College of Charleston - The Happy Recap

Final:  Drexel 56, College of Charleston 45

Player of the Game:  Frantz Massenat, Chris Fouch, Dartaye Ruffin, Goran Pantovic, Stevan Manojlovic, Jake Lerner

Key to the Game:  Doing Your Job

Next Game:  Saturday, March 1 @ Northeastern University

In their last game of February, the Drexel Dragons played their most complete game of the season.  While some will point to their performances at Madison Square Garden as their best efforts of the year, this game should be remembered for the well rounded-ness of the team.  This is juke-ing the stats, something I don't love doing, but if we ignore the first three Dragon possessions, in which an unusual roster was playing while their adrenaline was way past red-lining, the numbers look as follows:

Offense:  1.10 points scored per possession

Defense:  0.88 points allowed per possession

Ladies and gentleman, that's the Bruiser Flint model.  If he could get that every game, he'd live as a happy man.

It's also the seventh straight game that the defense has held strong, and given the lack of offensive participation from the two and three guards shows that injuries or not, there is still offensive depth on this team.  Credit to goes to Bruiser Flint, who recoginzed Tavon Allen struggling, and even after Tavon's brilliant game against Delaware felt comfortable giving him the hook and throwing Major Canady out on the floor for the majority of the contest.  After seeing just 18% of the shots in the game at Charleston, the Drexel forwards took 28% of the teams shots this game, shooting 61% (75% from the line) while doing it and contributing 19 of the teams 56 points.  The bigs also had 4 blocks, 1 steal and nary a turnover between the three of them.  After being a bit soft in the first half, they won the battle on the boards in the second while playing against a front line that went 7'2", 6'9", 6'7".  It was a very impressive effort, and a good job of getting involved at both ends of the court.

Speaking of getting involved, in just 4 defensive possessions, Stevan Manojlovic and Goran Pantovic had 1 steal, 2 blocks and a defensive rebound.  They were on the floor for 4 possessions and in 3 of the 4 the Cougars starting 5 couldn't even get a shot off!  That's insane!  Chris Fouch may have struggled on the offensive end (1-7 from 3, now 4-25 (17%) in his last 5 games, easily the biggest DU concern coming out of this game) but he still made his contribution to the team to the tune of 4 steals (!!) and 100% free throw shooting.  On top of that, he had 5 points after the under four timeout in the second half, just as we all knew he would, saving his best for last.  Also of note, with a minute to go, upon inbounding to Massenat, Frantz quickly got the ball to Chris.  Someone got the message, and at end of game it looks like the coaches are making an effort to have Chris be the guy who gets put on the line.  Good work there by the staff.

At the end of the game, the player holding the ball for the Dragons was Jake Lerner, the one senior who didn't get a chance to start, a great ending to a great team effort.

Yes, there are concerns, Chris' shooting, the continued inconsistency and I for one think that one coach here may have been playing chess while the other played checkers.  There's a very good chance that these two teams play each other in a week and a half when it really matters, and Doug Wojcik seemed to hold his team back in this one.  Baru and Hall both played for less minutes then they have for most of the season, the end game fouling was less then aggressive, and a bench that doesn't usually get a ton of use past Canyon Barry played almost 70 minutes despite a complete lack of foul trouble.  These things make you wonder.  But it was senior night for an outstanding, talented and classy bunch that represented Drexel and its faculty, staff, alumni, students and fans as well as any of them could ask for, and those guys went off in the way they should.  

My favorite part?  Long time CAA referee Dwayne Gladden was hustling Frantz Massenat off the court with seconds left on the clock and Frantz reeiving a much deserved ovation, and Frantz just turned to Gladden and said "it's my last game".  Frantz dictated his departure much like he's dictated four years of Drexel offense, and left the court on his terms, and no one elses.  These guys as a group, they just get it, and that's why all this is fun for you and me.  I for one am thankful.

I need to link you all to http://dragonshistory.weebly.com/ (also on the "Link DH Relies On" tab on your right), the record book I used for player stats yesterday.  It also shows me that Dartaye Ruffin, someone I've barely mentioned here that had a huge impact in this game, had a great night and also tied Chaz Crawford for 7th all time on the Drexel rebounds list.  

