Starting the Season

The Drexel women's team started their season off with two home games. They dropped the season opener to Penn State on Friday night, 71-61. On Sunday afternoon, they beat rival Penn 56-42.

The defending CAA champs got off to a rough start against the Nittany Lions. The bigger PSU squad had their way on the boards early on and the Dragons offense sputtered. They turned the ball over frequently and their motion offense was stagnant. Drexel found themselves down 35-15 in the first half, before cutting the lead to 10 at the intermission.

The Dragons continued to fight in the 2nd half. Star player, Gabriela Marginean, played well after a slow start. She eventually finished with 27 points. The Drexel offense moved the ball much better and at one point, cut the lead to 4 points. They couldn't get any closer though, as Penn State countered every run.

The Dragons are replacing two starters and it showed on Friday. Marisa Crane struggled in her first game at the helm. Drexel ran some good offensive sets, but shooters Jasmina Rosseel and Kamile Nacickaite struggled from deep.

Much like last season, Tyler Hale provided a spark for Drexel. She struggled early as a starter. After coming back off the bench, she got the Dragons going with rebounding, tough defense and hustle. It wasn't enough though, as Drexel didn't have enough offense.

Drexel's offense sputtered again on Sunday against Penn. The difference in that contest was strong defense and rebounding, combined with poor play from the Quakers. Neither team could do much, and Drexel's inability to score allowed Penn to hang around.

Gabriela Marginean, had one of her worst games ever. She's closing in on the school scoring record and uncharacteristically struggled to finish around the hoop. She ended the game two points shy of that record.

Jasmina Rosseel had another rough outing, but lucky sophomore Kamile Nacickaite stepped up. She was on fire from deep, as she hit 5 three pointers en route to a career high 19 points. If she can be a true 3rd scorer for the Dragons, it'll be a huge plus.

Some of the other young Dragons played well. Ayana Lee came off the bench and sparked the offense with 6 first half points. Unfortunately, she was in foul trouble shortly after that. Hollie Mershon and Taylor Wootton look like freshman that will contribute a lot as the season wears on. Hollie is a fine all around player who can drive, pass, rebound and shoot. Taylor has some nice size and looks like she'll be a good rebounder when she gets more comfortable. Renee Johnson-Allen was solid at the point guard spot off the bench.

It's still early in the season and the Dragons have often stumbled out of the gate. They have some nice pieces and should be a contender again this year, once they put it all together. Marginean and Rosseel (2 for 15 from three) haven't played their best and Drexel is still 1-1.

Nacickaite played well on Sunday and that'll need to continue. They need big contributions from the sophomore class. Kamile looks to be the scorer and Tyler Hale will be the rebounder and high energy player. Marisa Crane as really struggled at the point and she'll need to get better. She doesn't need to score, just be steady running the offense.

Up next is a trip to Richmond on Friday. That was one of the December losses last season. It should a big early road trest. There are still plenty of games left to work out the kinks.

Let the Madness Begin!

It's that time of year again. The basketball practices are starting up and the games are just around the corner. Earlier this week, the CAA held its annual media day and last night Drexel hosted Midnight Madness at the DAC.

As expected, the women's team was the preseason favorite to win the league title after taking home their first CAA title with a program best 24-9 season. Also, it was no surprise that last year's Player of the Year Gabriela Marginean was tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year.

The team came into last year as a upper level CAA program, but no one could have predicted the run that would ensue. It consisted of a 16 game winning streak before bowing out in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Dragons also handed ODU their only CAA tournament defeat in the history of their program.

As has been the case since she stepped on the campus four years ago, everything begins with Gabriela Marginean. She's shattering school record after school record and is just 47 points shy of being Drexel's all time leading scorer. She was one of the nation's leading scorers last year (23.3 points per game) and has built up some national recognition along the way too. Gabi has been added to the Wooden watch list as one of the top players in the entire country. With another year remaining in her career, she is already the greatest player to every don a Drexel uniform.

Anchoring the backcourt is the Dragons' second leading scorer from a year ago, Jasmina Rosseel. The sharpshooting Junior is already the single season record holder for three pointers in a season. She was a third team CAA selection and year ago and was voted on the 2nd team earlier this week. All of her success came last year while she was playing on a bum. She should be back to 100% now after offseason surgery.

