I Disagree With Those Who Say Drake's 3-Overtime Victory Was the Best Of the Mark Phelps Coaching Era; No. 1 Actually Came Nov, 15 At the Knapp Center

The main reason a lot of people say Saturday night's 92-86 victory over Wichita State in three overtimes is the highlight of not only this season, but all of Phelps' seasons, is because it's the most recent. As notable as Saturday's 3-overtime spectacle was, I still maintain that the 74-65 victory over Iowa State at the Knapp Center even before the football season was over is Phelps' most impressive. The Bulldogs' performance that night was awesome, and it was a signature victory by Phelps. Heck, there were just as many Iowa State fans then who thought their team was headed to the NCAA tournament as there are now. Anyway, this is some of what I wrote in November: "Ron Maly was talking with his good friend, Marc Hansen, prior to Tuesday night's Drake-Iowa State men's basketball game at the Knapp Center. "Are you supposed to write something for the paper after the game, or did you just drop in because you were in the neighborhood?" Maly asked Hansen. "They want me to write something only if Drake wins," said Hansen, the columnist who was shipped from the news department so he could save the sports department [and maybe the entire newsroom] at the Des Moines Register . Well, maybe save it anyway. Hey, Hansen can't do it all. Realistically, neither Maly nor Hansen thought a column would be necessary after this November non-conference basketball game. But both of us were wrong. "I've got to have it done in 30 minutes," Hansen told Maly as the game ended and sportswriters were headed to the interview room. The Bulldogs certainly gave Hansen and everyone else something to write with their 74-65 victory over the Cyclones. Don't forget, the Bulldogs were trounced by 48 points by Iowa State early last season at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. Even the strongest of Drake fans had reason to question where their program was headed after that debacle, plus some of the Bulldogs' losses that followed. And, let's face it, few people gave Drake much of a chance Tuesday night. But the Bulldogs came to play--and play they did. And Mark Phelps showed he could do some coaching. Drake pulled off a victory that was very, very good for the university's men's program, which hasn't had much to boast about since the Tom Davis/Keno Davis seasons. Every bulldog in town was smiling after this one. The box score showed that attendance at the 7,002-seat Knapp Center was 5,665. Maly didn't believe it. He mentioned to Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb after the game that there was no way another 1,337 fans could have been shoehorned into the building. As Maly scanned the place throughout the game, it looked full. Sandy couldn't believe the 5,665 number either. "I'll look into that," she told Maly. Ben Simons scored a game-high 24 points and Rayvonte Rice added 18 as the Bulldogs improved their record to 2-0. Despite Iowa State's superiority over Drake last season, Cyclone coach Fred Hoiberg indicated he could see trouble coming Tuesday night. It showed in practices leading up to the game. "Put this one on me,” Hoiberg said. “I didn’t have these guys prepared." Of his Cyclones, Hoiberg said, "We're not as good as we think we are." Said Phelps: "I thought the first key was to get off to a good start, and I think we did that, When we needed grit and toughness, we had it. When we needed poise and composure we had it as well." The Bulldogs shot 50 percent for the game and 59.3 percent in the second half. As seconds ticked eff the clock, Maly asked Chuck Schoffner, the retired Associated Press sports editor who was sitting next to him on press row, if he thought Drake's students would storm the court when the game ended. "I'll bet they do," Schoffner said. They didn't. Maly figures the Bulldogs' fans believed in their team more than some of the guys writing about the game..." Saturday's victory improved Drake's records to 13-9 overall and 6-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The key now is for the Bulldogs to [again] try to continue what they've started with the victory over Wichita State. I mean, consistency hasn't been their trademark. Regular-season games remaining include one Wednesday night at Indiana State. It's a winnable game. Actually, so are most of the rest of games on the schedule--Missouri State on Saturday; Evansville on Feb. 12; Southern Illinois on Feb. 22, plus road assignments Feb. 8 at Illinois State; Bradley on Feb. 15; a BracketBusters game the following weekend against a yet-undetermined opponent on the road, and a very difficult regular-season finale Feb. 25 at Wichita State. The Bulldogs have shown they can beat some good teams. Now is the time to prove they can beat most, if not all, of them.