One of the cardinal sins of living in a city like Philadelphia is routine. We find ourselves studying at the same cafes, shopping at the same markets, ending too many of our nights at the same bars . And, yes, the same is true for where we find our meals — eating at the same restaurants in Center City, Rittenhouse and Old City sometimes simply because there’s a comfort and convenience in the familiar. While this may ring just a bit too true for those who find themselves stagnating in this department, take comfort in the fact that the city’s food scene most certainly is not. The upcoming “Flavors on the Avenue” event at East Passyunk is the perfect nudge to experience some of these innovations.

Over the last decade, new establishments have been revitalizing neighborhoods like Brewerytown and Fishtown, singing a siren song that has goaded riders into staying on the Market Frankford Line a few stops longer than they may have in the past. Executive Director Adam Leiter and the Passyunk Business Improvement District are now making a compelling argument that perhaps transferring at City Hall and heading south may be the best route to a memorable culinary experience.

“Flavors on the Avenue” is an outdoor event, taking place April 28, featuring many of the staples that we have come to expect from the Philadelphia street festival: local musicians, vendors and artists showcasing their talents in booths along the stretch of Passyunk Avenue that cuts east through established South Philadelphia neighborhoods. What makes this event unique, however, is that its organizers are intent on showing that this main circulatory and cultural vein is pulsing with exciting eating opportunities that all too often get overlooked. With most offerings priced from $3 to $6, sampling a number of these establishments is not only possible, it’s encouraged.

Admittedly, my expectations of this neighborhood’s food offerings were biased from my Italian upbringing. I was raised as much on my Mommom’s homemade pasta and gravy as I was on her stories about living above her father’s barbershop and visiting the Italian market on Christian Street. And when I hopped off the Snyder stop, turned onto Passyunk and was greeted with the sight of Brian Senft’s lavish “Celebrating Abruzzo” mural, my cravings for authentic Italian fare were only bolstered. I was not disappointed at Tre Scalini, the first stop of my tour of eats featured in the upcoming festival. Much like the title of Senft’s iconic work, the restaurant is focused on executing honest renditions of the region’s cuisine. Small plates of simple penne in a tomato basil sauce and a well-flavored bite of tripe (a food item better left unexplained and for non-squeamish eaters only) certainly will please those looking to satisfy their cravings for nostalgia.

But don’t be misled — the East Passyunk corridor is not limited to the Abruzzo region, Italy as a whole or even the continent in which it resides. Familiar American staples can be found here. For example, a delicious slider from Redcrest Fried Chicken uses a toasted potato roll, chipotle mayo and pickled onions to elevate an already-stellar bite of breaded chicken breast to levels that rival its more-renowned Federal donuts counterpart (vegetarians have no fear — a chickpea creation is also promised for the festival).

From down the block, Noir’s crispy-on-the-outside-gooey-on-the-inside fried rice balls were as warm as the bar’s aesthetic. Both were worth returning for. Walking into another outpost of the health food chain Fuel should not be prioritized, but the combination of its standard smoothie options and playlist (Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” greeted us as we sampled) could at least work to revive a weekend morning festival-goer.

While these safe options are comforting for many, a proper street festival would not be complete without some opportunities for exploring uncharted territory (culinary and otherwise), and this is where “Flavors on the Avenue” really shines. Fond, a quaint “new American” establishment, pared down its typical restaurant weekend offerings for the festival. Wild boar pate cubes dipped in seasonal mustard are delectable previews of what can sometimes be found on the menu in a banh mi (I’ll be on the lookout), and a bite of chicken liver mousse with pickled red onions on sourdough toast was a smooth and rich complement to a South African red wine.

Down the block, Chhaya offered the highlight of the trip: a creation that packaged chicken, waffles bits, fresh watermelon, lime crema and Nashville hot sauce into a single bite. Served in a delightful waffle cone vessel, this ingenious creation was everything summer festival street food should be, while doubling as an emphatic announcement that this already excellent coffee shop will be so much more when it rolls out its Nashville-inspired menu starting in September.

