Indiana Portal Additions: When Jason Drake Is At His Best, He Fills It Up

Of Darian DeVries' transfer portal additions? Jason Drake might be the hardest to peg other than the scoring ability he's demonstrated.

Drexel guard Jason Drake handles the ball in a 2024-25 game in Philadelphia. | Drexel athletics.

Editor's note: Hoosiers On SI looks at the Indiana players Darian DeVries has brought to the team from the transfer portal and their best performances.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sometimes the term “project” can be used to describe a role a player will have on a given team. It’s sometimes thought of in a pejorative sense, because it can infer that a player hasn’t reached his potential or has talent that hasn’t been mined yet.

However, not every roster is created equally. In Indiana’s case, most of the players coach Darian DeVries has brought in to rebuild the Hoosiers’ roster have at least a few years of Division I experience.

Point guard Jason Drake is an exception. While he’s played two seasons of Division I basketball – one year each at Cleveland State and Drexel – he’s only had one where he was part of the regular rotation. Drake started all 33 games for Drexel in 2024-25.

That one year shouldn’t be dismissed, but many of the players on the Indiana roster – including a few Drake will be competing with to get minutes – have more experience.

So, if Drake is a “project,” he’s only labeled as such in comparison with his future teammates. Drake did demonstrate some good traits during his one season starting at Drexel, and Indiana hopes he can make another leap at the Big Ten level.

Here’s a look at some examples of Drake when he’s been at his best in his career.

Big Moment

Drake doesn’t have as many miles on his tires as some of Indiana’s other transfer portal acquisitions, but he has had some moments in his relatively brief Division I career.

Arguably his best moment came in the Sunshine Slam Tournament against Fordham. Drexel played at Fordham as part of that tournament and  Drake played 32 minutes and scored a team-high 15 points in a 73-71 victory at Fordham’s Rose Gym. He added seven assists and didn’t miss a free throw.

It was his most productive game in a winning effort for the Dragons.

Scoring

Drexel's Jason Drake shoots against the defense of Delaware's Macon Emory (5) in the second half of Delaware's 78-74 loss at the Bob Carpenter Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. | William Bretzger-Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Drake has only really had one season where he was an everyday Division I player. His 2022-23 season at Cleveland State was spent in a reserve role. His highest-scoring game with Cleveland State was nine points.

At Drexel, Drake averaged 26.1 minutes, and it showed in his production.

Drake twice had 25-point games. Both came in victories – an 86-66 win against William & Mary in February, and a 91-74 victory over fellow transfer portal addition Nick Dorn and his Elon team in March.

Drake was more efficient against Elon, making 8 of 13 from the field. He was also 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

Drake is a streaky shooter. He’s had 14 career games at 50% or better with five or more shots taken. He’s also had 11 games at 33% or worse with five or more attempts.

His best shooting performance with five or more attempts was a 5-for-6 effort against Albany in December. All of those shots were two-point makes.

Drake shot a decent amount of threes per game, 3.1 per game at Drexel, but he is not a volume shooter like Lamar Wilkerson or Tucker DeVries. He’s had two games shooting 50% or better on five or more attempts. Drake’s career-high for made threes in a game is three, which he’s done seven times.

Drake is an excellent free throw shooter at 85.5% for his career. His game log reflects his excellence with 13 perfect games at the line – three of them with five makes or more. Drake has only had three career games where he was less than 50% at the line.

Other Statistics Of Note

As a point guard, Drake will do well in the assist department. He’s had seven games with five assists or more, all of them occurring in his lone season at Drexel. Drake peaked with nine assists in that February game against William & Mary.

Drake’s career rebounding high is seven, but he’s only topped five rebounds or more four times. He’s also not had a high volume of steals with a career-high of two, which he’s done four times. Drake has exactly one career blocked shot.

Advanced Statistics

Befitting a point guard, Drake scores high in distribution statistics. He had an assist rate of 23.5% at Drexel. Since he looked to call his own number when it comes to scoring, he also had an above-average usage rate at 25.2%.

Drake tended to rate higher in offensive win shares and box plus-minus than he did in defensive categories, but that’s often a reflection of team defensive prowess as much as individual acumen.

Drake likely will not be a starter for Indiana in 2026, but he’s shown potential that could help the Hoosiers if he continues to improve.

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• ALEXIS ADDED TO INDIANA FRONTCOURT: Sam Alexis, who played for national champion Florida, committed to Indiana. CLICK HERE.

• NICK DORN IS A HOOSIER: Former Elon guard Nick Dorn committed to Indiana. CLICK HERE.

• DRAKE COMMITS TO INDIANA: Former Drexel guard Jason Drake has committed to Indiana. CLICK HERE.

• CONERWAY COMMITS: Former Troy guard Tayton Coneway is a Hoosier after he confirmed his commitment on Wednesday night. CLICK HERE.

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• WILKERSON WANTED TO BE A PRIORITY AND INDIANA MADE HIM FEEL THAT WAY: Lamar Wilkerson explained why he chose Indiana over Kentucky. CLICK HERE.