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JP Dragas follows coach, teammates to IU Indy from West Liberty

JP Dragas got his college career off to one of the best starts imaginable. The Madison alum entered West Liberty as a freshman who immediately cracked the rotation.

He played in all 35 of the Hilltoppers’ games, starting 22 of them and averaged 9.2 points with a season-high 29 against Salem, one of four times he broke the 20-point threshold.

Dragas helped West Liberty reach the Elite Eight in Division II, the school’s eighth trip that deep in the tournament since 2011.

But then head coach Ben Howlett got the call and took the job at Division I IU Indy. Like many coaches, he brought some of his guys with him, including Dragas.

“Division I was always a goal for me, and when presented with the opportunity to challenge myself as a basketball player, how could I pass that up?” Dragas said. “Plus I was coming with some of my friends and teammates. I formed a bond with them and I really know how to play with them so coming with them as well was really big for me. We have a new opportunity to do something great and change a program, so why not push my limits?”

During his high school career, Dragas was the go-to player for Madison, averaging over 27 points per game in three of his four years and was the Blue Streaks’ leading scorer all four years.

He eclipsed the 2,000-point mark, was a two-time district player player of the year and the 2023-24 Clark Kellogg award winner, while holding multiple other school records to his name.

While he had always wanted to play at the top level of college sports, Dragas knew he needed some time to refine his skills before making the jump. But when the opportunity presented itself, he knew it was the right situation for him already being used to Howlett’s up-tempo system.

“That first year at West Liberty pushed me so hard, and that’s because of the team and coaches we had,” Dragas said. “I fully believe that a good majority of those dudes on West Liberty were Division I players already but were at West Liberty because they wanted to win, not care about what division it was.

“That team was 30-5 because of the guys we had on the team and to be that good you have to have really good players. Getting to compete with those high-level players for an entire year is what prepared me for this next step. Having the other West Liberty guys here is really important so that we can lead these guys and show them the system we are trying to implement on and off the court.”

But Dragas isn’t the only Hilltopper who has made the move. Incoming senior Finley Woodward and Kyler D’Augustino, both of whom have Ohio ties as Woodward played at Spire while D’Augustino played at Alexander, also made the move.

D’Augustino led West Liberty in scoring with 17.3 points, while Woodward was the facilitator with 4.9 assists to go with 10.7 points.

Already knowing the system is a strong starting point for the Jaguars with the new regime and is something for which Dragas is excited.

“That chemistry will help things get off the ground and run for us,” Dragas said. “We are going to change this culture and show this community how to win. The coaches and us West Liberty guys are going to bring in that mentality of the team first and winning first before all else. That group chemistry as well as the aspect of how hard the coaches push us is what will push us to change things around this year.”

The Jaguars have had a men’s basketball program for 27 seasons and are a part of the Horizon League. But five of the last six seasons, they’ve had single-digit wins and haven’t posted a winning record since 2010-11.

IU Indy made its lone NCAA tournament appearance in the 2002-03 season after winning the Mid-Continent conference title over Valparaiso before falling to Kentucky in the first round.

While the program posted 10 wins a season ago, Dragas knows the team is heading in the right direction and is excited to be a part of that process.

“A lot of people are doubting us, so we are going to use that as fuel and put everything we have into each other and the system,” Dragas said. “So that no matter what, we will say we did everything we could possibly do to change things here.”