While foodies claim that flavors alone can transport one to a different time and place, this transcendent quality was felt most while dining at the Palace of Indian. An unassuming traditional Indian restaurant when viewed from the street, the fantastical space tucked behind it was anything but. Designed by Isaiah Zagar (perhaps most famous for his Magic Gardens creation on South Street), the “Mona Lisa” courtyard was emblematic of the neighborhood as a whole: there is much, much more to East Passyunk than what meets the eye. Missing the festival on April 28 may just mean you’d be missing finding your new favorite spot in the city.

On Feb. 16,  it certainly felt as though spring had sprung on Drexel University’s campus. Midterms had come and gone, the sun was shining, and the bleak winter months were already beginning to fade into the background. While these spring feelings tend to be associated with new beginnings and hope for the future, this day for Drexel basketball was more about looking back and reflecting on the careers and contributions of their senior team members, who were playing their last game in front of their home fans at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Prior to tipoff, the five senior players, Major Canady, Rodney Williams, John Moran, Mohamed Bah and Elgin Ford Jr., as well as two managers, Talia Epstein and Hayley McKnight, were honored with introductions over the PA system and presented with framed photographs commemorating the contributions that they have made to the Drexel basketball program. In a classy move, head coach Zach Spiker capped off the night’s festivities by starting all five of these seniors to the delight of all in attendance.

And while all the seniors received a raucous reception from an above-average crowd gathered in the student section, one name above all others received extra buzz from the stands. Big man Rodney Williams has quietly put together a career worthy of all-time acclaim, capped off by a truly stellar senior campaign. This 2016-2017 season has resulted in a stat line that ranks in the top 10 in the league in scoring (sixth), rebounding (seventh), field goal percentage (second) and blocks (ninth).

So, it seemed only fitting that the opening possession for the Dragons on the offensive end was focused on getting Williams the ball, a gesture that he reciprocated by taking the pass on the left wing, driving middle, and sinking a right-handed layup with relative ease.

Their guests James Madison University, however, were not afraid to spoil any sort of party for Williams and Drexel, using their big men Tom Vodanovich and Ivan Lucic to pound the ball inside and relying on steady free throw shooting for much of their offense. On the other end, Joey McLean did his best Patrick Beverley impression, dogging freshman Kurk Lee the entire length of the court and clearly frustrating the point guard with his constant activity.

As has often been the case this season, Drexel’s offensive story very closely mirrored the activity of its best player and ball handler, Lee. As the first half waned, he was able to wriggle free to knock down a trio of three pointers, sparking momentum that he and his teammates carried into the second. A stellar series of a runner, three from the top of the key, and deflection on the defensive end in successive possessions early on in that frame seemingly ignited him to do what he does best: create for his teammates.

At the 12:15 mark, Lee sparked a break leading to an and-1 for senior Mohamed Bah. Then, after Rodney Williams whipped across-court pass for one of junior Sammy Mojica’s four three-pointers, Lee continued the assist party with a feed to a wide open freshman Sam Green in the corner for yet another triple.

In the coaching chess match that is ever-present behind the scenes of a Division I contest, JMU head coach Louis Rowe appeared to make the decisive move with 6 minutes remaining. Seeing a surging Dragons attack, Rowe responded by putting back on his full court press that had so thoroughly discouraged Kurk Lee in the first. The impact was immediate: a quick turnover and score, a jump ball, and another near turnover tangibly altered the momentum of the game.

With the Dragons left struggling to get the ball into their playmaker’s hands and get across half court, they would see their offense slump for a stretch in the final 5 minutes of the game that resulted in no field goals over the final 6:40 of the contest.

With offensive inefficiency at this alarmingly high of a rate, unfortunately no amount of good karma from Senior Day could save them. When sent to the line, the Dukes closed out the contest unfazed and saw three-point attempt after three-point attempt for the home team catch iron. The final: an emotional 70-64 loss for the Dragons.

After dropping their season finale in an ugly game with the College of Charleston 80-67, the Dragons now find themselves looking their basketball mortality square in the eyes. No. 10-seeded Drexel had a few days to gather their thoughts and energy before having a chance at redemption against none other than the seventh-seeded James Madison Dukes on Friday, March 3. If Zach Spiker and the Dragons hope to salvage their season with a tournament run, the time for action is now.

