Searching for a Dragon

It's apparent that the wagons have been circled in the Athletic and Executive offices at Drexel.  Basketball game attendance is down sharply, but number of business suits at basketball games is up.  The leaks are getting tighter and the cloud within the DAC thicker.  With three weeks left in a stubborn, frustrating season it's not too early to be looking forward to the next chapter, and if planing for the future, it is well past time.  When the college basketball season ends in Houston the Drexel Men's Basketball program is more than likely going to have a new steward.

When that person is chosen, supporters can only hope the next coach will treat this program with the same class and dignity that Bruiser Flint did.  We can hope that the coach will also buy (of age) students a round when they see them at a watering hole, and that they will treat their fellow staff like they would like to be treated.  Writing this piece at this time is tremendously insulting to a man who has never been anything but outstanding to those who have supported the program.  It's kicking dirt when we should be saying thank you.  Today we plan, but when that time comes, we will say thank you, although not nearly - not even close to - as loudly, as passionately or as brilliantly as his fifteen years of service deserve.




When it became clear that the likelihood of a coaching change was high, an informal questionnaire was sent out to a number of Drexel Men's Basketball supporters and stakeholders.  It received a 60% response rate to the one question that was asked:  "What would you look for in a potential Head Coach?"  It was kept as broad as possible and no recommendations or ideas were provided.  What was received back had a handful of consistent threads, and some surprises.  Those answers are below:

• The overwhelmingly most common and in fact unanimous response was said in a number of different ways.
  
  "Youth" "Upcoming" "Not a big conference retread" "Successful at a lower level" "Promising Assistant" "Ambitious"
  
  Not that we would ever give a weary eye towards a former conference mate, but it certainly sounded like an all out avoidance of a Paul Hewitt/ George Mason situation would be appreciated.

• The second most common piece of feedback was split down into two remarks.  The first was not just to avoid the Flint coaching tree, but rather the entire Calipari coaching family.  There is a desire for a clean break, to use this opportunity to put a fresh face on a program that seems in decline both on the court and in the stands.  The second segment of that commentary is a desire to bring in someone who will surround themselves with a staff that will add value to the Head Coach.  The Head Coach and Athletic Director need to understand the coaches areas of weakness and bring in staff that will fill those gaps.  Perhaps out of need (those positions were allegedly underfunded) and perhaps out of desire, those positions had been filled as a way to promote from within, and to recognize and develop potential coaching talent.  Potential donors indicated a preference to see those positions used tactically rather than developmentally going forward.

• One of the other areas of consistent feedback was a strong preference to continue one of Coach Flint's legacies.  The phrase "Student Athlete" may not be dead, but it is to the NCAA what Donald Trump is to the Republican Establishment.  It's an eye roll, a joke or outwardly trampled on at many Universities.  While no school is perfect, that the Men's Basketball program has largely stayed out of legal and APR trouble over Bruiser's tenure is admirable and was shown a large amount of respect by the respondents.

• The importance of recruiting was mentioned by the entire group, but in a very inconsistent manner.  Some spoke to the importance of knowing Philadelphia basketball, or at least Drexel's place in Philadelphia basketball.  Others spoke towards recruiting for specific skill sets, or finding people to fit the coaches specific system.  The takeaway here seemed clear, there are multiple ways to skin this particular cat, the next coach simply needs an effective, actionable plan that fits their goals.
  
• Respondents were extremely varied in their opinion as to stylistically what they would like to be represented by.  As such, no thought will be presented on the subject.  One related area to consider is Ken Pomeroy's recent study showing the predictors of future offensive performance.  One of the very troubling indicators when the Administration resigned Coach Flint in 2012 with an extended deal and a raise was that his offense had only ranked in the top half of college basketball twice in eleven seasons.  When we have predictors like 2pt shooting percentage available, they should be used and while that may not have barred a new deal at the time, it may have given the Administration some pause and concerns to address as part of the deal.  Going forward, this knowledge can be used to help highlight potential candidates and programs that have shown consistently strong results in areas that indicate future success.
  
• One respondent noted Dragon Athletics pride around gender equity, and suggested that female candidates should be considered.  I wholeheartedly agree, and would like to use that to speak to a broader "money where our mouth is" approach.  The Drexel mission statement states that:

Drexel is an academically comprehensive and globally engaged urban research university, dedicated to advancing knowledge and society and to providing every student with a valuable, rigorous, experiential, technology-infused education, enriched by the nation's premier co-operative education program.

The next Head Coach needs to embody the University's principles.  Technology should be used to the best possible advantage, and a budget needs to be available to allow that.  The staff should be composed of individuals that will challenge each others assertions and bring arguments to the table that will enable an experimental learning process.  A thirst for knowledge and a constant desire to improve and adapt is the foundation of all education, and it is critical in this constantly changing sport.  Drexel has a phenomenal campus environment that appreciates and embraces those ideals.  It's time for the Athletics Department to join it.

Not all of this is easy.  None of this is inexpensive.  But there are approximately 1400 assistant men's basketball coaches on D-I, and another 1400 assistant women's coaches.  In a city that makes college basketball a front door to their learning institutions there is no reason why Drexel lags behind their peers.  The time is long past due.  The location is sound.  The resources can be made available.  Drexel can succeed.  The change is coming, and we look to our leaders to cultivate that desire for success.