The Drexel Dragons will play their next two games at home, versus two teams from the Charm City, and they just might be the two most important games of the season.
Perhaps I am laying down a light dusting of hyperbole there, but in all seriousness, the outcome of the next two games could dictate the course of the rest of this season.
Read MorePost game thoughts after beating Robert Morris where adjustments were made and the results were positive. Dan from Always A Dragon joins us too!
Read MoreIf you’ve had the misfortune of sitting near me at a Drexel basketball game, you've probably heard me yell something to the effect of “what are we doing?”
This has become one of my go to phrases of frustration. I use it in many different scenarios, sometimes to express anger, sometimes to express confusion. Seven games into this season though, I haven’t been using it quite as much.
Read MorePost game thoughts ... Post game thoughts after a tough loss on the road against Bowling Green where it was a tale of two halves, the second being our lowest scoring one yet.
Read MorePost game thoughts after a decisive win at home against Boston in a game that declared: Wynter is here. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Read MorePost game thoughts after beating La Salle for the second straight year and picking up the seasons’ first W.
Read More“Three” games in, we discuss our BIGgest gap to address, the 2019 recruits and look ahead. Also Suit Update is back and a belated Shaft Day to you!
Read MorePost game thoughts after the beat down at the RAC, and then we ... just forget.
Read MorePostgame thoughts after the close game against EMU.
Read MoreThe DAC will play host to perhaps the best matchup anywhere in the country on Friday night when Drexel, the reigning CAA Regular Season Champions, will host a Quinnipiac team fresh off a MAAC championship and a trip into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Both teams enter the season with lofty expectations. The Bobcats were selected to win their conference again and currently sit atop the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Dragons were picked second in a stacked CAA and are currently ranked #15 in that same poll.
Read MoreThere’s no doubt most of you have seen different publications and media outlets putting Drexel at the bottom of the CAA this season.
I for one, don’t think it’s as black and white. National outlets, and local ones who only care about Jay Wright’s suits really don’t know what they're talking about when they talk about Drexel basketball.
The lazy way out is to say “They lost their best player on a team that was bad, so they’ll be terrible,” but I don’t think that is necessarily the case.
Read MorePreseason hope and rust are a plenty in this episode where we discuss CAA rankings, landing a big recruit and Tadas the Giant.
Read MoreMarshall and guest host Bill Torr sit down for a preseason chat with Coach Dillon.
Read MoreStart working on your sick voice to tell your boss you’re not coming in that day. Yes, an 11AM tipoff on a Friday is definitely strange, but that just makes the kick off to the season all the more exciting. EMU is one of the most talented teams in the MAC, and have every intention of dancing come March. Center James Thompson IV averaged 14 and 11 last season, and at 6’10 he will give Tim Perry Jr. and Alihan Demir all they can handle. The Eagles also return their leading scorer Elijah Minnie, but don’t be deceived by his name. The 6’9 combo forward can score in multiple ways and averaged 16.8ppg last season. This will be a serious challenge for the Dragons.
The Scarlet Knights are one of those teams that should be good, but can never seem to get their act together. Head Coach Steve Pikell has seen improvements from his team, especially on defense. They held opponents to 64.8 points per game last year, which was a leap forward. It will still be early in the season, and both teams will probably still look sloppy, but this one could be high scoring. Rutgers will have Quinnipiac transfer Peter Kiss who was brought in to provide offense, as well as freshman Ron Harper Jr. who lit it up in high school. Both teams will be breaking in plenty of new players, and it will be interesting to see which team gels more quickly.
I’m so tempted to just write “pass” here, but I actually have a story.
My cousin played ball for a small college in Jersey, and a few years ago they played at Bryn Athyn. I attended the game and remember two things from it. First, the officiating was, without question, the worst I have ever seen in my life. I will never see a more poorly officiated game. It was unreal. Second, after the game when my cousin came out of the locker room, the first thing he said to me was “my high school team would’ve beaten these guys.” So there you go, that’s Drexel’s home opener.
We beat them at their place last year and we’ll do it again. Well, we’ll at least try to. The biggest difference is the upgrade in coach for the Explorers. Former Drexel guard Ashley Howard is now at the helm, and tasked with returning La Salle to the prominence they once saw. It won’t happen this season, as the Explorers lose last years best player B.J. Johnson. They also lose two other senior starters, but return guard Pookie Powell who can do some serious scoring. In the first Gold Game of the season, look for Drexel to score some points and take advantage of La Salle’s youth.