While the rest of the Drexel University campus slogged along in the mire of midterms week, the men’s basketball team saw a much more advanced stage of the season last week. Just two weeks remain before league playoffs, and while they are once again at the bottom of the Colonial Athletic Association standings, this young team has the talent and work ethic to perhaps surprise a top-tier team if taken casually. But such a move will require some momentum, something that takes a few wins strung together to establish.

At first glance, this week was a very alluring one (if such a thing exists for Drexel fans), with matchups against fellow bottom dweller the University of Delaware Feb. 16 and middle-of-the-pack Elon University Feb. 18 presenting themselves as possibilities to accrue a pair of successive victories, a feat that hasn’t been achieved since December non-league wins against Kean University and Quinnipiac University.

Thursday’s contest with Delaware also promised a chance for a season sweep against a rival, but when the ball was tossed up for the opening tip the focus just didn’t seem to be there for the Dragons. A sloppy first nine minutes left them trailing by seven right away, but a flurry of offense from graduate student John Moran and freshman Kurk Lee (each of the 11 unanswered points were either scored or assisted by the guard tandem) pulled them back into contention and into a neck and neck battle for a large majority of the game’s remainder.

As the game hurtled to its conclusion, a few things became painfully apparent to a Drexel fan. The first was a continued carelessness with the ball, an attitude that manifested itself in an astounding 20 turnovers for the night. As so often seems to be the case, their opponent was not shy about cashing in on these mistakes: the Blue Hens scored well over a third of their points off of turnovers.

The second was a continued lack of rim protection, usually a strength of this big-laden team. Delaware dominated inside, outscoring Drexel 46-22 in the painted area.

However, the game’s storylines were not all bad for the Dragons. As has been the case many nights this year, Kurk Lee stole the show. He led his group with 21 points. The 17:45 mark in the second half, with a dime to senior big man Austin Williams, also marked history for the program, as Lee now stands alone as the leader for assists in a freshman campaign.

Lee also played a crucial part in the game’s final moments, setting up his teammate Moran with a three that allowed Drexel to pull ahead by two with 32 seconds remaining. That said, his team-high of six turnovers ultimately did their part to doom the Dragons in the long run, keeping Delaware in contention during a game in which they had no business doing so.

This manifested itself in some heroics for the home team in the game’s final seconds. Just days before his high school teammate Derrick Jones Jr. would step into the national conscience as a participant in the NBA Dunk contest, freshman Ryan Daly decided to grab some spotlight for himself, draining what would prove to be the game-winning three with just 12 seconds remaining. The final: 68-67, Blue Hens.

Drexel would not have much better luck when they played Elon Feb. 18. A 14 point halftime deficit left some fearing that it would get out of hand, given that the Dragons would only score 18 in the period, but to their credit they battled back and brought it back to within 10 in the second half. The result was still another loss, this one by a nine point margin of 56-65.

Now, with one week of regular season games remaining before the CAA playoffs, the Dragons have managed to play themselves into a less than advantageous position once again this year. Their overall record has dipped to 9-20, and they have taken sole possession of last place with a CAA record of 3-13.

Their last two games, however, still have their fair share of meaning, as Head Coach Zach Spiker looks for his young group to head into the offseason with a good taste in their mouth going into year two of his regime.

Also to note: the first, a game with James Madison University Feb. 23 marks the last time that five seniors will step foot inside the Daskalakis Athletic Center for a college game. Make sure to support and show your thanks for their years of service if you are able.

