The Dragons return to the court on Saturday with a lot of reasons to be happy. They've gotten to sleep in their own beds for almost a week straight for the first time since prior to the California trip. Through seven games, six of them on the road and two against ranked opponents they've racked up a 5-2 record which puts them in the top 64 teams in the country no matter what ranking you look at. They've proven they can win without Lee, and haven't even played their best basketball yet. And this game is extremely unlikely to go to triple overtime.
The Tennessee State Tigers are 0-9 and only half of those games were against teams that are particularly good. Drexel hasn't gotten a chance to get a cream puff game in yet and a chance to loosen up and not feel the pressure that every other game has brought could be just what they need to start getting their rhythm going with the jump shots. Seeing the ball go through the hoop and getting some confidence in their shooting going into exam week could put them in a spot where they can be recovered physically and mentally when the season restarts at Davidson.
The spread for this game will probably come out in the 16-18 point neighborhood. As this is the first cream puff on the schedule and they do have a rest week following, it's a potential letdown spot for the Dragons so watch out for them to come out a little flat. If the Dragons can keep up their dominant rebounding and turnover advantage they should fly though this game, but the traits of the let down spot are getting a little loose with the ball so the turnovers are what to look for early and should well be a better sign of things to come then the scoreboard.
On the Tigers it's Patrick Miller, a junior point guard who will be out there all night and taking the vast majority of the shot attempts. Miller is a skilled shooter who will uncork from anywhere, averaging 20 shots a game on the season. He should be Frantz' responsibility and coming off of a 55 minute effort on Wednesday, a big lead would be nice as it would give Major Canady a chance to get some decent PT against a solid guard and take some of the weight off of Frantz' shoulders. MJ Rhett is a junior bigman that is also worth keeping an eye on, expected to be the responsibility of Ruffin who will be looking to follow up his MVP like performance from the Cleveland State game.
Look for the Dragons to try some jumpshots, look to get their confidence going from range and try to stay off the line in their last game prior to Freddie Wilson's arrival to the floor. This game is a business trip at home, just get in and cash the W, and be happy to have survived these three shorthanded games without Lee or Wilson. Any win is a good win, and this one may be closer than it should be.
Prediction: Dragons 69- Tennessee St 57
Vegas Line: Dragons -14.5
Friday, December 6, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Cleveland State - The Happy Recap - Pitching and Defense
Final: Drexel 85, Cleveland St 82 @ The DAC
Player of the Game: Dartaye Ruffin
Key to the game: Pitching and Defense
Next Game: Sat, Dec 7 vs Tennessee State @ The DAC
There will be a lot of people from "the outside" who don't sleep with RPI printouts lying on their chest or watch their team on the road or read blogs like this one who tell you that Drexel going to triple OT against Cleveland State shows exactly how weak DU is without Damion Lee. How this clearly displays that Drexel isn't a contender to be a top tier program this year and how once again they'll be good but not good enough.
With respect to those people... They couldn't be more wrong. Cleveland State brought their defense first mentality to the DAC on Wednesday night and played a man to man the likes of which you have only seen from some of Bruiser Flint's better defensive squads. They then flipped to zone for a bit, challenging DU to adjust and as soon as they did Coach Waters flipped right back to in your jersey man. Besides proving that tough man to man D can be played in this handcheck era, CSU was proving that they remembered the 20 point homecourt loss on national TV from two years ago and they wanted to get even. Someone make sure the equipment manager checks before he washes Chris Fouch's jersey, a Viking might fall out.
One other thing. CSU shot 50% from the field, and 48% from three. The Cleveland State Vikings played very good basketball Wednesday night in a surprisingly temperate DAC. A lot of nights when a team like that comes to town, the home team coach has to get to the press room postgame and mutter "listen, you gotta tip your hat sometimes man. They played good. We got beat tonight, they played really good against us, they hit everything." (Not quoting there, and apologies for channeling my inner Bru). Bruiser Flint didn't have to use those words or any like them after this game, because this years Drexel squad is very good themselves, and they took those punches and answered.
