The 10 Beers of the CAA

Back for another year with a "Beers of the CAA" Season Preview, albeit a few games in this year due to the seasons early start over the holidays.  As always, comments are welcomed below and here's to a good and healthy season this year for all CAA players and teams from States 2 thru 49.



1 - William and Mary (1-1) - Saranac Clouded Dream - Just a lot of weird going on in Williamsburg this year.  A William and Mary team with only one consistent three point shooter (Daniel Dixon) is contending to be the conference favorite.  In a top 10 conference nationally.  Credit the Stache, who is running great offense.  The Pantsless Griffins lead the conference in percentage of shots taken at the rim, and they aren't doing it with their athleticism, they are simply running better offense then any team out there.  That type of smarts leads to consistency, so even while they are below their recent standards from deep and maintain a mediocre defense, the run of victories continues.

What to Watch For:  Just watch it.  Watch the offense to learn what college hoops is meant to be.
Games That Could Be Trouble:  Sat Jan 16 @ UNCW, Sat Feb 27 @ JMU


2 - Northeastern (2-0) - El Guapo Agave IPA - Here's the team that seems to be most begging for regression from their early season greatness.  They have the conferences signature victory over Jamie  Larranaga and Miami (FL), and a 2-0 record despite starting the season with the tough Elon/ C of C road swing.  But the Huskies also shot 56% from deep at Miami (FL), and lost when they shot 18% from deep against Miami (OH).  While David Walker, Quincy Ford and Caleb Donnelly are all very good established shooters, this team just doesn't do much else well.  Live by the three die by the three will win you games that you shouldn't win, it will lose you some games you should, and as the anti-William & Mary, expect to see Northeastern caught up in some inconsistency this year.  A top end finish in this league is likely, but a repeat feels like a stretch.

What to Watch For:  Can Zach Stahl fill Scott Eatherton's shoes as a presence in the paint when they need one?
Games That Could Be Trouble:  Thurs Feb 18 @ JMU, Sat Feb 27 @ DU

3 - James Madison (1-1) - Samuel Adams Boston Lager - The Dukes profile very similarly to Northeastern this year.  While they also live and die by the three Matt Brady has slowed the tempo down and instilled some much needed discipline in his ranks.  With a senior leader at the point in Ron Curry, and as many weapons as Brady has ever had in Harrisonburg this team is a live dog in this years CAA.  On top of the offensive weapons, this is the best rebounding team of Brady's tenure and all indicators point to discipline, discipline, discipline, and the a clear closing of the Andre Nation era.  Only three years removed from the dance, there is no CAA team that JMU can't beat and if they hadn't shot themselves in the foot with the home loss to Charleston, they may have been picked the favorite.  That loss and a tough schedule including back to back road games at Northeastern and Hofstra provides some challenge to a team that played a very soft out of conference calendar.

What to Watch For:  Can they get away from their reliance on the three?
Games That Could Be Trouble:  Thurs Jan 14 @ NU, Sat Feb 27, William and Mary

4 - Hofstra (2-0) - Green Flash West Coast IPA - Don't blink.  With an uptempo offense and the highest offensive efficiency (1.12 points per possession) that this league has seen since Doc Nix and the VCU Wheelchair Posse were hanging out in Richmond, Joe Mihalich brings back most of his scoring power from last seasons 20 win team.  With experience and sharp shooting from Green and Tanksley, many have made them out to be the favorites.  On the flip side, it's very likely Brian Bernardi has been outkicking his coverage and this team and it's tissue paper thin defense are much to reliant on three point shooting, which is the least predictable and consistent thing in college basketball.

The Flying Dutchman hit the road for their southern swing this weekend (wait for their home game against Elon to see triple digits on the board).  If they get through that road trip unscathed, their only major potential speed bump the rest of the way is a three game road swing just before Valentine's Day.

What to Watch For:  Three point percentage
Games That Could Be Trouble:  Thursday Feb 11 @ W&M, Sat Feb 13 @ UD

5 - UNC Wilmington (1-1) - New Belgium Shift - What a difference a year makes at the beach.  Kevin Keatts has earned his paycheck turning around a desperate program.  Year two of the rise has gone about as well as can be hoped.  While the team lost some talent with the departures of seniors Addison Spruill, Freddie Jackson and Cedrick Williams, the cupboard is far from bare.  Underclassman Jordon Talley and CJ Bryce have stepped up to fill some holes but the big story is Chris Flemmings.  Everything this kid touches has turned to gold.  Currently Flemmings is 8th in the country in offensive efficiency, a ranking unheard of in the CAA (Damion Lee and Marcus Thornton were 136th and 373rd respectively last year, for comparison).  The defense isn't good enough to be a legitimate CAA title contender yet and they put way too many players on the foul line.  Even those metrics have been helped by playing a soft out of conference schedule, but the underlying fact remains unchanged:  The Seahawks are completing one of the quickest turnarounds you will ever see.