Lastly, if you know what college basketball is all about, and if you appreciate this blog I guess you do, then thank the PhilaHoops Guys for capturing the postgame presser.  Take the 10 minutes, watch it.  You'll thank yourself later.

College of Charleston - Pregame - Senior Night at the DAC

There's a nasty rumor going around that a basketball game is going to break out in the middle of a coronation on Wednesday.  The Dragons may not be locked into the 4/5 seed game in Baltimore, but with JMU playing Towson before going to Hofstra for HU's senior night and C of C getting DU and UDback to back along with Drexel's one game lead on both of those teams, it's close to a fait accompli.  So while this game matters, well, it doesn't matter for a whole lot.

Here is what does matter:

The first road team to win at Yum! Brands Arena in Louisville, Kentucky
The first NIT win and postseason run in the Bruiser Flint tenure
A win in Madison Square Garden
The programs second trip to the CAA Title Game in Drexel history
Unquestionable leadership, while taking over the reigns of leadership in a time of turmoil
6-4 record against Delaware and Penn, 3-3 against the Big 5

When this group of seniors walked in the door, they were walking in on a team that went 43-50 (.462) in the prior three seasons, lost Jamie Harris, Kevin Phillip and Shannon Givens in the off-season and didn't know what to expect from Chris Fouch coming off of a major knee injury.  They were dealt a deuce seven off-suit.   They had to crawl through 500 yards of shit smelling foulness I can't even imagine, or maybe I just don't want to remember.  And they came out clean on the other side.  Four years later they can feel good knowing that they inherited a mess, and they left with the accomplishments above, with a 78-47 (.624) record, and still time to finish strong.  It's a bounce-back story that will never get the respect it deserves unless they dance this year, but that they can be proud of, and quite frankly saved their coaching staff.  They will graduate, and they will do so after four years of no one questioning their or the programs character or ethics.  They represented themselves, Drexel University, and all of us who were allowed the pleasure of watching, very well, and tonight's game is about nothing other than that.

So while you watch Dartaye Ruffin (who can tie Chaz Crawford for 7th in Drexel history with 10 rebounds tonight) bang down low against C of C's very impressive Adjehi Baru realize just how big of a turnaround that he helped achieve.  When Frantz (17 points away from passing Bob Stephens for 7th in career scoring at DU) and Fouch are lighting up C of C, realize you're watching a couple of all timers.  C of C's frontcourt was already undermanned before losing Joe Chealey for this game with a knee injury, so the seniors along with Major and Tavon should be able to dictate in the years final home game.

While both teams were better than they showed in their first meeting, Drexel stayed even on the boards and had a significant turnover edge, and those numbers should hold.  DU isn't going o-fer from deep at home on senior night.  When the lights are bright, Chris Fouch rises to the occasion, and in front of a jam packed DAC tonight, the likes of which Charleston hasn't seen even during roadies to Davidson, the lights will be bright.  It will be another rock fight, but expect Drexel to stand strong and send the fans home happy one last time.

Thanks Seniors.


Prediction:  Drexel 62, Charleston 58
Vegas Line:  Drexel -4.5

Chris Fouch is Really Good at Basketball

When Chris Fouch announced that he would be joining the Dragons on November 27, 2007 Senator Barack Obama was trailing in the polls, by 20+ points, to Hillary Clinton, milk was a nickle and Drexel fans were asking themselves how the team would fit in another guard, especially with the cupboard full of Rodgers, Hawthorne, [Rob] Hampton, Harris and Colds.

Looks like the fans got over it.

Sitting fifth on the all time scoring list at Drexel, Chris Fouch also has a 5-4 postseason (CAA Tourney + NIT) record, and is one win in Baltimore away from being the only Drexel player to achieve an above .500 postseason record under Coach Flint.  The cruel thing about college basketball is that almost everyone's season ends in a loss, and a team needs at least two wins in order to finish above .500 in a postseason, yet Chris' Dragon teams have rose to the occasion.  Chris has helped push Drexel through the postseason, averaging 16 points per game in postseason games despite Coach Flint bringing him off the bench in the majority of those contest.  And then, there is greatness.  Open this clip to the 2:30 minute mark and check out the degree of difficulty on the shots he made, in a tough place to shoot, in order to fight the Dragons back into one of the absolute dogfight games of the Flint era.

You may not know about the NCAA transfer rule allowing Grad Student players to transfer to another school without sitting out a year.  This rule meant that when the Dragons staff applied for Chris' sixth year redshirt, there was no promise that he would be playing in blue and gold this year, as he had the option of going to any school that would take him, and would likely have had interest from some high level conference schools.  Chris' decision to stay at Drexel, even after being forced to come off the bench in his first three years, speaks volumes about both the coaching staff's bond with the players, and Chris' own loyalty and belief that this years Drexel team could be dancing.  It's not too late to make that dream come true, and you can bet that Chris won't go down without a fight.

Actually, we can promise that he won't go down a fight:  Fun fact, Chris is shooting 36% from the field and averaging 7.7 points in the first half of games this year.  Those numbers rise to 43% and 9.3 points in the second half of games.  Chris won't go down as the best defensive player that Drexel has ever had, and he may not even be the best player of the Flint era, but he should be and is the guy who you want with the ball in late and close games.  With apologies to Robert Battle, he is the most clutch player of the Flint era, and he's got one more conference tournament to show that off.  Is that too much pressure for one guy?  His record certainly says it's not.

With six players leaving the Drexel program there's been discussion about who should start the Senior Night game.  To that I say start the guys who haven't been recognized on a previous senior night, Frantz Massenat, Stevan Manojlovic, Jake Lerner, Goran Pantovic, and Dartaye Ruffin. Recognize Chris Fouch during the time where he owned the floor.  Send out the best clutch player since Malik Rose on the floor alone at the under 4 timeout in the second half.  Let him be recognized at crunch time, because crunch time is his time.

Delaware - The Happy Recap

Final:  Drexel 69, Delaware 65

Player of the Game:  Tavon Allen

Key to the Game:  Interior Defense

Next Game:  Wednesday Feb 26 vs College of Charleston, at the DAC (Senior Night)

Chris Fouch drives for a layup vs UD.  Photo Courtesy (my one and 

only Delaware friend):  Blue Hen Studios

Joe Biden was at the Bob to see the Women's hoops game prior to the Drexel/Delaware men's game on Sunday.  Credit the Vice President for being a smart politician.  Sure, he doubled down on Obamacare, but even the Veep won't take the risk of being seen with Monte Ross' Three Ring Suspend-O-Rama.

Tavon Allen was the story of this game, and not just for the reasons that you think.  Yes, his taking over the game at the offensive end in the second half (19 points on just 11 field goal attempts) proved unstoppable for the hapless U of not so much D squad, but the bigger story may have been the other side of the ball.  Devon Usher has been tearing up the league, with at least 24 points in each of his last five games.  Against Tavon, he scored just 16 points on 16 shots, a testament to Allen's effort, skill and size on the defensive end.  If Hofstra never wants to see Frantz again, then Delaware certainly can't be looking forward to two more years of Tavon Allen, who thus far has this career line against UD:

11-22 (50%) 2pt fg, 8-13 (62%) 3pt fg, 12.5 ppg

That line is for a sophomore, and one that played just 19 minutes against UD in two games last year.  Absolutely sick performances for the Tavon the Delaware Slayer, and ones that we hope to continue to look forward to for two more years.

It was Tavon's overwhelming performance that prevented Dartaye Ruffin from getting player of the game honors from the blog.  Dartaye was 1-5 from the field, never got to the line and while 12 rebounds (half of those from the offensive glass) is a strong effort, 2 and 12 usually don't get you those honors.  Thing is, its what's not in the boxscore that The Most Valuable Dragon brought to the table.  In the first game against UD, Delaware shot a stunning 59.6% from inside the arc.  This time around it was a pedestrian 47.6%.  While Dartaye was on the floor both times, his effort in help defense this game was especially notable.  He created blocks for his teammates, he ran out to defend the perimeter, along with coming up with 2 steals and 2 blocks himself.  His man, Carl Baptiste shot 5-7 last time around, this time it was just 4-9, and Devon Usher and Devon Saddler will still be running into him and stopping their drives in their dreams for the next week.  It was a high effort, smart, dominant defensive performance and without it Drexel does not win this game.

Two other nods are due, the first to Mohammed Bah, who is really becoming a spark plug for this Drexel team.  He may not know the playbook inside, outside, backwards, and forwards yet, but as far as raw ability and heart go, he shows it and has an impact every time he's out there.  This was a big game for the Dragons, and a kid who started the year deeeeeep in Bruiser's dog house just played 25 solid minutes in the big game.  He also had the first DU point that stopped UD's 10-0 opening salvo.  Bah had 5 points and 6 boards in 25 minutes, while at the same time being asked to guard perimeter players on the defensive end.  That's called scrapping, and he's doing it effectively and has for some time now.

The other nod is to Bru who "outcoached" his counterpart.  In the previous game, Delaware went small with 4 guards on the floor for most of the game, and Drexel tried to match it, running Tavon for 30 minutes with a bad ankle and asking the guy who was guarding Baptiste to also be in charge of help defense on both sides of the rim.  It did not work.  it wasn't within a fifty dollar cab ride of working.  This time, Monte went small again and Drexel stayed in their three guard rotation.  Whichever big was on the fourth guard sagged off of him and stayed available for help D, and while that did hang a guard out on the perimeter trying to defend two guys at once at times, Monte was either too inept to exploit that, or Monte had no faith in his guards not named Saddler and Usher.  Either way, Monte was playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun.  Going the other way, with Massenat riding pine with foul trouble, Monte threw the press at the Dragons once, DU struggled with Major Canady running the point but managed to break it, and Monte never ran it again.  Neither guy can seem to make a big in game adjustment, so the coach with the better game plan walking into the game will most help his team, and that was Bruiser and staff this time.  Bruiser also gets credit for managing his seniors foul problems very well all the way through, and for his Connors Toss, because Coach Connors is a big man and to just throw him around like is quite the feat.  

This was a big win for the Dragons, for a number of reasons.  It proves that they can beat anyone in this league, after having spent the conference season only beating the basement of the CAA.  It was the sixth straight game where they held the opposing offense under a point per possession, and by far the best offense that they have done that against, which continues to foster the belief that the defense is back.  Perhaps most importantly, Massenat and Fouch were barely mentioned in this piece.  In the last two road games, they have averaged 29 points between them, well below their league averages, and the Dragons could have easily won both games.  The supporting case continues to step up and support their seniors, and I for one believe that the seniors will be there, god willing sharing the ball (still didn't do a great job of feeding the post in this one, although some turnovers and guys passing it back out to the perimeter makes it look worse then it was when you look at the box), come tourney time.

Delaware (sucks) - Pregame

The annual trip to the Bob is upon us.  And while we all wish that the storyline was Drexel finding themselves for the stretch run and playing their best ball of the year, it's tough to make a case for that right now.  Yes, there are silver linings:  5 straight games without an opponent breaking 63 points reminds us of Bruiser teams of yore, the offense is leading the conference in turnover and free throw percentage, and their shooting from deep is up to 35% in conference play, a respectable number.  But with a team that hasn't broken 50 points in regulation in their last two roadies, the story going into Newark is about playing the spoiler.

Playing the spoiler against UD isn't anyone's idea of a good time.  While beating up on UD is absolutely a goal of Drexel fans, just the word spoiler infers "wait til next year".  Try thinking about the current years seniors while saying that, especially this collection of seniors, and not feeling like crap at the end of it.  This was never supposed to be a wait til next year team, this was supposed to be THE team, but time is getting very short to find that team.  So into the Bob we go, playing against a first place UD team who has had their best player suspended to start the year and their next best player suspended to finish it.  With just one loss, they would need to lose two to possibly drop from the one seed line, and the Dragons would love to help with that.  After the Drexel game, UD closes out the season with two on the road, so if DU can pull the upset, it could knock this chicken squad down a notch.

