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Spiker's Future at Drexel
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J.B. Offline
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Post: #1
Spiker's Future at Drexel
Since this is a major topic of discussion, I figure I'd start a new thread. I'll chime in later.
02-28-2020 08:53 AM
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dan10 Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
He is not going anywhere soon. Next year will be quite telling what his future may or may not hold in my opinion. But I would say his seat at Drexel is cold to moderately cool
02-28-2020 09:53 AM
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J.B. Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
(02-28-2020 09:53 AM)dan10 Wrote:  He is not going anywhere soon. Next year will be quite telling what his future may or may not hold in my opinion. But I would say his seat at Drexel is cold to moderately cool

Let's just say that not long after Zillmer became the AD, he shockingly fired Steve Seymour after just 2 seasons as head coach, and a 3rd place finish in the AE. It happened after Drexel lost in the quarter finals for the very first time in 10 years in the NAC/AE. Nobody expected it. Now his firing was due to some internal struggles with the team and not necessary wins/losses.

The point that I'm making is that we really don't know what they're thinking or what's going on in the inside. I know that there are many fans that just assume that admin doesn't care about winning to the point that they'll just let Spiker stay her as long as he wants to as long as the players like him and there are no controversies. But that's not necessarily the truth.

I do expect Spiker to be here next year, as a tell all season. But if the trigger does happen to be pulled in a few weeks, it would not shock me in the least.
02-28-2020 10:20 AM
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dan10 Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
It is very common for AD's to come in and make their mark and want "their" guys. What is his history as AD after the initial move? He hired Bruiser who did great things and held on far too long and never cared about the results that were had. When it is was years past the clear time to move on, he finally made a decision (fans already alienated and gone). Why would this be any different? Look at the direction of focus on athletics at Drexel under Zillmer and Fry. Spiker is the type of guy he wants. I can't see him moving on very quickly under his watch. I can't see Spiker having some controversy that would force his hand, either.
02-28-2020 10:27 AM
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hiroshimacarp Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
what do we think he's not doing from a basketball standpoint? is he reluctant to change defenses? does he not sub well? i was expecting a run and gun team when he game in but haven't really seen that.

i have a really hard time watching our games. just being honest. that makes it hard for me to have an opinion about how he runs the team during games.

it's hard for me to watch because i don't think i take our roster seriously...so i definitely think he takes a hit on recruiting. some of the guys from his first year weren't division 1 players. he's gambled on transfers and lost pretty much every time. putting it all together...he didn't bring in good pieces as a foundation and also didn't bring in stop gap players as transfers. or he brought them in and they bailed on him (isabell, demir).

i think most of us agree there needs to be accountability to the people who hired him. spiker might be as anxious to escape as any of us might be to see him go. the culture around the athletic department has gotten even less basketball-centric during his time here.
02-28-2020 12:42 PM
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J.B. Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
Spiker by the numbers, compared the Drexel Basketball History
Drexel's 1st season playing basketball 1894-95

Number of seasons Spiker is coach - 4
Number of losing seasons under Spiker - 4
Number of consecutive losing seasons under Spiker - 4
Number of consecutive losing seasons (cumulative) - 6
Last time Drexel had 6 consecutive losing seasons - Cannot Determine. My records don't go back prior to 1928, and it's hasn't happened since then.
Last time Drexel had 4 consecutive losing seasons - 1937-38 to 1940-41
Number or seasons it took for Spiker to have 4 losing seasons: 4
Number of seasons it took for Flint to have 4 losing seasons: 14
Total number of losing seasons under Flint: 5 (out of 15)
02-28-2020 12:52 PM
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dan10 Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
The problem is the end of Flint's tenure was darn near the bottom. We were absolutely awful. So he was coming into a bad team in a bad spot late into the recruiting game. So his first season was shot before it started. He did try to resurrect with transfers and some failed. Others were temporary fixes. The other issue he ended up with (which is a growing issue with mids) is retention. He has had a lot of defections which hurts the ability to get better quickly. Players like Kari had a lot of promise then left. Kurk is another example. Then you have the true transfers like a Demir, where the timing just stinks. 4 year players are seemingly a thing of the past for mid majors, or if you have them they are likely borderline talent to begin with. I agree we could use higher profile players, but you have to recruit what fits your system.

I am not sure we truly have a system yet (as pointed out by hiroshima). We screen and make some cuts but not sure we really have an identity on offense. That certainly doesnt help. I think that is separate from talented players. We have talented players that can play, I just dont know they mesh together with the same game. I think we could be a good slashing team, but I dont feel like we slash enough or are strong enough at the rim to do so. JB can bang with the best of them but we don't focus our offense on getting him the ball in the post. We mostly take what the defense gives us, which works sometimes, other times it would be nice to make the defense play our game.

Defensively I think we still struggle moving our feet quickly enough and we end up chasing. Once you are chasing you are beat. Our help defense is not strong enough to bail ourselves out all of the time. I think we focus so much energy into guarding the 3 point line that we expose ourselves to everything else. It is why teams like Hofstra scare me because they can attack off the dribble all day long and get to the rim, and I do not feel like we can defend that. Without strong defense and getting stops it puts more pressure on the offense to score. That is a risky and difficult game to play. To me our focus on defense should focus on being disrupting and forcing turnovers and then turning that into transition. At the mid major level I think you have to have that aspect to have much success. Long are the days where you can just be so physical and take a team out of their game and win. The rule changes over the years have almost exclusively eliminated that style.