What to Watch For:  Growth of the underclassman and setting themselves up for a run next season
Games That Could Be Trouble:  Sat Jan 9 @ UD, Thurs Feb 4 @ HU

6 - College of Charleston (1-1) - Boulder Beer Mojo Risin' - Earl Grant had the toughest job in the conference if not the country going into last season.  Losing seniors Adjehi Baru and Anthony Stitt means that it's time for the young guns this year and have they ever stepped their games up.  The Cougars are one of the most inexperienced teams in D-I hoops, led by junior Canyon Berry and sophomore Cameron Johnson, but they have still slayed giant LSU on their way to impressively opening the season 8-4.  Earl Grant has started with the basics and this team is doing it with hard nosed defense and rebounding, a throwback to days of CAA Rockfights Past.  While Charleston is still a couple of years away in all likelihood, there is no question that a once proud program is - quickly - on its way back.

What to Watch For:  Growth, especially on the inside.  Can Jarrell Brantley become a legit upper teir CAA big man that C of C can build around?
Games That Could Be Trouble:  Sat Jan 30 @ UNCW, Sat Feb 13 @ Elon

7 - Drexel (0-2) - Yuengling Lager - Yuengling. the same price as Coors, Miller or Bud, but better reputation.  If you're at an Open Bar and that's what they've got, you will drink it without complaint, but if you're at a beer bar full of craft brews, it will go untouched.  The perfect Dragon metaphor.

The shame of this season is that the defense and rebounding seem to be rounding into form.  The tandem of Kaz Abif and Rodney Williams has the potential to be one of the best starting frontcourts in the CAA and Terrell Allen will receive votes for Freshman of the Year.  There's talent here, but this was a .500 team for two of Damion Lee's three seasons at Drexel.  Sometimes talent isn't enough.

What to Watch For:  Change and Terrell Allen
Games That Could Be Trouble:  Maybe none, but be sure to catch the Drexel Delaware game as two desperate rivals going head to head should lead to some fireworks and a game worth watching.

8 - Elon (1-1) - New Belgium Accumulation - For long term investors, you're about six years too late to hop on Elon.  Matt Matheny has brought a bottom tier SoCon team up to a middle pack CAA team in that time period, while playing in a gym the size of a shoebox.  Much like Wilmington, this is a team that should have their eyes on next year, when a core of Luke Eddy, Danian Swoope and Dmitri Thompson can have a few more pieces around them.  That mix and Tanner Samson is enough to give some teams headaches this year as well, but it's the defense that will hold them back.  Against talented, disciplined offenses like William and Mary and James Madison the games could become glorified layup lines.  At some point Matheny will need to decide to zone and pack in the paint to force some teams to spray and pray from outside the arc because what's going on now simply isn't good.

What to Watch For:  Can they push teams to the perimeter?
Games That Could Be Trouble:  Thurs Jan 21 @ W&M, Thurs Feb 25 vs W&M

9 - Towson (1-1) - Oliver Brewing Hot Smoke and Heavy Blues - While the 9-5 record looks lofty for the Tigers, the 2-3 record against Kenpom top 250 teams is telling.  Towson played an almost embarrassing out of conference schedule (although any schedule with George Mason on it is embarrassing) perhaps attempting to insulate a very young team from the troubles on the horizon.  Senior leader Timajh Parker-Rivera never really turned the corner, and the guy leading the team in shots is shooting 17% from behind the arc... there are troubles here.  Byron Hawkins has feasted on the competition and John Davis continues to be one of the better CAA players that no one is talking about but those two alone aren't enough to compete, and they appear to be the entirety of the Tigers list of weapons.

Give credit to coach Pat Skerry who continues to rebuild the program down in the Baltimore suburbs though.   The William and Mary game showed what can happen in college basketball when you have a group that is inspired and will fight for their coach.  Towson shot just 17% from deep at W&M yet still won against one of the conference favorites due to domination of the glass and coming away with loose balls time and again.  Coaching a team to fight like that from the lower division is why no one will want to see Towson, Charleston, or Drexel on their schedules this year.

