D.U. Women's Basketball Preview 2007-2008
James Mason
Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: Basketball Preview
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Last year, the Dragons had a season like no one else in the conference. The Dragons were prepared to move on without Catherine Scanlon, Jackie Falson and Candice Williams. What they weren't prepared for was the loss of star forward Nicole Hester to Hodgkin's Lymphoma, often referred to as Hodgkin's disease. Essentially, losing four of their best players, the team struggled for most of the season last year, going 10-21 overall, and 4-14 in the CAA.
However, there were some bright spots from last year that will likely carry over to this season. The team finished strong down the stretch, going 5-5 in their last ten games, with four of those defeats coming in closely fought games. After defeating Georgia State in the first round of the CAA tournament, they pushed eventual champion Old Dominion in their second round match, before the champs pulled away for a 66-55 victory.
Last year also featured the emergence of Gabriela Marginean, who won CAA Rookie of the Year and is the top returning scorer in the conference this season. Marginean took the league by storm and was unstoppable at times. She scored a Drexel season game record 47 points in the 5-OT show down against Northeastern last season and averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds in the Dragon's two CAA tournament games. She finished the season averaging 16.6 points, and 8.2 rebounds per game. This season, she should be one of the favorites for Player of the Year, along with James Madison's Tamera Young and William and Mary's Kyra Kaylor.
Third, the Dragons have Nicole Hester back. Before last year, she was going to be the Dragons second highest returning scorer, along with their best overall returning player. Now, Hester is at full strength after conquering Hodgkin's disease. Her return to the team is not only a great improvement talent wise, but should also help lift the spirits of the team. It's not a coincidence that the team's play improved down the stretch during the same time that Nicole's health improved.
However, there were some bright spots from last year that will likely carry over to this season. The team finished strong down the stretch, going 5-5 in their last ten games, with four of those defeats coming in closely fought games. After defeating Georgia State in the first round of the CAA tournament, they pushed eventual champion Old Dominion in their second round match, before the champs pulled away for a 66-55 victory.
Last year also featured the emergence of Gabriela Marginean, who won CAA Rookie of the Year and is the top returning scorer in the conference this season. Marginean took the league by storm and was unstoppable at times. She scored a Drexel season game record 47 points in the 5-OT show down against Northeastern last season and averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds in the Dragon's two CAA tournament games. She finished the season averaging 16.6 points, and 8.2 rebounds per game. This season, she should be one of the favorites for Player of the Year, along with James Madison's Tamera Young and William and Mary's Kyra Kaylor.
Third, the Dragons have Nicole Hester back. Before last year, she was going to be the Dragons second highest returning scorer, along with their best overall returning player. Now, Hester is at full strength after conquering Hodgkin's disease. Her return to the team is not only a great improvement talent wise, but should also help lift the spirits of the team. It's not a coincidence that the team's play improved down the stretch during the same time that Nicole's health improved.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this story