Drake women's basketball thoughts: The Bulldogs, full of experience and fresh faces, will be tested right away

First-year Drake women's basketball coach Allison Pohlman stood at the podium during the team's media day answering questions about the upcoming season on Oct. 21 and couldn't wait to get done.

"No offense, I can't wait to get this over (because) we get to go to practice after this, and that is the best part of my day," Pohlman said.

The wait for Pohlman's first season is nearly over. Drake kicks off a new era of basketball and a new season when the Bulldogs host Creighton on Nov. 10. That season opener will be the first game for Pohlman, who took over the program after former coach Jennie Baranczyk left for Oklahoma.

More: Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk accepts head coaching job at Oklahoma

Pohlman, a long time member of Baranczyk's staff, takes over a team with a ton of high hopes. The Bulldogs bring back plenty of experience and usher in a big recruiting class that will be immediately tested.

Here are some thoughts at the Bulldogs get ready for their 2021-22 women's basketball season.

Non-conference season will tell us a lot about the Bulldogs

Drake’s non-conference schedule is loaded with tough talent. It begins with the season opener against former Missouri Valley Conference rival Creighton coming to Des Moines on Nov. 10. Things don’t get any easier for the Bulldogs whose next three games come against NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago in South Dakota, Iowa State and Iowa. Drake’s Nov. 21 contest against the Hawkeyes, who are coming off a trip to the Sweet 16, will be the first road contest of the season. The Bulldogs also have two other Power 5 foes on their schedule in Minnesota and Nebraska. That challenging schedule will help prepare the Bulldogs for MVC play but also potentially sharpen their resume. Even with impressive seasons in the past, the Bulldogs have been overlooked come NCAA Tournament seeding time as a result of strength of schedule. So the non-conference schedule could help them there.

"We're ready for this challenge," Pohlman said.

Newcomers will play key roles for Drake

Drake boasts a big roster of experience coming back. But the Bulldogs will also utilize some newcomers in Megan Meyer, Katie Dinnebier and Anna Miller. Meyer, a transfer from Iowa, was a star at Mason City High School where she scored 1,882 career points and averaged 24.9 points, 4.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game as a senior. Meyer played 40 games at Iowa the last two seasons as a role player there. She'll likely get on the court more and have the ball more often in her hands at Drake. Dinnebier, a guard who was the 2021 Miss Iowa Basketball at Waukee last season, is also expected to play a key role. She could even take over the point guard duties for the Bulldogs. Dinnebier averaged 19.1 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game while guiding Waukee to a state championship her senior season. Miller, a 6-foot-3 forward from Minnesota, gives the Bulldogs needed length. She averaged 20 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior.

"They're going to look like a unit," Pohlman said. "They're going to look like they've played together for a long time."

Previous Drake women's basketball coverage:

• Drake women's basketball looks to continue success under new coach Allison Pohlman

• Allison Pohlman announces Drake coaching staff

• "I believe in this place." Allison Pohlman introduced as new Drake coach

• Why Allison Pohlman is ready to lead the Drake women's basketball team

There's lots of experience coming back

When Baranczyk left for Oklahoma, she didn't clear the cupboard. In fact, Pohlman inherits a roster that returns plenty of important pieces to the puzzle. The Bulldogs return the 2021 MVC Newcomer of the Year (Grace Berg) and the Sixth Player of the Year (Maggie Bair), along with Hannah Fuller and Maddie (Monahan) Petersen who both took advantage of the extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic. That means the Bulldogs bring back three of their top four scorers from a season ago including Berg, a MVC pre-season first-team pick, who averaged a team-high 15.9 points per game. That's part of the reason why the Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the league.

"I'm one lucky coach, especially when you have two fifth-year seniors who have decided to stay," Pohlman said.

Buckle up for some entertaining basketball

During Drake's dominating run of success, the Bulldogs have been known as a fast-paced, high-scoring team. That won't change. Pohlman plans to keep that type of identity with the Bulldogs and focus on layups and 3-pointers. The Bulldogs are coming off a season that saw them lead the league in scoring (76.4 points per game), field goal % (.476) and assists (20.4). This season should be no different with a big bulk of the Bulldogs' scoring returning. Berg could be even better. She sat out her first season at Drake after transferring from Missouri. But the Indianola star returned to the floor last season and was an instant contributor.

"We've always had an up-tempo style," Pohlman said. "We want to push the ball. We want to score 80 points a game."

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake's Pohlman has tons of experience returning for her first season