What to watch for: Will one of the freshman emerge as an offensive weapon?
Games That Could Be Trouble:  Thurs Feb 4 @ Charleston, Sat Feb 6 @ Elon

10 - Delaware (0-2) - Laurelwood Brewing Workhorse IPA - It appears there has been a change at UD and rather than band aids and <cough> questionable admissions, Monte Ross has to go about building a program.  That is a process that will go through growing pains and those pains have been accentuated with the loss of Chivarsky Corbett to a torn ACL.  Marvin King-Davis and Kory Holden are a fine inside out combo, but similar to Towson, there's just not much there to help.  Of additional concern there are no freshman in Newark to groom either.  They'll still fight and get after it, and when their outside shots fall they can compete with the teams in this conference, but there's not a lot of positive spin to be put on this season for UD.


What to watch for:  Can Kory Holden be a future Player of the Year candidate?
Games that could be trouble: Thurs Feb 11 vs Drexel, Thur Feb 4 @ Elon

Alan Boston's CAA Preview

Thanks again to Alan for his steadfast support of the blog for the last two seasons.  He sent this in last week, prior to CAA action, but due to limitations with the blog, this is being posted today.  My annual "Beers of the CAA" preview will be posted tomorrow.

The Colonial is strong for the conference this year. There r 5 teams that have power ratings that r typically good enough to win the conference. There are at least 2 others with the potential to get there. I shall write a few words, this in the order I believe they will finish.

1 William & Mary - One of the few schools that still thinks academics matters in athletic admission, somehow has lost a second round NBA draft pick and this year is even better. Well, there is the matter of Tony Shaver, one of the great minds in basketball. What a joy to watch this team play. They are rebounding better this year. They have some huge wins already this year including a blow out at NC State and tough games at high level schools, including a buzzer beating loss at Dayton. I am a bit biased with this pick, however their resume from non conference more than backs it up. With teams more familiar with their stuff in conference, they may level off a bit, but I think Shaver finds a way this year.

2 Hofstra - Did not take Joe Mihalich long to turn things around on Long Island. No surprise as he had Niagara competing nearly every year and Hofstra is far better budgeted for basketball.  Last years late season swoon cost them an NCAA bid. With almost every one back. especially future pro Juanya Green, Hofstra is likely the favorite in many peoples eyes.

3 Northeastern - With almost everything back from a team that almost knocked out Not Dame in the first round, Northeastern is an obvious threat to the title. Always well schooled by Bill Coen, they have the signature win of the conference, if not of the year, with their win at top 8 school Miami Fla. Northeastern gives nothing away, making them a tough out in the tournament.

4 UNCW - It did knock take Keatts long to bring UNCW back to relevance. UNCW is no longer the school with a genius coach who liked to control tempo, they are now a Pitino like pressing, in your face defense, that if like Louisville, gets away with more fouls than are called. However, we must give credit to Keatts for wild success under tough circumstances. This year with much more depth, his upside is far greater. A definite threat for the title, but still a notch below the top two at least. The good news for the large fan base that made their home a mad house, is that Keatts will likely have a winner, before taking a bigger job.

5 James Madison - Another team with almost everyone back. The underrated Matt Brady, saved his job with an improbable run to the tournament a couple of years ago. With lots of experience and still a young team, albeit this one with an excellent senior point guard Ron Curry, JMU has room to improve on last years finish, which could put them at the top of this extremely tough top 5.

6 College of Charleston - One of the great cities in this country has one of the great mid major programs. Yes they have struggled a bit since John Kresse retired, but this school gets good talent and with ex Greg Marshall assistant Earl Grant in only his 2nd year, it wont be long before C of C is back to relevance, It is likely not this year as the league is too tough and Grant does not have all his players yet. It will be sooner rather than later.

7 Elon - Another school that is steadily building a program under the guidance of an excellent coach. Matt Metheny has taken Elon from bottom of the barrel in the Southern Conference to a strong competitor in the Colonial. Last years team was destroyed by injury. If, big if, they stay healthy this year, they will pull off their share of upsets, perhaps even in the opener tonight vs Northeastern.

8 Towson - The AD told Pat Skerry you have as long as you like. With that strong backing and a new arena to boot, Towson is serious about their basketball. Skerry has delivered. Towson has gone from a team that was completely over matched every night in the conference, to one that not only competes but also wins more than their share of games. This year with many parts back, they have started to play better recently. I would expect this program to stay relevant for a long time.