Boston U was a middle of the road team in the competitive Patriot League, finishing last season 15-16. That being said, they have been infused with new life. Texas Tech transfer Alex Vilarino will be looked at to provide solid D and scoring. Boston is a young squad, but talented. Much of their success this season will depend on how well freshman forward Jack Hemphill and freshman guard Garrett Pascoe develop. Coach Spiker is familiar with BU from his time coaching Army in the Patriot League.
Bowling Green ruined Drexel’s home opener last season, and the Dragons will try to exact revenge. BGSU struggled mightily at the end of last year after getting off to a hot start. Coach Michael Huger is one of the better mid-major coaches out there, and won’t let their late season stumbles carry over. Kurk Lee had 11 points, and Troy Harper had 8 against Bowling Green last year. Both will need to step up for Drexel to avoid consecutive losses to the Falcons.
Drexel lost to NJIT by 12 last season in one of those head scratching games. Last year, Drexel matched NJIT from a talent standpoint for sure, but just never got it together. Anthony Tarke, who had 13 points and 7 boards in the game, has transferred to UTEP, so the Highlanders will look to 6’10 center Abdul Lewis to pick up the slack. There is no doubt that Drexel will be tested in the paint early in this one.
The Dragons fell to Robert Morris by 14 points in Pittsburgh last season, but Dachon Burke who lit Drexel up for 25 has left RMU. That’s the good news. The bad news is they return NEC Freshman of the Year Koby Thomas, and will be bolstered by Akron transfer Josh Williams. The 6’2 guard is one of the top newcomers in the NEC. Drexel was led by Kurk Lee’s 15 points in the loss last season.
The Greyhounds escaped with a win in a hard fought game last season in Baltimore. Philly’s own Chuck Champion will lead Loyola who look to improve upon a 10 win season last year. The talented guard, who was 4-4 from three and had 21 in their meeting last year, will be joined by highly touted freshman Jaylin Andrews in the backcourt. Coach Tavaras Hardy is in his first season at Loyola, and while expectations may not be high this year, Loyola will give Drexel all they can handle.
UMBC made headlines last year when they became the only 16 seed to defeat a 1 seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament. They defeated the University of Virginia by dismantling the typically stingy Cavaliers defense. UMBC graduated two stars from that team in Jarius Lyles and K.J. Maura, so, much of their success will depend on the play of forward Joe Sherburne. This should be a great game to attend at the DAC.
This good matchup is part of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off played at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. While this may not be the marquee game of the day, it sure will be an entertaining one to watch. Drexel narrowly defeated Baker Dunleavy’s squad last season at The DAC. The Bobcats will contend for the MAAC title this season, as they return wing Cameron Young who averaged 18.8 points per game last season. Dunleavy also landed New York’s Mr. Basketball in freshman Shavion Lewis. In a game that will have some degree of national attention, the Dragons will need to come ready to play against a Quinnipiac squad that will be much improved.
In what is the marquee matchup on the schedule this season, Drexel will head to UConn to take on a rebuilding Huskies team. After catching lightning in a bottle and winning the national title in his first season, coach Kevin Ollie was never able to build upon that, and was replaced by Dan Hurley. UConn, despite having some rough seasons, has the talent one would expect from a program of their caliber. In the backcourt, Jalen Adams and Christian Vital have the potential to take over games, and that’s exactly what they’ll try to do. Drexel will need to play lockdown defense, and Kurk Lee will need to be at his best for the Dragons to compete in this one.
This game is being played at The Palestra. On the Dragonscast episode with Coach Spiker, Spiker said Temple coach Fran Dunphy had some legitimate points as to why this game should be played at The Palestra instead of The DAC. I know we’re supposed to bow at the alter of Dunphy, but this is annoying. This would have been a great game to play at The DAC, especially for recruits to see the incredible environment The DAC can be. Instead, the baby gets his bottle. Drexel nearly beat Temple at their place last season, and standouts Quinton Rose and Shizz Alston will looks to dominate this game start to finish. This will be a battle between two good guards in Kurk Lee and Alston. I know Dunphy is well respected and a classy guy, but I want nothing more than to send him into retirement with an absolute ass-whooping. PLEASE COME OUT TO THIS GAME.
If I had basketball fever and the only cure was watching Drexel play Bryn Athyn, I don’t know if I’d be able to do it.
