Stopping the BLeeding

There is no better offensive threat on the Drexel Dragons roster than Damion Lee.

Regardless of what you think of his play so far this year, there is no question about that statement.  He was the best three point shooter on the team last season, he gets to the rim better than any other player, and he can free throw shoot with anyone on the team.  If someone says this doesn't hurt the long term outlook of this team, they are lying to you, end of story.  Damion had the ability to put the team on his back and win a game almost by himself on those nights when he got hot, like the CAA sendoff that he gave ODU last year when he had 34 points on just 14 field goal attempts.  His teammates are going to have to band together and pick themselves up on those nights this year as their safety net won't be there.

Without knowing what the Dragons have in Freddie Wilson, it's really impossible to write up a "where we go from here" post.  The team will need to get through two more games without Wilson, and the good news is that that's very do-able.  Cleveland State is a pretty good team and the Dragons will need to be prepared and welcomed by a hopping DAC crowd, but they will be a decent sized favorite in that contest.  Pomeroy shows the Dragons as huge favorites against Tennessee State in the following game.

The nice thing about having depth is that the team has someone to pick them up when a player is having an off night, does something stupid or if a teammate gets injured.  Throughout this short season the depth of this team was the talk of the town.  It's time to back up that talk.

The biggest advantage that this years team has is how they're winning games.  Rebounding and turnover margins are the pitching and defense of college hoops.  They're the 2000 Ravens out there, managing the game on offense and winning by just having more possessions than you.  It's not sexy, and it's certainly not the way this team was drawn up, but it's been on display game in and game out this year.  The shooting has not been there (yet).

While Drexel will lose some length on the defensive end with the loss of Lee- which could really hinder their 2-3 zone- Damion had yet to pull down an offensive board all season and no one is accusing him of being a stalwart defender.  With regards to Drexel's areas of strength thus far this year, losing Lee isn't that large a loss, this is why DU was able to hang in that Bama game.  Had Lee been available and been hitting shots in that game, maybe that becomes an easier win, but the fact that the Dragons came out of the Garden with a W is a testament to the other players on the team and the game plan that they have been winning with.

This team is wounded for sure, but hey, John McClane was wounded once or twice too and we all saw how that worked out.  If they play smart, realize that they have more talent on this team then they have had in a very long time even without Lee, and keep getting the loose ball, then they can overcome this injury, just as they did when they Rolled the Tide.  When the shooting rolls around too, even if its not quite what it could have been?  The CAA is still in trouble.