With March and the start of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament quickly approaching, the Drexel University men’s basketball team returned to the familiar hardwood of the Daskalakis Athletic Center for a contest against the College of William & Mary Feb. 9 and Towson University Feb. 11.
Head coach Zach Spiker and his staff didn’t need to dig too far into the memory bank in their preparation for this week. Just 10 short days previous, his group was blown away by a strong second half from the Tribe on their home floor, dazed and drained from a taxing three games in six days stretch at the end of January. The schedule context could not have been more different in the rematch; this time, Drexel entered well-rested, with a full four days off since their last game.
The effect of this was evident from the onset. Drexel opened with an 11-0 run in a tone-setting first half, with eight of those points poured in by freshman Kari Jonsson. Jonsson would turn out to be the man of the evening, flashing a three-point stroke that carried him to a 23-point outing, made extra special by the presence of his family who made the trip from his native Iceland.
The freshman spearheaded a balanced and efficient offense, which included double-digit showings form junior Sammy Mojica, freshman Kurk Lee, and yet another solid performance from the frontcourt senior Rodney Williams.
While this surely pleased their coach, the real story was a defensive tenacity that has been missing of late. Recall that in their last matchup, Drexel surrendered 108 points, including a hefty 63 points in the second half. But William & Mary’s potent attack (averaging a touch above 81 points per game for the season thus far) was limited to just 61 points by the time the final buzzer sounded.
“I couldn’t write it in bigger letters; 108’s been on our locker-room board,” Spiker told The Daily News’ Dick Jerardi after the game. “I think our guys have responded. We’re still not where we need to be defensively, but I thought we had a much more focused and efficient effort.”
The blowout victory was also a godsend considering the limited rotation that has tightened up further following the news of junior Miles Overton’s season-ending wrist injury, a tough pill to swallow for both the coach and player, who seemed to finally be hitting his stride on the offensive end for the first time since his transfer from Wake Forest University.
This lack of depth, however, would come back to bite them two days later in a showdown with the Towson Tigers. An early Drexel lead in the first half would turn into a five-point Towson advantage at half, before growing again in the second half to as high as 11. The reason: a dominating performance by their bench in comparison to Drexel’s, outscoring them 37-4 by game’s end.
Fans of area basketball recognized a familiar face leading this bench effort: John Davis, sixth man for the Tigers, enjoyed a storied career at Philadelphia Catholic League power Neumann-Goretti, and made his presence felt on his last trip home. Davis finished with a 14 point, 10 rebound performance that included an important bucket late in the game to fend off a furious Drexel comeback, which was led by freshman dynamo Kurk Lee’s Herculean second half.
Lee scored 15 in the frame, willing his team back into contention with a mix of three point shooting, ball distribution, and steals on the defensive end of the floor. His five assists also pulls him to within one of the program’s freshman season assist total, held by Drexel legend Michael Anderson since 1984.
Alas, despite his efforts, Towson remained steadfast in defense of their lead, staying unfazed even as it was whittled to a one possession game with 14 seconds remaining. The 69-65 final marked a disappointing loss for the Dragons, an unfortunately familiar tune that hearkened memories from their double overtime loss to the same opponent less than two weeks ago.
That said, it appears that Zach Spiker’s impact is starting to take hold for the Dragons, who have seen their young nucleus begin to gel and post impressive performances as the season wanes. One can’t help but draw the comparison to their professional counterparts, the Philadelphia 76ers, whose young group has begun to gain momentum in the new year as well. Look for this trend to continue as Drexel returns to the DAC for a Saturday afternoon matchup with Elon University Feb. 18.

Entering the month of February, two-thirds of the way through the season, the Drexel University men’s basketball season found itself at an intriguing place. This season has had its share of disappointments: some near-misses to University of North Carolina at Wilmington, a close loss to Northwestern University and the one that got away to Saint Joseph’s University at home. Perhaps no weeks, however, will be remembered with more regret than this past one, which resulted in three overtimes, one missed buzzer-beater and, more importantly, two league losses at the hands of Towson University Feb. 2 and Hofstra University Feb. 4.

The last week of January was not a fruitful one for the Dragons. High hopes for a victorious homecoming celebration after a tight one point finish with Hofstra Jan. 26 were spoiled by a hungry College of Charleston bunch that poured in 90 points en route to a 14 point victory at the Daskalakis Athletic Center Jan. 28. A weary Drexel squad traveling to the College of William & Mary for their third game in a brutal six day stretch was a step slow all night, failing to keep up with the Tribe for yet another blowout loss Jan. 30.

An extra day’s rest amidst the grind of league play can sometimes make all the difference, though, and this showed when Drexel continued their road stretch in Towson for a matchup against the Tigers Feb. 2. After a neck and neck first five minutes, they pulled ahead to a commanding 9 point advantage with just under 10 minutes left in the first half. Despite a continued strong half from consistent senior big man Rodney Williams, who tallied 15 for the period, a flurry of free throws at the end of the half after a Drexel technical foul caused the Dragons to end the half with Towson up one point 43-42.

