The Drexel Dragons men's basketball program represents intercollegiate men's basketball at Drexel University. The team currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and plays home games at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Rivalries
The Dragons, a member of the City 6, have rivalries with multiple institutions, these include La Salle University, Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph's University, and Villanova University.
The most notable rivalry Drexel has is with Penn, nicknamed Battle of 33rd Street, one of the closest rivalries geographically.
Drexel Basketball Game Video
History
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Drexel was the 5th US school to start up collegiate basketball, their first season being 1895. Drexel's first basketball game was played against Temple University in January 1895, Drexel won by a score of 26-1. The Dragons joined Division I in 1973. Drexel has received bids to four NCAA Basketball Tournaments in 1986, 1994, 1995 and 1996. During the 1996 tournament, Malik Rose led the team to their only second round appearance after an upset of fifth-seeded Memphis. Prior to this, Drexel had appeared in four Division II NCAA tournaments in 1957, 1960, 1966 and 1967, including the very first Division II tournament in 1957. Drexel's men's basketball team was ranked as high as 35th nationally in 2007, finishing the season with a 23-9 record while making the National Invitational Tournament for the fourth time in the prior five years.
Venues
Main Building
Beginning in 1894, Drexel played their games and held all athletic activities in a gymnasium that was located in the 4th floor of the Main Building. This gymnasium was sometimes referenced as West Philadelphia College Court.
Curtis Hall Gymnasium
In 1929, Curtis Hall, an extension of Drexel Main Building, was completed and included a new gymnasium. The gymnasium was prioritized in construction to be completed 3 months before the rest of the building, in December 1928, in order to be completed prior to the start of the 1928-29 Drexel basketball season. The gym featured a full-sized basketball floor, and separate locker rooms for the home and visiting teams. This gym is known as Curtis Hall Gym, or Curtis Gym, and was also nicknamed "The Band Box." During construction of Curtis Hall, an entrance was added on Chestnut Street to allow quicker access to the gym. The gymnasium had a seating capacity of 500. After moving home games to Sayer Junior High School, games were played in Curtis Hall again for one last season in 1954-1955, before they once again were relocated back to the high school.
Sayer Junior High School
As the popularity of the basketball and other sports teams grew, Curtis Hall Gym became less suitable for hosting the games. During the 1951-1952 season, Drexel decided to move 3 of its 4 remaining league games to Sayer Junior High School, located in West Philadelphia. Drexel also played 6 of its 9 home games at the high school in the following 1952-1953 season. Home games were moved to Curtis Hall again for the 1953-1954 season, however they would again return to Sayer High School the following season. From that point forward, Sayer Junior High School served the home court for Drexel through the 1968-1969 season.
Drexel Armory
Beginning in the 1969-1970 basketball season, the Drexel home basketball games were moved to the 32nd Street Armory, also known as the Drexel Armory. Drexel first began holding various athletic and recreational activities in the armory in 1947, while the building was still state owned and used exclusively for National Guard and ROTC drills. While home games were moved out of the Armory after the 1974-1975 season, the armory was considered for renovation in the 2010s in order to make it suitable for hosting home basketball games. Instead, renovations were make at Daskalakis Athletic Center, allowing the DAC to continue to serve as the home court.
Daskalakis Athletic Center
Since the 1975-1976 season, the Dragon's home games have been played at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, formerly known as the Physical Education and Athletic Center (PEAC). While it was considered to move the games back to the Armory at one point, Drexel instead decided to renovate the Athletic Center beginning in 2012 and keep the games there instead. Within the Daskalakis Athletic Center, games are played on Sam Cozen Court in the main gym.
Other Venues
Drexel previously held a number of home games at other local venues in Philadelphia. In the 1952-53 season when 6 of Drexel's 9 home games were played at Sayer Junior High School, 2 home games were played at Philadelphia Convention Hall (as was one game the previous season), and the final game was played at St. Joseph's Field House. In the 1950s and 1960s a number of Drexel home games were also played in The Palestra. Since moving to the Armory in the 1969-1970 season, it has become rare for home games to be played at alternative venues. In the 2015-16 season Drexel played what was considered a neutral-court game against Penn State at The Palestra.
Postseason results
NCAA Division I tournament results
The Dragons have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament four times. Their combined record is 1-4.
NCAA Division II tournament results
The Dragons have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament four times. Their combined record is 0-7.
NIT results
The Dragons have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) six times. Their combined record is 2-6.
Honors
Retired Jerseys
- #00 Malik Rose
- #10 Michael Anderson
Coaching Awards
AEC Coach Of The Year
- Bill Herrion (4) (1992-93, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1998-99)
CAA Coach Of The Year
- Bruiser Flint (4) (2001-02, 2003-04, 2008-09, 2011-12)
Player Awards
ECC Player of the Year
- Len Hatzenbeller (1980-81)
- Richard Congo (1983-84)
- Michael Anderson (2) (1985-86, 1987-88)
AEC Player of the Year
- Malik Rose (2) (1994-95, 1995-96)
AEC Rookie of the Year
- Mike DeRocckis (1995-96)
- Joe Linderman (1996-97)
CAA Rookie of the Year
- Chris Fouch (2010)
- Damion Lee (2012)
Annual Records
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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