Leonard Drake - Women's Basketball Coach - Eastern Michigan University Athletics

Robert Morris

Nov 26 (Wed)

1 p.m.

Leonard Drake

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
ldrake2@emich.edu
Phone:
734.487.0481

Leonard Drake is in his second year as an Eagles’ assistant coach after spending five seasons at Lamar University, serving as the head coach of the women’s basketball program.

The 54-year-old Drake provides a wealth of basketball coaching experience on both the men’s and women’s college basketball fronts. During the 2008-09 campaign, Drake will coach in his 900th collegiate contest.

In his first year at EMU Drake helped tutor the post players, including second-team All-Mid-American Conference selection Colleen Russell. A perennial bench player, Russell accumulated just 143 points in her first three years. Then in just one year working with Drake, Russell poured in a team-best 379 points and ranked third in the conference in blocks per game.

Prior to joining the EMU staff, Drake spent 10 years at Lamar. Drake joined the Lamar University basketball program in 1997 as an associate men’s coach until being named the head women’s coach in 2002 and served in that capacity through the 2006-07 season.

He was also the head men’s coach at Central Michigan University (1993-97), an associate head men’s basketball coach at Ball State University (1985-93), a head women’s basketball coach at Xavier University of Louisiana (1984-85), an assistant men’s basketball coach at Xavier (1979-85) and an assistant men’s basketball coach at Central Michigan (1978-79).

While at Ball State, the Cardinals won 20 or more games six times. Ball State also won three MAC titles, appeared in four NCAA Tournaments and three National Invitation Tournaments, while notching three Top-25 rankings. Ball State’s 1989-90 team lost 69-67 to eventual National Champion and No. 1-ranked UNLV in the ‘Sweet 16’ of the 1990 NCAA tournament.

Prior to his time in Muncie, Ind., Drake spent six years at Xavier University of Louisiana. As an assistant men’s basketball coach he helped the Gold Rush post a 129-49 overall record, earn two trips to the NAIA National Tournament and win 20 games in four of six seasons.

Drake was a standout basketball player at Central Michigan where he completed his bachelor’s degree in 1978 and his master’s degree in 1983. He earned team MVP honors in 1976 and was team captain and named CMU "Athlete of the Year" in 1977.

Named to the CMU Athletics Hall of Fame Class in 2007, Drake ranked third in career scoring at the completion of his career and still ranks seventh with 1,338 points. He shot .878 (101-for-115) from the line in 1976, a mark that ranked third nationally that year. Drake also tallied 126 career steals which ranks eighth in school history and made two free throws with no time on the clock in CMU’s 77-75 NCAA Tournament first-round victory over Georgetown in 1975.

A native of Chicago, Ill., Drake grew up in Niles, Mich. and graduated from Niles Brandywine High School in 1973. He was a first-team Class B All-State basketball player as a senior in 1973.

Drake and his wife, Rhonda, have a son, Jared (20) and a daughter, Enjoli (14).