In the second half, things remained tight and evolved into a showdown between two players: Williams for Drexel and Mike Morsell for Towson. Williams had a monster night across the stat sheet, grabbing 16 boards to go along with his 27 points. Morsell’s night was astounding on multiple levels. Not only were his 32 points a career high, they were on just 13 shots.

In the end, the game’s fate fell to the hands of freshman guard Kirk Lee. At the end of regulation, he converted two crucial free throws to send it into overtime. And, after the Dragons fell down by two points late in the extra period, it was up to Lee again. This time, he was unable to convert the layup in catching iron, but it bounced out as time expired.

Opportunities for redemption came just two days later, when Drexel traveled up the eastern seaboard to Hofstra to face the Pride in yet another CAA contest. This one appeared to be nearly over time and time again, but as Super Bowl LI so eloquently (and heartbreakingly for the Eagles fans around campus) portrayed, a comeback is never out of the question.

After a neck and neck first half, Drexel surged in the later part of the second half, watching their lead balloon all the way to 10 as the game dwindled down to the final two minutes. This effort was led by Drexel’s frontcourt tandem of Williamses, made up of Austin Williams and Rodney Williams, who both managed to score in double digits. Rodney, especially, had another monster game, pulling down eight rebounds to go along with 26 points. His last two came with just 1:15 left in the contest, a dunk off a pass from graduate student John Moran that almost certainly seemed to seal the deal and give Drexel its first win in four games.

However, it seemed not to be on this occasion. Kirk Lee, despite another commendable week (that resulted in his second CAA Rookie of the Week Honor), had a critical turnover in the final minute, which, coupled with missed free throws, doomed Drexel. Not even a late timeout from Zach Spiker with 24 seconds remaining could help his team cling to the two-point lead that they were holding. A three-pointer from Tribe freshman Justin Wright-Foreman on the following possession and a free throw by Eli Pemberton were the final blows to a crushing defeat that left those in the stands and on the court stunned.

The road trip is thankfully over for Drexel, who hope to return home and get back on the win column this week. The time to gain some momentum prior to league playoffs is now, and the quest begins with a repeat showdown at home with Towson tips off Feb. 11.

North Carolina is a state well known for its college basketball prowess, with Tobacco Road titans University of North Carolina and Duke University among the sport’s “blue bloods” that perennially find themselves playing well into March.

Though the Drexel University men’s basketball team didn’t face either of those in their two-game road trip this past week, they were reminded that this region’s depth of talent is nearly as impressive as its most prestigious pair.

With a matchup against the mighty University of North Carolina at Wilmington casting a foreboding shadow over the weekend, the Dragons had to fight to draw their focus on a significant showdown with the Pheonix of Elon University Jan. 19. Intrigue abounded in this one, with Elon, a traditionally solid CAA team, sporting similar overall (10-9 vs. 7-11) and league (2-4 vs. 1-4) records as their conventionally second-class counterparts. A solid effort for Drexel would therefore be much more significant than an early season CAA win — it might be a sign of a disturbance of power within the league.

Unfortunately, whether it was because of the distance from Cozen Court, the big game in the near future, or just inexperience, it seemed as if the focus just wasn’t there from the outset for Drexel.

A pair of turnovers from freshman Kari Jonsson were cashed in for easy buckets in the paint from Dmitri Thompson en route to a 9-0 run to start for Elon. The insertion of graduate student John Moran into the lineup for the Dragons seemed to wake them up briefly, as his three-pointer with just under 12 minutes left in the first half brought his side back to within one point before the game yo-yo’d back to the Phoenix’s direction.

After pulling back ahead by 10 by halftime, and further to 17 shortly after the break, it became clear that even Moran’s hot touch from the outside, five of seven from deep, wouldn’t be enough for the Dragons to claw their way back into this one. Elon eased ahead and cruised to a 93-73 victory.

Just two short days later, Drexel entered Trask Coliseum to face the league’s most potent team in UNCW Jan. 21. On paper, it looked like the visitors might have a tough time keeping up with their hosts. The Seahawks have continued to ride their strong March momentum from last season into this year’s campaign, which has crystallized into a 19-2 record, including a flawless CAA record.

However, as was the case when the two sides met just a few weeks ago, the brazen Dragons refused to be intimidated by UNCW, absorbing another early blow from the home side.