Frantz Massenat will get plenty of applause in the press postgame, and deservedly so. Frantz played all 55 minutes and only turned the ball over twice against intense man to man pressure. On top of that he had 21 points from the field on only 13 field goal attempts and picked up 9 assists. He was a few free throws and a bad feed to Kaz Abif from throwing a near perfect game, so it's almost criminal that he doesn't end up player of the game. The thing is, in the Stop the BLeeding post about the Dragons moving on without Damion Lee, the following was mentioned:
Player of the Game: Dartaye Ruffin
Key to the game: Pitching and Defense
Next Game: Sat, Dec 7 vs Tennessee State @ The DAC
There will be a lot of people from "the outside" who don't sleep with RPI printouts lying on their chest or watch their team on the road or read blogs like this one who tell you that Drexel going to triple OT against Cleveland State shows exactly how weak DU is without Damion Lee. How this clearly displays that Drexel isn't a contender to be a top tier program this year and how once again they'll be good but not good enough.
With respect to those people... They couldn't be more wrong. Cleveland State brought their defense first mentality to the DAC on Wednesday night and played a man to man the likes of which you have only seen from some of Bruiser Flint's better defensive squads. They then flipped to zone for a bit, challenging DU to adjust and as soon as they did Coach Waters flipped right back to in your jersey man. Besides proving that tough man to man D can be played in this handcheck era, CSU was proving that they remembered the 20 point homecourt loss on national TV from two years ago and they wanted to get even. Someone make sure the equipment manager checks before he washes Chris Fouch's jersey, a Viking might fall out.
One other thing. CSU shot 50% from the field, and 48% from three. The Cleveland State Vikings played very good basketball Wednesday night in a surprisingly temperate DAC. A lot of nights when a team like that comes to town, the home team coach has to get to the press room postgame and mutter "listen, you gotta tip your hat sometimes man. They played good. We got beat tonight, they played really good against us, they hit everything." (Not quoting there, and apologies for channeling my inner Bru). Bruiser Flint didn't have to use those words or any like them after this game, because this years Drexel squad is very good themselves, and they took those punches and answered.
Frantz Massenat will get plenty of applause in the press postgame, and deservedly so. Frantz played all 55 minutes and only turned the ball over twice against intense man to man pressure. On top of that he had 21 points from the field on only 13 field goal attempts and picked up 9 assists. He was a few free throws and a bad feed to Kaz Abif from throwing a near perfect game, so it's almost criminal that he doesn't end up player of the game. The thing is, in the Stop the BLeeding post about the Dragons moving on without Damion Lee, the following was mentioned:
"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... 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 way to beat a really good defensive team that is shooting lights out against you is to take a lot more shots than them. This means not turning the ball over and it means giving up no second chances. While Frantz was a critical component on the first measure, it was Dartaye Ruffin who pulled down down 14 boards. Dartaye actually pulled down more offensive rebounds against Cleveland State then the entire Vikings team pulled down against him. And it was against him personally: the big man kept himself out of foul trouble and on the court for 54 of the 55 minutes of game action. He had as many steals as he had turnovers (2 a piece) and for the second straight game, every single time a ball was passed to him and he shot it, Drexel came away with points. I don't know what better than that would look like, but it probably just involves his teammates giving him the ball more.
The Dragons weren't perfect. Tavon Allen showed some awful shot selection again early, but for most of the rest of the game his shots were less poor decisions, and more the result of CSU refusing to give Chris Fouch a look. Tavon also did a bit of a better job of taking it towards the bucket and getting to the line a couple times, a good sign of him attempting to develop his game. Credit goes to Chris Fouch as well because despite the extra care from the opposition he still did his thing, 53 minutes with only 1 turnover and 17 points on 16 field goals.