9 Delaware - If Delaware can get some injured players back they should stay out of the bottom. Before injuries hit, they had 4 starters back from last year including potential future conference player of the year point guard Kory Holden. They will be tough if healthy, if not, they could pass Drexel, the wrong way.


10 Drexel - There were 700 transfers in D-I basketball. Disgusting. The game is big business and the conglomerates will do anything they can to get top players. Louisville robbed only 2 top players this year, Troy Lewis (Cleveland State) and Damian  Lee from Drexel. This was a huge loss for Drexel, although not unexpected. Then injuries continue to kill this team as projected starting pg Major Canady got hurt.  Drexel needs Ahmed Fields to get back and be healthy. If so, they will finish ahead of Delaware. If not, then there are many a long night in Philly. It will likely be the end for a coach I have always both liked and respected.

Elon Away - Postgame

Final Score:  UNCW 83, Drexel 78
Drexel player of the game: Rodney Williams
Key to the game: Shot Selection
Next Game:  Thursday Jan 7, Home vs William and Mary

When a Grandparent who loves their grandchild offers them a balloon, the child should take it.

When a hated rival offers to punch a person in the face, they shouldn't take it.

When an opposing coach says "I'll give you this shot" it's a lot more rival than loving grandfather. 

In this day and age, where every coach knows what every kid shoots from every spot, teams should never take what the defense gives them.

Walking into the game at Elon, if you told Bruiser Flint that Tanner Samson would only hit 2 of his 9 three point attempts and that Terrell Allen would win the battle of the point guards against Elon stud Luke Eddy, he would have taken that to the bank.  Especially with that effort coming off of a single days rest.  He would have been thrilled with that information because with those two players off the table, Elon doesn't have a ton of big threats, but what Elon does have is likely the worst defense the Dragons will play against this year.

The Dragons hit their key defensive goals, just like they hit their key goals did when they dominated the boards in Wilmington, yet they still started conference play 0-2.  And while turnovers plagued them in both games, it was shot selection that was the real culprit.  In the two conference contest, the Dragons hit a very strong 40% from three, and just 34% from two.  They actually shot better from three than inside the arc not just cumulatively, but in both contest independently.  It was enough to make one wonder why they bothered running offense at all.

And then the second half of the Elon game happened. And the Dragons  ran offense and got the ball to their forwards.  And the forwards, who had taken just 3 of the teams 32 shots in the Dragons miserable 25% shooting first half, took 11 shots in the second.  The big men took that opportunity against the weak Phoenix defense and went 8 for 11 in the half.  And just like that Drexel was back in the game.

The Dragons failure to feed to the post in the first half was mystifying.  Not only was the Elon interior defense bad, but Rodney Williams scored the first 4 Dragon points in the game (1 of 2 from the field, 2 of 2 from the line) in the first 2:06.  After those first two shots out of the gate the Drexel forwards combined for 1 shot in the final 17:56 of the half.  Rather than feeding the inside, Coach Flint's guards took ill advised shot after ill advised shot, netting themselves a 24% shooting percentage in the first half.  And that outlines the flaw in Bruiser's coaching under his current contract.  Call it "The Lee Effect".  It's all guards, all green lights, no passing inside, and it hasn't been a plan that worked.

In Bruiser's system, once the ball crosses the 3 point arc, unless there is an uncontested layup coming up for a penetrating or fast breaking guard, the forwards need a touch.  While Rodney Williams has been getting fed of late, Kaz Abif has not, which is bizarre as Kaz has been the better shooter throughout his career.  Part of the issue is that Kaz is getting hung out in the high post a lot when Rodney is out of the game, and the team has been adamantly (and perhaps correctly) told not to feed Myles, Bah and Austin Williams.  In the case that those three are on the floor with Abif, he needs to be the one getting onto the low block.

While the forwards have not shot the ball as well this year, if you remove Rodney's first two games coming back from injury the groups percentage for the season is 44%.  And even if you choose not to give them the benefit of that doubt, their shots are still better than the Drexel guards shots once the ball crosses the arc.

It's easy to say the kids didn't shoot the ball well.  But anyone blaming them is missing the underlying in the above chart - Bru's guards never shoot the ball well on 2 point jump shots.  And in the last three challenging and disappointing seasons, they've taken more of those shots than ever.  At some point, the staff needs to trust its front court.  With Damion, Frantz and Chris it was easy to tell them not to, but even with that much talent, they weren't successful when they ignored the frontcourt.  This year the guards don't have that level of talent, yet they're still being put in a system that tells them to ignore the post much too often.

