Good Luck Drake Bulldogs!!

I've got to tell you that this is an exciting time to be a Drake Bulldog basketball fan! Heck, it's an exciting time to be living in the city of Des Moines, or the state of Iowa for that matter! Why, you ask?

Well, because this private Missouri Valley Conference school, located in the heart of Des Moines, Iowa, has produced one of the most intriguing and exciting stories in modern NCAA basketball history. The Drake University mens basketball team, picked to finish 9th out of 10 teams in the MVC, has finished up a regular season magical run to a record of 28-4. In the process, they have scooped up a bevy of championships and national awards:

• 2008 MVC Regular Season Champions


• 2008 MVC Tournament Champions


• 2008 MVC Player of the Year (Adam Emmenecker)


• 2008 MVC Coach of the Year (Keno Davis)


• 3 members named to 2008 MVC Most Improved Team (Adam Emmenecker, Jonathan Cox, Leonard Houston)


• Outstanding Player of 2008 MVC Tournament (Adam Emmenecker)


• 2008 MVC All-Tournament Team (Emmenecker, Cox, and Josh Young)


• 2008 Sporting News Magazine National Coach of the Year (Keno Davis)


• 2008 U.S. Basketball Writer's Association District VI Coach of the Year (Keno Davis)


• 2 members named to the All District VI team (Emmenecker and Young)


• Finalist for 2008 NATIONAL Coach of the Year (Davis - we won't know results of this until later this month)


• 2008 ESPN the Magazine's Academic All-American Player of the Year (Emmenecker)

And this doesn't even include the success that the women's basketball team is having! The lady Bulldogs have wrapped up a share of the MVC regular season championship and they enter the MVC tournament this week with confidence. They also have some nice accolades coming their way.

The most amazing part of this whole "cinderella" story, is that Drake University is definitely an academic school first. The athletic programs pride themselves on creating and building true "student athletes," as is shown by their academic standards for athletics. Drake requires athletes to maintain a 2.0 grade point, while the NCAA only requires a 1.8 GPA. The student athlete cannot be exemplified more, than by Adam Emmenecker, Drake's senioir leader and point guard. Adam's on-the-court excellence barely compares to his in-the-classroom excellence. He carries four majors and two minors, and has a 3.97 GPA.

Finally, Keno Davis. This man is an amazing coach, and an amazing leader. This first year head coach has done nothing short of outstanding in the way he has developed this basketball team. I'm telling you now folks: If you haven't watched any Drake basketball this year, you have missed out on some exciting basketball. I have never seen such an unselfish team play. They work hard and they pass a lot! It's quite a sight. So, if you're feeling inclined to watch, tune in to the first round of the NCAA tournament, and get yourself a piece of the magic!

Good Luck Bulldogs.....I'll be right there with you, cheering you on!!

note: the following video is from an ESPN interview with Keno Davis and Dr. Tom Davis. Just a little something to show you what kind of man Drake's head coach is.

note: picture courtesy of Chris Creamer's sportslogos.net

Two Simple, Yet Powerful Words!

Everyone’s felt it at some point haven’t they? You know what I’m talking about. You do a good deed for somebody, and although you aren’t looking for anything in return, you still feel a little disappointed when you don’t so much as get a “Thank You!” Of course, it shouldn’t be our goal to seek out “Thank yous.” I mean, we really should just do good things for others out of pure love for them shouldn’t we? Even so, I know that many still yearn to hear those two simple, yet very powerful words.

Let’s flip the scenario. I’m sure many of you have experienced this: Out of the blue, you get a thank you note sent to you, but you really don’t know what you did to deserve the thank you. How did you feel? Didn’t it just warm you to know that someone appreciated what you did, even if you didn’t realize it was a big deal to them? Wow! The power of those two simple words.

Now this post really isn’t about you or me receiving “Thank yous.” Again, our goal shouldn’t be to help others purely for the sake of receiving recognition. Shouldn’t it be about all of us being more liberal with those two simple, yet powerful words? What would life be like if all of us started spreading the gratitude that so many people deserve, yet get no credit for? Heck, maybe we should even start sprinkling those two words around for no reason at all. Does someone need to do something for you in order to receive a hearty “Thank You?”

I’ve got to tell you that reading Don Frederiksen’s post on “thank yous” is what really gave me the inspiration for this post! I feel it is extremely important for us to let people know when they are doing a good job, or when they have provided a benefit for us. Here’s a neat story about a man I respected greatly in how he handled his workforce:

Grandpa’s Advice
My grandfather, John Peterson, passed away 2 years ago this last October. However, as he spent his last months in nursing homes for lung cancer, I got to spend many days with him listening to his wise advice on business. You see, my grandfather worked his way up the ranks of Meredith Publishing (which I believe is now Meredith Corporation) and retired as a manager at the print plant that used to be in Des Moines.

The day I will never forget was a day he asked me how work was going. I told him that it was a struggle as there was some tension among my employees. His question to me was this: “Eric, have you thanked them lately?” After explaining that I tried to show my gratitude in various ways, he went on to tell me his way, and why it worked.

My grandfather said that although he wore a suit and tie to work every day, he made it a point to start his day by going out to the shop floor and shaking every single print press operators hand and saying “Thank you”. He thanked them for the work they did, for their dedication to him and the company, and for being a class act individual.

Here’s another key though. He didn’t just thank them and move on. He didn’t just thank them for nothing. No, he really believed in his employees and what they did and therefore believed in those two words. His “thank you” was as authentic of a thank you as those employees could get, because he believed in the work they did.

Wow! Could you imagine having someone start your day every day with a big ol’ “Thank You?” Now that would be something. Of course, you’d probably want to throw in a real and authentic smile too!

~picture courtesy of uniquegreetings.net

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