Jennifer Stjarnstrom is the third returing starter from last season and all three hail from overseas (Stjarnstrom from Sweden, Marginean from Romania and Rosseel from Belgium). With Brooke Cornish lost to graduation, Stjarnstrom is now the tallest player on the team. She's a sound defender and smart player that anchors the middle. She didn't provide much offensive firepower last year, but she also didn't need to with the Dragons one two punch of Marginean and Rosseel. Jen did show flashes and she capable of playing on the perimeter as well as on the inside. If she can provide additional scoring, that would be a nice bonus for the Drexel.

It's not often that a championship squad receives significant contributions from their freshmen class, but the young Dragons stepped it up last year when they had to. With wile veterans Nicole Hester and Andrea Peterson lost to graduation, the group of talented youngsters will be asked to do more and could be the biggest key to Drexel's success this season.

Speedy point guard Marisa Crane takes over for Peterson. While Andrea was one of the most steady lead guards in the country, Crane provides more flash and flair. She can get to the rim quickly off the bounce, but also hit the jump shot if left open. She doesn't seem to be fazed by much, as she made big plays throughout her freshman campaign, including the game winning shot against William & Mary.

Taking over for Hester at the small forward spot will be Sophomore Kamile Nacickaite. Kamile got off to a quick start a season ago. She had a red hot November and December where it seemed she couldn't miss from the perimeter. She did cool off, but still led the Dragons in three point shooting percentage at over 40 percentage. Hester was a solid all around player and Kamile showed some of that potential last year as well. She was the 4th leading scorer a year ago and look for her numbers to improve now that she'll be in a starting role.

On most teams, you could pencil in talented Sophomore Tyler Hale in a starter. Here though, she's stuck behind all everything Gabrieal Marginean. Certainly not a bad player to learn from. Hale does provide a strong rebounder and a physical presence inside. She'll still see a lot of minutes as the undersized forward often spells Stjarnstrom in the middle. Tyler had a huge game in the big tournament victory over Old Dominion as she pulled down rebound after rebound and held the bigger Monarch frontcourt in check.

Senior guard Alison Lupariello only saw action in 14 contests last year, but with the loss of Andrea Peterson, look for her role to increase. She's a very capable three point shooter, although she didn't have many opportunities a season ago. Look for her to provide some Senior leadership to a Dragons team that still has a lot of young players.

Ayana Lee had a typical freshman campaign for Drexel. She averaged just 1.1 points per game and played in only 20 contests. With a lot of talented players ahead of her though, that can be expected. Head Coach Denise Dillon recently commented that "“She will be ready. She has a great attitude.” That attitude could help make her and everyone around her better.

With two starters and three players lost from last year's squad, there is plenty of opportunities for the Dragons' freshman class, particularly in the backcourt. Ashley Davis is a sharpshooting lefty from Maryland who should be able to spell Rosseel. With 6-4 Brooke Cornish gone to graduation, Taylor Wootten provides another body down low. Local products Hollie Mershon and Fiona Flangan should fit well into coach Dillon's motion offense. Mershon helped Philadelphia Catholic League power Archbishop Carroll capture the state crown a season ago. Yet another foreign product, Renee Johnson-Allen from London, could provide depth at the point guard spot.

Head Coach Denise Dillon now enters her 7th season at the helm for the Dragons. She has taken the program to new heights, including the school's first ever CAA Title. She took home her second CAA Coach of the Year award a season ago. Her motion offense has created fits for opposing coaches around the league.

Much credit has to be given to the rest of the staff as well though. All of the assistants have been together for three years now, with Grad Assistant Stacy McCollough returning for her second season. Associate Head Coach Amy Mallon had some opportunities to move on, but elected to stay around for another season. She's been instrumental adding foreign flavor to the Drexel roster.

Melissa Dunne is back for her third straight year and fifth overall on the Dragons' bench. She's been a key to Drexel's strong recruiting in recent years. Assistant Coach James Clark bring a shooting background to the court as well as any intensity on the sidelines. Former walk on point guard Stacy McCollough's knowledge of the program is an invaluable asset for the Dragons.

