DES MOINES, Iowa — On Sunday, Drake celebrated its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2008.
The celebration though, was about more than just this year.
"The way they've led the last three years to this point, it's an incredible group of guys. I can't say enough about them. I love these guys," third-year head coach Darian DeVries said after the selection show.
Garrett Sturtz, D.J. Wilkins, Tremell Murphy and Roman Penn all signed on in 2018 as part of DeVries' first recruiting class. Some were transfers and some were incoming freshman, but all of them were committing to something unseen.
"They took a huge leap of faith with myself and our staff and our university and I'm forever thankful," DeVries said Sunday night.
For Sturtz, a Newton native, it was about an opportunity.
"I'm glad that I was able to choose Drake," Sturtz said. "Coming in as a walk-on and then getting the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament, it's a dream come true."
For Wilkins, a native of Indiana, it was about trust.
"From the first time [DeVries] talked to me, from the visit here to the visit at home, I knew he believed in me," he said. "That's all I needed, somebody to believe in me."
For the entire group, it was, in fact, a leap of faith.
"I was kind of nervous making the decision with Coach DeVries and not coming into a program that had a lot here," Wilkins said.
"They took a chance on us when we didn't have a roster where we were selling something they'd never seen," DeVries told reporters.
The group bought what coach was selling, and three years later, they got to take it home.
"When you're growing up and you want to play Division 1 basketball, I think that playing in the NCAA tournament is always in the back of your mind," Sturtz said. "Looking back on it, I'm glad I didn't change anything. I'm glad that I chose Drake."