It's tough to win a jumpshoot contest where the other team can't seem to miss. The Dragons rose to the occasion in their home opener. Winning in triple overtime was no flaw, it should be a source of pride. As they turn to a game against Tennessee State before the well deserved exam break Drexel fans shouldn't waver. The Dragons have stopped the BLeeding.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Mistake By The Lake State Pregame - The DAC Defense Begins
Cleveland State comes to the DAC on Wednesday on the back half of their final bracket buster arrangement. The last time these teams met I was in a bar on Saint Charles Avenue in New Orleans with a girlfriend who was wholly supportive of being the only people in the bar at 10am central time. We were in for a treat, watching the streaking Dragons smack around Cleveland State to the tune of a 20 point win on the Vikings home court.
A good chunk of the players from both teams are back, although many can be considered walking wounded. For Drexel, Damion Lee is gone for the rest of the year, and for CSU, sophomore star Anton Grady is nicked up with a leg injury, Charlie Lee is out with an ACL sprain and Luda Ndaye is out recovering from hip surgery. All four players played in the tilt two years ago, and with these pieces missing, neither team is very deep which could prove interesting in the current foul environment.
Thankfully for fans, refs and coaches alike, both teams are best described as jump shot teams right now, no matter what their coaches may desire. The similarities don't stop there, as both coaches are known for their defense first mentality, both teams have one top 100 win this season and both teams shooting guards lead their teams in shots. This creates a not particularly Dragon friendly matchup of Fouch on the other teams best player. It's Bryn "Girls Name" Forbes whose hotter than Kate Upton on her good hair days right now, to the tune of 49% from deep.
CSU has already faced off against the older Flint brother, Coach Cal's Kentucky Wildcats and they played them close, only losing because it was 8 on 5 in Rupp that night. It was so bad that one of the CSU assistants was suspended for taking to twitter postgame and letting the world know his thoughts on the officiating. So again, a top 100 win, a road trip to a top 25 team that could have easily been a W... CSU is banged up a bit, but they're a good basketball team, and in a game of jumpshooters it could easily come down to the hot team winning. Anyone want to claim Drexel as a hot shooting team right now?
Besides Forbes, the Vikings to know are Anton Grady, a sound big man that can do a little of everything in the paint, and Miami of Ohio transfer Jon Harris. Drexel's new front line makes their life much easier than years past against guys like Harris, as they are no longer asking Ruffin or McCoy to trail opposing bigs to the perimeter, and instead can send someone like Abif who is much more comfortable doing it. Harris has shot more threes than twos this year, so look for high screens and set shots if Abif doesn't extend all the way out.
In order for DU to defend the DAC one of two things needs to happen: Drexel needs to be the hot shooting team and enjoy being back in the DAC, or they need to make the game not about jump shooting. Without their Lee, this CSU team is a seven man team, and they would just as soon not have Mason and Long in there if they could avoid it. If Drexel takes it to the rim and can take Grady and Harris out of the game early, they can make this a fun little evening at the DAC. If it's a jump shot game though... don't leave early.
Prediction: Drexel 66-63
Vegas Line: Drexel -7.5
A good chunk of the players from both teams are back, although many can be considered walking wounded. For Drexel, Damion Lee is gone for the rest of the year, and for CSU, sophomore star Anton Grady is nicked up with a leg injury, Charlie Lee is out with an ACL sprain and Luda Ndaye is out recovering from hip surgery. All four players played in the tilt two years ago, and with these pieces missing, neither team is very deep which could prove interesting in the current foul environment.
Thankfully for fans, refs and coaches alike, both teams are best described as jump shot teams right now, no matter what their coaches may desire. The similarities don't stop there, as both coaches are known for their defense first mentality, both teams have one top 100 win this season and both teams shooting guards lead their teams in shots. This creates a not particularly Dragon friendly matchup of Fouch on the other teams best player. It's Bryn "Girls Name" Forbes whose hotter than Kate Upton on her good hair days right now, to the tune of 49% from deep.
CSU has already faced off against the older Flint brother, Coach Cal's Kentucky Wildcats and they played them close, only losing because it was 8 on 5 in Rupp that night. It was so bad that one of the CSU assistants was suspended for taking to twitter postgame and letting the world know his thoughts on the officiating. So again, a top 100 win, a road trip to a top 25 team that could have easily been a W... CSU is banged up a bit, but they're a good basketball team, and in a game of jumpshooters it could easily come down to the hot team winning. Anyone want to claim Drexel as a hot shooting team right now?
