Drake tabs Giacoletti as head coach

Mar 28, 2013 - 8:11 PM Des Moines, IA (Sports Network) - Gonzaga assistant Ray Giacoletti has been named the new head men's basketball coach at Drake, the university announced on Thursday.

Giacoletti, a former head coach at Utah and Eastern Washington, had spent the past six seasons at Gonzaga and helped the 2012-13 Bulldogs achieve a 32-3 overall record as well as the program's first-ever No. 1 national ranking and top Regional seed in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga was upset by Wichita State in Saturday's third round of the West Region.

Prior to joining the Bulldogs, Giacoletti replaced the then-retiring Rick Majerus at Utah and served as that school's head coach for three seasons from 2004-07. The Utes went 29-6 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament during his first year at the helm behind eventual No. 1 overall NBA Draft choice Andrew Bogut.

Giacoletti also guided Eastern Washington to a Big Sky Conference regular- season and tournament titles in 2003-04, as well as an NIT appearance the previous campaign. The Eagles amassed a 69-50 overall record during his four seasons there.

"We are delighted that Ray Giacoletti has agreed to be the men's basketball coach at Drake University," Drake president David Maxwell said. "His coaching experience, his values and his aspirations for Drake basketball are in perfect alignment with ours -- to have a highly competitive men's basketball program with young men of high character who excel in the classroom as well as on the court. We demonstrated in the 2007-08 season that it's a realistic and attainable model, and we know that Coach Giacoletti is the right person to guide the program in achieving and sustaining that level of competitive success."

Drake went 28-5 and won the Missouri Valley Conference while earning a No. 5 Regional seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2007-08, while then under the direction of Keno Davis. The Bulldogs finished above seventh place in the MVC just once in five seasons with Davis' replacement, Mark Phelps, and the school fired Phelps on Mar. 14 following a 15-17 finish.

Including a stop at North Dakota State, then a Division II program, from 1997-00, Giacoletti has compiled a 171-123 record in 10 seasons as a head coach.