St. Louis — It was probably asking too much.
The question was posed to the Missouri Valley Conference coaches: Which team that finished in the bottom half of the league has the chance to be this year’s Drake?
The silence from the press conference dais was deafening.
No coach wants to single a team out, unless it’s their own, but despite the fact that the top five from last season’s Valley standings were picked in the top five in the preseason poll for this season, the Valley seems poised for parity again once you get below the obvious choice of Creighton as the league favorite.
The likelihood of an exact Drake scenario seems remote. The Bulldogs’ magical league championship run, the Bulldogs hadn’t come close to a league crown since the Nixon administration, was a lightning-in-a-bottle, once-a-generation type of occurrence.
However a Drake-like scenario, where a team from the bottom half rises up to contend, is still a very real possibility, especially considering there are 75 underclassmen spread across the 10 league rosters.
Can Indiana State be that team? If the league pundits are to be believed, apparently not, considering the Sycamores were picked seventh. But the other way of looking at it is that ISU was named second-best of the rest, so perhaps ISU isn’t as far off as one might think.
The Sycamores have 10 underclassmen, so they fit right in with the rest of the league. And many of those underclassmen will have the burden of important roles. Aaron Carter will be asked to display versatility beyond his years as a swingman. Tyler Cutter will need to shoulder point guard duties, especially early on when Harry Marshall is ineligible. Isiah Martin will need to be a rock inside. Carl Richard, already heralded as ISU’s next star, will be asked to do a little bit of everything.
It’s not the recipe for a Drake-like revival, and no one at ISU is crazy enough to say they’re that team. However if the young players mesh with the smattering of veterans around them, Tunnell at the four-spot and Marshall at point guard, who knows?
“When you look at the league every team has guys back who have had some success. The teams near the top just have a few more. What it comes down to is how a team’s recruiting class is and how those young guys are going to develop,” ISU coach Kevin McKenna said.
ISU forward Jay Tunnell based his case on ISU improvement based on one factor.
“I think it’s our athleticism. We’ve been a good team, a solid team that knew how to play, but this year we have some guys … we have Isiah, who’s 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan. Josh [Crawford] who is 6-11 with a 7-foot wingspan. Some of the athletes that have come in have changed the dynamic to the way coach wants to play,” Tunnell said.
Of course, every other team in the conference has a similar case to make. Be it Evansville’s experience in its starting lineup, an infusion of new talent at Wichita State and Missouri State, or a real live point guard at Northern Iowa, every team has Drake in the back of its mind.
“Our players believe they can compete in the league right now, of course, they’re young and they’re going through this for the first time and haven’t had their nose bloodied,” Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. “Once they have had their nose bloodied, how do they react? If they react quickly and they’re tough enough physically and mentally to handle a Division I season, then, sure, Drake set the precedent last year and we can certainly point to that.”
Marshall pointed out the double-edged example Drake set for everyone. Hope is abundant, yet, the Valley doormats for a generation also took away any excuse a team might have to stay perpetually mediocre.
“I think when someone like Drake makes a run, it gives everyone hope. You hope you have those young guys come along quickly, but you have those young guys who can help those young guys come along,” ISU coach Kevin McKenna said. “Along the way, you hope you catch some breaks and the guys get confident.”
Todd Golden is sports editor of the Tribune-Star. He can be reached at (800) 783-8742, ext. 4 or todd.golden@tribstar.com.
From the Press Box
From the Press Box: Can ISU men follow in Drake’s path?
- From the Press Box
-
-
TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
If you had to pick one word that would describe the 2013 Indiana State baseball season, it would have to be frustration.
-
FROM THE PRESSBOX: Content McKenna has enjoyed seeing ISU's progress
It all happened so fast in June 2010.
One minute, Kevin McKenna was head coach of the Indiana State men’s basketball program. Then — poof! — he was gone.
McKenna resigned from his head coaching position at ISU on June 13, 2010 to take an assistant coach position on Dana Altman’s then-burgeoning University of Oregon staff. -
MVC can't wait on Crieghton to move forward
Will they go or not? That’s been the question that the Missouri Valley Conference and Creighton have been faced with since rumors of the Bluejays’ potential exit went public in December.
-
FROM THE PRESSBOX: Can Sycamores reverse fortunes heading into MVC Tournament?
Mastery of a basketball season comes in many forms. Mostly, it comes in forms that involve avoidance of turnovers, anemic scoring and poor defense.
The mechanics of X-and-O success in basketball are obvious, but what’s often overlooked in building a successful campaign is managing the rhythm of the season, which is the hardest thing of all. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Accountability isn't Lansing's alone in ISU's recent struggles
Taking ownership has always been one of Indiana State men’s basketball coach Greg Lansing’s strengths.
When ISU has lost games in his three seasons at the helm that it was expected to win, Lansing has always been willing to fall on the sword and take blame for it. -
TODD GOLDEN: Indiana State has far more occasions to rise to
Rejoice, Indiana State basketball fans. The Sycamores’ 68-55 victory at No. 15 Wichita State on Tuesday is worthy of celebration.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Big plays in last 10 minutes story of the season for Indiana State
You’d think I’d have learned by now.
It’s 20 games into Indiana State’s men’s basketball season and I still expect the Sycamores’ offense operate like a well-oiled machine from the opening tip. -
Sycamores blossom on Hawaii trip
Quick quiz … what’s the state flower of Hawaii?
Don’t worry. I can’t just rattle state flowers off the top of my head. I had to look it up too, even though I’ve seen them all over the place in Honolulu.
