Hello There, Guest! (LoginRegister)

Post Reply 
Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
Author Message
Bookmark and Share
J.B. Offline
Moderator
*

Posts: 2,619
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 12
I Root For: Drexel
Location: Lafayette Hill, PA
Post: #1
Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
This is shocking to me, but Coach Spiker did tell STH's over the summer that the program is about to turn the corner. Let's hope he's right.

CAA Preseason, Poll, per release:

1. Hofstra
2. Delaware
3. Drexel
4. Towson
5. Elon
6. Charleston
7. Northeastern
8. UNCW
9. James Madison
10. William & Mary
11-11-2020 10:07 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


EvanJ Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,105
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 21
I Root For: Hofstra and FSU
Location:
Post: #2
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
After Preseason POY Matt Lewis, you have the second, third, and fourth leading returning scorers. Butler led the CAA in rebounds and is the second leading returner in field goal percentage behind Hofstra's Isaac Kante. Wynter is first in assists and third in steals among returning players. The counting statistics refer to per game last season. Washington is with W&M's Luke Loewe for the top three-point field goal percentage among returning players, and Okros is third.

You've never had two players on the First Team, but Butler and Wynter are on the Preseason First Team. Those two, Kante, Preseason POY Matt Lewis, and Zane Martin made the First Team. Martin transferred back to Towson. He averaged 19.9 points for them in 2017-2018 and transferred to New Mexico, so he has experience playing in the Mountain West.

The top four teams got first place votes. I'm guessing this is the first time that every first place vote went to a team that was in the America East.

If Wynter gets 171 assists, which is the mean of his first two seasons, he will finish the season with 513. Ten in CAA history has 530, and 171 per season for four seasons would make him finish fourth in CAA history with 684 behind Navy Doug Wojcik, who got to pass to David Robinson. A Hofstra fan said the NCAA gave all winter athletes an extra season of availability, although that impacts recruiting that teams already did expecting players to graduate after this season. Excluding Butler's 5 rebounds for Navy, he had 261 as a freshman and 387 as a sophomore. If he has two more seasons of 387, he would finish with 1,422 to shatter David Robinson's record of 1,314. Hofstra's Rokas Gustys came up one game short with 1,309. Butler is already in graduate school, so even if he can play a fifth season in 2022-2023, I wouldn't expect him to. Having 387 this season would make 1,035, which would be ninth in CAA history. The only Drexel player in the CAA's Top 15 in rebounds is Samme Givens, who is seventh with 1,059.
(This post was last modified: 11-11-2020 10:40 AM by EvanJ.)
11-11-2020 10:29 AM
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
J.B. Offline
Moderator
*

Posts: 2,619
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 12
I Root For: Drexel
Location: Lafayette Hill, PA
Post: #3
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
(11-11-2020 10:29 AM)EvanJ Wrote:  After Preseason POY Matt Lewis, you have the second, third, and fourth leading returning scorers. Butler led the CAA in rebounds and is the second leading returner in field goal percentage behind Hofstra's Isaac Kante. Wynter is first in assists and third in steals among returning players. The counting statistics refer to per game last season. Washington is with W&M's Luke Loewe for the top three-point field goal percentage among returning players, and Okros is third.

You've never had two players on the First Team, but Butler and Wynter are on the Preseason First Team. Those two, Kante, Preseason POY Matt Lewis, and Zane Martin made the First Team. Martin transferred back to Towson. He averaged 19.9 points for them in 2017-2018 and transferred to New Mexico, so he has experience playing in the Mountain West.

The top four teams got first place votes. I'm guessing this is the first time that every first place vote went to a team that was in the America East.

Thanks for the great analysis. The geography in the league is definitely flipping to being more north heavy than in the past.
11-11-2020 10:32 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
EvanJ Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,105
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 21
I Root For: Hofstra and FSU
Location:
Post: #4
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
https://bustingbrackets.com/2020/10/09/n...-season/4/ has the top rebounder in each conference by their opinion:

"Colonial – James Butler (Drexel)
Many fans don’t watch or follow the Colonial, but they should want to start. The Colonial was home to some of the best mid-major players in the country. They had two elite scorers in Nathan Knight and Grant Riller and they also had arguably the best rebounder in the country in Butler from Drexel. Butler finished in the top five in the country in overall rebounds per game with 11.7 and he was also a force on the offensive glass as well.

Butler grabbed 387 rebounds a season ago which was the highest total at Drexel in 24 years and the second-most in school history. The big man isn’t as quite as prolific as Tshbiewe is on the offensive glass, but he is very good on that end of the floor.