Of note is Drexel's 6-7 record.  The 6 wins have come against the last place CAA team (2x), the next to last place CAA team (2x), the 7th place CAA team (1x), and a team tied for 5th.  With three games to go, this team hasn't beaten a single top half of the league team in a conference that's ranked 19th by Kenpom and 15th in the RPI.  Between that and the lack of consistency all season long, it's getting harder and harder to make the case that this team is for real.  All season long I've defended the talent that this team has in this space, and I've believed every word of it, but I'm now running low on arguments to sell this team.  Winning this game, knocking off the number 1 team on the road, would be huge in getting some swagger back for the fellas, and bringing the believers back to Camp Bru.  While this game seems relatively meaningless to all involved insofar as end of the year standings, this rivalry game will matter, and could give the Dragons quite a big lift.

The first time these teams met, the one UD starter that went unnamed in the write-up was Davon Usher.   Almost surely because of that, Usher caught absolute fire, averaging 25 points a game and shooting 44% from three since that game at the DAC.  That includes a 42 point performance against College of Charleston, a team in which Drexel as a team collectively scored 47 points against.  He's shooting from anywhere in the gym and hitting.  It's hitting "mommy, please hold me" levels of scary for opposing coaches when they watch the tape.  He's flanked by Devon Saddler who you may have heard of, but with Threatt and King-Davis suspended (presumably for hanging out with shady characters like Devon Saddler) those 33 points from the first Drexel/Delaware meeting are off the table.

Of important note when reviewing the first meeting of these teams is that Drexel played largely a four guard lineup in that game.  They only had two forwards in the game for six minutes of the contest, which led to them getting absolutely slaughtered on the boards, the last time we saw that plan this season.  DU did have a massive turnover advantage that game, and if they can do that again but this time at least break even on the boards, they'll have a real shot at this one.  Without King-Davis, Baptiste is their only real force underneath so the Drexel offensive game plan should be to share the ball and get some early fouls on Baptiste.  When Baptiste is off of the floor, the DU bigs can play much more aggressively on help defense, which should leave the Dragon guards to be more aggressive in stepping out on the perimeter, important since the UD guards have no qualms shooting from beyond NBA range.

With how hot the UD shooters have been, even this shorthanded Chicken team can win any time they step on the court, but they've shown some chinks in the armor of late, losing to Towson in a battle and just slipping by C of C and Hofstra in the last two weeks.  These teams know each other inside and out, these coaches know each other inside and out, and its a mix of a revenge spot, a bounce back game and a game they need more from the Dragons.  Expect a huge effort from your blue and gold, the only true blue and gold in the conference, the Drexel blue and gold, and a game that goes to the wire.


Prediction:  Delaware 75-73
Vegas Line:  Delaware -4.5

A followup: It's math man

One of our favorite sayings around the office is "it's math".  While words can be twisted and turned, in math, there is usually an answer that is correct and an answer that is incorrect.  It's how we can change the mind of someone who may not believe or agree with an argument until we put numbers in front of them.  Then, well, it's math man!

“You can’t go on the road and keep shooting 30 percent”

~Bruiser Flint, postgame at JMU

Frantz and Chris had 22% of their shots blocked in the JMU game since the JMU defense was just stacking up on them whenever they crossed the three point arc.

Frantz is shooting 41% from the field this year.  If only 78% of his shots end up going towards the basket, and he hits 41% of those, we can expect him to make 32% of his shots.

Chris is shooting 39% from the field this year.  If only 78% of his shots end up going towards the basket, and he hits 39% of those, we can expect him to make 30% of his shots.

Chris and Frantz ended up shooting 25% from inside the arc in this game.  Given that they were expected to shoot about 30%, and given the number of shots JMU blocked, we can assume that many of the duo's other shots were well defended, hence 25% feels about right.

Shooting 30% may be something that you can't afford to do.  It's also exactly what Bru should expect to happen when you play right into that type of defense.  On the road, at home, or on the moon.  

It's math, man.

Also math?  The Dragons are 6-1 when a forward scores 10 points in a game.  The one loss was a 2 point loss at Towson, when the offense still scored a very effective 1.18 points per possession.

