Men's Basketball Visits Big East-Foe Rutgers on Friday night
Leon Spencer and the Dragons visit Rutgers on Friday
The Drexel men's basketball looks to get into the win column for the first time in 2009-10 on Friday night at Rutgers. The Dragons and the Scarlet Knights (1-0) meet at the Louis Brown Athletic Center at 7:30 p.m. in Piscataway, N.J.
Drexel begins play tonight with an 0-2 record. The Dragons opened Saint Joseph’s new building on Friday, Nov. 13, but fell to the Hawks in overtime, 77-67. On Tuesday, the Dragons participated for the second straight year in ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. This time, the Dragons came up just short, dropping a 76-69 decision at Niagara. Gerald Colds led the Dragons with 18 points and freshman Derrick Thomas had his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Dragons return four starters from last year’s team. Gerald Colds is Drexel’s leading returning scorer with 9.0 points per game. Drexel returns its top two rebounders in Evan Neisler (6.9) and Samme Givens (6.8). Givens led the CAA in offensive rebounding as a freshman. Jamie Harris is back at the point, where he handed out 86 assists a year ago and shot 37 percent from long range. Leon Spencer emerged as one of the top sixth men in the league last year. After playing limited minutes early, Spencer came on to average 6.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in his first year with the team.
Rutgers is 1-0 after a 74-67 win against Marist to start the season on Saturday night. Gregory Echenique had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Mike Rosario scored 17 points in the season-opener at the RAC. Patrick Jackson added 15 points for the Scarlet Knights.
Junior guard Mike Coburn and senior center Hamady Ndiaye also had productive afternoons for the home squad. Coburn posted a career-high seven assists, while Ndiaye registered six blocked shots. Ndiaye increased his career total in rejections to 219. Rutgers was 11-21 last season and finished 2-16 in Big East play. Head Coach Fred Hill is now in his fourth season with the team. Mike Rosario, a sophomore, was an All Big East Rookie Team pick a year ago.