grand Rapids, Mich.)    7.7    6.7    .600    .500
F-31    Jonathan Cox (6-8, Sr., Barrington, Ill.)        11.2    8.2    .458    .833
F-44    Adam Templeton (6-5, Jr., Rapid City, S.D.)    6.0    2.8    .414    .714
Top Reserves
F-2    Alex White (6-6, Sr., Albuquerque, N.M.)    1.2    2.6    .500    ??
G-11    Jacob Baryenbruch (6-0, Sr., Spring Green, Wis.)    2.7    1.0    .222    1.00
F-22    Bill Eaddy (6-5, Jr., Ypsilanti, Mich.)        5.3    2.3    .400    .900
G-23    Josh Parker (6-0, So., Harvey, Ill.)        9.7    1.7    .500    .750
F- 50    John Michael Hall (6-5, Sr., Moultrie, Ga.)    1.8    0.8    .167    .714

Texas-Pan American Broncs: 2-5  (Coach: Tom Schuberth, third year)
Pos.    Player (Ht., Yr., Hometown)        PPG    RPG    FG%    FT%
G-1    P.J. Turner (5-11, So., Auburndale, Fla.)        4.7    1.3    .367    .667
G-12    Nick Weiermiller (6-1, So., Elmira, N.Y.)        12.1    2.0    .475    .760
G-33    Ben Smith (6-3, Jr., Pharr, Texas)        6.3    2.9    .304    .778
F-2    Nathan Hawkins (6-6, Jr., San Antonio, Texas)    10.1    5.3    .509    .464
F-10    Emmanuel Jones (6-7, Sr., Washington, D.C.)    19.9    7.7    .518    .500
Top Reserves
G-11    Jared Maree (6-3, Fr., Houston, Texas)        2.1    2.3    .263    .444
F-31    Luis Valera (6-7, Jr., Guama Yaracuy, Venezuela)    6.6    4.3    .459    .706   


THE SETTING: The Drake men's basketball team will  host Texas-Pan American in the second annual Iowa Realty Invitational Friday, beginning a stretch in which the Bulldogs will be playing five games in nine days.
   
The Bulldogs play North Carolina Central at 3:06 p.m. Saturday. Texas-Pan American meets North Carolina Central at 11 a.m. Sunday to conclude the round-robin tournament.
   
Drake opens Big Four play at Iowa State Tuesday (Dec. 9) and then hosts Georgia Southern Dec. 12 in the first round of the Drake Hy-Vee Classic with another game against either North Dakota
State or Stephen F. Austin Dec. 13.   

IOWA REALTY INVITATIONAL HISTORY: Drake won the inaugural Iowa Realty Tournament championship last year beating North Carolina Central, 85-48, in the first round before topping Duquesne, 77-73 for the title.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Texas-Pan American (2-5) has been idle since last Saturday when it dropped a 62-60 decision to Western Illinois at the Las Vegas Tournament.  This will mark the third tournament the Broncs have played in this season after earlier finishing third in the Air Force Tournament.
   
Senior forward Nathan Hawkins is the lone returning starter from last year's team which posted an 18-13 record. Senior forward Emmanuel Jones has more than doubled his scoring average from last season (9.3) by pacing the team with a 19.9 average, enjoying four 20-plus scoring games including 27 in a season opening 84-59 victory past Sul Ross State and 27 in a 67-60 loss to North Carolina A&T in the Las Vegas Tournament.
   
North Carolina Central (0-7) is coming off a 73-64 home loss to High Point Wednesday night.  The Eagles, in the midst of playing 10 of their first 11 games on the road, have four starters back from last year's team which went 4-26.

THE SERIES: Drake owns a 1-0 lead in the series against Texas-Pan American claiming an 83-55 victory in the championship of the 2007 Drake Regency Challenge. The Bulldogs beat North Carolina Central, 85-48, in the only previous meeting between the schools during the opening round of the 2007 Iowa Realty Invitational.

THE LAST TIME: Here's a look back at Drake's games with Texax-Pan American and North Carolina Central from he 2007-08 campaign.
   
 Drake 83, Texas Pan American 55 (Dec. 8, 2007, Des Moines, Iowa) ? Junior forward Brent Heemskerk came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points, while junior forward Jonathan Cox enjoyed his second straight double-double as Drake beat Texas-Pan American, to capture its second straight Drake Regency Classic championship.
   
Cox was named the outstanding player in the tournament after collecting 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double of the season.
   
Heemskerk, who entered the game leading the Missouri Valley Conference in field goal percentage (.737), made seven of eight shots from the floor while also collecting a season-high seven rebounds.
   
