Well it's almost that time of year again for the start of basketball season. Since I don't have enough to write about on my own website CAA Insider, I decided to write a blog to cover the Drexel women's basketball team. This season should be an interesting one.
Let me start off by saying I do look for this team to be competitive and at least finish in the upper half of the CAA. Apparently most of the conference disagrees as they are a preseason #8 pick. On CAAzone some fans have even forcasted them second to last place. I'm sure hoping they are in for a big suprise.
The big feel good story of the preseason is the return of Nicole Hester. Nicole returns to the Dragons after her battle last season with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She has always been my favorite player because of her ability to do a number of different things on the court. Certainly her on the court skills were missed, but you have to think her on the court situation had an impact on her teammates as well. Hopefully her presence on the court will be an inspiration to the whole team.
Once you get past Nicole's story, sophomore sensation Gabriela Marginean comes immediately to mind. After winning Rookie of the Year honors in the CAA last season as well as 2nd team all conference, Gabi looks to be well on her way to being one of the best players in the league this year. Gabi is also on pace to set the career scoring record at Drexel (1900 points). The scary thing is even as dominant as her game was last year there were still a few holes. She has a good jumper, but her range was limited to about 15 feet. She also had some trouble getting the ball to open teammates, especially early on. If she can improve in those areas and add to her stellar ability to drive and finish or you use quickness in the post, the sky is the limit for Gabi. Certainly defenses have had all offseason to slow her down. Even late last year, it seemed that few teams found ways to slow her down. Her 47 points and 22 rebounds in a single game should hang around the record books for awhile, that is unless she breaks it. Look for a big season out of Gabi.
With teams so focused on Gabi, it should really open things up for Drexel's all time three point shooting leader senior Narissa Suber. The soon to be four year starter was the Dragons second leading scorer last year. Her perimeter shooting percentage dropped compared with past seasons, but she so the ability to do more off the dribble. No one will confuse her for a great slashing guard, but when they play up on her she can get by them. Narissa should provide a solid second scorer as well as veteran leadership.
The biggest question marks will come at the front end and back end of the lineup. Drexel lone loss was do everything point guard Kira Karlstrom. There is certainly some experience at that position as Andrea Peterson came in and started after sitting out the first half of the season due to transferring from St. John's. While she played well at times, her season was very up and down. Turnover plagued her as well the rest of the Drexel guards. Hopefully after a full season under her belt she'll be able to put together a strong senior season. Allison Lupariello was another first year guard who was plagued with inconsistent play and hopes for a bigger role this season. Drexel will also look at two freshmen guards from Europe Jasmina Rosseel and Silvia Jankova to provide backcourt depth if not more.
The center spot has some experience, but is another question mark. Senior Delise Johnson proves a veteran presence, but has been up and down throughout her career. She has a very smooth jumper, but isn't quite as dominant inside as you'd like to see. She is a good shot blocker and solid on the defensive end though. Joining Delise will be sophomore Brooke Cornish. Brooke joins the Dragons after a fabulous prep career at nearby Archbishop Carroll. She was rated the 92nd best player following that career up with one relatively unproductive season at the University of Florida. If nothing else, she'll provide some additional height while standing at an impressive 6 feet 4 inches. If she can live up to the expectations she had while coming out of high school, she'll be a fantastic addition to the Dragons team.
Anora Suber provides another veteran player who can either come off the bench or start at guard or forward for the Dragons. She started 20 of 31 games last season with the absence of Nicole Hester. Much like her twin sister, Anora is a very good three point shooter. She can also drive to the hoop and rebound too.
Nicole McCombs will also provide depth if not more in the Drexel frontcourt. With a combination of good size, quick feet and fantastic hands, she looked like she could be a special player at times. She was even named CAA Rookie of the Week on one occasion last season. If she can play more consistent she should be in for a breakout year.
Jennifer Stjarnstrom provides and intersting combination of size and shooting skills. At 6-2, she showed a solid jumper last year in her rookie campaign. She also got on the court more frequently because of her solid defensive ability. There will be a couple of new additions to the lineup, so it'll be interesting to see how many minutes she'll play. Stacy McCullough, who's career has been plagued by injury rounds out the Dragons roster. She's a veteran of the system and should be counted on to provide leadership.
Last year the Dragons relied too much on Gabriela Marginean. This year they'll look to a few more additions to provide a more balanced attack. When they were able to take care off the basketball, they were a productive offensive team thanks in large part to Gabi. They were also a very hot and cold three point shooting team. Reduced turnovers by the guards could go a long way for this team in the up coming season. They also had trouble with some of the bigger teams in the CAA and hopefully Brooke Cornish's size can counteract that some. This team does appeared to be more talented and deeper than last year's squad with many young players looking to step up to a bigger role. I don't look for the Dragons to be a league contender, but I can't see them being a cellar dweller either. Let the games begin.
