Drake’s New Coach Eric Henderson

South Dakota State Coach

(St. Louis, MO) – Drake’s new head coach is Eric Henderson. After a successful six-year stint as South Dakota State’s head coach, the 46-year-old Henderson leaves the Summit League to join the Missouri Valley Conference. Henderson (129-60) produced four twenty-win seasons, four conference championships and two NCAA Tournament trips.

Director of Athletics Brian Hardin told godrakebulldogs.com he is impressed with Henderson’s work in Brookings, South Dakota.

“Eric quickly established himself in a talented pool of candidates as the best person to lead our men’s basketball program,” Hardin explained. “He elevated South Dakota State to not only the premier program in the Summit League but also one of the best programs at our level in the country. Beyond basketball, though, Eric is an educator at heart and his development of the young men in his program is consistent with our vision for head coaches at Drake.”

Henderson was a collegiate player at Wayne State, where played for and ultimately worked on the staff under Greg McDermott. He would later reunite with McDermott at Iowa State. Prior to leading the Jack Rabbit program he was an assistant at South Dakota State under current Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

MVC/ESPN broadcaster Kevin Lehman worked on the Wayne State staff and recruited Henderson to play at Wayne State. Lehman believes Henderson will be extremely successful.

“Another excellent hire by Brian Hardin,” said Lehman. “Eric Henderson comes from the long line of Greg McDermott’s successful assistants. TJ Oztellberger / Darian DeVries / Steve Lutz / Ryan Miller / Allen Huss. Eric’s tremendous success at SDSU will carry over to great success in the Missouri Valley Conference.”

Eric Henderson Coming to Drake

Henderson worked his way up the proverbial coaching ladder, working various levels of college hoops and in the prep ranks. During his tenure at South Dakota State he coached one player, Baylor Scheierman that ultimately became an NBA Draft pick.

The two-time Summit League ‘coach of the year’ is looking forward to the challenge of coaching at Drake.

“Early on in this process it became evident that values and vision aligned with the incredible path President Martin and Brian Hardin have already established,” said Henderson. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity they have given me and my family to walk that path with them. The excitement for Drake basketball is at an all-time high, and I’m looking forward to building relationships and representing such a committed university and fan base.”

Drake will host an introductory press conference on Tuesday.

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