Tough Teams to Test Drake Before MCAL Tournament

High boys basketball coach calls his team’s Marin County Athletic League schedule the toughest in the league.

Over the course of the next week, the Pirates are going to find out what they can do about it.

Drake takes a 7-3 record up against Branson tonight, but it’s the next three games that have caught Donnellan’s attention: Redwood, San Marin, San Rafael.

The Pirates suffered two of their three losses to the Mustangs and Bulldogs the first time through the league. And they needed a .

“How we do in those three games will give us a real good indication of where we are,” the veteran coach admitted. “If we do well, we’ll be in a real good position to win the playoffs.”

The Pirates have little chance of winning the MCAL’s regular-season crown. They trail co-leaders San Marin and Marin Catholic by two games with just four to play.

And at 14-8, they are in real good shape to earn a berth in the North Coast Section playoffs.

So at this point, it’s all about winning the MCAL tournament.

“We’ve had some close, tough losses that have kinda defined our season,” Donnellan said. “We could look back on our season and say, ‘Wow, we were so close in so many games against top-ranked opponents.’

“But I look at it as a learning experience. It’s what’s going to help us win the league playoffs. We’ve learned how to deal with adversity. When things go wrong, don’t let them go too wrong. I’m hoping that these experiences have made us a better team.

“Right now, we’re kind of getting in a real groove.”

Indeed, the Pirates take a four-game winning streak into tonight’s game. But it’s not just the winning that has Donnellan excited.

“Our comfort in shooting has changed in the last couple of weeks,” he said. “We lost to some tough teams earlier. We weren’t having a tough time getting our shots against them. We were just having a tough time knocking them down.

“Now we’re making those shots.”

It’s not just one guy. and remain the team’s top two players, but 10 guys average double figures in minutes, whereas none do in scoring.

It’s not by design, Donnellan admits.

“I wouldn’t mind having a couple of star players,” he said with a laugh. “But the realistic thing on this team is there are 10-12 evenly matched guys. It’s probably the most parity I’ve ever had.

“I was looking forward to it, but it has its disadvantages as well. You’re not really sure who is going to play well on a given night. You have to make evaluations during the game. I’m always feeling it out in the first quarter.”

Donnellan says a classic example is .

“He has had three amazing games off the bench,” the coach noted. “If somebody just watched those games, you’d think he was the best player in the league. But most nights, he just plays a role.”

Speaking of a roll, the Pirates are on one. But the schedule is about to get tougher.

If the winning streak is intact when the MCAL tournament begins, you’ll know Drake must be a serious candidate to win it all.

Team’s record: 14-8 overall, 7-3 in MCAL (third place)

Last week’s results: Beat Justin-Siena 53-34, beat Terra Linda 59-47

Upcoming schedule: Tonight at Branson, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at Redwood, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 8 vs. San Marin, 7:30 p.m.