The best mid-major programs continue to win regardless of coaching turnover. One year after hiring Ben McCollum, the Drake basketball program enters a new chapter under Eric Henderson.
The Drake Bulldogs have been a mainstay in our preseason top 100 ever since we started CBB Rank in 2021. The roster talent on this 2025-26 team is not nearly as high as usual — and their 92nd rank is reflective of that — but it is difficult to imagine this program slipping too far.
Henderson takes the reins by way of South Dakota State, and it can be argued that this is more of a safe, potential long-term hire. Instead of the typical path of taking a job upgrade upon peaking over a 1-2 year stretch, Henderson accepts his next opportunity after six years of consistency in Brookings. He won four regular season Summit League titles and compiled a total record of 129-60 (.683) over that span.
Head coach: Eric Henderson (1st season at Drake, 7th season overall)
2024-25 record: 31-4 (17-3)
2025 postseason finish: NCAA Tournament Round of 32
Notable departures:
- Bennett Stirtz (19.2 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.3 RPG)
- Daniel Abreu (10.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.0 APG)
- Tavion Banks (10.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.0 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- N/A
Projected Rotation
PG: Owen Larson (6-2, 195, So.)
2024-2025 stats: 9.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 38.7 3P% (South Dakota State)
SG: Jaehshon Thomas (6-3, 195, Sr.)
2024-2025 stats: 9.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 APG (Charlotte)
SF: Eli Shetlar (6-6, 180, Rs.-So.)
2024-2025: Redshirted
PF: Braden Appelhans (6-7, 185, Rs.-So.)
2024-2025 stats: 3.3 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.5 APG, 43.8 3P% (New Mexico)
C: Isaiah Carr (7-0, 240, Sr.)
2024-2025 stats: 6.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.3 APG (Denver)
6: Jalen Quinn (6-3, 185, Sr.)
2024-2025 stats: 7.1 PPG, 2.3 APG, 1.9 RPG (Loyola-Chicago)
7: Wilguens Jr. Exacte (6-6, 230, Jr.)
2024-2025 stats: 4.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.7 APG (Bowling Green)
8: Okku Federiko (6-9, 210, Rs.-Fr.)
2024-2025: Redshirted at South Carolina
9: Griffen Goodbary (6-10, 220, Fr.)
10: Bryson Bahl (6-4, 180, Fr.)
Drake Basketball team MVP: Owen Larson
After a productive freshman season South Dakota State, the Iowa native follows Henderson to Drake and returns home. Amidst an inexperienced roster, Larson is expected to have the largest role on the offense in 2025-26.
Larson’s primary strength is his outside shot, as he nailed 55 triples on 38.7% efficiency last season. He can create off the dribble and is willing to take and make threes from well beyond the arc, which is especially pivotal in an offense that lacks top end distributors.
Keep in mind that Larson’s status for the non-conference portion of the season in unclear, given that he suffered a torn ACL and partial meniscus tear in February. Reports indicate that he hopes to be ready for tip-off in November, but the general timeline for injuries of that severity leave us skeptical.
Drake Basketball make-or-break player: Eli Shetlar
If the Bulldogs will have an offensive identity in year one under Henderson, it will most likely be as a dangerous three-point shooting team. In addition to Larson and Braden Applehans, who is a capable shooting big man, Shetlar will need to rise to the occasion in his third season in college basketball.
Through film from his high school days in Kansas and some minutes off the bench as a true freshman at Indiana State, Shetlar may be the most pure shooter on the roster. Drake fans were calling for him for much of last year, and now that he sticks around, he will have the opportunity to prove them right. If once again, someone emerges out of seemingly nowhere and makes this Drake team relevant again, Shetlar is your guy.
Key analytic: Defensive rebounding rate
Under Henderson, South Dakota State was the nation’s top defensive rebounding team, allowing opponents to extend possessions on 21.4% of missed shots. Under McCollum, Drake also ranked in the top 20 in this category. Henderson brings in another big roster, with half of their projected rotation at 6-6 or taller. Even the guards — Owen Larson, Jaeshon Thomas, and Wilguens Jr. Exacte, in particular — are of the more stocky build and are known to clean the glass well. Rebounding is a major point of emphasis on Henderson’s teams and that will almost certainly be one of Drake’s strengths in 2025-26.