Sophomore guard Josh Young, who joined Heemskerk on the all-tournament team, added 14 points and three steals. Senior guard Leonard Houston contributed 11 points ? all in the first half.
   
Texas-Pan American became the sixth Drake opponent to shoot less than 40 percent from the field, hitting 39.6 percent.
   
Heemskerk made two layups igniting a 9-0 run that gave Drake a 20-12 lead it would never relinquish with 9:32 left in the first half. The Bulldogs used a 9-2 run, with Houston contributing six points, to expand their lead to 29-15.
   
Cox scored six points midway through the second half to trigger an 11-2 scoring flurry by Drake which broke the game open at 60-39. Drake outrebounded Texas-Pan American, 37-25.

Drake 85, North Carolina Central 48 (Nov. 30, 2007, Des Moines, Iowa) ? Senior guard Leonard Houston scored 18 points, including 10 in the first half, to pace a balanced attack, as Drake rolled in the opening round of the Iowa Realty Invitational.
   
Houston scored Drake's first seven points as the Bulldogs raced to a 7-0 lead and were never threatened. Josh Young scored seven straight points in a 23-second span to expand Drake's lead to 26-7 with 9:16 left in the game. Young finished with 13 points as Drake had five players score in double figures for the second straight game.
   
Junior forward Brent Heemskerk came off the bench to add 12 points, while junior forwards Jonathan Cox and Alex White chipped in with 10 points apiece.
   
The Bulldogs forced North Carolina Central into 26 turnovers, converting those miscues into 38 points. Drake also had 14 steals marking the fourth time in five games that it had reached double figures in that category hit 11 treys with Houston collecting three three-point baskets.
   
Drake outrebounded North Carolina Central, 43-34, with Hemskeerk, White, Houston, Cox and Klayton Korver grabbing five apiece.

TWO OF THREE: This will mark the second of three straight weekends that Drake will be playing in tournaments. The Bulldogs will host the second annual Iowa Realty Invitational Dec. 5-7 and the inaugural Drake Hy-Vee Classic Dec. 12-13.
   
The Bulldogs won two regular-season tournaments last year, beating Duquesne (77-73) in the Iowa Realty Invitational, and Texas-Pan American (83-55) in the championship of the Drake Regency Challenge. The Bulldogs also played in two regular season tournaments in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Drake finished third in the 2005 Las Vegas Holiday Invitational, while capturing the Drake Regency Challenge. The Bulldogs won the 2006 Sun Bowl Tournament in El Paso, Texas, as well as the 2006 Drake Regency Challenge, while finishing fifth in the 2006 Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska.

THE COACHES: A new era in Drake University basketball is underway with Mark Phelps being named the school's 25th head men's basketball coach, April 21, 2008. He succeeded Keno Davis who resigned to become head coach at Providence College.
   
Phelps served as associate head coach at Arizona State the past two seasons. The Virginia Beach, Va., native  had served on the coaching staff at North Carolina State under head coach Herb Sendek from 1996-2006 before joining Sendek at Arizona State in 2006.
   
He was part of Sendek's staff that led North Carolina State to a 53-39 record (.576) in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament play in the final five seasons in Raleigh, N.C. The Wolfpack tied for the second most wins in the ACC from 2001-2002 through the 2005-06 season. He joined the North Carolina State staff in 1996, serving as director of basketball operations before becoming assistant coach in 2000. He was promoted to recruiting coordinator, director of scouting and assistant coach with the Wolfpack in 2005.
   
Phelps posted a 148-53 record (.736 winning percentage) in six years as a high school head coach in Virginia. He was head coach at Atlantic Shores Christian High School in Chesapeake, Va.,  where he compiled a 44-12 record. The 1996 Old Dominion graduate  also coached four years at Rock Church Academy, constructing a 104-41 record while leading teams to three straight Metro Conference championships.
   
Tom Schuberth, a 1980 graduate of Mississippi State, is in his third year as head coach of Texas-Pan American, owning a 34-33 record. He was an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State, under former Drake head coach Gary Garner (1981-88) from 1997-2001. Former Drake head coach Keno Davis also was an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State during the same time Schuberth was there.
   
In his first season as head coach, the Broncs improved their win total by eight victories - from six to 14 - and were the NCAA Division I Top Regular Season Turnaround Team in the State of Texas for the 2006-07 season. The Broncs also found themselves in the record books as UTPA
connected on 220 three-pointers during the 2006-07 season, which were the second-most three-point connections in program history - six shy of the program record.
   
Schuberth brought 25 years of coaching experience to Texas-Pan American, which included 11 NCAA Tournaments, two Sweet 16 appearances as well as a trip to both the Elite Eight and Final Four. The UTPA head coach has been a part of 12 different 20-win programs and has coached 14 conference championship squads in five separate NCAA Division I Conferences.
   
Known in many coaching circles as a tremendous recruiter, Schuberth helped put together the top-ranked recruiting class in the country during his time at the University of Memphis, recruiting a trio of NBA players, three McDonald's High School All-Americans and two National Junior College Players of the Year. He also played a major role in bringing Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway - one of the top collegiate players in the 1990s - to Memphis.
   
Schuberth spent four seasons at Central Florida as an associate head coach where the Golden Knights recorded an 84-41 record during his tenure. He also was  an assistant coach at Alabama at Birmingham in 2001-02 and Louisiana-Monroe from 1983-92. Schuberth was a two-year starter at Mississippi State where he was ranked third in the Southeastern Conference in assists during the 1979-80 season. He appeared in two post-season tournaments during his collegiate playing career, advancing to the 1977 Final Four with UNLV as a freshman and 1979 National Invitation Tournament with Mississippi State.

WHO'S HOT...WHO'S NOT: Fifth-year Drake senior forward Brent Heemskerk is shooting 70 percent from the floor (14-20) in his last three games. Fifth-year senior forward Jonathan Cox is averaging 9.5 rebounds in his last four games. Sophomore guard Josh Parker is averaging 12.5 points in his last four games....But junior guard Josh Young has made just eight of his last 29 shots from the floor (27.5 percent) including 5-of-20 beyond the three-point arc (25 percent).

COX HONORED: Drake's Jonathan Cox was named recipient of the Cancun Challenge “Overachiever” award after averaging 12.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in two games. while leading Drake to a third-place finish. He had 12 points and seven rebounds vs. Vanderbilt, while tying a career high with four three-point baskets. Cox collected 12 points and a season-high 14 rebounds against New Mexico on Sunday.

SECRET WEAPON: Drake's Brent Heemskerk has proven to be another weapon in Drake's attack. After averaging just 1.0 point in the first two games of the season, Heemskerk has come alive averaging 11.0 points in his last four games: 12 vs. South Dakota State, eight vs. Vanderbilt, 17 vs. New Mexico, seven vs. Lincoln (Mo.).
    
Heemskerk scored a season-high 17 points, making seven of nine shots, in a 68-62 victory against New Mexico. He also made his first three-point basket since the 2005-06 season.

SIXTH MAN: Drake sophomore reserve guard Josh Parker is coming off a career-high 22-point outburst against Lincoln (Mo.) Wednesday. He is averaging 12.5 points in his last four games. He matched a then career high with 12 points against Vanderbilt last Friday in the Cancun Challenge. It marked the second straight game he had scored 12 points after first accomplishing his career-high feat against South Dakota State Nov. 23.   

PARKER POWERS DRAKE TO WIN; Sophomore guard Josh Parker came off the bench to score a career-high 22 points, including six three-point baskets, to spark a road weary Drake  to 75-50 nonconference victory past Lincoln (Mo.) Wednesday night.
   
The Bulldogs made 14 three-point baskets while improving their record to 4-2 entering a Friday home game against Texas-Pan American in the Drake Iowa Realty Invitational.
 
Parker made his first five shots from the floor, including four from beyond the three-point arch. It marked the third time in the last four games that Parker has achieved a career high in scoring.
   
During a five-minute 15-second minute stretch (13:15 to 8:00) in the first half, Drake made six of seven three-point baskets which allowed the Bulldogs to turn a 10-9 lead into a 30-14 advantage following a three-point basket from the right wing by Josh Young.
   
Young tallied 12 points, while senior forward Jonathan Cox collected 11 points and eight rebounds. Junior point guard Craig Stanley dished out a career-high 11 assists, while senior reserve point guard Jacob Baryenbruch added a career-high six assists. Stanley also had three steals.
    
The Bulldogs shot 57.1 percent from the floor in the first half en route to erecting a 40-25 lead against the NCAA Division II Blue Lions.
 
Drake outrebounded Lincoln, 38-28, with senior reserve forward Alex White  tying a career high with nine rebounds.
 
The Bulldogs were playing their third game in five days after returning to Des Moines late Monday night from an all-day journey which started in Cancun, Mexico where they finished third in the Cancun Challenge.

CHAMPIONSHIP BANNERS UNVEILED: Prior to the basketball game against Lincoln (Mo.) on Wednesday, both the 2007-08 MVC Championship and NCAA Tournament banners were unveiled.

