Drexel vs SJU Postgame – And We’re Off!

Below is the first post on the blog from Mark Walush, who formerly worked the end line as a member of the DU Pep Band.  It's always a great sign of a healthy program when the Spirit Teams enjoy the games they work, and Mark continues a proud tradition of Pep Band members filling that role.  I am very excited that he is willing to share some his thoughts in this space this year.


In what was my first game as a Drexel alumnus, I left Hagan arena feeling much better than I thought I would.  Coming in as the preseason 8th placed team in the CAA, losing the best offensively talented player in Drexel history* and playing against a team that has had Drexel’s number the past 4 years, I  expected Mr. Benbry and his almighty fro to have his way with the Drexel defense and get this long season started.
 
For the first 10 minutes, it seemed like my fears were realized, the triple handoff was once again ineffective, long range 2 pointers seemed to be the shot of choice, and SJU seemed to do as it pleased on the offensive end.  But then Drexel started doing un-Drexel things, working the ball inside, driving to the hoop instead of settling for fade-aways, and actually making shots inside.  Unfortunately, they could never quite get over the hump as SJU always seemd to have an answer for every Drexel run. Whether it be Bembry slamming it home, or Oliva draining a three, the Dragons were never able to close the gap.  As with every close game, there was the good, the bad, and the ugly.


The Good

• Terrell Allen: Looking at the box score, it is easy to see why the new T. Allen belongs in this category.  In the first (!!!) game of his collegiate career, he went for 20 points on 13 shots, 2 rebounds, 4 assists to 1 turnover, 4 steals, and only 2 fouls in a game which saw a total of 51 fouls called.  He played beyond his years, directing players, and keeping the rest of his teammates calm during the horrendous start.  I can see why Bru was high on this kid and he seems to have a bright future ahead.

• OFFENSE!: Rarely seen in the Bruiser era, the Dragons averaged 1.09 points per possession, a mark they only beat in 7 games last season and they showed signs that they could be even better than that.  The bigs only would up with 26% of the points (21/81) but the Dragons definitely worked the ball around more, which led to the guards being able to drive to the basket.

The Bad

• Free Throws: Called free throws for a reason, the Dragons only hit 64% of their free throws, a mark that must improve for this team to compete for the CAA title.  Granted, the number is skewed due to the bigs, Bah and Rodney combining to go 1-8 from the line.  If they are going to keep getting to the line, they need to convert better.

• Defense: Normally known for being a defensive team under Bruiser Flint, the Dragons yet again gave up over 1 Point per Possession to their opponent.  A lot of this number has to deal with sending opponents to the line way too often (more on that below)y.  This is not your typical Drexel defense, and the grind it out, physical type of defense is long gone. Drexel gave up way too many points inside the arc, allowing SJU to shoot 60%.  I did question Bruiser’s choice of Mojica on Bembry to start the game, and it showed with Bembry getting open and to the rim with ease, scoring 7 early points.  Later in the game, Tavon was moved to guard Bembry, which proved to be a better matchup and slowed Bembry's production.  Luckily, there are no Bembry’s in the CAA, but the interior D needs to tighten up.

The Ugly

• FOULS: As mentioned above, there were a total of FIFTY ONE fouls called in this game, making it over 2 and a half hours long, and painful to watch.  This is definitely a trend in the national college basketball scene as teams adjust to the new rule changes, but with 3 Drexel players fouling out, cleaner play must be stressed in practice in order to compete in games this season.  In addtion, the ever popular Bruiser technical made an appearance, and Bruiser does need to keep his cool in these early games, as everyone is going to be upset at how the new version of college basketball is going to be played.

There is a lot to look forward to this season, and if Saturday night’s game is any indication, this team is much better than an 8th place finish in the CAA.  Looking to the next week, a matchup with High Point and Monmouth are coming up, the latter just coming off a win over UCLA.  We will learn a lot about this team before conference play, and I, for one, am excited that college basketball ia finally back, and that I can enjoy it from the comfort of my own cushy seatback this time around.




