When it comes to the postseason, Drexel coach Zach Spiker is going with a ‘detail-oriented’ approach

Zach Spiker isn’t a big-picture guy.

“Detail-oriented” was the term used by the Drexel men’s basketball coach, but it goes deeper than that. He’s not just detail-oriented, he’s detail-focused, not one to look at things like winning streaks, playoff scenarios, or prognostications.

But even the most process-driven guys have to admit that processes are about progress, and, by that measure, Spiker’s processes are succeeding.

Drexel is 20-11 overall, with a 13-5 record in the Coastal Athletic Association, propped up on a 7-0 start in conference play. It’s the most wins in any season in Spiker’s eight years at Drexel, both overall and in conference play.

It’s also the latest step in a year-by-year progress that’s seen the Dragons win at least the same number of games each year than the one before it. The only outlier was the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, when they went 12-8. That also was the year that Spiker guided his program to its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1996.

“We have really kind of kept it very micro, very simple, very focused, on opponent, next opponent — how they defend, what they’re good at, scoring offensively, and what we need to do,” Spiker said. “We haven’t talked at all about ‘This would help the playoff picture; this would help our win total.’ We literally come in and just talk about trying to go 1-0.”

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As to why this group is doing that more successfully than past rosters is their collective experience. Starting center Amari Williams, the Dragons’ second-leading scorer (12.3 points per game) and leading rebounder (7.9 rebounds per game), is a fourth-year starter. Luke House (8.6 ppg) is a fifth-year college player and fourth-year Dragon; Mate Okros (6.5 ppg) has played in more than 130 games in a Drexel uniform; Lucas Monroe (6.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg) has played in 114 games between his four years at Penn and Drexel.

Even the youngest member of the starting lineup, sophomore Justin Moore, has 55 games and 51 starts under his belt with 1,534 minutes of court time. Moore, an Archbishop Wood grad, leads the Dragons in scoring with 12.6 points per game. Spiker said he’s noticed a difference in the way his team handles timeouts because of all that experience, a benefit during the playoff push.

“We as a staff go into our huddle and sit down, they’re not just waiting to hear something,” he said. “They probably have addressed it and at least already have a plan in place, if we’re not on the same page, of what needs to happen.”

Spiker also has the deepest rotation of his tenure with 10 players who have played in at least 20 games and are averaging at least 15 minutes. Moore leads the team at 28.1 minutes per game.

That all bodes well heading into the CAA tournament, which began on Friday in Washington, is now a five-day affair. As the No. 2 seed, Drexel has a double bye and will play in the quarterfinals on Sunday. Even with the wait, Spiker remains confident with his team’s game plan.

“When we get to tournament time, we’ve got a plan,” he said. “We’ve also got the benefit of a week before our conference tournament starts. Our guys have done a really good job. We have really kind of kept it very micro, very simple, very focused, on the opponent, next opponent — how they defend, what they’re good at, scoring offensively, and what we need to do.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.