Justin Ohl was retained under new head coach Mark Phelps after serving the past five seasons as an aide under both head coaches Tom Davis and Keno Davis.

"Justin understands why Drake University and Drake basketball are special, having been a student athlete and coach here. He embodies those qualities we will search for as we recruit young men to Drake. I am impressed with his knowledge, integrity, passion, commitment to the student-athlete and natural talent as a teacher, coach and recruiter."

Ohl was named assistant coach Sept. 14, 2004, after acting as a graduate manager for the previous three years.

"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to work with Coach Phelps," said Ohl. "His character and desire for Drake University and our program are evident. Mark has great passion for the student-athletes at Drake University and he will continue their pursuit of excellence, both in the classroom and on the basketball floor."

Ohl was a four-year letterman for the Bulldogs. In a 2000 home game against Southwest Missouri State he tied a Missouri Valley Conference single-game record by making all seven shots, including five three-point baskets.

As a senior, Ohl received the Drake Coaches Award for placing team before self. He also served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which helped provide insight on the student-athlete experience at Drake University.

Ohl began his coaching career as a graduate manager at Drake after his playing career ended in 2001. In this role, he was able to work in the day-to-day operation of the program.

In 2004 he was promoted to full-time assistant under Dr. Tom Davis.

Over the past four seasons as an assistant he was responsible for Drake's rebounding efforts, scouting of the opposition and also helped in the recruiting of future Bulldogs. In addition, he also served as the academic liaison between the basketball program and academic support services department. He served as the director of the Bulldog Basketball Camps.

He received his bachelor's degree in marketing from Drake in 2001. He also holds a teaching license in general business. Ohl earned a master's degree from Drake in public administration in 2006.

The Mason City, Iowa, native earned first team Iowa Class 2A all-state honors as a senior at Newman High School in Mason City.

Justin is married to former Drake women's basketball player Haley Sames.

Assistant Coach Mike Gibson

Mike Gibson joined the Drake coaching staff on May 19, 2008, after spending past two seasons on the Arizona State staff where current Drake head coach Mark Phelps had been the associate head coach under Herb Sendek.

"In working with Mike (Gibson) the last two years, I have been most impressed by his intelligence, organization and work ethic," said Phelps. "His high academic achievements certainly exemplify these qualities. He has worked for two elite level programs run by two elite level head coaches and has experienced being part of a program operating at the highest level. He will be an invaluable component to the coaching staff here."

Gibson joined Herb Sendek's coaching staff at Arizona State in the summer of 2006 as coordinator of basketball technology and was promoted in the summer of 2007 to director of basketball operations.

"I am extremely excited to join Coach Phelps at Drake University," said Gibson. "In working with Mark the past two seasons, I have been impressed by his knowledge of the game and his ability to oversee all facets of a basketball program.

"His experience under Coach Sendek and his unwavering commitment to integrity and character make Coach Phelps a perfect fit for Drake University. I am excited and optimistic about the future of Drake basketball under Coach Phelps' leadership and honored to be a part of it."

Gibson's main duties during the 2007-08 season included scheduling, organizing team travel, setting training table and practice times as well as planning player life skills seminars and on-campus recruiting arrangements. He served as the point person for the basketball program with several departments, including residential life, academic services, compliance, marketing and media relations. Gibson also served as the executive director of the Herb Sendek Basketball Camps.

As the program's coordinator of basketball technology during the 2006-07 season, Gibson made video edits for recruiting and scouting, while helping with many administrative issues for the program.

Gibson graduated with a 3.97 grade-point average from Carnegie Melon University (Herb Sendek's alma mater) in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 2005, with a degree in business administration.

At Carnegie Mellon, Gibson earned a spot on the Dean's High Honor List every semester, while playing four years for the men's basketball team, the last of which he served as team captain.

At Carnegie Mellon, he was part of five national academic honor societies (National Dean's List, Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society, Mortar Board Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars). He also was on the NABC Academic Honor Roll.

While in college, he worked at several basketball camps including Five-Star, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Louisville, Northwestern, Dayton and Providence.

After graduating from Carnegie Mellon, Gibson joined Tom Izzo's staff at Michigan State for the 2005-2006 season as a graduate assistant. Gibson's main responsibility was to work with scouting, individual workouts and also assist the director of operations. Gibson also worked with the scout team and diagrammed all of the Spartans' and their opponents' plays and tendencies. He served as a student assistant director of operations in the spring of 2006 and worked directly with the operations director.