Garrett Sturtz, all-time rebounds leader, is a symbol of consistency for Drake basketball

Garrett Sturtz was supposed to spend his first season with Drake men’s basketball on the bench.

Sure, he just finished a successful high school career at Newton, which included scoring 764 points as a senior. But he was a walk-on and there was plenty of competition for minutes in Darian DeVries’ first months as head coach.

DeVries inherited a starter in Nick McGlynn. Brady Ellingson transferred from Iowa and immediately slotted into a new system. Nick Norton came to Drake from UAB and started 14 games before his season was cut short by an injury, and then Noah Thomas stepped in.

Tremell Murphy and D.J. Wilkins – two players DeVries brought in from Florida SouthWestern – rounded out the starting lineup.

Siena transfer Roman Penn was slated as the sixth-man option, which didn’t leave much room for Sturtz. The plan was for Sturtz to utilize his redshirt year and wait until the next season to work his way into the rotation.

More:Drake men's basketball extends winning streak to nine with victory over Belmont

But the Bulldogs were unsuccessful in appealing the NCAA’s transfer rules, and Penn was forced to sit out. Sturtz was the next man up, and he played his first college basketball game against UMKC.

“We’re down in Kansas City, it’s the day of the game, and I tell Garrett, ‘Hey, you’re up,’” DeVries said. “Garrett gets in there and plays (26) minutes. His first-ever college game and I couldn’t take him out.

“Late in the game, we were down, but we were making a comeback. (Someone) calls a timeout and Garrett tells me, point blank, ‘Don’t you take me out of this game.’ A freshman walk-on is telling his college coach not to take him out in his first-ever college game and I loved every part of it.”

Sturtz missed the first three games that season with hopes of keeping his redshirt intact. The year ended with Sturtz playing in the final 31 games.

He's played in every single Drake game since.

How does a walk-on become one of the Bulldogs’ all-time best?

The 2018 class of basketball recruits in Iowa was something special.

Sturtz and Joe Wieskamp went back and forth for that season’s scoring title; Wieskamp finished with 803 points as a senior, just edging out Sturtz's 764.

The Newton, Iowa native stood 6-foot-3 and was scrawny. He threw together 1,746 points and 528 rebounds through four years of high school, but that wasn’t enough to impress college coaches. He finished his senior year without a single Division I scholarship offer.

More:D.J. Wilkins leaves a legacy with Drake basketball, in more ways than one

“I had a lot of interest, but no one really pulled the trigger, so to say,” Sturtz said. “I fell in love with Drake in general. But then I talked to coach, and he talked about how everyone is going to have an equal opportunity to showcase what they have because it’s all brand new.”

So, Sturtz took a chance on Drake. He’d practiced in the Bulldogs' facilities. He knew of Drake basketball from when Keno Davis and Adam Emmenecker led the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament in 2008. He learned that DeVries was from Iowa and played in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“I was intrigued by having coaches that are from Iowa and even played in the Valley,” Sturtz said. “I just thought it was a good fit.”

Five years later, it’s hard to believe that some schools didn’t want to take that chance on Sturtz. He’s accumulated 1,338 career points, 903 rebounds and 173 steals in a Bulldogs jersey as of Wednesday morning. Drake plays its final home game Wednesday night against Illinois State.

This season, Sturtz became Drake’s all-time leader in rebounds, a title Melvin Mathis (854) held since 1986. Sturtz is also six steals away from breaking into the top-five in that category.

All Sturtz’s hard work paid off. Drake put its walk-on rising star on scholarship in the summer prior to the 2021-22 season.

“The only thing I was dreaming of was playing meaningful minutes,” Sturtz said. “It was never about the financial situation. It was just about what it stood for. I had never received an offer; I’d never received a scholarship. To share that moment with these guys and the coaches, that was special.”

Two sides to Sturtz

DeVries knows that Drake might have gotten a steal with Sturtz coming in as a walk-on. But there was never any doubt about the impact he could have on the team.

“He’s been such an integral part of our program since day one,” DeVries said. “You can’t even describe the impact he’s had on our teams year in and year out. It goes back to the competitive desire to win.”

Sturtz’s caught the attention of DeVries early on, but off the court, the graduate student flies under the radar.

More:Roman Penn, Bulldogs bench help lead Drake basketball's resurgence to top of MVC

Sturtz may be the only Drake player without social media. In postgame interviews, he's soft-spoken and often hypes his teammates before himself.

But on the floor, that quiet demeanor takes a back seat.

“Garrett’s voice is used more than you think,” Darian DeVries said. “He wants our team to compete at that high level, and he challenges guys to do that and execute. He’s much more fiery than people give him credit for.”

Hard worker. Fiery. Team player. Unique. Skilled.

Those are all words used to describe Sturtz, a kid from Iowa who worked his way to a starting spot on a Division I basketball team and is now an inspiration for other kids who see what a walk-on can become.

Unfortunately for DeVries and Drake, there's no secret formula that lets them turn other players into Garret Sturtz-style athletes.

He is just the type of player – and person – who comes around and helps transform a program.

“Garrett did it all on his own,” Darian DeVries said. “He goes out there and works his tail off, and I think people around here have an appreciation for how he plays.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake basketball will have tough time replacing Garrett Sturtz