This time it was senior Mohamed Bah who stymied the bleeding, converting an and-one that pulled Drexel ahead by one at 11-10. A neck-and-neck first half ensued, with senior Rodney Williams’ 10 points keeping pace with the ferocious rebounding of UNCW’s Devontae Cacok, who had 14 in the first period alone.

As the game wore on it seemed as if Drexel just ran out of legs. A five minute dry spell in the second half doomed Zach Spiker’s side, who, despite a flurry of substitutions in that time frame, simply couldn’t find an offensive answer. On the other side, easy second chance points, 22 for UNCW on the day compared to just eight for Drexel, were just too much to overcome. In the last 13 minutes, the Dragons never saw their deficit shrink to single digits, ending the night with a 13 point loss.

Drexel will look to rest up and put this trip behind them, with a pair of home matchups with Hofstra University Jan. 26 and the College of Charleston Jan. 28.

Amidst the grind of league play, where packed schedules and improving talent league-wide can be exhausting for a team as youthful as the Drexel University men’s basketball squad, the added intrigue of a rivalry game or the excitement of playing in front of a home crowd can do wonders. The Dragons tapped into both Jan. 14 when they took on the University of Delaware Blue Hens at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Drexel entered the contest on a four-game slide after falling at the hands of Northeastern University, the second time in 10 days. Unlike their Jan. 2 matchup, when the Dragons hung in with one of the league’s stalwarts until the final buzzer, the Huskies overwhelmed their visitors on their home court. T.J. Williams was simply unguardable on the day, the highest scorer in a high-scoring affair. He ended with 30 of his team’s 92 points, including 7 points and an assist in part of the 14-2 run that put Drexel away for good.

But even in this seemingly lopsided affair, a careful eye was capable to discerning a difference between this year and last. To first year head coach Zach Spiker’s credit, he certainly has his players putting up an inspired effort.

As was the case when Drexel faced the class of the Colonial Athletic Association in University of North Carolina at Wilmington, this year’s scrappy bunch went down swinging, answering each run with a counter-punch that was simply missing from last year’s roster. And as nearly every coach since the beginning of time has preached, playing hard has slowly and surely yielded more tangible results as the season has gone on.

Five dragons scored in double figures, led by 18 from junior Sammy Mojica. Junior Miles Overton quietly continued on his personal quest to reclaim his scoring knack after a year sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, pitching in a an efficient 14-point performance on 4-of-9 shooting from the field.

So, despite falling to 0-4 in conference play, Spiker still had some positive ammunition to feed his team prior to facing the Blue Hens. For the first time in the new year, his team put the pieces together to find themselves on the pleasantly unfamiliar side of the draw after 40 minutes.

Both sides came out of the gate a little out of sorts, with turnovers and missed shots categorizing the game’s first five minutes. These offensive struggles continued for most of the first half, and with a little over 3 minutes remaining in the first half Drexel only managed a 2-point advantage at 25-23.

This is where the fresh faces for the Dragons took over, ignited by a triple from Miles Overton off a freshman Kurk Lee feed. After a Lee jumper on the following possession, senior Rodney Williams thundered home a dunk and the run was on.

All told, Drexel used the close of the first half and start of the second to build a lead that the offensively challenged Blue Hens simply could not match. Philadelphia Catholic League alumnus Ryan Daly (Archbishop Carrol) failed to find his stroke from beyond the arc, but still turned in a respectable stat line of 13 points and 9 boards.

“We lost control of the game late in the first half, when it went from a 2-point game to an 11 point deficit at the half,” Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby said, “Credit to Zach, he has his team playing hard.”

In the second half, Drexel played the role of frontrunner, maintaining their lead with an inside-out attack that Delaware failed to have an answer for. Kurk Lee fed bigs Austin and Rodney Williams in the middle, who combined for 29 points and 9 rebounds for the game, while Miles Overton once again reached double figures with a trio of deep balls on the way to 14 points.

Sure, Delaware’s resume (7-12, 0-6 in the Colonial) might not be turning any heads of the selection committee come March, but the importance of this one should not be underestimated for Drexel. A strong performance against a traditional rival is always special. Doing it on your home floor makes it even more worthy of relishing. But most importantly, for a team dominated by fresh faces that still finds itself learning and growing, it really is nice to stop the bleeding and pick up a win. They’ve earned it.