DRAKE CLAIMS THIRD IN CANCUN: Senior forward Brent Heemskerk, appearing in his 100th career game, scored a season-high 17 points as Drake held off New Mexico, 68-62, to capture third place in the inaugural Cancun Challenge at the Moon Palace Resort Sunday night.
   
Senior forward Jonathan Cox enjoyed his first double-double of the season with 12 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs who moved to 3-2.
   
A jumper by Heemskerk gave Drake its largest lead of the game at 62-48 with 6 minutes 28 seconds left, but the Bulldogs would finish the contest without making a basket, missing their last three shots while committing four turnovers. But Drake preserved the win by making six of eight free throws down the stretch.
   
Young and junior guard Craig Stanley added 10 points apiece for Drake. Stanley dished out six assists. Senior reserve guard Jacob Baryenbruch added seven points, including a trey, while sinking all four free throw attempts in the waning minutes.
   
Drake broke away from a 31-31 halftime tie by making its first five shots from the floor, including three-point baskets from Josh Young, Adam Templeton and Cox to forge to a 45-38 lead with 16:23 remaining.
   
Then Heemskerk gave Drake its first double-digit lead of the game at 50-40 with a trey from the right baseline with 13:06 left. It marked the first three-point basket by Heemskerk since the 2005-06 campaign.
   
Drake finished with eight three-point baskets, coming from five different players.
   
The Bulldogs outrebounded New Mexico, 36-29 Two free throws by Stanley with 27.7 seconds left enabled Drake to tie the game at halftime at 31-31. There were four lead changes in the first half and the score was tied twice.
   
Drake overcame 36.8 shooting from the floor by sinking 15 of 22 free throws compared to 6 of 10 charity tosses by New Mexico.
   
The Lobos enjoyed a 13-5 lead at the 13:50 mark, before Drake went on an 11-2 run to grab its first lead of the game at 16-15 following a layup by Stanley.

CHARITY TOSSES: One bright spot during the young season for the Bulldogs has been free throw shooting where Drake leads the Missouri Valley Conference hitting at an 81.1 percent clip (99-122). Drake has made more free throws (99) than its opponents have attempted (72). Four players are shooting 75 percent or better led by Josh Young at 91.7 percent (33-36), followed by Bill Eaddy at 90 percent (9-10), Jonathan Cox at 83.3 percent (10-12) and Josh Parker at 75 percent (15-20).

OPPOSITES ATTRACT: Consider the start Drake junior Josh Young is enjoying to open the season.  The personable guard is not only leading the MVC in scoring (16.5 avg.), free throws made (33) and free throws attempted (36) but he has committed just four fouls and those came in the fourth and fifth games of the season in Cancun, Mexico.

COX HITS CENTURY MARK: Preseason All-MVC forward Jonathan Cox appeared in his 100th career game when Drake played Vanderbilt Saturday. Cox, who is averaging 8.0 rebounds in his last three games, is tied for No. 14 on the school's career rebounding list at 587.

PACK A SUITCASE: Fifth-year senior Brent Heemskerk, who has appeared in 100 games at Drake, has learned how to pack a suitcase during his career at Drake. He already has made three trips to California along with road trips to Florida and The Bahamas last season, as well as The Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2006, and most recently, Cancun, Mexico.

ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL: Drake, coming off a school-record 28-5 campaign,  received one vote in the inaugural preseason Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll released Oct. 31. The Bulldogs were ranked nine straight weeks in the 2007-08 Associated Press Top 25 poll, finishing No. 14 in the final poll.
   
Four opponents which Drake will play this season also received votes: Vanderbilt 11, Butler seven, New Mexico three and Creighton seven.
   
DRAKE IN SEASON OPENERS: The Bulldogs' record in season openers slipped to 66-37 following a 58-48 home loss to Butler that ended a streak of seven straight season opening wins.
       
A SEASON TO REMEMBER: Picked to finish ninth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll, Drake was the TALK of college basketball in 2007-08, posting a school-record 28-5 mark while storming to the MVC regular-season and post-season tournament titles. The Bulldogs also made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1971.
   
The Bulldogs enjoyed a school-record 21-game winning streak, while being ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll nine straight weeks. The 21-game winning streak was the fourth longest winning streak by a team in Missouri Valley Conference history, and the longest winning streak since Bradley reeled off 22 straight wins in 1985-86.
   
Drake started off the MVC season with a 13-0 record before finishing at 15-3 for the most league victories ever by a Bulldog team.
   
Drake became just the 12th regular season MVC champion to also win the league tournament title. Drake's 13-0 league start marked just the fifth time in the last 50 years that a school has enjoyed a 13-0 start in the MVC.  Drake more than doubled its entire MVC victory output of six wins in 2006-07.