Besides Forbes, the Vikings to know are Anton Grady, a sound big man that can do a little of everything in the paint, and Miami of Ohio transfer Jon Harris. Drexel's new front line makes their life much easier than years past against guys like Harris, as they are no longer asking Ruffin or McCoy to trail opposing bigs to the perimeter, and instead can send someone like Abif who is much more comfortable doing it. Harris has shot more threes than twos this year, so look for high screens and set shots if Abif doesn't extend all the way out.
In order for DU to defend the DAC one of two things needs to happen: Drexel needs to be the hot shooting team and enjoy being back in the DAC, or they need to make the game not about jump shooting. Without their Lee, this CSU team is a seven man team, and they would just as soon not have Mason and Long in there if they could avoid it. If Drexel takes it to the rim and can take Grady and Harris out of the game early, they can make this a fun little evening at the DAC. If it's a jump shot game though... don't leave early.
Prediction: Drexel 66-63
Vegas Line: Drexel -7.5
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.
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.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Alabama - The Happy Recap (Part 2) - Rolled Tide
Wrapping up the discussion of the Alabama game and the PNIT in general, a few thoughts on each side of the ledger:
PRO: This team hasn't played its best basketball yet. Chris Fouch won't finish the season shooting 27% from three point range. Tavon Allen probably isn't a 25% guy either as shown by shooting 36% from deep last year. Frantz may regress a bit from 38% but that number certainly isn't crazy for him. The effective field goal percentage for the team is 273rd in basketball, and even without Lee they shouldn't be that bad. Part of this is starting cold, part of it is not playing in the DAC yet, part of it might be bad luck. Outside of Tavon Allen, and an occasional choice/floater from Fouch or Massenat, the shots taken have been overwhelmingly good shots and more will fall going forward. The team that beat Bama and rolled with Zona? Is better than what they showed.
CON: Gotta finish. At a point in regulation of the Arizona game, Pomeroy had the Dragons as 84% likely to win. In regulation of the Bama game it was 84%. In the first OT it was 93%. In the second OT it was 94%. All of those leads were blown. Calculated out, teams with the leads the Dragons were given would blow the games .01% of the time. Drexel came within a foul shot of doing it. Allen took silly shots, Fouch shot too early, and the inbounding plays continued to cost the team valuable possessions. For a guy that values possessions as much as Flint does, it's amazing that he can throw out an inbounds play that Bobby Knight can call out as terrible before it is even run (and resulted in a turnover). Running the point guard at the inbounder after every made basket might need a wrinkle thrown in as well. It's not like anyone is saying that these will cost the Dragons someday - they've cost them for years.
PRO: Going into the season there were significant concerns about the Dragons interior game. Arizona and Alabama will both end the season as elite rebounding teams. Drexel was beat on the boards against the Wildcats but by no means destroyed. That's hard to read since two more rebounds could have meant a different outcome, but given how good that frontcourt for Zona is, and going into the game without Abif, the frontcourt should be very proud of what they did. On Friday, they broke even with Alabama on the boards, which really attests to the fact that the Dragons may be very legitimate in this department. Kazembe Abif's numbers really make it look like he's doing his best Samme Givens impression, killing it on the offensive glass and breathing new life into Drexel possessions. This is an unexpected and outstanding surprise.
CON: There was significant improvement in the Alabama game, but the team still needs to do a better job of using the new rules to their advantage. Getting to the line continues to be important, as the war of attrition showed on Friday. After starting the game feeding the post, Drexel once again forgot about it. And it had been successful! In the first two possessions of the game, Ruffin was fed, got to the line once and hit a bucket with the other. For the entire rest of the game, he had three shots, and two of those three were putbacks. C'mon man.
