![[Image: Drexel.gif]](http://warrennolan.com/images/team/80x80/Drexel.gif)
(6-9, 0-2, # 235 RPI)
Despite their recent struggles (Drexel is on a 3-game losing streak), the Dragons may well have hit a home run with their coaching hire following the end to the Bruiser Flint era. Zach Spiker, coming from Army, made a ton of sense as a hire. With recruiting ties not too far from Philadelphia and having won at a school that has proven very difficult to win at, it had the makings of a perfect marriage for Drexel.
And so far, the returns have been strong. Two of Spiker's first recruits,
Kurk Lee and
Kari Jonsson, have been a smashing early success, ranking 2nd and 5th on the team in scoring, respectively. Lee, a lightning quick Baltimore product and well-known gym rat, has assumed point guard duties immediately for Coach Spiker, and has amassed 5.2 assists per game (ranked in the Top 100 nationally), as well as a very impressive 1.56 assist/turnover ratio for a freshman. Jonsson, an Icelandic product with a three point percentage of 43.2, has already been nicknamed by Drexel fans as "The Ice Man". This freshman backcourt duo has a very strong future ahead.
Meanwhile, Senior forward
Rodney Williams has taken his game to another level, averaging a gaudy 16.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and a .523 shooting clip. Given that Williams is similar to the Cacok mold in that he is listed at 6-7 but plays bigger, AND can run the floor, this would be a gem of a matchup when UNCW and Drexel face off....except that this will likely be Chris Flemmings' duty. 6-8, 240 lbs. junior
Austin Williams plays the "5" for Drexel, and leads the team with 18 blocks.
Drexel hasn't just performed well on the individual level, either. They beat a fairly evenly matched North Texas team in a true road test in November, and more recently won road contests against Lafayette, High Point, and Quinnipiac. While these aren't great teams by any stretch, it's great to see the Dragons winning all 4 of these "50/50" contests in their opponents' gym, and a real sign of quick growth under Coach Spiker.
What's more is that Drexel has completely changed their approach, moving on from the plodding, methodical type of offense that Bruiser Flint ran to an uptempo, explosive method of play. The tangible impact has been immediate, as the Dragons are averaging 75.8 points per game compared to 63.1 last season (more than a 20 % increase).
With a capable frontcourt and up and coming guards, Drexel will be no easy test, especially if the fans show up for the game in Philadelphia. The league overall is more competitive than we ever thought it would be, and Drexel is one of the "sneaky" reasons why, despite a new coach and new system.