Don't let coaches and staff blame the players for poor shooting.

We know better.


Reference points courtesy www.hoop-math.com and www.kenpom.com

Elon Away - Pregame

The Dragons head to Elon, North Carolina to finish out a brutal six day, three game road swing that bridged the end of out of conference season to the beginning of conference season.  Playing in this road wary, fatigued spot is never a position to win.  While Elon looks like one of the weaker teams in the conference, Drexel faces not just the headwind of the schedule coming into this game, but also some key matchup problems:

With the departure of inefficient ballhog point guard Elijah Bryant, junior Luke Eddy has stepped in and looked good doing it.  Not only does Eddy have the 11th best assist rate in the country, he is one of the best point guards in the country at penetrating and getting to the line.  Against him will be freshman Terrell Allen, who has struggled to stay in front of opponents all year long, and is coming off of playing 38 minutes against UNCW with just a days rest in between.

If that's not a tall order, remember that last year the Dragons could not, as in could NOT contain spot shooter Tanner Samson last season.  Let us flash back to the recap of the game at the DAC against Elon:

Tanner Samson took 10 attempts from long range in this game.  Tanner 

shoots 80% of his shots each year from 3.  He's the definition of a one trick pony.  

Tanner is going to take jump shots from behind the arc, and that's it.  

He's not going to drive by anyone.  He's not going to cut to the basket 

away from the ball.  He's the easiest guy on the court to guard, and it's not close.

Samson was left open to shoot the ball 10 times in this game.  There were 

only 68 possessions in this game!  You're telling me that this guy, who

 only has one move, was left open to do it on 15% of the possessions?  

And you want to give them credit for it?  Last year the Dragons only allowed 22% 

of the points against them to be scored from three point territory.  This year it's 28%.  

This year's Dragons are jumping off of their man too quickly since 

they don't trust their teammates to stay in front of theirs, they aren't 

fighting through screens and they're just plain soft.  Elon hit 

the shots, give them credit.  The Dragons are the ones that invited

 them to take the shots though and someone should mention that. 

Much of that quote from last year could easily be talking about this season.  And a team that's not up for this game and has been playing sloppy, soft basketball will be a team that continues to leave Tanner Samson open.  

Beyond Samson, Matt Matheny brought in freshman Dainan Swoope who has been very effective from behind the arc this year.  With a team short on interior bodies, look for some four guard run and gun from the host team.  The Dragons will try to counter in much the same way they attempted to win in Wilmington, with a slowed down pace and by pounding the glass.  If they can slow the pace down, and more importantly, contain themselves and play with discipline, then this is a winnable road game.   If not, Luke Eddy will make a living at the free throw line while Terrell Allen, Rodney Williams and Kaz Abif all look on from the bench, down with fouls.  

Prediction:  Elon 79, Drexel 68

Vegas Line:  Elon -5.5

Alan Boston's Take:  

Good news for Drexel. Fields plays a solid 11 minutes. Good news for Drexel. 25, let me write this, Twenty Five offensive rebounds vs UNCW. Bad news for Drexel. They could not make a lay up after many of those rebounds. Part of the problem may have been UNCW's ability to block shots and part of it could be a bit scary for a Bruiser Flint coached team, perhaps a lack of fortitude or that extra bit of toughness to convert when close. 

I hope it is the former or perhaps just a bad day, but the reality is that Drexel is in a very tough Colonial and does not have one of their strong teams. They must make lay ups. They also must not foul. Bruisers teams always defended well and to my eyes with smarts. The new rules, sadly, favor one on one basketball. A transfer from Division 2 Barton, Chris Flemmings made 15 of 16 foul shots for UNCW. That can not happen. Drexel should get better as Fields gets more playing time. He will be a top tier player in this league. Drexel does have talent and it is not hard to envision them winning games in conference. They have what looks like a winnable game. 

Elon has struggled defensively this year. Things were looking better after a home win vs rival Greensboro and an impressive win at a very good UNC Asheville. They then went to Duke and got destroyed and then hung for a while before a mid 2nd half run allowed Northeastern, (who played without starter TJ Williams) to get away. Williams' absence allowed Elon's PG Luke Eddy to have a big game. Drexel must contain him to win this game. Unfortunately this is Drexel's 3rd straight on the road in 6 days and Elon should be all in after letting the game get away from them on Thursday. I think in 2 weeks, Drexel wins this. For today.

