The Drexel Dragons men's basketball program represents intercollegiate men's basketball at Drexel University. The team currently competes in the Coastal Athletic Association in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and plays home games at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2021.
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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.
History
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Drexel was the 5th US school to start up collegiate basketball, their first season being 1894–1895. Drexel's first basketball game was played against Temple College on November 22, 1894, which Drexel won by a score of 26–1. The Dragons joined Division I in 1974. Drexel has received bids to five NCAA basketball tournaments in 1986, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 2021. 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.
On February 22, 2018, Drexel came back from a 34 point deficit (trailing 53–19 at one point), coming back to defeat Delaware 85–83 to complete the largest comeback in Division I history.
Venues
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.
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 Sayre Junior High School, games were played in Curtis Hall again for one last season in 1953–1954, before they once again were relocated back to the 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 1951–52 season, Drexel decided to move 3 of its 4 remaining league games to Sayre 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. A single home games were scheduled at Curtis Hall in the 1953–1954 season, however the remaining home games would be played at Sayre High School. From that point forward, Sayre Junior High School served the home court for Drexel through the 1968–1969 season.
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 made at Daskalakis Athletic Center, allowing the DAC to continue to serve as the home court.
Since the 1975–1976 season, the Dragons' 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.
Postseason results
NCAA Division I Tournament results
The Dragons have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament five times. Their combined record is 1–5.
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
Drexel has retired two jersey numbers.
Coaching awards
ECC Coach Of The Year
Ray Haesler (1975–76)
Eddie Burke (1985–86)
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)
Philadelphia Big 5 Coach Of The Year
Zach Spiker (2023–24)
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)
ECC Rookie of the Year
Bob Stephens (1975–76)
Randy Burkert (1978–79)
John Rankin (1985–86)
AEC Rookie of the Year
Mike DeRocckis (1995–96)
Joe Linderman (1996–97)
CAA Rookie of the Year
Chris Fouch (2009–10)
Damion Lee (2011–12)
Camren Wynter (2018–19)
CAA Defensive Player of the Year
Robert Battle (2) (2001–02, 2002–03)
Bashir Mason (2003–04)
Chaz Crawford (2006–07)
Amari Williams (3) (2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24)