*Apologies, Malik Rose

St. Joseph's University (Pregame)

Many thanks to Ryan Koechig for returning to the blog and writing up this preview for the SJU game.  My prediction is at the bottom but the words above are all his:

The squeak of a sneak, the bounce of a ball, the reverberating echo of an F-bomb in the rafters;
that’s right Dragon fans, Drexel basketball is back for what should be another interesting (surprising successful?) campaign of college hoops. The Bru Crew begins its quixotic quest for a prom invite (20 years?!) with a short trip (unless you're stuck behind a trol) up Lancaster Ave for a city battle at Alumni Memorial, NutriSystem Centre, er, Hagan Arena against the SJU Hawks. After alternating wins with the Hawks for eight years, the Dragons now find themselves on a four game losing streak against the perpetual molting, arm flappers, including last year’s ugly 52-49 loss at the DAC. In that game, only one Dragon managed to score in double figures, and he’s taken his talents elsewhere. In his stead, we have some old friends returning from injuries (Major Canady and Kazembe Abif) and new friends to meet and watch grow into their roles with the program (Ahmad Fields and Terrell Allen).

First games can be tough to forecast, and this year that should be doub so. Beyond the year addition/subtraction of players, this year also sees the tweaking of several rules – most notab the elimination of 5 seconds from the shot clock. However, it doesn’t take an SJU education to understand the Hawks main source of offense will once again fall upon the luscious, luscious fro of one DeAndre Bembry. The 6-6 junior enters the year with an impressive list of pre-season awards and the potential to find himself in the NBA by this time next year. Odds are that he will get his, although the Drexel D did a decent job of limiting him last year, holding him to only 13 points, so the main focus is to not let him explode and instead lock down on the supporting cast.

That supporting cast shot the ball only a little bit better than Drexel was able to last year.  Running the point will be 6-0 Sophomore Shevar Newkirk who posted a seemingly solid 1.6:1 A/TO ratio that helped mask a TORate of 26% last year as a freshman, but only hit roughly 28% of his shots from the field. The other starting guard will be 6-5 Senior Aaron Brown. He, with Bembry, will challenge their defender by driving the ball towards the hoop to finish or draw the foul. The Hawk starting forwards will challenge their Drexel defenders by stretching the floor out to the arc. Issah Miles was actually SJU’s leading three-point shooter percentage wise, and freshman Pierfrancesco Oliva is expected to hit from distance as well.

For Drexel, the goal will be to see how you take a team that averaged 59.6 PPG (good for 331st in the nation) and replace 36% of those points in order to score more than a Dungeon Master on a Friday night. Luckily, they enter the season with full Health and higher Experience XPs. It’s hoped that Utah transfer Ahmad Fields, who sounds as though he’s had a strong offseason, will take up a lot of that scoring slack. From limited data from Utah, he seems to be a driver and finisher at the net. He also appears to be relative competent from three. The remainder is going to need to come from the hopeful freshman to sophomore growth of Rashann London and Sammy Mojica as well as a much stronger post scoring presence, aided by the return of Kazembe Abif.

With two poor shooting teams, it should be apparent that he who controls the glass should control the game. It’s been reported that Phil Martel is looking to run a smaller lineup out on the court this year. A strong rebounding presence by the Drexel bigs is going to be a must if the Dragons are to launch their season with an impressive win. Another advantage should come from the charity stripe. St. Joe’s was one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the country last year hitting only 61.5% while Drexel was top 25. If Drexel can run their offense through the post and see the guards drive instead of settling for two-point jumpers, those free points combined with strong rebounding could see Drexel grab their first win at SJU since 1978.

If you’re heading to the hill, remember to bring some aspirin for the drum headache, sunglasses to protect you from the glare (like the Sun, DO NOT stare at the top of Martel’s head) and be sure to comment on Phil’s contract extension to any Hawk fans. That last one is sure to provide you some entertainment whether Drexel is winning or losing. Most of all, remember that it’s opening night and the possibilities are endless. Sure, Drexel was picked to finish 8th in the CAA and some would argue that the Pope walking on their campus blessed SJU making tonight’s game a mere formality, but secretly we know whom he’s rooting for tonight:

Bless you Father.

You may have noticed a lack of the use of ly’s or li’s or, really, anything sounding like Lee. Well, he’s gone; and yet you, like the team will have to figure out how to get through it. It may not have been as easy as you are accustomed to or visually pleasing, but it can get done. Go DU Dragons!


Prediction: SJU 66, Drexel 57

Out of Conference Preview

With the below Out of Conference preview we welcome Eric Resnick to the blog.  Salty and satirical, we're thrilled to have his talented writing on these electronic pages.  Without further ado, enjoy his season preview:


One of the most anticipated parts of the Drexel basketball season is the release of the non-conference schedule. Never mind that it is on average the 332nd schedule released in Division I, it’s the suspense that takes us through Labor Day and the High Holidays that piques one’s interest for the most unpredictable aspect of Drexel’s season.

This year’s non-conference schedule features the rekindling of an old rivalry that should never have been interrupted, return revenge matches against two local foes, an SEC match up, and a trip to America’s last frontier.

Notwithstanding the 2012 wins in its non-conference schedule which contributed to Drexel’s expectation of making the tournament, but was also its downfall when the quality of opponents didn’t pan out, Bruiser and his staff have always done a good job scheduling teams that befit Drexel’s contemporary abilities. This year is no exception.

AWAY November 13 at St. Joseph’s (PA)- You have to acknowledge Phil Martelli’s respect for the Drexel program, scheduling the Dragons on a home-and-home basis for many seasons running. Last season’s home opener was one of the best games played in the DAC all season and was played at the time you thought the Dragons might have had some life. The Hawks had come off a sobering loss to Fairleigh Dickinson and were out to right themselves. In last year’s game, Damion Lee’s three-pointer came up short at the buzzer as St Joe’s won 52-49. DeAndre Bembry was the only player who stood out for the Hawks that game and it certainly wasn’t his best performance. He is the first Hawk to ever lead the A10 in scoring and he also led his team in rebounds. The 2016 All-America Candidate also handled the Dragons two seasons ago on City Avenue. Isiah Miles returns as a senior as the Hawks return four starters. St Joseph’s will also debut redshirt freshman Markell Lodge and his 39 inch vertical leap.

HOME November 18 High Point - You may ask how can a season’s high point come so early? It’s the first of two Big South games on the schedule. The Panthers boast red shirt forward John Brown, who is the third highest scoring returning senior in the country with 1,680 career points, 142 more than Damion Lee. He was named to the second team of the preseason mid-major All American list. Drexel bigs will have a tough time staying out of foul trouble defending the big man. Last season, High Point amassed an impressive 23 wins on their way to the school’s D1 record for wins. Head coach Scott Cherry will have familiarity with coach Flint’s strategies, as Cherry was an assistant coach at George Mason for seven seasons.

HOME November 21 Monmouth - The Hawks should benefit early on from a tour of China this past summer, giving players needed practice time together. The Hawks are preseason MAAC #2 pick, which beats a #8 CAA pick any day. Monmouth returns its two double digit scorers from last season, Deon Jones and Justin Robinson.  They don’t hit the boards too hard so this is one of Drexel’s most winnable OOC games.

NEUTRAL November 26-28 at Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Seward’s Folly -  This tournament is being attended for two reasons- it is a great life experience for the players and national TV coverage. A win in Drexel’s opening televised game guarantees two more nationally televised games on the always available CBS Sports.

The tournament does not have the same team draw it used to have with the abundance of exempt tournaments now out there. None of the seven potential opponents made this past year's national tournament (RPI)- Alaska-Anchorage (NA), Loyola (Chicago) (87), Middle Tennessee (152), UNC Asheville (248), San Diego (164), San Jose State (336) and Toledo (76). The Division II host, Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves, beat the Dragons in this tournament back in 1981. Alaska-Anchorage is the last team you want to play given that they are always competitive in this tournament as they get up for their D-I opponents, they don’t have travel issues and are already acclimated to the dark climate. The program has the backing of a D-I program, but has not elected to step up to that level.

A potential encounter with Anchorage would not happen until the second round. The Dragons open up with UNC-Asheville who could only manage a 15-16 record in the Big South last season. They lose their best player, Andrew Rowsey a Marquette transfer. You don’t replace 19.2 PPG too easily, so the Bulldogs will have to rely on junior guard David Robertson who started all of the games for Asheville last season.

AWAY Dec 5 LaSalle – “Wait a second here, you guys aren’t expected to be good? Let’s play then, glad I thought of it” - John Giannini.

It’s no surprise that the Explorers scheduled Drexel this and last season given Drexel’s slide. The Explorers as a team were on par in almost every statistical category against its opponents and it showed in a mediocre 17-16 showing last season. LaSalle loses Jerrell Wright and Steve Zack, but returns junior Jordan Price. Price averaged 17.2 PPG last season after a successful transfer from Auburn. He looks to improve upon his 26.7% from the field and 6 turnovers in the slop-fest against the Dragons last season. LaSalle also has a late addition in Dusan Majstorovic, a heady Serbian sharpshooter. He has additional experience having played at a prep school in Maine and was a member of the competitive Serbian U-16 Super League and U-16 national team.

AWAY Dec 15 U of South Carolina- This is one of the Dragons’ most challenging opponents and the only one from a power conference. Drexel always manages to schedule a big-time conference opponent that is completely beatable on a good day. It is the perfect opponent as SC has been known to sleepwalk against lesser teams. SC does return about ¾ of its production from last season, but there is no one from the returning class that would give most teams fits.

“HOME” at Palestra Dec 19 Penn State - Last season’s match resulted in a 73-68 loss for the Dragons in a game that did not appear as close.  The Dragons mounted an un-Drexel-like 15-0 run in 3 minutes with 7 minutes left behind the shooting of Tavon Allen and Freddie Wilson, with plenty of offensive rebounding and 6 forced turnovers on 8 Penn State possessions, only to come up short against the Lions. The game was right around the high-water mark for Penn State who after the next game had been an un-Penn State-like 12-1, only to realize that the Big 10 schedule is tougher than what Penn State schedules out of conference and went on to go 4-14 in the Big 10. Brandon Taylor was too much for Drexel, particularly in the first half with a double-double and then senior D.J. Newbill led PSU with 20 points, his season average. Newbill is gone to graduation and no one else for PSU averaged double digits in scoring last season. Shep Garner started at guard as a freshman in almost every PSU game and played nicely for the Lions and is the leading returner in assists. 7’1” Jordan Dickerson as a junior will look to play more minutes and compete for the Big 10 lead in blocked shots.

HOME Dec 22 Penn Quakers - HOME, you read that right. You will not find a team that has been an inferior opponent with a lopsided home/road ratio like Penn: Drexel. Maybe Penn realized that drawing several thousand for a non-conference, non-Big 5 game to its building every other year, with no travel costs, is better than not at all. The fans win when these two teams play, no matter the teams’ expectations. Steve Donahue comes in as head coach to replace Jerome Allen. The Quakers look to enjoy Donahue’s successful run at Cornell and relive the 90’s glory days when he was Fran Dunphy’s assistant, but the expectation is not there this year. Last season, Penn managed to have one player who was able to average in double figures scoring and one player who averaged over 5 boards per game on their way to 9 wins. Penn brings 19 players in on their roster. It will be interesting to see if the visiting bench at the DAC can accommodate this many players. Drexel has won the last 5 meetings between these teams.

AWAY Dec 28 Iona- This is the most difficult game on the schedule and will be played 1 year to the day Iona smacked Drexel at the DAC by 19. The Gaels are coming off a successful campaign going 26-9, finishing first in the MAAC, but losing to Manhattan in the finals of the MAAC tournament; they missed the NCAA tournament with a gaudy 26 wins and 51 RPI. They have made the postseason in the last 5 seasons, including 2 NCAA tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013 under Tim Cluess. They also won at least 20 games in all of those years. The guard-heavy Gaels showcase shooter AJ English, a first team preseason All American who scored 20.1 PPG last season with 5.1 APG and 5.0 RPG, who can score from just about anywhere on the court. Iona returns three of their four 13+ point scorers.


The Dragons have once again managed to schedule some competitive OOC opponents without stretching itself against expectations. Drexel has gotten away from the quick pay days whose payday was being pummeled. It’s one thing this program always gets right.

Fun fact: every OOC team on the schedule has been to the NCAA tournament more recently than when Bruiser Flint began coaching at DU in 2001, except for High Point, who went D1 just a year prior to Flint’s arrival.

Out of Conference Prediction:  4-7

It's All Coming Back, It's All Coming Back to Me Now

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the 2015-2016 Dragons Speak coverage of Drexel Basketball and year 15 of the Bruiser Flint era.  This year we'll enjoy the usual jokes that a team picked eighth brings to the table, consider season slogans* and enjoy raising pints up and down the east coast with the Friends of the Blog.  But behind the fun there will be there will be plenty of business to attend to.

The biggest business decision coming up for Athletics is the one that is a buzz across college athletics: Cost of Attendance Stipends.  Using a round number, a COA Stipend would be roughly $3,000 a player.  Apply that to 13 players each on the men's and women's basketball teams (equality remaining a focus at DU Athletics) and that comes to $78,000 a year to pay to realistically attempt to compete at the Division I level in basketball.  That may sound do-able, but remember that when President Fry came to Drexel he gave Bru an almost $100,000 pay raise.  And then there's the other side of the coin: Return on Investment.

Currently Drexel is still benefiting financially from VCU's 2011 Final Four run.  That money runs out after next season and in case one hasn't noticed, the CAA has not experienced many similar runs since that time.  The money that DU had been pulling in from the conference is about to drop significantly, which is in line with the conferences play and Drexel's own play (the more successful the program is, the bigger slice of the pie the CAA gives of it's tournament income). In 2012 when Bru was getting paid, the school brought in over $225,000 from the CAA for hoops.  It won't be anything close to that in two years, and don't expect a paycut for Bru if he's still here at that time which means the school will have to find well beyond $78,000 to pay for current program cost and a COA stipend.  That obviously leads to the question of a coach making almost half a million dollars relative to his return on investment for the school, something else that will certainly be a storyline this year.  For now, we hope for some after midnight TV exposure for diehards, degenerates and third shifters when the team travels to Alaska and a tournament berth that would alleviate so many of these concerns.

And that segways nicely into the on the court discussion.  The team was picked eighth.  They weren't good last year and they lost their best player.  They were first in the conference in turnover percentage, handled the ball very well in conference play with a point guard that really struggled to shoot the ball.  This year Bru decided to take the point guard that accomplished that, Rashann London, off the ball and make him a shooter - an interesting decision, although somewhere Gerald Colds is nodding in approval.

Nonetheless, there is hope.  While the lone senior last year was little used until necessary Freddie Wilson, this year the team will be seeing plenty of minutes from two fifth year seniors, Kazembe Abif and Tavon Allen.  The team has an exciting prospect at the point in Terrell Allen and he is the only freshman likely to see significant minutes, a stark contrast to last year when the Dragons ran four froshes on the floor at times.  The front court alone now features five players with experience: Abif, Juniors Rodney Williams and Mohammed Bah, and Sophomores Austin Williams and Tyshawn Miles.  That's a frontcourt with options to go twin towers with the Williams', go athletic with Abif and Bah or hammer the offensive glass with Abif and Miles.  That flexibility is a game planners dream.

On the outside, a team that was struggling to find a point guard last year suddenly has three options.  The preseason performances of Terrell Allen and Major Canady seem to project a minutes cut for Rashann London.  Fans and staff alike are excited to see electric Utah transfer Ahmad Fields at the two, and Tavon Allen will take his usual spot at the three, where he almost has to improve offensively, if just by blind luck.  Meanwhile off the bench they'll have the aforementioned London and fan favorite Sammy Mojica, who would have earned a starting job at many CAA programs after last seasons performance.  With five guards at three spots, the theme of depth and flexibility continues.  An experienced nine man rotation in this version of the CAA was picked eighth?  That's as much a joke as picking Damion Lee to the All-CAA Defensive team.

While we still need to wait and see where the points are coming from (keep this challenging goal in mind:  25 ppg from the front court) after Lee's abrupt departure, the defense should be much improved.  Any coach will tell you, especially when in man to man, when one man isn't handling their business defensively, the impact to the defense as a whole is exponential.  Damion Lee was that broken link, and throwing freshmen out all last year along with the infamous four guard only added to those challenges.  The defense finished the year last year ranked 216th in defensive efficiency, good for the worst finish since Bruiser's first year at DU.  That.  Will.  Not.  Happen.  Again.

So please ignore the preseason rankings, ignore the usual suspects from other Philly schools who make jokes about University of Sciences and ignore how depressed and unmotivated this fanbase was at the end of last season.  It's a new year and there's plenty of reasons for excitement.  There's even exciting news here at Dragons Speak where for the first time since these pages began in 2013 you won't just need to read things from one mans perspective.  Entering this season a handful of other fans have offered to step up and contribute their voices as well.  I'm extremely excited for the addition and for the more rounded approach and thoughts that will be available here to further represent our fanbase.  Come back on Thursday to see the beginning of this movement as contributor Eric Resnick has an excellent piece previewing the out of conference schedule for the season.

Welcome to 2015-16 Drexel Men's Basketball.  It's time to get excited.





*Slogan ideas considered:  "Drexel Basketball:  Better than you Think!', "Live from The World's Most Famous Arena That Uses a Fire Exit as a Main Entrance" or personal favorite:  "We Have Point Guards Now!"  Feel free to add yours in the comments.

Reasons For Other CAA Fans To Vote For #MillionDollarDragons

CAA Fans, former CAA fans, Children of all ages.  Yesterday I called on Drexel fans to vote for our alumni team, The Blue and Gold Club, so that they can play in The Basketball Tournament, a nationwide tourney for players who have revoked their amateur status (so that's post collegiate, Kentucky players, and Marcus Camby).  As many of you know, Drexel Athletics is a leader in gender equity on the playing field, alongside "percentage of funds invested in squash" nationally, and are good citizens of the CAA regionally.  Each year we fight out of conference to ensure that your teams get the best seed possible in the NCAA tournament.  So today, I ask fans around the league to join the Drexel fans in helping our alumni play on, and I've provided reasons to get behind the effort for each and every one of you:


College of Charleston  - This one is easy.  After a week of rest the Drexel players were fatigued in the first half of the DU/ C of C CAA Tournament game.  Clearly, Drexel coaches ran the players all week in an attempt to end their abysmal season as quickly as possible, and Charleston profited with their first ever CAA Tournament win.  You're welcome, now it's time to return the favor.

Delaware Blue Hens - Up 1, going to the free throw line with the shot clock off, UD misses the first shot of a 1 and 1.  Except the referees called it a 2 shot foul.  They figure this out after the first shot, and while the percentages are very high that Drexel would have gotten the rebound, the referees have to go to the possession arrow which points towards Delaware.  UD inbounds and DU has to foul again, this time it's a true two shot foul.  Game over.  You're welcome.

Elon Phoenix - In two games, Bru left Tanner Samson virtually unguarded en route to 19 three point attempts.  The guy shot 35% from 3 this year and we just sat there and let him back up the truck.  You don't think that was intentional?  It led to your first ever CAA win!  Now it's your turn to return the favor.

Hofstra Pride - Antoine Agudio gave the DAC Pack the bird.  Often.

James Madison Dukes - 14 years under Bruiser.  Zero wins against JMU in the CAA Tournament.  He makes Matt Brady look like a certified genius, which takes talent, or a lack thereof.  We've had your back for 14 years, couldn't you have ours just this once?

Northeastern Huskies - Defending CAA Champion Coach Coen said Bru runs bad offense  and our Athletics Departments reaction to that was to let him keep running it.  We had Damion Lee, but because of that offensive offense, you had the Championship.  Isn't that worth kicking your brother program in co-op some votes?

Towson Tigers -    Every time he played a road game at Drexel during a snowstorm (and there was a few) Pat Kennedy returned to Towson with just as many jackets as he left with.

UNCW Seahawks - We have, for the moment, stopped promoting Athletics personnel who previously carried a "Blizzard's Mom is a MILF" sign at the CAA Tournament.

William and Mary Tribe - At times, our mascot goes pantsless too.

Bonus teams!!

Georgia State Panthers - Not only did Ron Hunter learn how to cope with injuries from watching Drexel film, his now infamous chair was probably designed by a Drexel engineer.

George Mason Patriots - The Patriots were the epitome of class in the CAA, and surely their fans wish to continue in that tradition.

Old Domion Monarchs - We honestly put Bruiser Flint out there against Blaine Taylor.  For years.  That's the biggest mismatch since Shaka Smart against Bruiser Flint, which brings us to...

Virginia Commonwealth Rams - With no time on the clock, we put our last man off the bench on Jamie Skeen with no double team.  Up until that moment, there were crazy VCU fans talking about firing Shaka Smart.  There should be more votes for this Drexel team from Richmond than from Philadelphia.

The CAA Staff:  You didn't help get DU into the tournament in 07 or 12.  Both of those teams lost to VCU in the CAA Tournament - in Richmond.  You had the author of this piece thrown out of the Richmond Coliseum.  And we didn't march of the league office once.  Not once.  Given that these losses cost the Dragons six figures in cash, maybe tossing in a vote or two or thirty would be good and responsible business.

So please, take two minutes of your day, and register to support team The Blue and Gold Club.

A Million to One Shot

If you went to college in Philadelphia, you either had the poster or knew someone who did:

So lets blast through all of the cliche warnings and use it anyway.  I'll use it because the movie is about supporting the underdog, loyalty, hope, and second chances.  And praise the Lord does the Drexel Dragons basketball program need all of that right now.  Let it be the lack of new facility, burned bridges, the disappointments in Richmond and Baltimore or the loss of Damion Lee, there's plenty of reasons why the ticket sales show this fanbase is a collective walking wounded right now.  

If supporters could just see one good run from the basketball team next season it sure would help press the reset button, wouldn't it?  But the annual campaign that can bring this fanbase and administration together is months away.  And every day this situation grows a litle more darker, numbers dwindle and contrasts grow more stark.  So why wait until the season to make that magical run?  Lets start today.  Some noteable alumni are coming together to give us that chance.

Remember Chris Fouch's last game as a Dragon?  30 points on just 20 shots.  Only 2 turnovers while playing 39 minutes.  In the same game Frantz Massenat puts up 19 points on only 16 attempts.  What about Samme Givens going out the only way it could happen?  A double double in front of the fans at the DAC.  Those guys left it all on the floor in their final game.  They walked from this program to professional leagues leaving a legacy that every fan should be proud of.  But they also left the same way all of us have for so many years.  Hungry for more.  

So they came back to represent the Blue and Gold one more time.  

Fouch, Givens (and more Givens!), Massenat, Ruffin, and Rodgers are all back, and Coach Lerner (everyone see that?  Coach Lerner!) has hinted there may be more names to drop yet.  And with much respect to Coach Flint, it sounds like these guys might push the tempo a bit this time around.  It's all part of The Basketball Tournament, a summer tourney in which post-collegiate players form their own teams and play for a million dollar payday.  Rob Falcone is leading the effort to assemble a team that isn't just looking to qualify, but rather, looking to satisfy their (and our) appetite for a championship.

I'm not asking for you to go and vote for them.  Because I've heard too many times that "man, if Bruiser only ran uptempo at least it would be watchable", or "I want to root for these guys, but I just can't stand the administration" or even "if my team doesn't win, I hope the Dragons do."   This team can't maybe make this tournament.  There's no administration here.  I don't see a team from Richmond with homecourt advantage.  And I don't see a group of guys who want to play horrendous half court offense full of mid range jumpers.  All of those excuses behind "I'd support them if..." are all out the window.  These players are putting it in the fans hands.  It's our turn.  It's the fans opportunity.

These guys played their asses off for Drexel.  No one has ever questioned the effort that Bruiser got from them.  So it's time to remember that, to rise up and show President Fry that our fans want to support this program.  That the decline in ticket sales isn't a decline in supporters, but rather supporters talking with their wallets.  This is an opportunity to show that the Drexel supporters are alive and well, we just need that chance, that hope, of the good that we know can come from this program.

There's a catch:  In order to be guaranteed a spot in the tourney, the Blue and Gold team has to be in the top 18 in fan votes in their region as of June 1 and right now we are well behind that curve.  To vote, all that you need to do is follow this link, take to minutes and register as a fan of The Blue and Gold Team.  [Full disclosure, that was a link assigned to my account, as far as I'm concerned you can use anyone's as long as you vote for DU].  It's free, I haven't received any emails or spam from it, it's just two minutes of your time.

But I said that I wasn't asking you to vote for them.  That's fair.  It's because I'm asking for much more.

We want to talk about having the best fans in Philly?  We want to talk about showing President Fry what will happens if he invests in basketball?  Then we need to set an example.  Being 18th, scraping in, that's not good enough.  Get your family voting.  Get your friends and coworkers voting.  We need to show what this fanbase can do when it's motivated, and we need to show these players how much we respected their contributions to our community, how much we respected their working through injuries, and how we never forget them leaving it all on the floor in their final games, fighting to bring home a Championship.  This is our second chance, and a two minute vote isn't nearly equitable, not nearly enough to show appreciation for these players, and to show President Fry what we can do.  I'd like to see a 5 five vote minimum, go out there and vote, then get five more.

I'm not done yet.  Because anyone who knows me knows two things:

--I stand behind every word that I write on these pages.

--Our Philadelphia community is incredibly important, right there with our basketball community.  So I asked supporters of my favorite community non-profit, the Red Paw Emergency Relief Team to join with us.  In return for helping us surge to make a statement well beyond just victory, I've pledged $100 per game that the Blue and Gold team plays in to Red Paw, on behalf of the Dragons Speak blog.  In true Dragons fashion when we win, we take care of those who have taken care of us, and Red Paw is one of those groups who takes care of us in our local community.  As a matter of fact, if someone had a fire in their home and asked Red Paw to care for their Dragon, I bet they would, they're just that good.

So lets rise as one.  We know what we can have here at Drexel, we know how great our fellow fans are and how much we would embrace a winner.  And we have this one chance to show it.  Let's make it count.