Elon 72 Drexel 68

UNCW Away - Postgame

Final Score:  UNCW 75, Drexel 63
Drexel player of the game: Kaz Abif
Key to the game: Turnovers, turnovers and turnovers
Next Game:  Saturday Jan 2 @ Elon

In a year Drexel Athletics would love to forget, the last game of the 2015 calendar year for the Drexel Dragons was one for the ages.  A plethora of near statistical impossibilities culminated in the teams 10th loss of the 15-16.  In a game that was marred by relatively ineffective shooting, the battle of the boards should have meant the world. And the Dragon frontcourt brought the heat.

The team was almost unbelievably dominant on the glass, even when Kaz Abif left at the 13:11 mark of the first half in foul trouble.  The frontcourt ran deep, seeing seven minutes of action from Austin Williams and another six from Tyshawn Myles with the pair netting 3 points and 6 boards between them in just 13 minutes of work.  Mohammed Bah picked up an assist in his two minutes of work, although he was largely relegated to bench duty behind 15 points and 15 boards in 34 minutes.

While the Dragons shooting continues to struggle (more on this after the Elon game) the rebounding meant that on higher then two thirds of Drexel's shot attempts, the outcome was positive for the team.  That is to say the shot attempt resulted in either points, an offensive rebound, or a trip to the free throw line.  That is pretty damn good.  The easy stat here is that this is the first time Drexel rebounded over 50% of their missed shots and lost since they hosted UMass in the NIT in 2012.  That's a stat with some age.  The deep stat is that this is the only the second time this decade that Drexel has had a greater than 50% offensive rebounding percentage and still had under a point scored per possession.  That's just hard to do.

Shooting poorly isn't what most helped the Dragons achieve that bit of statistical ridiculousness, because as noted above, just taking a shot at all resulted in a win most of this game.  That's what frontcourt domination can do.  Not taking a shot at all though - this is a problem.  And on over a quarter of Drexel's possessions, that's exactly what happened.  18 turnovers in a 70 possession game is a good way to get taken to school.  The amazing thing here is that UNCW was nearly as bad, coughing it up 17 times.

Summarizing:  Drexel lost - by double digits - in a game where they absolutely dominated the opponent in the paint and the opponent turned the ball over 17 times.

Good grief.

Foul Shots taken:  Drexel 19, Wilmington 38.

And there's the rub.  Sloppy box outs lead to fouls.  Sloppy turnovers led to fouls.  Sloppy off the ball defense led to fouls.  Stupid defense led to fouls on three point attempts.  And while the big men have had their problems - Rodney Williams' 4/15 shooting and 6 turnovers leading the way on this night, it's largely the guards hanging their larger brothers out to dry thats led to the foul issues.

Two months into the season this team is playing like a group of freshman, which is more stunning because the best offensive player they have had so far is, you guessed it, their only freshman.  It's sloppy, it's not particularly fun to watch, and that's without touching on the shot selection.  With just two months until Baltimore, Bruiser Flint has his work cut out for him, and that's a shame. Because where there was focus, in the area they thought they needed to win in this game, they won.  Once again, the talent was there.  But in the areas that were outside of that focus there was no focus at all.

UNCW Away - Pregame

The Dragons and Seahawks will tip off at 1pm on New Years eve in beautiful Wilmington, North Carolina to lead off the conference season for both teams.  The teams split their contests in the prior year, with Damion Lee leading the Dragons to handing Wilmington one of their six losses on the conference season, en route to their splitting of the CAA Regular Season crown.  That worst to first season gave Kevn Keatts and crew a lot to believe in, and at 8-3 it looks like season two is going just as well.

There are a number of differences between this years Seahawk team and last, notably the losses of Freddie Jackson, Addison Spruill and Cedrick Williams, three players who absolutely killed the Dragons last year.  This years edition of the team is led by senior Craig Ponder, transfer Denzel Ingram and sophomore Jordon Talley, who highlight a rotation that can go up to 11 players deep.  While Pomeroy really likes this team (ranking them #92 nationally, second in the CAA behind William and Mary) that seems a bit tough to fathom.  For one, road losses at East Carolina and Radford don't look that hot, and the senior leadership is about on par with the Dragon team - it's poor.  For everything he does well, Craig Ponder has spent his entire career as a under one point per possession player, which is very poor in this day and age.  Asking him to lead the shots is a lot like asking Tavon Allen to lead the team in shots - not a recipe for success.

