Eric Henderson has been named the head coach of the Drake University men’s basketball program, Director of Athletics Brian Hardin announced on Friday. Henderson is the 31st head coach in the Bulldogs’ history.
“My family and I are elated to join Drake Nation,” Henderson said. “Early on in this process it became evident that values and vision aligned with the incredible path President Martin and Brian Hardin have already established. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity they have given me and my family to walk that path with them. The excitement for Drake basketball is at an all-time high, and I’m looking forward to building relationships and representing such a committed university and fan base. Go Bulldogs!”
Originally from Coggon, Iowa and a graduate of Maquoketa Valley High School, Henderson comes to Des Moines after spending the previous six seasons as the head coach of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. He previously spent three years as an assistant at South Dakota State, rising to associate head coach for the 2018-19 campaign. During his tenure in Brookings, Henderson guided the Jackrabbits to plenty of success and posted a 129-60 overall record and a 76-20 mark in the Summit League. Henderson’s squads never finished worse than third in the Summit League standings and won at least a share of the Summit League regular season title in four seasons and won two conference tournament titles en route to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.
“Eric quickly established himself in a talented pool of candidates as the best person to lead our men’s basketball program,” Hardin explained. “He elevated South Dakota State to not only the premier program in the Summit League but also one of the best programs at our level in the country. Beyond basketball, though, Eric is an educator at heart and his development of the young men in his program is consistent with our vision for head coaches at Drake. We are thrilled to welcome Eric, Alicia, Kooper, Kort, McKinley, and Kyler to our Drake Athletics family.”
During the 2023-24 season, Henderson led SDSU to a sweep of the Summit League regular season and conference tournament titles. The Jackrabbits also boasted multiple players with individual honors in the Summit League that included Zeke Mayo (Player of the Year), William Kyle III (Defensive Player of the Year) and Charlie Easley (All-Defensive Team).
The Jackrabbits’ previous NCAA Tournament showing came during an unprecedented 2021-22 campaign. The 2021-22 season was the cap to what had been built by Henderson and his coaching staff during his tenure. The Jackrabbits went 30-5 overall and 18-0 in Summit League play. The undefeated conference record was a first in league history, while SDSU became the first team ever in the Summit League to reach 30 wins in a season. The Jacks held the longest active win streak in the country through part of the regular season and eventually reached 21 consecutive victories after the 2022 Summit League Championship game, with the program going undefeated from Dec. 15 to March 17. SDSU received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll during the regular season for just the second time in program history.
Henderson was named the Summit League Coach of the Year and was selected by his peers as the NABC District 12 Coach of the Year. His team completed several noteworthy statistics during the season as SDSU led the country in 3-point field goal percentage (44.5%) and finished second in both field goal percentage (52.1%) and scoring offense (85.9).
His players also achieved numerous accolades with both Baylor Scheierman and Douglas Wilson being selected as finalists for the Lou Henson Award, given to the best mid-major men’s player in the nation. Schierman would be awarded the conference Player of the Year award, Wilson earned the league’s tournament MVP honors, while Luke Appel (Sixth Man of the Year) and Mayo (All-Newcomer Team) were also recognized with conference accolades.
SDSU had its first former player selected in the NBA Draft during Henderson’s tenure in 2024. Scheierman, who donned Yellow and Blue from 2019-22 before transferring to Creighton, was selected with the 30th pick by the reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics. It was the Jackrabbits first former player to be drafted since Nate Wolters in 2013.
“It is with great enthusiasm for the future of our men’s basketball program that I welcome Coach Henderson and his family to Drake University,” Drake University President Marty Martin said. “Coach Henderson’s accomplishments on the court have been truly impressive, and his principled approach to leadership is proven Bulldog material—creating student-athletes who thrive in the classroom, in competition, and in service to the community.”
Henderson’s first season in 2019-20 as a collegiate head coach was a historic one as he was named The Summit League Coach of the Year while guiding the Jackrabbits to a 22-10 record and a share of their third-straight Summit League regular season title. Henderson coached three all-league performers, including the league’s Player (Douglas Wilson) and Freshman (Noah Freidel) of the Year. SDSU went 16-0 at home in 2019-20 and posted a 13-3 record in league play.
Under Henderson’s guidance, South Dakota State had one of the best home-court advantages in the country. SDSU went 72-7 in Frost Arena during Henderson’s tenure as head coach while the program’s .925 winning percentage in Brookings since the 2015-16 season is ranked third in all of Division I Men’s basketball behind Kansas and Gonzaga.
Henderson began his coaching career as an assistant at Wayne State (Neb.) from 2001-03 and returned to the collegiate ranks as an assistant at North Dakota State from 2014-16 after coaching in the prep ranks in Wisconsin.
A 2000 graduate of Wayne State (Neb.), Henderson began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater from 2001-03 as an assistant coach. After coaching girls’ basketball at Wayne Community School for two seasons, he moved on to Iowa State, where he was the graduate manager for the Cyclones’ men’s basketball team from 2006-08 and a learning specialist for the 2008-09 season. He returned to coaching in the prep ranks at Burlington Catholic Central High School in Burlington, Wisconsin, from 2009-14, while also serving stints as principal and athletic director.
He and his wife, Alicia, are proud parents of four children, sons Kooper, Kort and Kyler, and daughter McKinley.
https://godrakebulldogs.com/news/2025/3/28/eric-henderson-named-drake-mens-basketball-coach.aspx