Keep an eye on their progress as they travel to the college-basketball-rich state of North Carolina Jan. 21 for a game against University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Fresh starts are often viewed for their overwhelmingly positive merits: an opportunity to shed past shortcomings and begin forging ahead on a new and more lucrative path. Drexel basketball most certainly falls under this category.

Though the Bruiser Flint era certainly had its moments of promise, the squad plummeted below levels of respectability in the last two seasons after the departure of dynamic guard Damion Lee, managing 11 wins in 2014-2015 and just 6 all of last year. It was clearly time for a change in leadership.

Enter Zach Spiker. After serving as an assistant coach at Cornell University from 2004-09, Spiker took the reigns at Army West Point, a program that itself was waist deep in a mire of mediocre-at-best recent history. But in the span of seven years, he managed to turn this historic program around, culminating in a 2015-16 campaign that featured an impressive 19-14 record that received nationwide attention, including that of the Drexel brass.

In the romantic perception of the merits of turning over a new page, many of the struggles and hurdles of a transition are simply ignored. Bringing a school out of the darkness of irrelevance is not a flip of a switch, but rather a methodically engineered process full of its fair share of attrition.

Though in the intense climate of Philadelphia, a city so replete with basketball history, patience is easier professed than practiced. Add in the fact that this school, utterly devoid of a top-class athletic program to get behind, is so starved for success and this call for pragmatism becomes even more monumental.

But the Drexel faithful who long to come out of hibernation and rejoin the local basketball conversation may have no choice but to remain silent for just a bit longer, a reality hammered home by the results of the start of this season: a pair of losses at the hands of Monmouth University Nov. 11 and Rutgers University Nov. 13. In each contest, slow starts doomed the Dragons, who could not drag themselves out of the deep first half holes that they dug for themselves. Double digit losses ensued.

But that is not to say that significant intrigue does not exist for this latest version of Drexel basketball. In each stage of his career, Zach Spiker has been praised for his recruiting prowess.

At Cornell, he was credited for creating the recruiting connections that enabled the Big Red to reel off three consecutive Ivy League titles. Over the past six seasons, the Black Knights enjoyed some of the most talented players in school history, acquired and mentored by their charismatic head coach.

This is a trend that this fan base hopes will continue in University City, and already new faces are beginning to make an impact. In his collegiate debut at Monmouth, Kurk Lee, the lightning-quick guard out of Maryland, flashed for 17 points and displayed the composure of an upperclassman under the Hawks’ characteristic defensive pressure. He followed up this impressive entrance with a solid 14 points at Rutgers.

His fellow freshman backcourt mate, Iceland’s own Kari Jonsson, has displayed a reliable stroke from beyond the arc. Junior Miles Overton, a transfer from Wake Forest University, promises to bring Atlantic Coastal Conference experience and leadership to go along with a knack for scoring that made him a top local recruit just a few short years ago.

And let’s not forget the talent that remains from the Flint regime. Sammy Mojica continues to showcase an increasingly reliable jumpshot to go along with his slashing ability and athleticism that comes in handy on both ends of the floor. Rodney Williams has grown into a frontcourt force, demonstrated most eloquently by his 24 point effort against Rutgers.

These young Dragons will lean heavily on the senior’s leadership as they evolve throughout the season.

Coach Spiker will have the opportunity to show off his team to his home crowd Nov. 18 when they tip off against Hartford University at 7 p.m.. Come out and provide a proper welcome to this new regime, and get familiar with the names that will hopefully be associated with an era of future success that Drexel so desperately deserves.

A few weeks ago, it seemed as though the Drexel University golf team had finally come into form. They seemed to have an ideal mix: a talented crop of freshmen complemented nicely by the leadership of their upperclassman teammates. Contributions were balanced — one week it was freshman Connor Schmidt’s turn to shine, the other junior Aaron Fricke’s, and so on and
so forth down the line.

The results followed. Two straight weeks of first-place finishes, capped off by the dramatic victory turned Internet sensation at the Explorer Match play event Oct. 11 thanks to the efforts
of Aaron Fricke.