The senior averaged a little over three offensive rebounds per game and usually with Butler he was skilled enough to turn that into instant offense for the Dragons. Butler is going to make a strong case this year for the top rebounder in the country."
11-11-2020 10:45 AM
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


jcohen42 Offline
Special Teams
*

Posts: 752
Joined: Feb 2016
Reputation: 38
I Root For: Drexel
Location:
Post: #5
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
Saw this and thought it was surprising how much respect Drexel got from the coaches, but seeing how highly regarded Wynter and Butler are made it more believable. Still think getting first-place votes is a bit much for a team that was 8th last year, but this is certainly shaping up to be a "prove it" year for coach Spiker. I would love for him to have a successful year, but if it doesn't come together, the seat's gonna get hot. Fingers crossed, because he's a good guy who seems to care a lot about the program and the guys in it.
11-11-2020 02:52 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
hiroshimacarp Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 1,046
Joined: Dec 2016
Reputation: 13
I Root For: Drexel
Location:
Post: #6
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
i'm wondering how much we'll be able to take away from the season...and if it's even worth it. college football is starting to run into big problems. i'd be looking at the spring (fingers crossed) for any chance of a meaningful season. moving caa football to the spring seems like the right move.

it doesn't seem like there's much anticipation for college basketball unless it's just me. ratings for sports in general are down which is interesting since we can't see it in person and there are less things to do. college football has been awkward for me. it's just not the same without fans and i'm sure it doesn't help that my 2 favorite teams (psu and lsu) are terrible.
11-12-2020 09:08 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
J.B. Offline
Moderator
*

Posts: 2,619
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 12
I Root For: Drexel
Location: Lafayette Hill, PA
Post: #7
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
(11-12-2020 09:08 AM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  i'm wondering how much we'll be able to take away from the season...and if it's even worth it. college football is starting to run into big problems. i'd be looking at the spring (fingers crossed) for any chance of a meaningful season. moving caa football to the spring seems like the right move.

it doesn't seem like there's much anticipation for college basketball unless it's just me. ratings for sports in general are down which is interesting since we can't see it in person and there are less things to do. college football has been awkward for me. it's just not the same without fans and i'm sure it doesn't help that my 2 favorite teams (psu and lsu) are terrible.

Hey, if you don't want to watch, don't watch. Nobody is stopping you. I heard the same stuff before baseball season started. "Oh, the season's meaningless because it's only 60 games". "Too many people are getting Covid...cancel the season". Then once the season got going, the games were exciting, and the postseason was the postseason, except with little or no fans.

Once the college basketball season gets started, it's still college basketball. If a team wins a championship, they win a championship...there's no asterisk.

I still want to be at the games, and as someone who has spent each of the past 30 winters enjoying Drexel Basketball at the DAC, it pains me that it's likely that fans will probably be shut out. I hate to use these words, but unfortunately "it is what it is". I'm still going to be watching the games and hoping for a great season for each of our teams. And maybe good things will happen with this tackling this virus so that by March, maybe fans will be invited to the championships. Fingers crossed!!!!
(This post was last modified: 11-12-2020 03:27 PM by J.B..)
11-12-2020 03:24 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


Timer Offline
2nd String
*

Posts: 334
Joined: Dec 2012
Reputation: 2
I Root For: CAA
Location:
Post: #8
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
The Ivy League just shut Winter sports down today.
11-12-2020 10:34 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
hiroshimacarp Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 1,046
Joined: Dec 2016
Reputation: 13
I Root For: Drexel
Location:
Post: #9
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
(11-12-2020 03:24 PM)J.B. Wrote:  
(11-12-2020 09:08 AM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  i'm wondering how much we'll be able to take away from the season...and if it's even worth it. college football is starting to run into big problems. i'd be looking at the spring (fingers crossed) for any chance of a meaningful season. moving caa football to the spring seems like the right move.

it doesn't seem like there's much anticipation for college basketball unless it's just me. ratings for sports in general are down which is interesting since we can't see it in person and there are less things to do. college football has been awkward for me. it's just not the same without fans and i'm sure it doesn't help that my 2 favorite teams (psu and lsu) are terrible.

Hey, if you don't want to watch, don't watch. Nobody is stopping you. I heard the same stuff before baseball season started. "Oh, the season's meaningless because it's only 60 games". "Too many people are getting Covid...cancel the season". Then once the season got going, the games were exciting, and the postseason was the postseason, except with little or no fans.