What Keatts will do is rotate his defenses.  And this is a problem as the Dragons are histrionically - and maybe moreso than ever this year - poor in reacting to those changes.  Drexel will see a bunch of zone and the history there isn't pretty.  Pomeroy has the Seahawks as 11 point favorites, and in case he's overrating the Seahawks don't worry, because Vegas has them as 13 point favorites.  It's all trouble for a Dragons team this is coming off a quick turnaround off of a tough loss.

Generally with a Thursday/Saturday road swing, coaches know the team will come out tired in the Saturday game.  That puts an onus on them to take the Thursday game and in this case the schedulemakers gave the team a doozy.  Bad matchup, bad spot.  This should be a clunker of a game with plenty of bad shots so look for the offensive rebounding to be vitally important.  The Dragons have improved, but continue to be very average on the glass this year.  The Dub is 6th in the country in cleaning the defensive glass.  And that's where this game gets away from the Dragons.  Watch for Bryce and Sherwood to have one of their better games of the year, and UNCW in a bit of a runaway.


Prediction: UNCW 81 - Drexel 63
Vegas Line:  UNCW -13.5


Alan Boston's Prediction:

Not a good year to be down in the Colonial. The top teams are strong, perhaps even a notch above last years winner, Northeastern. Drexel draws one of the best in its conference opener.  It has not taken 2nd year coach Kevin Keatts long to implement Pitino ball.  That is run shaky half court offense with many moving screens and mug and foul as much as you can defensively, knowing they can not call everything. Pitino  has always been smart about using rules to his advantage. The new rule of calling it tighter has not harmed either Louisville or Wilmington, which is very surprising to this writer. I must give credit. Keatts did an excellent job last year. This year with a deeper team, they are much better. The league should beware a Pitino recruiter in the Colonial, much like Amaker in the ivies, better players than normal may find their way to the school.

Drexel's 4 guard offense worked in the 2nd half vs Iona. That is good news, only if it remains that way. 4 guard results have been erratic at best. If it continues to be as effective as it was vs Iona, they may be able to somewhat control tempo (It is hard with the 30 second clock) and limit turnovers. If they can get this in a half court grind, Drexel has a shot at the upset. It would help immensely if Fields were healthy. Wilmington has had some home run efforts this year, but if you can get the tempo right and not turn it over, a big if with Drexel, the game becomes winnable.


UNCW 62 Drexel 55

Iona - Postgame

This post written by Scot Kier

Final Score:  Iona 77, Drexel 70
Drexel player of the game: Sammy Mojica
Key to the game: Composure in the Clutch
Next Game:  Thursday Dec 31 @ UNC Wilmington

The Iona Gaels came into Monday night’s non-conference game against the Dragons with 22 consecutive home victories.  Through much of the first thirty minutes of play, it appeared that the Gaels would cruise to victory number 23.  That was until the Dragons gave them a run for their money.  It bears mentioning that Iona was without their best player AJ English who was injured earlier this month and had been averaging 25 points.  The Gaels still put up solid numbers on the offensive side of the court though, shooting 16-26 from the field, and 6-12 from downtown in the first half before cooling significantly in the second frame.

The first half of this game was the tale of two teams who were in completely different places and mindsets on the floor.  Drexel shot 9-26 from the field, 2-11 from three.  Sammy Mojica, the Dragons’ leading scorer was 4-6 overall and 2-4 from the line which means his teammates shot a painful 5-20 from the field and 0-9 from downtown.  They generated 9 turnovers to Iona’s 7, and were out rebounded by the home team 15-12.

One thing that stood out in the first half was Drexel’s two offensive fouls that were beautiful draws by the Iona defender.  London was tagged with one, and Mojica the other.  Offensive fouls happen, but it was a reminder of how rare it is that a Dragons player is seen taking to the floor in an attempt to draw a foul, especially with the aggressive defensive scheme that they play.  While the Drexel coaches preach toughness, they also continue to be struggling to use rules, new and old, to their advantage.

In the second half, it was almost as if the teams swapped jerseys.  Drexel shot 17-37 from the field as compared to Iona’s Drexel-like 11-25.  Mojica stayed hot, and undeniably earned the Player of the Game nod matching a career-high 20 points on 8-12 shooting with a 3-6 clip from downtown.  All of this was on the heels of what might have been the two worst games of his young Drexel career.

Tavon Allen started cold, but heated up in the second half.  His 1-6 shooting through the first 20 minutes landed him on the bench to start the second half.  Once he hit the floor though, he was a big part of the team fighting their way back as he contributed 12 points on 4-8 shooting.