I didn’t even know that Indiana’s state flower is the peony, which replaced the apparently unloved zinnia in the 1950s.
Hawaii’s flower, and they’re ubiquitous in Waikiki tourist shops and in actual flora on Oahu, is the yellow hibiscus.
The yellow hibiscus is big, bold and bright. I’ve never seen one blossom, but I imagine it has to be a beautiful sight.
What I have seen blossom — and it’s the only reason flowers would be brought up in my column — is the Indiana State basketball team at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. -
TODD GOLDEN: ISU needs to have its realignment head on a swivel
Have you ever driven past a cow pasture during a severe thunderstorm? If it’s really bad, the cows will congregate in a herd to protect themselves from the tumult.
-
TODD GOLDEN: ISU AD Prettyman keeps it close to the vest
Do you want to know who’s on the short list to become Indiana State's next football coach?
-
TODD GOLDEN: Trent Miles leaves Sycamores with giant legacy
To glean perspective on Trent Miles’ time as Indiana State’s football coach, I went back into the Tribune-Star’s archives to remind myself of what the football program was like when Miles arrived to rebuild it.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Scoreboard watching and the threat matrix for ISU
Indiana State football coach Trent Miles reaffirmed his belief Tuesday that a victory over Youngstown State on Saturday will propel the Sycamores into the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 1984.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Twists and turns, but Luck passes eye test
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck made his much anticipated Lucas Oil Stadium debut Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Looking back and forward at ISU athletics
It started in State College, Pa., and ended in Eugene, Ore. Few Indiana State athletic seasons have spanned the nation in as many sports as 2011-12 did for the Sycamores’ athletic teams. And from coast-to-coast there was glory and heartbreak alike.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU progresses under Prettyman
He didn’t say a word, but it was as clear as Indiana State Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman sat in the PK Park dugout and watched the Sycamores take batting practice prior to their NCAA Regional at Oregon last Thursday, he beamed with pride.
-
TODD GOLDEN: MVC pitching helped prepare Sycamores for regional
Nick Petree, Pierce Johnson, Ty Blach.
These aren’t just elite-level starting pitchers Indiana State’s baseball team faced this season. They comprise three of the last five pitchers the Sycamores faced period. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU baseball has pluses, minuses for tourney bid
Last Thursday, when Indiana State’s baseball jumped around in a celebratory dogpile after clinching the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship at Bob Warn Field, no one thought that a little over a week later, the dreaded NCAA Tournament bubble would fly over Terre Haute. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Subtle switch has fostered MVC baseball parity
When Indiana State was crowned as the regular season baseball champion of the Missouri Valley Conference last Thursday, it marked the fifth different regular season champion the league has had since 2005.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU has done enough to be in NCAAs
When you get older, you’re supposed to get wiser. I don’t know if I qualify, but I’m trying.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: TH’s Murans back in the Derby … this time with favorite
When Terre Haute native Paul Murans experienced his first Triple Crown horse racing run as part-owner of Mucho Macho Man in 2011, the experience was — to borrow a phrase from one-time Marquette coach Al McGuire — seashells and balloons.
-
TODD GOLDEN: IHSAA debate interrupts more pressing issues
State Senator Mike Delph has sowed a 15-year-old wind and put the emotional class basketball debate back on the public’s mind.
-
TODD GOLDEN: ISU eyes prize one game at a time
Most baseball fans know that the baseball season — even a college baseball season — is a marathon, not a sprint.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Grass is green enough for Indiana State in Missouri Valley
Take a look around the Missouri Valley Conference landscape and it would be easy to assume that a significant portion of the league membership is searching for perceived greener pastures.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Sycamores are Odum’s team now
Soooo … who wants to talk about the 2012 Indiana State men’s basketball season?
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU will face uphill climb in MVC in 2013
The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals are always scintillating. No more so than Saturday when Illinois State upset 15th-ranked Wichita State 65-64 and when No. 25 Creighton took care of business with a 99-71 victory over Evansville.
Arch Madness indeed. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Effort, heart, concentration are fleeting for ISU
Every time Indiana State’s men’s basketball wins a game, you think to yourself, OK, now is when these Sycamores live up to their potential.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Peyton’s place belongs to Eli
The good people of Indianapolis justifiably puffed out their chests throughout Super Bowl week as the city received deserved rave reviews for the job it did as hosts of Super Bowl XLVI.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Teammates, colleagues express their loyalty to Weatherford
Sometimes you worry whether someone is stopping to smell the roses when they smell rosiest.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Does melted ice reveal Belichick's heart of gold?
If you’re into Youtube — and who isn’t these days? — there’s a vintage television profile of then-Cleveland Browns coach Bill Belichick posted on the popular site.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Indiana State men caught between expectation, reality
The Missouri Valley Conference is hush-hush on how it puts together its matchups for the annual conference schedule.
- More From the Press Box Headlines
-
TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
Raw: Tornadoes Spotted in Kansas
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
Obama Exhorts Good Deeds by Morehouse Graduates
Winning Powerball Ticket Sold in Florida
AP CEO: Records Seizure 'Unconstitutional'
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
Today in History for May 19th
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Raw: Germany Protestors Picket Barbie House
Raw: Gun Scare Mars Cannes Film Festival
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
Raw: 6 Die in Russian Ship Fire
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Twiggy, the Waterskiing Squirrel
Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony
Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash
Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder
Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner
Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion
Beyonce Is Pregnant!
SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT
Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch
See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion
Woman tricked into taking abortion pill
Emma Watson Goes Pantless
IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes
Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety
Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos
Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths