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The Athletic Department Responds

Athletic Department Responds

Prior to getting on a plane to attend the 2015 Final Four, Dr. Eric Zillmer took time to respond to fan concerns outlined in yesterday’s blog post.  He led off stating that “I think many concerns were raised, some of which may be valid and some of which quite frankly, are not.”  He went on “we’re a family at Drexel Athletics and we bleed blue and gold just like our fans do.  Understand that sometimes family members make mistakes, but the rest of the family will back that person up, that’s what families do.  And that’s where maybe we have made some mistakes over the years, sometimes you want to give family members a little extra leniency and support and in an atmosphere that needs to be professional at the end of the day, maybe the little things added up to some issues, some areas of concern that we can work on within our Athletics Family.”

Reaching for an ice pack to apply to his sore knee, Zillmer made it clear that he’s never wished to intimidate his employees into becoming “company men” and wants to bring back a creative, free thinking atmosphere to the DAC “Really, I want to take down the walls.  Physically.  Lets open this gym up and create a free flowing atmosphere.  I mean we can’t because at the end of the day, we can’t even get air conditioning up here, but I’m going to keep trying until I find a way.”   

I looked for some clarification there, and spoke to him about his vision for the future.  He outlined a new technology initiative to bring the Athletics Department back in line with the rest of the University.  He insisted that he has discussed the basketball programs lack of advanced metrics, and promised that if Coach Flint found a correct resource to add to his coaching staff, that he would find money in the budget for that employee and the software that he needed to bring this program to a current day competitive level that would keep players like Damion Lee in the future.  “Damion was a big wakeup call to us, it’s clear that we need a new tech initiative in the DAC to become competitive both on the court, and off the court not just with our opponents, but also with other departments under the Drexel umbrella.”  The era of buying five digit cost scoreboards that are unable to interact with our systems is over, technology spending will now be about practical purposes that advance the mission of the University.

Leaning forward he also told of a new key initiative:

Former Season Ticket Holder and Current Season Ticket Holder Retention Task Force

“On this day, I have asked our External Relations Department to create a new position that will lead a Former Season Ticket Holder and Current Season Ticket Holder Retention Task Force,” Zillmer excitedly said.  Athletics will be hiring from an external source from this position in an effort to show former fans that they will be heard and taken seriously, that change will be made possible. “We’re going to find out why there is so much anger in some fans, and we’re not going to avoid it, but rather hit it head on and take it for the opportunity to seek improvement that it is.  I understand that when one senior staff member apologized to you two years ago Dan, that he did it in multiple fonts, which just wasn't right, you could not even be sure which parts had been written by the staff member and which were cut and pasted from another source.  That won’t be considered acceptable outreach anymore, and you will have a much better experience right off the bat.” 

"Often when there are complaints from fans its due to their lack of knowledge with what we do in athletics and we can work on that as well."  This new position won’t be created just to hear complaints, but he or she will assist in troubleshooting them, help clarify and ensure that communication that has been lacking in the past is no longer an issue.  “I’d prefer to over-communicate to our loyal supporters than under, and we don’t play favorites.  We want to hear fans compliments, but we also know there will be bumps and we need to hear them, and respond to them completely and professionally to keep our strong relationship with our fans. We know there has been some damage done to some relationships in the past, but we think we can make that right, and that it will lead to our goal of a 50% increase in season ticket holder accounts by the start of the 16-17 men’s basketball season, a goal that our External Relations department will be held accountable for, because while we have a family atmosphere here in Athletics, we also understand that we are professionals.”

Lastly, when talking about the coaching staff of the Men’s Basketball program, Dr. Zillmer gave a full vote of confidence, but also made it clear that with only two years left in his deal, accountability will be felt here as well.  He spoke of the exciting transfers that the school has coming in and that there is an expectation for a competitive team despite the loss of Damion Lee.  He reviewed the data on three guard production that had been produced on the Dragons Speak blog, and spoke of his disappointment in front court production in the last few years.  “As an Athletic Director, the best thing I can do for Bru is provide support and autonomy.  So I am not going to step in and tell him how to do his job, that’s not fair for him or any coach.  I did outline the problems that were backed up by math and ask him to see if there was a way to address them, and we will see how he does as he continues to improve the product on the floor.”  He ended with “We’re going to make things right, we’re going to Pack the DAC, and we are going to be transparent, adaptive, and forward looking to our supporters.  Status quo is never something that we have found acceptable, and I find it very upsetting that you would describe this program in those words.  We can and must do better to meet the expectations of our fans and the Board of Trustees.  When they give a coach almost a half a million dollars, they expect results too, it’s not just the fans.  

Standing up, with the interview over, we shook hands, and I pledged to be the first supporter to donate to the task force.




Happy April Fools Day everyone.