Giacoletti Leaves Drake

(St. Louis, MO) – The record will show 32 wins and 69 losses during Ray Giacoletti’s time as the Drake Bulldog head coach, and that time came to an end Wednesday in Des Moines.

Giacoletti resigned Wednesday with Drake’s website quoting him as saying it was time for a new voice to lead the program.

“Now in year four, I think it is time for a new voice. I believe it can happen at Drake and it will happen at Drake,” said Giacoletti. “For whatever reason, it hasn’t transpired on the floor and I think it is time for a new direction.”

Drake is 1-7. Those are the cold hard facts, but the Bulldogs who this season lost two starters to the college basketball transfer epidemic lost six of those games by a total of 23 points. The last loss an overtime defeat to Fresno State. Their largest margin of defeat was nine points to Iona.

One tip-in here, and blocked shot there, and the Bulldogs are 3-5 and the pundits believe they are having an improving season. Instead, Giacoletti is out at Drake.

Drake play-by-play voice Larry Cotlar says he is heart sick by the announcement, but not surprised that Giacoletti would take full responsibility for the Bulldog struggles.

“Ray is very honest and always takes responsibility,” said Cotlar. “He would always say ‘that’s on me’ and never blamed the players.”

Athletic Director Sandy Hatfield Clubb told godrakebulldogs.com that Giacoletti is a man of high character.

“I have accepted Ray’s resignation as head men’s basketball coach at Drake University,” Hatfield Clubb said. “Ray is a man of great character who is respected by his team, his peers, this university and particularly by me.”

But the numbers don’t lie. 32 wins in three plus years, with 15 coming in the opening season followed by win totals of nine, seven and this year’s very difficult beginning.

Under Giacoletti’s leadership the school built a new practice facility and is becoming more competitive in some of its support mechanisms for men’s basketball, but wins have been in short supply.

The transfers of Kale Abrahamson (Duquesne) and Dominik Olejniczak (Mississippi) were tough blows to overcome for this season’s team. Abrahamson was the perfect ‘stretch 4’ for Drake. He averaged 11.1 points per game while making 54 threes last season.

The 7’ Olejniczak was a rare commodity in the Missouri Valley Conference. The big and mobile center from Poland has a great future in store. He averaged 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds last season while blocking 21 shots during his freshman season. His last game in a Drake uniform saw him score 18 points and grab eight rebounds in last year’s two-point loss to Missouri State at the conference tournament.

“What comes first, the chicken or the egg?” Losses and transfers. Or is it transfers and losses?

Cotlar, the author of “The Biggest Rolodex in Sports” says the last two near misses were particularly painful.

“The last two were killers,” said Cotlar. “We were up 15 at DePaul and let them back in it, and then we rallied from 20 down against Fresno State and had chances to win that game, but we lost them both.”

Assistant coach Jeff Rutter has been promoted to head coach for the rest of the season. He told godrakebulldogs.com that he has mixed emotions about assuming the role.

“Today I humbly and confidently assume the position of head men’s basketball coach at Drake University,” Rutter said. “Our vision will remain what it has been – a program of character and integrity based on excellence where we strive for sustained success.”

Rutter was a long time assistant of Greg McDermott’s at Northern Iowa and Iowa State. He has head coaching experience at the Division 2 level at Wisconsin-Parkside.

Cotlar says he thinks Rutter is up to the task.

“Jeff probably won’t change a lot about the current systems,” said Cotlar. But he has been around and knows the ropes, knows the people and has done a lot of the recruiting. His experience as a head coach will be a plus.”

Rutter’s first game as head coach is Saturday when Drake hosts Jackson State.

Do Good