Drexel coach Bruiser Flint is preparing his Dragons for a tournament run. (Philahoops)
“Pedal to the metal,” says senior guard Chris Fouchwith a smile.
“Tough,” says junior point guard Frantz Massenat with a laugh.
“It’s a dog fight,” says senior small forward Derrick Thomas.
All three were describing one of coach Bruiser Flint’s practices, and all three said it with a similar you-don’t-even-know-type grin on their face. Perhaps sophomore guard Damion Lee put it best in saying, “It’s fun to say the least. Everyone knows what kind of coach Bru is. It’s all about how you handle it. It’s not about how he says things, it’s about what he says it.”
Today is the first official day of the college basketball season and the Drexel Dragons were anxious to get back on the court. “I think we were ready to get back on as soon as we lost last year so now it’s finally here and guys are so hyped about practice,” says Massenat adding, “Everybody’s ready to go.”
One of the biggest questions going into the 2012-13 season for Drexel is how they will handle the high expectations coming off the success of last year. “I think we will handle it well because we don’t have any new guys. We have the same guys as last year and we only lost one,” Massenat continued.
“We’re just gonna keep that chip on our shoulder because last year there were a lot of expectations on us and that start was really a reality bite,” Lee chirped in. We just have to stay hungry and stay humble.”
Even though there are high expectations, there are still doubters. Senior center Darryl McCoy is using those doubters as motivation saying, “We still have a lot to prove and they’re still doubting us even though we are favored to win our league. There’s a lot of doubters out there and we just want to change their minds.”
Throughout the gym, there was only one thought in everybody’s mind.
“Tournament,” says Massenat, “Definitely making the tournament.”
“To win the CAA tournament and play in the NCAA tournament,” says Thomas.
Lee says, “Our goal is to make it to the NCAA tournament, point blank. Period.”
The Dragons tip off their season against Kent State on Nov. 9, but until then, they’ll have to endure a few more of Bruiser’s demanding practices. After all, it is only day one.
Kevin Rossi