Unfortunately for me, I have a much more serious and permanent disease, it’s called being a Drexel basketball fan, so I’ll be there when they play the D-III Bryn Athyn, and when they tangle with Robert Morris, and I’ll be there when we seek revenge against NJIT.
Read MoreThe Triangle recently published a piece written and/or co-signed by former DAC Pack presidents who saw the DAC Pack through some of their strongest years. The article eloquently commented on the past success of Drexel basketball and the fan support that surrounded it. The piece ended with optimism, explaining how students and alums can #TakeBackTheDac and take Drexel basketball and the experience surrounding it back to it’s glory. The co-signers of the article welcomed a chance to meet with President Fry to discuss how to #TakeBackTheDac.
Read MoreWe’d like to thank Coach Zach Spiker for joining us on a special episode of Dragonscast where we discuss suits, the greatest comeback in D1 basketball history, City 6 rivalries and his vision/plan ahead for the Drexel program.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and join the Slack channel if you haven’t yet. Also we would really appreciate it if you could leave us a review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!
I have a problem where I don't think before I react. This can be good and bad. I've found out that my gut reaction is usually correct, but for the times it's wrong and I fire off a Tweet or shout an opinion or write a blog post, that's when it gets me in trouble.
This probably won't be one of those times, because when I heard that Zach Spiker would sign an extension as the head coach of the Drexel Dragons, I had no immediate reaction.
The news was broken to me via the Dragonscast Slack channel which I encourage everyone to join, you can do this at the top of the page, and when I read it nothing immediately shot into my brain. I would've probably reacted the same was if the post read that Spiker had resigned.
I didn't go back and look at Spiker's record, because I know it's bad, and I also know it isn't reflective of his basketball IQ or his coaching ability. I did think about his recruits, and while I'm not ecstatic, and there are no surprising or impressive signings, yet, I will wait to see how the Kararinas' and the Doles' and the Washington's and the Wynter's of the world pan out. It's the players he brought in and what he does with them that will determine my opinion of Zach Spiker the coach and will ultimately determine his future in the profession.
I like Zach Spiker the person and I think he represents the University very well, but in interviews he has a way of coming across sincere and enlightened without really giving any information.
Because I don't have a formed opinion of Coach Spiker yet, I decided I'd go back a few years to when he signed his first contract. In this April 4, 2016 interview on Philly Sports Talk, Sam Donnellon asked Spiker a question regarding recruiting and Spiker responded by saying each school has a unique niche, and he found that at Army. I can't imagine he has found it at Drexel.
Highschool recruits who needed a prep year and transfers from 3000 miles away cannot be what Drexel's niche is. Do I know what it is? I do not, but what I do know is that 18-year-old kids aren't thinking about their academics or a co-op. They want to go to college to have fun, and if they're athletes, they want to play in front of a packed house.
Sure, transfers are a big part of college hoops, but without an established pipeline it is impossible to have any sustained success. The clock on ticking on Spiker to find this niche.
In his introductory remarks, Spiker talked about the family atmosphere at Drexel, and he lists it as a major reason he and his family decided to come to Philadelphia.
Before I started the old Magnificent Basketball blog, the only Drexel family I felt a part of was the one created by the guys who started the Dragonscast Podcast and this website. When listening to that inspired me to do some Drexel basketball writing of my own, it was another Drexel alum who invited me into the Slack and this great, great community and resource.
As far as the family vibe coming from the University that Spiker spoke of, I haven't felt it nor have I seen it. Walking onto the court in front of a sea of empty seats most nights must be like a punch in the gut to Coach Spiker.
Weak promotions, expensive tickets and an apathetic student body has led to dismal attendance at The DAC during Spiker's tenure, and that is ultimately what needs to change.
A contract extension will enable Spiker to live comfortably, but does it mean the University is behind him and will offer him the support he needs? I hope so. I hope there is an initiative to get asses in seats and I hope more donors are inclined to throw some money at the program and I hope the University takes a serious interest in building a winning men's basketball team.
It's not easy and as good of a basketball coach as Zack Spiker may be, it takes so much more than that to have sustained success as a program. This is where the athletic director and his officers need to step up and reignite the Dragon community.
Zach Spiker could be the coach of this team for 50 years and never have a winning season if the University doesn't take his role, his team, and the program seriously.
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This episode was recorded in June and like the title had a few false starts before it, but better late than never I suppose! Thanks for all the support for the second season run of our podcast!