While Drexel returns a lot of firepower, so do the other top CAA contenders. James Madison, Old Dominion and VCU were all picked ahead of the Dragons before the beginning of last season and they all finished among the top four teams in the league. All three should be contenders again this year, with VCU being the hardest hit by graduation.

JMU will once again host the CAA tournament and looks to be a team that could potentially knock Drexel from their top perch. Guard Dawn Evans had a higher scoring average last season that Marginean. The Delaware Blue Hens are another team that could be in the mix. 2008 High School Player of the Year Elena Delle Donne joins the squad after transfering in from Connecticut and sitting out last season. She could instantly propel the young Delaware squad towards the top of the league.

In addition to having a talent laden roster, one other thing that the Dragons gained a season ago was a wealth of experience. They reach the postseason by knocking off 17 time defending CAA champions ODU. They then followed that up the next day in the finals by beating JMU on its home court. Drexel was resilient a year ago, as they had some big comebacks and late wins, such as battles against William & Mary and Northeastern. Can they continue to find that magic again this year and make all the big plays down the stretch? That remains to be seen.

The Dragons schedule this year is as strong as it has been in recent memory. They open up with Big Ten power Penn State at home on November 13th. They then travel to Maryland to play the Terps in another huge test. A third potential elite opponent awaits in Villanova, if they both advance in the Wildcat Classic. That could pit Coach Dillon against her mentor Harry Perretta. In conference games, JMU, VCU and Delaware will all make trips to the DAC.

It should be another exciting season in University City. This time the expectations are higher and there is now a target on the backs of the Dragons. If last season is any indication though, they should have no problem handling the pressure as they look to repeat.

Looking Ahead

Wednesday will be the close of the incredible 2008-09 season for the Drexel Women's team. That's because the basketball banquet will take place to honor the CAA Champs as well as Seniors Andrea Peterson, Nicole Hester and Brooke Cornish. It caps an incredible run in which the finished the season on a 16 game winning streak before falling to Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament. They ended ODU's NCAA tournament run in the CAA semifinals and then knocked off JMU on their home floor in the final.

The women return a ton of talent next year too as they look to defend their title. CAA Player of the Year Gabriela Marginean comes back as does 3rd team player and all CAA tournament team member Jasmina Rosseel. The seniors will be a big loss, especially from a leadership standpoint. Hopefully the talented group of rising sophomores can take the next step and fill in for those losses. Three of the four players had productive freshman campaigns off the bench and hopefully Ayana Lee will be able to show more off the bench. The incoming freshmen have the potential to provide depth next year as well.

The Dragons didn't have a lot of players missing games because of injuries, but they were banged up. Jasmina had a great second season, but was bothered by kneed trouble all season. She had offseason surgery as did rising sophomore Tyler Hale. Kamile Nacickaite was bothered by foot problems too. Silvia Jankova has yet to take the court after battling knee injuries the first two seasons. A healthy Drexel team could even be more dangerous in 2009-10.

The most interesting thing to me this offseason is following the WNBA and seeing where Gabriela Marginean is projected to be drafted after next year. She's easily the best player in Drexel history and will break numerous records next season. I'm not an expert on the WNBA and hope to watch some games over the summer. I assume she'll have to play small forward at that level and that showing more from the outside would help. She's not the most explosive, athletic or strongest player so I don't know how well she can finish inside against higher competition. She's very crafty, smart and can do a little bit of everything though. Gabi is amazingly productive. She was held under 15 points only once all season. Her free throw shooting is a huge plus too. She's also an outstanding competitor and extremely hardworker. I think she can have success at that level, just hoping she gets a good chance.

Here is the first mock draft that I've found with Gabi listed.

http://wnbadraftsite.com/2010Mock.htm

I didn't update the blog last year for various reasons, but I will try to keep everyone informed on the team next year. I hope the fans that the Dragons have developed will be interested as well as the alumni who are setup throughout the world now. This is a great group to cheer for and this past season has been a fun run. Hopefully next year will be even better.