Dark Days (1987-2003)
From 1987 to 2003, Drake did not have a winning season in men's basketball. It was a dreary time in the storied program's history. The stretch included a dismal 2-26 season in 1996-97 and a dreadful 3-24 season in 1997-98. The Bulldogs went through four coaches, none of whom finished with a winning coaching record at Drake.
The 2001-02 season showed a glimmer of hope after starting out on the wrong note. Drake would suspend four players at winter semester break due to their not abiding by the school's 2.0 GPA rule (NCAA requires 1.8). The Bulldogs almost responded by pulling off the unthinkable winning season. Drake entered the conference tournament with a 14-14 record; but fell to Illinois State 63-64 on a buzzer beating shot, ending the season 14-15.
The next season (2002–03) Drake would finish 10-20, leading to the dismissal of head coach Kurt Kanaskie at seasons end.
Read more about this topic: Drake Bulldogs Men's Basketball
Famous quotes containing the words dark and/or days:
“Our roots are in the dark; the earth is our country. Why did we look up for blessing—instead of around, and down? What hope we have lies there. Not in the sky full of orbiting spy-eyes and weaponry, but in the earth we have looked down upon. Not from above, but from below. Not in the light that blinds, but in the dark that nourishes, where human beings grow human souls.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)
“With the holders holding my hand nearing the call of the bird,
Comrades mine and I in the midst, and their memory ever to keep, for the dead I loved so well,
For the sweetest, wisest soul of all my days and
lands—and this for his dear sake,
Lilac and star and bird twined with the chant of my soul,
There in the fragrant pines and the cedars dusk and dim.”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)