I have two loves, movies and pacing around my apartment muttering expletives about Drexel basketball.
This closest thing I have to merging those two loves is the incredible 1996 movie, nay, FILM "Eddie".
In the movie, Whoopie Goldberg plays a beaten-down New York Knicks fan who by a series of unprecedented events is pulled out of the stands and is eventually named the head coach of the team. You may think that is an implausible premise, but I think it's how Zillmer became the AD at Drexel so...
"Eddie" is probably the best movie of Whoopi's career and the worst of Frank Langella's, but it does act out the dream of every beleagured sports fan who has ever said "I could do a better job than that guy."
For the record, I do not think I could do a better job than Zach Spiker. I think he is a good coach with good basketball instincts who is realizing how difficult it is going to be to win at Drexel. A good sign of this is when the vast majority of your recruiting class are JUCO transfers or guys who were lightly recruited out of high school, so they did a prep year, but then they were lightly recruited out of prep school too.
Drexel needs to become a place that mid-tier high school recruits from the northeast want to come and play. It is up to Spiker to make that happen, and that starts on the court before it can happen in the prospects mothers living room.
I digress, I will have plenty of opportunities to complain this season, but this post is not that. This is me acting out a real life "Eddie" scenario, we'll call it "Joey."
If I we're plucked from Section 8 at the DAC and asked to coach the team, I would get crazy trying out different lineups really quickly. In all seriousness, the only way Spiker could get fired after this season is if he sets fire to the squash courts on Drexel's campus, but anything short of that wouldn't do it.
So, he's in a unique position to do some interesting things.
The first thing I would try is putting Demir at the 5.
I'd play a lineup featuring Lee, Harper, Walton, Doles, and Demir on the court. The goal here is to outscore the opponent, and not worry about defense at all. So, Drexel basketball.
Unless Tim Perry Jr. is just a shot blocking, rebounding stud, this team cannot protect the rim, nor can they out rebound anyone, so the goal is going to be long possessions and making shots.
This lineup only works under the assumption that everyone is a capable three-point shooter, which if left open they can be. Demir has shown he can score from the block through a mix of force and finesse. The goal would be to work the ball around, milk the clock, get it down low and give Demir the option to kick or shoot from close range.
I think my days of hoping Drexel locks down on defense under Spiker are over, so I am inclined to agree with his strategy to try and outscore every opponent.
Once that lineup blows up in my face, though, I might try a slightly more defensive minded lineup.
Lee, Walton, Washington, Demir and TPJR.
Obviously, this group would give Drexel great length on the wings with the 6'6 Walton and 6'4 Washington. The inability of Drexel to defend the wings and opposing guards in general was glaring last year.
If Tim Perry Jr. is able to block shots and rebound (I understand how insane I must sound putting this kind of pressure on Perry, but he needs to step up in a big way), then I think this lineup could be formidable. Harper as the sixth man off the bench could kinda-sorta run the point if he can control the reckless abandon he plays with.
The risk here is playing with a true freshman and two guys in Lee and Walton who are going to want the ball. Hopefully Lee's experience playing alongside Isabell last year has helped mature him to the point where he can be a facilitator as opposed to a shoot first player.
If those risks turn into failures, then things get really fun. It would be easy to give up on the Dragons at this point, but Eddie never gave up on the Knicks, so, here's plan c.
Lee, John, Walton, Demir, Butler.
Transfer Trevor John as opposed to Harper and Washington only makes sense if his incredibly small three-point shooting sample size at Cal Poly can turn into consistency for Drexel.
Bulter is a total and complete mystery to me. He hardly played at Navy, but averaged 27/game in high school. This tells me Butler probably played against inferior high school competition, but possesses an ability to score.
This lineup would also let Demir stretch his legs and show off his range, but you're sacrificing anything even close to defense.
The two constants are Lee and Demir because they are the two best players on this team. Harper is probably number three for me right now, but I love the idea of his energy off the bench.
There are so many unknowns, and I mean literally unknown players who we haven't seen live yet, on this team that it could be a very fun season. Of course, unless Spiker finds the secret recipe, it will be a losing one.
He is in a very unique position, and while last year featured plenty of iso-ball from a talented guard, this year could be closer to the offense Spiker draws up on his whiteboard.
As I said, I have faith in Spiker, but if we see the same milquetoast lineup that struggles night in and night out, I may have to use a line Eddie used on the coach she replaced.
"You gonna try something new tonight? Like trying to coach?"
What a film.