SIZING UP THE BULLDOGS: Despite the loss of graduated seniors Adam Emmenecker, Leonard Houston and Klayton Korver, the Drake basketball team hopes to ride the momentum generated from a record-breaking campaign last year.
   
First-year coach Mark Phelps inherits a roster that has eight returning letterwinners, including All-Missouri Valley Conference performers Josh Young and Jonathan Cox, from a team that posted a school-record 28-5 mark.
   
The Bulldogs were the talk of college basketball in 2007-08. Picked to finish ninth in the MVC preseason poll, Drake reeled off a school-record 21 straight wins  - including 13 straight to begin conference play - en route to becoming the first team to sweep both the MVC regular-season and tournament titles since 2002.
   
Veteran leadership, featuring five seniors, will be a key in aiding the transition of a new staff.
   
"When you look at the returning players coming back, especially the seniors, this team has a taste of winning at a high level and that mentality going into games will be every bit as valuable as our on-court preparation, because in big games they've had success and know what it feels like," said Phelps.
   
"Our players have been terrific. I knew that we were coming into a situation where we had really good players and good people but the reception has been outstanding from our guys. It just confirms what we thought all along that we have some terrific people and I think that will translate to success on the court as well."
   
The Bulldogs' biggest calling card to success was  outside shooting after setting a school single-season mark with 310 three-point baskets.
   
Despite the loss of Korver, who tied the school career mark with 241 treys, Drake should be lethal again from the perimeter with Young, Cox and the addition of junior transfer forward Adam Templeton from UC Irvine.
   
Young, a 6-foot 1-inch junior guard, led the MVC in scoring last year with a 15.9 average, while ranking second with 86 three-point baskets and third in three-point field goal percentage (.434).
   
Selected to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District VI team, Young enjoyed eight 20-plus scoring games, netting  a career-high 25 in a 71-64 upset at then No. 8 ranked Butler.
   
At 6-8 Cox might be the most versatile frontline performer in the MVC. The former walk-on ranked second in the MVC in rebounding (8.5 avg.), three-point field goal percentage (.440) and defensive rebounding (6.1 avg.).
   
Named to the 2008 MVC Most Improved Team, Cox saved his best for last with a career-high 29 points and 16 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game against Western Kentucky.
   
"Cox is such a unique front court player because he can play all over the floor and at 6-8 he can score in the low post and can operate off the lane and stretch the defense to the perimeter," Phelps added.
   
Senior forwards John Michael Hall (3.5 ppg), Brent Heemskerk (4.7 ppg) and Alex White (3.7 ppg) look to blossom in more expanded roles. Two-year letterwinner Bill Eaddy, a 6-5 junior swingman, also is expected to make his presence known.
   
"Several of those players who haven't had a major role on the floor, to date in their career, have an opportunity to step up in a big way for us," said Phelps.
   
The biggest shoe to fill is at point guard where Adam Emmenecker graduated after being named both the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year as well as the MVC Tournament MVP. He set a school single-season record with 213 assists last year.
       
Sophomore Josh Parker, who was Emmenecker's understudy, will battle junior Craig Stanley, a transfer from Collin (Texas) County Community College, and senior Jacob Baryenbruch for the vacated position. Baryenbruch, who started in five games last year, is a three-year letterwinner, who impressed Phelps during preseason workouts. Parker played in 31 games as a freshman averaging 2.0 points.

NEW KIDS ON BLOCK: Newcomers who are expected to contribute immediately are junior transfers Craig Stanley from Collin (Texas) County Community College and  Adam Templeton from UC Irvine.
   
The 6-5 Templeton was a two-year starter at UC Irvine where he was named to the Big West Conference All-Freshman team in 2005-06. He averaged 8.0 points and 3.9 rebounds for the Anteaters in 2006-07, while leading the team with 59 three-point baskets. He led the squad in scoring in five games, with a career-high 19 points at Drake in 2006. He also had a double-double in an upset win vs. South Carolina, collecting 16 points and 10 rebounds. Templeton earned first team all-state honors as a senior at Rapid City (S.D.) Central High School, while averaging 19.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in leading his team to the state tournament.
   
Stanley ranked seventh nationally in assists last year, averaging 5.4 and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.14). He averaged 11.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 2006-07, while leading Collin County Community College to a 21-9 record. He enjoyed double-doubles of 10 points and 10 assists against Southwestern Christian College and a career-high 23 points and 10 assists against Jacksonville. He earned first-team All-District 8-5A honors as a senior at West High School in Plano, Texas, in 2006 after leading the team in scoring (13.1 avg.) and assists (3.6 avg.).