Drexel gets boost from trip abroad

Drexel basketball coach Bruiser Flint said the keys to success this season are simple for his Dragons, who finished 16-16 overall last winter and tied for fifth place in the Colonial Athletic Association with an 11-7 mark.

"We can't afford injuries or foul trouble," said Flint, whose 12-man roster includes 10 scholarship players and two walk-ons.

Drexel is picked to finish sixth in the CAA even though the Dragons have four holdover starters in guards Gerald Colds and Derrick Thomas, and forwards Daryl McCoy (6-foot-9) and Samme Givens (6-5). Also back is guard Chris Fouch, who was named CAA rookie of the year after coming off the bench and averaging 11.3 points per game for the Dragons.

Colds, one of only three seniors on the squad, averaged 9.3 points last season. Givens averaged 8.3 points and pulled down a team-high average of 8.3 rebounds.

Not among the returnees for Drexel is point guard Jamie Harris, who is facing robbery and weapons charges in connection with an off-campus incident last July. His attorney said the charges are unfounded. Harris, who is suspended indefinitely from the university, led the Dragons in scoring and assists as a junior with 14.5 points per game and 3.4 dimes.

"We knew we had to put it behind us, and we knew we had to go forward," Flint said of the incident. "We don't even discuss it."

What helped Drexel move on was the trip the team took to Turkey in August. The Dragons played four games and, most important, had time to practice and hang together away from the court.

"We've been through a lot of stuff, and Turkey helped us get everybody on the same page," Colds said, "from the first guy to the last guy."

In Turkey, Drexel dropped eight- and six-point decisions to teams from the country's pro league and blew away a national team and a club team each by 40 or more points. The Dragons were gone for 10 days.

"We're much more ahead of where we were last year at this time," Flint said. "We have a lot of guys who played a lot of minutes last year. We went on that trip to Turkey, and we got to practice and watch our freshman players. I feel as though we're way ahead of schedule."

Among the newcomers Flint had a chance to learn about was 6-4 guard Frantz Massenat, who led Trenton Catholic to the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title as a senior. He will take over the ballhandling chores that were expected to go to Harris.

A southpaw, Massenat is an all-around player who averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for Trenton Catholic last season.

Another freshman Flint is counting on to help is 6-8, 240-pound forward Dartaye Ruffin. McCoy, a 270-pound sophomore who didn't do much statistically last season, and Ruffin give Drexel a couple of space eaters. The Dragons also have 6-8 senior Yannick Formbor, who played a limited role last season, and 6-10 freshman Goran Pantovic.

"We're bigger than we've been the last couple of years," Flint said. "We have wide bodies and big guards."

Once again, Flint's squad will push the ball and look to shoot the three-pointer. The Dragons averaged 63.9 points per game last season while making 40.6 percent of their shots overall and 31.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Defensively, an aggressive man-to-man is the Dragons' calling card year-in and year-out.

Flint just hopes that the Dragons can avoid a late-season slide this time around. Last season, Drexel was in the CAA hunt before finishing with three losses in its last five regular-season games. In 2008-09, the Dragons ended the season by losing three of four.

"We haven't been able to close," Flint said. "One of the things we have to do is close better - close games better and close the season better."

National ranking: 166 (RealTimeRPI.com power rankings).

Preseason Colonial Athletic Association ranking: Sixth.

Last season: The Dragons finished 16-16 overall, 11-7 in the CAA, and did not qualify for NCAA postseason play.

Coach: James "Bruiser" Flint. Career record, 235-196 in 14 seasons, 149-124 in nine seasons at Drexel.

Scouting report: The up-tempo Dragons will be led by guards Chris Fouch (11.3 ppg. last season) and Gerald Colds (9.3 ppg.), and forward Samme Givens (8.3 ppg.), who also averaged a team-high 8.3 rebounds. Opponents know that though Drexel may not shoot well some nights, the Dragons are going to bring intensity and effort. At the defensive end, Drexel's man-to-man will sometimes make the game ugly, which the Dragons do not mind at all.

Outlook: The Drexel players say they are being underrated and overlooked as the season gets under way. The Dragons have four starters back from last season and more size than they've had in recent years. Freshman guard Frantz Massenat has emerged as the team's primary ball handler and brings an all-around game to Drexel. Once again, the Dragons will be a team nobody in the CAA likes facing, and Drexel is likely to be in the race again as the season winds down.

Quotable: Givens on the team's attitude: "We expect to go out every game and play hard. We want to win."

- Kevin TatumEndText