JMU - Learning From Our Mistakes

Final:  JMU 63, Drexel 61
Player of the Game:   Dartaye Ruffin
Key to the Game:  Adjustments
Next Game:  Sunday Feb 23 at Delaware (Sucks)

14-12 (6-7 conference) Kenpom 144, RPI 119

Massenat  Sr
Fouch       Sr (6th year)
Allen         So (redshirt)
Williams    Fr
Ruffin        Sr

Canady     Fr
Bah           Fr


15-14 (10-8 conference) Kenpom 128, RPI 133

Harris        So
Hawthorne Sr
Rodgers     Sr
Givens        Fr
Neisler       Jr


Colds         So
Spencer     Jr


Those two rosters have put up identical seasons.  The difference in talent may be stunning, but the results, near identical.  In the postgame, Bruiser called out this team for not playing tough enough.  In response, I offer this:



Drexel guards first half:           4/20 (20%) FG, 4-4 (100%) FT
Drexel forwards, first half:       3/6 (50%) FG, 5-5 (100%) FT
Percentage of Shots taken by guards:  77%

Drexel guards second half:      5/20 (25%) FG, 10-12 (83%) FT
Drexel forwards second half:  3/4 (75%) FG, 1-2 FT (50%)
Percentage of shots taken by guards:  83%

Drexel guards overtime:  2/6 (33%) FG, 1-2 (50%) FT
Drexel forwards overtime:  0/0 FG, 0/0 FT
Percentage of shots taken by guards:  100%



Semenov and Nation first half:  0/9 FG (0%) 2-4 FT (50%)

Semenov and Nation second half:  2/2 FG (100%) 3-4 FT (75%)

Semeov and Nation overtime:  0/0 FG, 2/2 (100%) FT



Chris Fouch and Frantz Massenat had 7 of their 32 attempts, a stunning 22% of their shots blocked.  They were overplaying the hell out of those two guys, and for one play last night, the play that took this game to overtime, Bruiser Flint recognized that, got a pass to a wide open big man in one of the prettiest plays in recent memory.  For the rest of the game, it was as if no one noticed JMU's defense.  It doesn't seem right to blame that on the players toughness, does it?

On the other side of the scorers table, Matt Brady's two studs were having an awful game.  Bruiser came down with a game plan of making the JMU players shoot the ball well in order to win.  Giving the players space on the perimeter to take a look if they wanted to.  It was a solid gameplan.  Actually, the offensive gameplan was solid too, and I even mentioned it in the pregame here.  No one on JMU (and it now appears that Charles Cooke may be an exception) can guard Frantz or Chris, so let the DU studs do what they do.  It was a solid gameplan on both ends, and on the defensive end it worked, but at the offensive end, both of the DU studs struggled against a defense that was overplaying them at every opportunity on and off the ball.

The difference?  Matt Brady, a head coach who hasn't adjusted his haircut since 1985, adjusted, told his guys to drive more despite the defense, took the ball out of the perimeter shooters hands in the second half and took a team that scored just 16 points in the first half and scored 34 points with them in the second.  On the Drexel side, Bruiser took the side of the bull running at the matador, and when his initial game plan didn't work, just told his team to run that plan harder.  And harder.  And harder.  This time they would defeat the matador!  This resulted in Drexel scoring 23 points in the first half and 27 in the second.  Never did he change it up.  With every possession, the Drexel forwards were stunningly less and less involved...  until they had to have a basket.  Then they fed it to a forward.  A lightbulb flickering amid a power outage.

People will talk about the inbounds play with 6.5 second left, a high risk baseball throw to half court that resulted in a turnover.  I know people will be talking about that because I received text and emails from four states, none of them Pennsylvania, and half from people who weren't even Drexel fans, who were stunned that a coach would call something that stunningly outside the box (I'm being really nice here, or trying) in that situation.  While I agree with the consensus, let us not pretend that Drexel was all that likely to hit the three.  Drexel didn't lose the game there.  Drexel lost the game because one coach went into halftime and threw out a gameplan that wasn't working, and the other coach didn't.

To be clear:  If Matt Brady and his 1985 haircut had been coaching JMU this game, they would have won.  And if Matt Brady and his 1985 haircut had been coaching the Drexel Dragons in this game, they would have won.

No word on how the team bus is doing after Bruiser drove over all of his players with it.  Hopefully it's tough enough.