Drexel cruises to a blowout victory in season opener against Georgian Court

The Drexel men’s basketball team tipped off its season at home against Division II opponent Georgian Court. The Dragons took care of business against an inferior opponent, decimating the Lions, 95-43.

Here are our takeaways from the game.

Horace Simmons Jr. was a highly regarded recruit out of La Salle College High School. After a redshirt last season, the 6-foot-6 forward was finally able to show out in his first collegiate game.

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From the moment he entered the game off the bench, Simmons showed that his reputation as a lethal three-point shooter was not overblown. In his 21 minutes of action, Simmons scored 24 points on 8-of-9 shooting, all of which came from behind the arc.

Of his performance, Simmons said he had been, “staying ready and staying confident,” and as each shot continued to fall for the debutante, his, “confidence kept growing.”

After a performance like that, it would be difficult to keep Simmons on the pine for long in any given game.

After losing Justin Moore and Jamie Bergen to the transfer portal, the point guard position was one giant question mark for coach Zach Spiker. Spiker turned to junior Jason “Deuce” Drake to start at the one.

Drake struggled to finish in traffic at the hoop, finishing 0-for-5 from the floor and collecting all of six his points from the free-throw line. This is a concern considering Georgian Court likely rolled out the least physically imposing frontcourt the Dragons will see all season.

Behind Drake, freshman Josh Reed also struggled. Reed shot 2-of-7 from the floor, including 1-for-4 from the free-throw line.

If the point guard spot continues to be an issue,the quickest reinforcement will come when Kevon Vanderhorst eventually returns from a broken wrist.

Spiker will need stronger point guard play from Drake and Reed for the team to beat the talented teams that wait ahead of them in Colgate (Nov. 9) and their Big 5 pod matchups against La Salle and Temple.

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Similar to point guard, the center position had uncertainty coming into the season. While all three of Drexel’s big men were more physically capable than Georgian Court’s, a pair of them had strong showings.

In 21 minutes, starting center Cole Hargrove contributed nine points and collected eight boards. One area that he can improve is finishing through contact.

Particularly impressive was Clemson Edomwonyin. In just eight minutes, the freshman stuffed the stat sheet with five points, five rebounds, two blocks, and three assists. The big man’s athleticism stands out, and he can nearly jump out of the gym. Both of his blocks resembled more of a volleyball play than a typical basketball block.

While taller tasks lie ahead of them, they may be more of a strength of this team than originally thought.

The two players tasked with shouldering the largest responsibilities this season are junior Kobe MaGee and senior Yame Butler. Both were sensational in the season opener. Both shot 5-of-9 from the floor, with MaGee finishing with 14 and Butler with 13.

MaGee showed a strong three-point stroke, making 4-of-8 from deep.

Butler played to his skill set, which is his phenomenal one-on-one abilities. Butler got to the cup at will and finished through traffic in all sorts of acrobatic ways. On this new look Dragons team, the senior should be able to flourish.