Barrington walk-on helps 15-1 Drake step up

Jonathan Cox is supposed to be along for the ride with a front-row seat at the end of the bench at Drake.

That's how it usually works for walk-ons to Division I men's basketball programs.

But the redshirt junior from Barrington High School known as "Bucky" has bucked that trend. Now he's on a full ride as a big part of one of this college basketball season's biggest stories.

The 6-foot-8 Cox is averaging 12 points and 8.5 rebounds a game as Drake takes a 15-1 record (6-0 MVC) into Saturday night's first-place Missouri Valley Conference showdown with Illinois State (14-3, 6-0).

"It's definitely awesome," Cox said of Drake being one spot out of the current Associated Press top 25 poll. "When I first came here, I never expected us to be anywhere close to the top 25."

Few figured Cox would be near any Division I starting lineup. Lower-echelon programs didn't show interest in the 2004 Daily Herald All-Area selection. Cox was a Barrington teammate of Davidson point guard and Division I assist leader Jason Richards.

But the recruiting afterthought decided to take a shot the hard way with a program that hadn't seen much attention since the days when dunking was illegal and Chuck Taylor canvas high-tops were the shoes of choice.

"I definitely felt like I could always play at this level and that's why I didn't go Division II," Cox said. "My coaches and parents always knew what I was capable of."

Cox was also fortunate to initially have a coach in Dr. Tom Davis, who always believed in developing walk-ons for more than just practice fodder and snippets of action in blowouts.

Cox sat out his first year and then averaged 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 31 games as a freshman. That was enough to earn a scholarship.

His numbers dipped slightly to 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds a game last season. But an offseason of work with teammate Klayton Korver and a four-game trip to the Bahamas gave Cox a glimpse of what was ahead.

"From then on I knew I'd be able to help this team," Cox said.

Reaping the benefits is Keno Davis, who took over as head coach when his dad retired after last season.

"We've seen it coming," Davis said. "For him to have this kind of breakout year is something we've been hoping for."

Now he's playing at an all-conference level.

Cox is second in the MVC in rebounding and the leader in 3-point field-goal percentage at 51.1. His sixth double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds against Indiana State helped him earn last week's MVC player of the week honor.

"He's always had the kind of talent and ability as an athlete to run the court, block shots and shoot the ball from 3-point range," Davis said. "With his height, that's something you don't see a lot.

"Now he's started to develop other parts of his game. Taking it to the basket, rebounding and effort plays."

What makes it even better for Cox is helping a team picked ninth in the league's preseason poll into the first matchup of 6-0 teams in MVC history against ISU.

A 17-15 finish last year was Drake's first above-.500 season since 1985-86. But MVC scoring leader Josh Young, who has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, was the only returning starter.

Now the Bulldogs are on a school-record 14-game winning streak.

"I'm a little surprised," Cox said of a team with three seniors on the roster. "But I knew we were capable from the beginning of playing really well together."

Which has piqued interest not seen in the Des Moines, Iowa school since it made the last of three successive NCAA tourney trips in 1971.

"It's hard not to think about the NCAA tournament," Cox said. "But it's way too early. We've got so many conference games and the conference tournament left."

But Cox and point guard Adam Emmenecker, another former walk-on who beat the buzzer and Bradley with a rebound basket Wednesday night, will be doing a lot more than dancing on the sideline if Drake finally returns to March Madness.

"It's definitely nice to prove people wrong who said I was too small or too skinny at Barrington," Cox said, "and show I was capable of playing at this level."

'Bucky-ing' the odds

Former Barrington all-area player Jonathan "Bucky" Cox has gone from a walk-on player to a starter for 15-1 Drake University:

3-pt

Year GP FG% made BLK PPG RPG

2005-06 31 42.3 26 9 6.7 4.7

2006-07 32 60.8 9 20 5.6 3.4

2007-08 16 51.9 23 21 12.0 8.5