Also impressing through the second half was freshman Terrell Allen.  His three steals and 8 points on 4-7 shooting, most of which was on hard-nosed driving layups, also played a big part in this team’s recovery.  That is the kind of ball that this team needs, and those are the kinds of “chances” that Bruiser Flint was talking about this team needing to take when they were in Alaska.  Well done.

The Dragons bench remained short.  Tyshawn Miles got some minutes as the third “big” for the Dragons but Austin Williams continues to ride the pine.  Comparatively the Gaels coach Tim Cluess countered the Dragons with 9 players, however his were on an almost revolving door of offensive for defensive subs.  Cluess seemed to have a strong grip on his situational moves for most of the game, however late in the second half the Dragons got hot.

Trailing 66-53 at the under-8 media timeout, Bruiser Flint went back to his often tried, and often failed four guard lineup.  This time, however, the Dragons would outscore Iona down the stretch 17-4.  They managed to whittle the home team's 19 point lead down to just 3.  The Dragons had a chance to tie the game up in the final minutes.

Now, on a personal note, I do not feel that I would be doing this write up justice if I did not discuss one of Drexel’s final plays, and it is a shame that I have to do it on the heels of Tavon Allen’s 1,000th point which was scored in the first half.  Over the past four years I have been a harsh critic of Tavon, his offensive abilities, and some of the basketball “intelligence” that he has shown on the court.  Scoring 1,000 points in a college career is quite the accomplishment. Congratulations to him.  I’m glad his mother was in the building to see it happen.

To set things up, Drexel had successfully played a four guard lineup for close to 8 minutes.  With less than a minute to go they trail 73-70 and are bringing the ball up the court with Terrell Allen, Tavon Allen, Sammy Mojica, Rodney Williams, and Rashann London on the floor.  This arguably had been this nights best five.

The Dragons called their final time out with 37 seconds to go, and 15 seconds on the shot clock.  When they returned to the floor they worked the ball around, and finally after coming off of a Rodney Williams pick, Tavon found himself with the ball at the top of the key.  He was shooting well at the time, and had the shot to take, so he took it.

The shot came up short and struck the rim.  By striking the rim, the shot clock was now no longer a factor.  Rodney Williams fought for the board and came away with it down low.  He looked back out to the top of the key and standing wide open on the wing just outside the three point line was Tavon Allen.  There was not another player, Drexel or Iona, within five feet of him.  Tavon received the pass, set to take his shot and somehow the ball came trickling out of his hands, going over his head and towards the sideline.  

With 22 seconds to go, Tavon recovered the ball and found himself standing with his heels next to the out of bounds line, Bobby Jordan and Bruiser Flint were standing immediately behind him, and two Iona Gaels were converging on him.  One of them was Sammy Mojica’s man.  Mojica, who was undoubtedly the best Dragon on the floor Monday night, started to drift towards the corner, wide open.  Tavon Allen, a senior, now had a few options.

With twenty seconds on the clock, and no shot clock, he could not call a time out.  His team did not have any.  To his left, Terrell Allen was calling for the ball as he moved, unguarded, to the top of the key.  To his right, the doubling defender abandoned Sammy Mojica leaving him wide open.  He had two solid passing options and even with the double from Mojica’s man, he had a clear view and play to Terrell Allen.

Tavon Allen, a senior, chose option number three.  He drifted back out of bounds shooting a long, off balance, fade away three pointer that missed almost everything, careening off of the backboard and into a Gael’s waiting hands.  Gaels made some garbage free throws to come away with a 77-70 victory.

Game.  Set.  Match.

The Dragons put on a solid effort tonight and that should not be overlooked.  They trailed 21-4 at the U12 in the first half, and outscored Iona the rest of the way 66-65.  This play, however, defined a lot of the issues that the Dragons have had over the years.  It almost seemed like they returned to the floor without a plan.  Their set looked more rushed and panicked than organized and practiced.  These are the clutch moments that teams typically work on for hours in the gym and somehow, time and time again, Bruiser’s teams seem to hit the floor unprepared.

Drexel returns to the floor on New Year’s Eve at 1pm for their first CAA game of the season in Wilmington, NC against UNC Wilmington.  The fans will have to sit and wait for the next couple of days to see if Ahmad Fields will finally make his return to the floor for Drexel.  Hopefully he can be the clutch shooter that this team desperately needs.