Once the college basketball season gets started, it's still college basketball. If a team wins a championship, they win a championship...there's no asterisk.

I still want to be at the games, and as someone who has spent each of the past 30 winters enjoying Drexel Basketball at the DAC, it pains me that it's likely that fans will probably be shut out. I hate to use these words, but unfortunately "it is what it is". I'm still going to be watching the games and hoping for a great season for each of our teams. And maybe good things will happen with this tackling this virus so that by March, maybe fans will be invited to the championships. Fingers crossed!!!!

baseball was boring too. they did a nice job getting through the season and i'm glad they tried. it's a general issue i have with realizing maybe i didn't miss sports...or at least watching them on tv. i'm not alone based on the ratings i've seen for most sports after they came back. i'll be curious to see what ratings for the masters look like.

the best sports to watch during the pandemic have been overseas. it's less uncomfortable for me because australia, korea, and japan more or less have the pandemic controlled. much better than we do for sure. the korean series starts next week with the nc dinos waiting for their opponent. i strongly recommend taping the games and watching in the evening. fans are there so it feels relatively "normal". i can't watch an sec football game where 20% capacity looks more like 70% capacity without having an uneasy feeling.
11-13-2020 07:55 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
J.B. Offline
Moderator
*

Posts: 2,619
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 12
I Root For: Drexel
Location: Lafayette Hill, PA
Post: #10
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
(11-12-2020 10:34 PM)Timer Wrote:  The Ivy League just shut Winter sports down today.

Very sad. And based on the four year structure of Ivy League schools, I'm not sure if players will get the opportunity to extend their athletic careers or not. If Covid numbers improve, I wonder if they'll be permitted to play their winter sports seasons in the Spring. Obviously for basketball, it would mean no postseason, but they could still play at 21 game intra-league season with a tournament.

This leaves another at large bid for the NCAA Tournament. So it's good news for the 11th or 12th place teams in the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12 etc. Still won't help the runner ups in the mid-major leagues.
11-13-2020 09:38 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


EvanJ Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,105
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 21
I Root For: Hofstra and FSU
Location:
Post: #11
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2mQlmqor5E has video from Media Day. https://caasports.com/news/2020/11/11/ic...rence.aspx has links to Commissioner and coaches' teleconferences.

(11-12-2020 10:34 PM)Timer Wrote:  The Ivy League just shut Winter sports down today.
Division I broke its record for amount of teams, but Men's Basketball, which is the sport with the most teams, won't break its record for most teams until 2021-2022. Every Division I school with Men's Basketball plays Women's Basketball except The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute (VMI).
11-15-2020 02:38 PM
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
dan10 Offline
Heisman
*

Posts: 6,130
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 47
I Root For: Drexel
Location: Indianapolis
Post: #12
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
3rd seems and feels a bit disappointing to be honest. The league lost so many high caliber players this offseason and we returned a full slate. I truly would be a bit upset if we finish third. This should absolutely be a 1st place team this year or else we have issues we likely cant overcome. The tournament is a different animal but I would really like to see a regular season title and at least a semi final appearance. Short of that, this season will have to be considered a failure.
11-17-2020 03:18 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
J.B. Offline
Moderator
*

Posts: 2,619
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 12
I Root For: Drexel
Location: Lafayette Hill, PA
Post: #13
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
I'd be elated with a 3rd place finish. This is virtually the exact same team that they had last year. So much so, that they didn't even hold Senior Day ceremonies last year for probably the first time ever. They had a decent OOC start against average competition, and then started out 5-2 in the CAA. But after the homecoming game where they blew out WM, this team was absolutely terrible. So my question is....can a team that was so bad last year jump up to being an elite conference team in one season with the exact same talent?
11-18-2020 10:27 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
EvanJ Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,105
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation: 21
I Root For: Hofstra and FSU
Location:
Post: #14
RE: Drexel picked to finish 3rd in CAA Preseason Poll
(11-17-2020 03:18 PM)dan10 Wrote:  3rd seems and feels a bit disappointing to be honest. The league lost so many high caliber players this offseason and we returned a full slate. I truly would be a bit upset if we finish third. This should absolutely be a 1st place team this year or else we have issues we likely cant overcome. The tournament is a different animal but I would really like to see a regular season title and at least a semi final appearance. Short of that, this season will have to be considered a failure.
Last season's top six all lost a lot. The CAA has had players who were below-average starters or subs become stars by the time they graduated. Hofstra's Desure Buie averaged 3.0 as a freshman, 2.8 in a redshirt season with 8 games, 6.0, 10.7, and 18.2. Justin Wright-Foreman averaged 1.6, 18.1, 24.4, and 27.1. W&M's Nathan Knight averaged 8.2, 18.5, 21.0, and 20.7. UNCW's Jordon Talley averaged 8.8, 8.5, 7.6, and 16.9. Northeastern's T.J. Williams averaged 6.9, 9.6, 6.8, and 21.4 to win POY. VCU's Jamal Shuler averaged 2.2, 5.8, 8.6, and 15.5. ODU's Valdas Vasylius averaged 7.9, 9.2, 8.8 and 15.6. You had Scott Rodgers average 2.7, 8.0, 9.2, and 13.6. You have to hope that not many of Hofstra's Jalen Ray, Tareq Coburn, and Isaac Kante; Charleston's Brevin Galloway and Zep Jasper; W&M's Luke Loewe; Elon's Hunter McIntosh and Hunter Woods; Delaware's Ryan Allen, Kevin Anderson, and Dylan Painter; Northeastern's Tyson Walker; and Towson's Jason Gibson can average 15+.

