Drexel MBB: Midway through the CAA, needs changes
This season has been less than ideal for Drexel Men’s Basketball, going 12-9. With just 10 games to go, the Dragons now look to shore up the lapses in their game.
However, there is plenty to be happy about with the team’s performance. Despite the disappointing start, they are seventh in the CAA, being one game back from fifth, and two games back from third. This is not a terrible position to be in at this point, as even a short win streak can move them up the standings. It is also encouraging that the go-to scorers are getting it done. Kobe MaGee and Yame Butler are averaging 15 and 14 points per game (ppg) respectively. First-time starter Cole Hargrove is adding 10 ppg and eight rebounds. This trio is solid, and can usually be relied on to get things going. Additionally, the point guard play has been getting better as the season goes on. Starting point guard Jason “Deuce” Drake has upped his scoring to around nine a game, despite his playmaking still leaving something to be desired, averaging just around three assists per game and two turnovers. Kevon Vanderhorst, who was hurt for the first 10 games of the season, has been playing well at the backup point guard spot, averaging 5.2 ppg in 13 minutes per game. On the defensive end, the Dragons have the potential to be a scrappy, gritty team – and they have shown flashes of this. They can get into the passing lanes and they close out nicely. The only issue is that they do not stay engaged on defense the whole game, allowing opponents to go on runs fairly often.
There is also plenty to be discouraged by. When a combination of MaGee, Butler or Hargrove are not on the court, the team does not look good at all and the offense stagnates. When only one of those three is on the court, it may be a bit better, but it still is not good enough. A great example of this is the most recent game against University of Delaware, where Butler was suspended for the first half. At that point, the game was close as the Dragons had a narrow lead of 35-32. Butler came in to start the second half — and the lead slowly grew until Drexel pulled out a 13-point win. They were able to always have at least two of those three players on the court at all times. You need production from other players like Victor Panov, Drake and Shane Blakeney.
This goes with the next issue: the rotational lineups. Coach Zach Spiker’s lineups have been slightly questionable throughout the season. Players who come off the bench, save Blakeney and Vanderhorst, do not seem fully engaged with the game — often leading to mistakes, poor fouls and turnovers. Horace Simmons Jr., who tied the school’s record for three-pointers made in a game during his first game, has seen very little action this season. He has only played 13 out of 21 games, averaging about six minutes in each game, and three ppg. Spiker instead opts for sophomore guard Villiam Garcia Adsten, playing him 12 minutes per game while averaging two ppg. It would be interesting to see how Simmons would perform in an expanded, consistent role as one would have expected after his breakout in the season opener — but this is confusingly not in Spiker’s gameplan. Freshman center Ralph Akuta, who stands at 7’1”, has also been left on the bench most games. At the backup center position, Spiker often turns to undersized players like Victor Panov, freshman forward Clem Edomwonyin, or even Garcia Adsten. During those times, Drexel tends to get bullied in the interior — lacking the physical force and length Hargrove brings. Similarly to Simmons, it would be interesting to see Akuta in there as the backup center. He might not have the best skill set right now, but he is only in his first year and some minutes in rotational sets could cause an uptick in his development for next season and beyond.
The Men’s team has been pretty even in CAA conference play, going 4-4 so far. If they want any chance of making a deep run in the CAA tournament, they are going to have to sure up these issues, as they still need to play top of the conference William and Mary twice, and Towson one more time, who came back from being down six points with 30 seconds left to beat Drexel in overtime. If Spiker does not get his team on track soon, then it may be another early exit for the Dragons this season.
Drexel WBB: WBB flashes postseason potential with win streak
Amy Mallon’s Dragons squad hopes to replicate their success from last season with just eleven games left of tightly contested CAA conference games. This Drexel team finds themselves sitting at 9-8 overall, 5-2 in the conference — tied for second place.
There is a lot to be optimistic about with this team. Building off of a strong 2023-2024 season, returning Senior guard Amaris Baker continues to torch opposing defenses, averaging 19 points per game, while also playing some solid defense. Baker is backed up by Albany transfer forward Deja Evans, adding eight ppg and pulling down six rebounds, and Senior guard Cara McCormack, pouring in eight ppg of her own. The team’s main facilitator is senior guard Chloe Hodges, who adds seven ppg, five rebounds and five assists. The Dragons are also a very good defensive team as well, allowing just over 58 points per game, which ranks 55th in the nation. Their perimeter defense is also something worth noting — allowing their opponents to make just 28 percent of their three-pointers — while also limiting teams to making 39 percent of all field goals.
The issues mainly arise on the offensive end. While you may only give up 58 points per game, they only score 59 points per game — which can become a slippery slope for this Drexel team. Amaris Baker is the leading scorer with 19 points per game – the next closest scorer averages 8 a game. That is an 11-point dropoff between the leading scorer and the second leading scorer. The Dragons need to find someone to shoulder the offense during games where Baker’s shot may not be falling. While players like Evans, Hodges and McCormack have shown flashes of this — it is not consistent enough to be confident in going forward. Turnovers have also been an issue this season, averaging 15 a game, which is not bad compared to teams around the nation, but still an issue that can be solved by cutting down on poor passes. While the team is scoring pretty well, efficiency has been a sore spot of this offense. The team averaged a 39.5 field goal percentage (219th in the nation), and a 30 three-point percentage (225th in the nation). Poor shot selection is something that can be fixed luckily. The offense just needs to get smoother, setting high ball screens, rolling off those screens, getting some off-ball motion and cutting to the basket — these are all things to employ to get easier shots. And while the Dragons have shown offensive potential, they need to become more consistent if they want to go back-to-back in the CAA and book their ticket to March Madness.
The WBB team has done well in the CAA so far, but some early non-conference games really killed their record. With a tightly contested conference, and a dominant North Carolina A&T team leading the pack, the Dragons are going to have to be nothing short of perfect to close the season.