Prep star lives his hoop dreams at Yale

By Daniel Kaminski

Growing up in Chicago, I was a die-hard University of Illinois fan, and I always dreamed of attending games as a student. I could have gone to Illinois and cheered for a national contender, storming the court after a win against Michigan State instead of Harvard. In fact, every time I see a game on ESPN with Dick Vitale high-fiving Fighting Illini fans, I'm struck by an annoying pang of jealousy.

I'm lucky to be at an academic institution like Yale. But sometimes I just want to be able to let it all go and go nuts watching my team pull off a few behind-the-back passes or alley-oop dunks. I often have visions of John J. Lee Amphitheater packed with screaming Yalies, watching our own Bulldogs trouncing the competition.

Back in the early spring 2001, I read an article that included the words `Edwin Draughan,' `Top-100 nationwide recruit', and Yale in the same sentence. I was embarrassingly giddy when I read about my school's newest recruit—a 6'5, 170-lb. point guard/shooting guard/small forward ranked as one of the top-100 high school basketball prospects in the nation by CNNSI.com.

Draughan, SY '05, chose to bring his talents to the Bulldogs rather than to Rutgers, Providence, or Long Beach State, who all have the distinct advantage of being able to offer scholarships. "What really attracted me to Yale was the school's great academic history. And I love Coach [James] Jones," Draughan said.

Teammates see Draughan not as a gift to Yale basketball but as a testament to Jones' efforts to resurrect the Yale basketball program. Captain Ime Archibong, TD '03, explained that Draughan's recruitment was "another direct sign of the amazing things Coach Jones has been doing for the program." With a strong 2004 recruitng class, Jones resurrected the Bulldogs from a 7-20 (5-9 Ivy) finish in 2000 and led them into contention for the 2001 Ivy League title.

As 2002 approaches, Draughan and fellow rookies Alex Gamboa, TD '05, and Mark Lovett, MC '05, look to challenge the league for the Ivy title again. Draughan leads the team in scoring with an average of 13.9 points a game, while Gamboa has contributed 11.8 points and 3.9 assists per contest. "[Jones] recruited players that have stepped in right away and performed," Archibong said.

As for the last 13 years—in which either Penn or Princeton has consistently claimed the Ivy League title—Draughan says Yale "has a great chance of knocking them off this year." Who knows? We could be on the road to the NCAA tournament, and I'll get to bearhug Dicky V.

Back to Sports...