If you walked into the Knapp Center last year, the air felt different. It was heavy with the expectation of a guy named Ben McCollum, a Division II legend who promised to turn Des Moines into a basketball fortress. Fast forward to right now, January 2026, and the whistles are being blown by someone else entirely.
Eric Henderson is the man in the hot seat today.
He’s the 31st drake basketball head coach in program history, and honestly, he’s inherited one of the weirdest situations in mid-major hoops. One year you're the toast of the town with a school-record 31 wins, and the next, your coach bolts for a bigger paycheck in Iowa City, taking half the roster with him. It’s been a whirlwind. If you're trying to keep track of who is actually calling the plays for the Bulldogs, you've gotta look at the 2025-2026 season as a total "reset" button.
The McCollum Whirlwind and the Henderson Era
Basketball in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) is usually about stability. You find a guy, he stays for a decade, and you build a "mid-major powerhouse." Drake had that with Darian DeVries, then they thought they had it with McCollum.
But sports are business. McCollum’s single year at Drake was a fever dream:
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- 31-4 overall record (most wins by a first-year coach in MVC history).
- An outright conference title.
- The first NCAA Tournament win for Drake since 1971 (beating Missouri).
- Then... poof. He’s gone to the University of Iowa.
Now, we have Eric Henderson. He came over from South Dakota State in March 2025, and he isn't exactly a downgrade in terms of pedigree. At SDSU, the guy went 129-60. He knows how to win. But the 2025-26 season has been a reality check for a lot of fans. Currently, the Bulldogs are sitting at 9-9.
It’s a bit of a gut punch after last year’s high, but that’s the reality of the transfer portal era. When McCollum left, the star power—including MVC Player of the Year Bennett Stirtz—followed him to the Hawkeyes. Henderson isn't just coaching a team; he’s rebuilding a culture from scratch.
Why the Drake Basketball Head Coach Job is Harder Than It Looks
People think "The Valley" is easy. It isn't. You’ve got teams like Bradley and Belmont that will absolutely wreck your season if you don't have your defensive rotations sorted by November.
Henderson’s style is built on that South Dakota State "Jackrabbit" energy—fast, high-scoring, but disciplined. At Drake, he's had to deal with a lot of new faces. Looking at the current stats, the team is averaging about 76 points per game, but they’ve dropped some heartbreakers, like that 79-81 overtime loss to Robert Morris early on.
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What Henderson brings to the table:
- Iowa Roots: He’s from Coggon, Iowa. He gets the local recruiting landscape.
- Tournament Experience: He’s been to the Big Dance twice with the Jacks.
- Defensive Flexibility: Unlike McCollum’s rigid "shut-down" system, Henderson is a bit more willing to let guys play in transition.
Honestly, the transition hasn't been seamless. The Bulldogs are 3-4 in conference play as of mid-January. Fans are a little restless. You can’t really blame them after seeing 31 wins the year before, but the context matters. Henderson is essentially playing with a deck of cards that was shuffled by someone else and then had all the Aces stolen.
The Tactical Shift: Henderson vs. McCollum
If you watch the tape from last year compared to this year, the drake basketball head coach philosophy has shifted. McCollum was obsessed with scoring defense. Drake was No. 2 in the nation last year, allowing only 58.9 points. It was suffocating. It was also, frankly, a bit slow.
Henderson wants to run.
The current Bulldogs are giving up about 71 points a game. That’s a massive jump. The trade-off is supposed to be more offensive efficiency, but when you're shooting .455 from the floor as a team, you’re going to have those "off nights" that turn into losses. They just recently beat Indiana State 74-72, which shows they can win the close ones, but they also got blown out by Belmont 66-93. That kind of inconsistency is the hallmark of a first-year coach trying to find his "identity" guys.
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What to Watch for the Rest of 2026
The seat isn't hot, but it’s warm. Drake University President Marty Martin and AD Brian Hardin made a big bet on Henderson. They called him an "educator at heart." That’s code for: "We know this year might be rough, but we trust him to build the kids up."
The schedule ahead is brutal. They’ve got road trips to Southern Illinois and UNI coming up. If Henderson can get this team above .500 in the MVC by March, it should be considered a massive success.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts:
- Watch the Rotation: Henderson is still shuffling the starting five. Watch who plays the most minutes in the second half; those are the guys he’s building around for 2027.
- Ignore the Record (Mostly): Don't compare 2026 to 2025. Compare 2026 to the mid-tier of the MVC. If they stay competitive with teams like Murray State, the foundation is solid.
- Recruiting is Key: Keep an eye on the 2026 signing class. Henderson needs to prove he can keep the best Iowa talent from fleeing to the Big Ten.
Basically, being the drake basketball head coach right now is about surviving the shadow of the past. Henderson has the resume, but he needs the time. Whether the Des Moines faithful will give it to him is another story.
Next Steps for Following the Bulldogs:
Check the updated MVC standings after the Southern Illinois game on January 14th to see if the Bulldogs can climb back into the top half of the conference. Focus on the defensive points allowed—if that number drops below 68, Henderson's system is starting to click.