PRO: When a teams shooting isn't there, they better be able to rebound and take care of the ball. Having only 14 turnovers (at least two that I can think off the top of my head were on inbounds plays) in 55 minutes against an Anthony Grant team is pretty damned fine work. Per Pomeroy, Drexel has played the 17th hardest schedule in the country and they are 18th in the country in not turning over the ball. They've taken care of the rock against very good opponents, and should be considered an elite ballhandling team.
It's a great time to be a Drexel fan, and optimism should be at a high. It's hard to beat a team when they are an elite ballhandling team and can rebound with the best the country has to offer and that's what the Dragons are right now.
The blog wishes Damion Lee best of luck with the MRI today. Regardless of the outcome, Damion will be back sometime, and we'll all remember just why he's such a favorite on campus. Great kid with great talent is an awesome combination to root for.
Lastly, DAC Pack, coming out of Alabama and Arizona, there are many who will consider this Wednesday's game a letdown spot for the Dragons. It's your job to make this home opener so loud, showing how proud this teams six game road trip performance made the campus that there's no chance the guys aren't amped up. Pomeroy shows Cleveland State as a very respectable team and if the Dragons are going to be taken seriously, they can't lie down for CSU.
Look forward to seeing everyone Pack the DAC on Wednesday. Happy Home Opener!
PRO: This team hasn't played its best basketball yet. Chris Fouch won't finish the season shooting 27% from three point range. Tavon Allen probably isn't a 25% guy either as shown by shooting 36% from deep last year. Frantz may regress a bit from 38% but that number certainly isn't crazy for him. The effective field goal percentage for the team is 273rd in basketball, and even without Lee they shouldn't be that bad. Part of this is starting cold, part of it is not playing in the DAC yet, part of it might be bad luck. Outside of Tavon Allen, and an occasional choice/floater from Fouch or Massenat, the shots taken have been overwhelmingly good shots and more will fall going forward. The team that beat Bama and rolled with Zona? Is better than what they showed.
CON: Gotta finish. At a point in regulation of the Arizona game, Pomeroy had the Dragons as 84% likely to win. In regulation of the Bama game it was 84%. In the first OT it was 93%. In the second OT it was 94%. All of those leads were blown. Calculated out, teams with the leads the Dragons were given would blow the games .01% of the time. Drexel came within a foul shot of doing it. Allen took silly shots, Fouch shot too early, and the inbounding plays continued to cost the team valuable possessions. For a guy that values possessions as much as Flint does, it's amazing that he can throw out an inbounds play that Bobby Knight can call out as terrible before it is even run (and resulted in a turnover). Running the point guard at the inbounder after every made basket might need a wrinkle thrown in as well. It's not like anyone is saying that these will cost the Dragons someday - they've cost them for years.
PRO: Going into the season there were significant concerns about the Dragons interior game. Arizona and Alabama will both end the season as elite rebounding teams. Drexel was beat on the boards against the Wildcats but by no means destroyed. That's hard to read since two more rebounds could have meant a different outcome, but given how good that frontcourt for Zona is, and going into the game without Abif, the frontcourt should be very proud of what they did. On Friday, they broke even with Alabama on the boards, which really attests to the fact that the Dragons may be very legitimate in this department. Kazembe Abif's numbers really make it look like he's doing his best Samme Givens impression, killing it on the offensive glass and breathing new life into Drexel possessions. This is an unexpected and outstanding surprise.
CON: There was significant improvement in the Alabama game, but the team still needs to do a better job of using the new rules to their advantage. Getting to the line continues to be important, as the war of attrition showed on Friday. After starting the game feeding the post, Drexel once again forgot about it. And it had been successful! In the first two possessions of the game, Ruffin was fed, got to the line once and hit a bucket with the other. For the entire rest of the game, he had three shots, and two of those three were putbacks. C'mon man.
PRO: When a teams shooting isn't there, they better be able to rebound and take care of the ball. Having only 14 turnovers (at least two that I can think off the top of my head were on inbounds plays) in 55 minutes against an Anthony Grant team is pretty damned fine work. Per Pomeroy, Drexel has played the 17th hardest schedule in the country and they are 18th in the country in not turning over the ball. They've taken care of the rock against very good opponents, and should be considered an elite ballhandling team.
