NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early Big 5 power rankings for 2019-20
By Pan Karalis
#4 – Drexel
It wouldn’t be an anomaly to see Drexel field a more competitive team than some Big 5 members; they regularly finished above one or more Big 5 teams in the old Mid-Atlantic and East Coast conferences, and hold a winning record against both Penn and La Salle since 2007 (they’re 6-1 against the Quakers since that year). Next year, the Dragons could have another team equipped to stand up to some of their Philly rivals.
Drexel surprised everyone this past season by mostly maintaining course despite the loss of program leader Tremaine Isabell. Isabell averaged 21 points per game for Drexel in 2017-18 before leaving the team as a graduate transfer to join St. Louis, and most expected the Dragons to struggle to score without him. But Drexel averaged a point better on both sides of the ball following his departure last season, and finished CAA play with one more win than the year before. They also beat La Salle away at Gola Arena for the second consecutive season.
The Dragons do lose three important pieces from last season’s team; starting point guard Troy Harper and three-point specialist Trevor John, are both graduating, and Alihan Demir is transferring for his last year of eligibility. However, Drexel has the pieces to be competitive in the CAA in 2020. Camren Wynter was last season’s CAA rookie of the year, averaging over 11 points and five assists in his rookie campaign, and James Butler, Tim Perry, Jr., and Coletrane Washington are talented underclassmen that have been waiting for available playing time. Kurk Lee and Zach Walton dealt with serious injuries last season, and the two veterans, who both averaged close to double digits when healthy in 2019, should play major roles for Drexel next year.
Zack Spiker has managed to keep Drexel basketball trending upward despite facing some serious obstacles over the last calendar year. Losing Demir early does hurt, but if they could overcome the Isabell transfer, I expect they’ll find a way to replace a less-talented Demir. And with the level of talent returning to the floor next season, expect the Dragons to be a middle-of-the-pack team in Philadelphia.