If Shawndarius Cowart, who had elite JUCO statistics, can be a good PG, Hofstra will be hard to beat. If he's a bust or gets injured, Hofstra could be average. Having to choose between teaching a senior a new role, a player who hardly played last season, or a freshman is a choice no team wants to have to make. Jalen Ray averaged 1.9 assists last season, which is the most by any returning Hofstra player.

If you combine Butler with three or four guys who can shoot threes above average, you could be hard to stop. Butler averaged 32.5 minutes with only 2.36 fouls per game and 1 foulout. He was second on the team with 2.15 assists, and his assist-to-turnover ratio was 1.34, whereas many forwards have more turnovers than assists. JMU's Dwight Wilson (who transferred away) had 12 assists and 39 turnovers. Hofstra's Isaac Kante had over twice as many turnovers as assists. Butler was one of seven CAA players to average at least 5 rebounds and have more assists than turnovers. The other six were Grant Riller, Marcus Sheffield II, Mike Okauru, Matt Lewis, Bolden Brace, and Eli Pemberton, and Okauru and Lewis are the ones who didn't graduate.

Edit: Hofstra's assistant coaches say Caleb Burgess is leading JUCO star Shawndarius Cowart in the battle for PG. Burgess is a sophomore who had 14 assists in 145 minutes last season. David Green will start as a freshman. He will be the 4, which will allow Tareq Coburn to be the 3. Hofstra usually starts four guards, and Green is a guard/forward. He's from Ocoee High School a little west of Orlando, and that school produced Grant Riller. Omar Silverio, who led Hofstra's bench with 3.1 points; sub forward/center Kevin Schutte, who averaged 1.4 points and 2.3 rebounds; and freshman Kvonn Cramer, who redshirted last season; are expected to contribute. Silverio and Schutte are juniors. Redshirt senior Stafford Trueheart wasn't mentioned. He had 13 starts in 2017-2018, 9 starts in 2018-2019, and didn't start in 2019-2020. In addition to Jalen Ray, Isaac Kante, Coburn, Green, Cowart, Burgess, Silverio, Schutte, Trueheart, and Cramer; Hofstra has Cole Eiber, who is a graduate transfer after playing three seasons at non-Division I Western New England; sophomore walk-on Carl Gibson Jr., who played 6 minutes last season with 1 missed field goal as his only non-zero statistic; freshman Zion Bethea; and freshman Vukasin Masic. Hofstra has four seniors, four juniors, two sophomores, and four freshmen.
(This post was last modified: 11-20-2020 11:17 AM by EvanJ.)
11-19-2020 11:34 AM
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Post Reply 




User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


Copyright © 2002-2024 Collegiate Sports Nation Bulletin Board System (CSNbbs), All Rights Reserved.
CSNbbs is an independent fan site and is in no way affiliated to the NCAA or any of the schools and conferences it represents.
This site monetizes links. FTC Disclosure.
We allow third-party companies to serve ads and/or collect certain anonymous information when you visit our web site. These companies may use non-personally identifiable information (e.g., click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over) during your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These companies typically use a cookie or third party web beacon to collect this information. To learn more about this behavioral advertising practice or to opt-out of this type of advertising, you can visit http://www.networkadvertising.org.
Powered By MyBB, © 2002-2024 MyBB Group.