It's a great time to be a Drexel fan, and optimism should be at a high. It's hard to beat a team when they are an elite ballhandling team and can rebound with the best the country has to offer and that's what the Dragons are right now.
The blog wishes Damion Lee best of luck with the MRI today. Regardless of the outcome, Damion will be back sometime, and we'll all remember just why he's such a favorite on campus. Great kid with great talent is an awesome combination to root for.
Lastly, DAC Pack, coming out of Alabama and Arizona, there are many who will consider this Wednesday's game a letdown spot for the Dragons. It's your job to make this home opener so loud, showing how proud this teams six game road trip performance made the campus that there's no chance the guys aren't amped up. Pomeroy shows Cleveland State as a very respectable team and if the Dragons are going to be taken seriously, they can't lie down for CSU.
Look forward to seeing everyone Pack the DAC on Wednesday. Happy Home Opener!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Bennett Resnick - Player of the Game
Some may have noticed that Bennett Resnick picked up player of the game honors alongside Kaz at the big Alabama win. Many may not yet have heard of Bennett's heroics, or possibly even Bennett himself. Thankfully, the reader has this blog which leaves no stone unturned:
Avid Dragon and Philadelphia Union fan Bennett Resnick took time from Bar Mitzvah perpetration to support the Drexel mens basketball team at MSG this Thanksgiving weekend, finding himself seated between his father and a traffic stopping female Duke fan. During a stoppage, the jumbotron found its way to young Bennett, and in an avid attempt to assist with the Bar Mitzvah process, the woman to his left turned her back to her own boyfriend and leaned into the jumbotron frame and gave Bennett a big smooch.
In a followup conversation, the aforementioned nameless, attractive blonde, tried to persuade Bennett to root for her Duke Blue Devils. Bennett shut her down so cold she might as well have been Peyton Manning at Foxboro. He only supports one blue team, and it's the blue and gold.
Bennett Resnick: You're our Dragons Speak Co-Player of the Game.
Avid Dragon and Philadelphia Union fan Bennett Resnick took time from Bar Mitzvah perpetration to support the Drexel mens basketball team at MSG this Thanksgiving weekend, finding himself seated between his father and a traffic stopping female Duke fan. During a stoppage, the jumbotron found its way to young Bennett, and in an avid attempt to assist with the Bar Mitzvah process, the woman to his left turned her back to her own boyfriend and leaned into the jumbotron frame and gave Bennett a big smooch.
In a followup conversation, the aforementioned nameless, attractive blonde, tried to persuade Bennett to root for her Duke Blue Devils. Bennett shut her down so cold she might as well have been Peyton Manning at Foxboro. He only supports one blue team, and it's the blue and gold.
Bennett Resnick: You're our Dragons Speak Co-Player of the Game.
Alabama - The Happy Recap (Part 1) - A Zone Coach!
As noted in the title, this will be a two part update with the second part rolling out tomorrow. The reason for this is in the interest in brevity on the part of the articles as well as the importance of this game. I felt that after this win a review was needed on both the micro (in game) and macro (seasonal) level.
Final: Drexel 85, Alabama 83 @ Madison Square Garden
Players of the Game: Kazembe Abif and Bennett Resnick
Key to the game: Free Throw Shooting
Next Game: Wed, December 4 vs Cleveland St @ The DAC (Home Opener)
The Dragons walked into a potential letdown game situation on the day after Thanksgiving after blowing a 19 point lead to one of the top games in the country two days earlier. They were playing a mid pack SEC team, they were without possibly their most talented player, and Frantz Massenat sat for almost a third of the game in foul trouble. In a game that made Bobby Knight go "Wow", Drexel had an eight man rotation, and four players fouled out. One man played 46 minutes -- off the bench.
And they won.
And none of that was the weirdest thing that happened.