Now, however, it is as if the golf gods have flipped the hypothetical switch, and the magic that the Dragons possessed not so long ago is nothing more than a distant memory. Last week’s second-from-last-place performance at the Elon Phoenix Invitational Oct. 18 could have been a blip on the radar. But with this week’s disappointing finish, it is the beginning of
a troubling trend.

Drexel traveled to par-71, 6500-yard Kilmarlic Golf Course Oct. 23 to compete in the Outer Banks Intercollegiate Classic. The 54-hole tournament, held over the duration of three days, required both skill and stamina, things which are not easy to come by in the twilight of a long college season. And when the Dragons stepped into the tee box on Oct. 24, that showed. Coach Ben Feld sent out a lineup that along with mainstays Schmidt, Fricke, and junior Adam Mistretta, featured sophomore Brendan Bacskai and, a new face,
freshman Alex Butler.

In the first 18, the lineup wasn’t stellar, but it was enough to keep them in the hunt. Connor Schmidt posted an even par 71, while Adam Mistretta and Brendan Bacskai followed closely behind with a 74 and a 75 respectively. However, the wheels came off for the Dragons in round two. Their lowest score was another 75 from Bacskai, a solid performance but not nearly enough to absorb the pair of 10-over 81s shot by round one standouts Mistretta and Schmidt.

That said, Feld’s squad certainly did not throw in the towel come Oct. 25’s final round. A resilient effort by all members involved provides some hope for the future, highlighted by
newcomer Alex Butler’s 33 on his final 9 holes. This effort from the Philadelphia local was punctuated by a final hole eagle, his first as a college athlete.

The Dragons will not miss North Carolina soil as they return to the comforts of home for their final challenge of the fall season. They hope to end the year with momentum for the future as they face off against local talents in the City 6 Invitational at Huntington Valley
Country Club, Nov. 5.

Entering the Elon Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club in Burlington, North Carolina Oct. 17, the Drexel University golf team was on a roll. They had tied for first in their last two tournaments, at the Matthews College Invitational Oct. 3 and the Explorer Stroke Play Oct. 11, and were riding high on the extra emotion of the latter’s walk-off chip-in victory as dusk turned to dark.

Golf is ruled by the minutiae though, a game where even the slightest of inconsistencies in one’s swing or confidence can cause a hole, a round, or even an entire event to turn from rousing success to humbling defeat. Such was the case for this week’s effort against the 15-team field assembled at in Burlington, where after the dust settled, Drexel found itself in 14th place, a full 48 strokes behind champion Gardner-Webb University.

The Dragons sent out freshman Connor Schmidt, sophomore Mike Cook, juniors Aaron Fricke and Adam Mistretta, and senior Brian Fischer for the event. Fricke, Schmidt and Mistretta have been mainstays this year, appearing in every single event this year, while Cook and Fischer stepped into the tee box for the first time in competition on the season.

Early on, this gap in experience showed, with the seasoned trio shooting a combined even par on the day while the newcomers combined for a 16-over-par effort. Cook bounced back for a one-over-par 72 in the second round, but the rest of the team took a step back, with their second-round total ballooning to ten over par. The final round once again saw too many big numbers for the Dragons, resulting in a nine-over-par composite score on the day.

While as a team, Drexel failed to continue the hot streak, the same could not be said for Aaron Fricke. His final hole heroics capped off a highlight-ridden tournament for Fricke, who, when feeling confident over the golf ball, has proven time and time again his ability to navigate a golf course successfully.

“Aaron’s a great player, he has been since he got here. He just has to believe it sometimes,”  head coach Ben Feld said last week after Fricke’s final hole heroics last week.

And believe it he did this week, posting red figures on two of his three rounds in the tournament. Overall, he ended with a three-under-par 210, good for an impressive tie for 15th place.

In the end though, there was nothing Drexel nor anyone else could do about Gardner-Webb, who simply ran away with this tournament from the outset. Their balanced attack resulted in scores under par on all three days, including a massive 12-under effort to close out the victory on Oct. 18. They ended up finishing at 22 under par, blowing out their nearest competition by an astounding 18 strokes.

Drexel will remain on North Carolina soil as Fricke and co. travel to Kilmarlic Golf Club to compete in the OBX Intercollegiate Oct. 23, looking to get back to their winning ways of late.