The Dragons won three game for two reasons:
1) They played a 2-3 zone that was the same zone you see on the courts in west philly when guys don't feel like running
2) They hit their free throws
3) No injuries occurred when Bruiser Flint told his team that they were going zone. Great job by the trainer preventing head explosions
Drexel's seemingly panicked zone call may have both cost them the lead and won them the game. After the Z was relatively effective in the first half Alabama quickly shot Drexel out of it in the opening minutes of the second half as the Tide went on a seemingly effortless 10-4 run to open the half. A 10-4 run during which no fouls were committed by DU guards. In this war of attrition style game, already down Damion Lee, Bruiser Flint had to trade points for bodies, and with a first half lead he decided to Riverboat Ron it up.
Debating whether or not the zone worked is a futile exercise but the fact that Bruiser was willing to do it is both notable and laudable. This is for a future blog post, but Bru has recruited a team that is at the next level from Drexel teams past. They have talent, experience, size and ability that is superior to all other Flint teams, and if they are going to fully realize what they can do, Bruiser will need to raise his game to another level as well. The fact that he was willing to leave his comfort zone to try and give this team a better chance to win, whether or not it worked, hopefully is a signal of whats to come.
Kazembe Abif is the on the court Player of the Game. While his boxing out is not about to be put on an instruction video, he did a decent job on Jacobs during the times that he had to pick him up in OT. More to the point, he had 8 offensive boards, shot 90% from the line and was able to keep himself in the game for 46 minutes, the longest amount of court time for any big man on either team.
The Drexel Dragons crawled to victory at MSG through 95 minutes of intense big conference competition that they couldn't have imagined, or maybe just didn't want to. 95 minutes, almost two and a half full games.
One win. A win unlike any others. What does it mean? That's for part two.
Final: Drexel 85, Alabama 83 @ Madison Square Garden
Players of the Game: Kazembe Abif and Bennett Resnick
Key to the game: Free Throw Shooting
Next Game: Wed, December 4 vs Cleveland St @ The DAC (Home Opener)
The Dragons walked into a potential letdown game situation on the day after Thanksgiving after blowing a 19 point lead to one of the top games in the country two days earlier. They were playing a mid pack SEC team, they were without possibly their most talented player, and Frantz Massenat sat for almost a third of the game in foul trouble. In a game that made Bobby Knight go "Wow", Drexel had an eight man rotation, and four players fouled out. One man played 46 minutes -- off the bench.
And they won.
And none of that was the weirdest thing that happened.
The Dragons won three game for two reasons:
1) They played a 2-3 zone that was the same zone you see on the courts in west philly when guys don't feel like running
2) They hit their free throws
3) No injuries occurred when Bruiser Flint told his team that they were going zone. Great job by the trainer preventing head explosions
Drexel's seemingly panicked zone call may have both cost them the lead and won them the game. After the Z was relatively effective in the first half Alabama quickly shot Drexel out of it in the opening minutes of the second half as the Tide went on a seemingly effortless 10-4 run to open the half. A 10-4 run during which no fouls were committed by DU guards. In this war of attrition style game, already down Damion Lee, Bruiser Flint had to trade points for bodies, and with a first half lead he decided to Riverboat Ron it up.
Debating whether or not the zone worked is a futile exercise but the fact that Bruiser was willing to do it is both notable and laudable. This is for a future blog post, but Bru has recruited a team that is at the next level from Drexel teams past. They have talent, experience, size and ability that is superior to all other Flint teams, and if they are going to fully realize what they can do, Bruiser will need to raise his game to another level as well. The fact that he was willing to leave his comfort zone to try and give this team a better chance to win, whether or not it worked, hopefully is a signal of whats to come.
Kazembe Abif is the on the court Player of the Game. While his boxing out is not about to be put on an instruction video, he did a decent job on Jacobs during the times that he had to pick him up in OT. More to the point, he had 8 offensive boards, shot 90% from the line and was able to keep himself in the game for 46 minutes, the longest amount of court time for any big man on either team.
The Drexel Dragons crawled to victory at MSG through 95 minutes of intense big conference competition that they couldn't have imagined, or maybe just didn't want to. 95 minutes, almost two and a half full games.
One win. A win unlike any others. What does it mean? That's for part two.
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