So to me we do need to form an identity and we need to impose our identity on our opposition. I do not think we do a good job of that. I also think we need better defensive discipline in general. I have only saw a few games but listen to most and it sounds like we just get beat all of the time and give up so many easy buckets at the rim. So does that mean we don't pick up screens well to slip them? Does it mean we over commit too much then get beat backdoor or off the dribble? I am not sure.To me it starts on the defensive side though. Good defense goes further than average offense. We need to get back to being good on defense. I think we need to put more pressure on ball handlers and force turnovers. To do so we have to be able to move our feet better. If we are too slow footed, then we should be focusing on different athletes that fit whatever we try to do. Defections have definitely made it tough to move forwards (whether fault of Spiker or not). Ultimately he is in charge of that, so it fall on his shoulders regardless.
02-28-2020 03:06 PM
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fredsavage Offline
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Post: #8
RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
(02-28-2020 12:42 PM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  i think most of us agree there needs to be accountability to the people who hired him. spiker might be as anxious to escape as any of us might be to see him go. the culture around the athletic department has gotten even less basketball-centric during his time here.

concerned fans

i joke but this department has ZERO people pushing them

when the noises got loud last time a change was made

you guys need to start making noise outside this forum
02-28-2020 07:47 PM
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fredsavage Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
(02-28-2020 12:52 PM)J.B. Wrote:  Spiker by the numbers, compared the Drexel Basketball History
Drexel's 1st season playing basketball 1894-95

Number of seasons Spiker is coach - 4
Number of losing seasons under Spiker - 4
Number of consecutive losing seasons under Spiker - 4
Number of consecutive losing seasons (cumulative) - 6
Last time Drexel had 6 consecutive losing seasons - Cannot Determine. My records don't go back prior to 1928, and it's hasn't happened since then.
Last time Drexel had 4 consecutive losing seasons - 1937-38 to 1940-41
Number or seasons it took for Spiker to have 4 losing seasons: 4
Number of seasons it took for Flint to have 4 losing seasons: 14
Total number of losing seasons under Flint: 5 (out of 15)

write into the triangle these stats

last time some alums did, the president of the school noticed

who is supposed to be saying “jeez this is unacceptable” .... i wonder
02-28-2020 07:49 PM
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J.B. Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
(02-28-2020 12:42 PM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  what do we think he's not doing from a basketball standpoint? is he reluctant to change defenses? does he not sub well? i was expecting a run and gun team when he game in but haven't really seen that.

i have a really hard time watching our games. just being honest. that makes it hard for me to have an opinion about how he runs the team during games.

it's hard for me to watch because i don't think i take our roster seriously...so i definitely think he takes a hit on recruiting. some of the guys from his first year weren't division 1 players. he's gambled on transfers and lost pretty much every time. putting it all together...he didn't bring in good pieces as a foundation and also didn't bring in stop gap players as transfers. or he brought them in and they bailed on him (isabell, demir).

i think most of us agree there needs to be accountability to the people who hired him. spiker might be as anxious to escape as any of us might be to see him go. the culture around the athletic department has gotten even less basketball-centric during his time here.

These last 10 games have been quite a mystery. I know that our players have flaws but they are very talented. Wynter can do a lot of things out on the court. Butler is a decent offensive player, but is slow on defense and gets beat badly quite a bit. TJ and Okros are supposed to be 3 star recruits, but they're not playing like 3 star recruits. Were they overrated, or is the staff not developing them. Their lack of a big man has definitely hurt them. Nobody expected them to complete for a championship this season, but I think we all expected a lot more than what we got. This has all been a mystery. Now they have next weekend to try to redeem themselves a bit, but when it's all said an done, it will be another losing season.
02-28-2020 09:33 PM
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Dragon For Life Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
I like Spiker but it is time for change. I hate Delaware but they brought in a big time HC from a power conference team. We need someone who can recruit and coach 2 stars players to 4 star level. If Drexel loses their first game of the tourney I think its time to kick the coaching tree. I think we have the talent but not giving minutes to kirk lee leave was a mistake.
02-29-2020 11:43 PM
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hiroshimacarp Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
https://drexel.edu/alumni/involved/bog/n...ent=button

let's all submit a letter and try to get on the alumni board of governors. i didn't know this existed until i got an email about it.
03-04-2020 06:56 PM
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dan10 Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
(02-29-2020 11:43 PM)Dragon For Life Wrote:  I hate Delaware but they brought in a big time HC from a power conference team.

I think this is worded poorly. They brought in an assistant from a power conference. He was not a big time HC. We would not be able to pull in a HC from a power conference because of money or job desire. We could get a retread that fell hard or had controversy, but definitely not a sitting HC from a power conference. Like all assistants, there is a gamble. Ask UNCW how the assistant worked. Ask JMU how it worked. Its all a gamble and you try to find the best fit for your school. Nothing is ever guaranteed. At a mid major level you have 3 choices.

1. Hire an assistant from a higher level school
2. Hire a head coach from a lower level school (low major, DII etc)
3. Hire from within from your own assistants (or folks that came from the Drexel tree whether as a player or through the coaching tree)

No 1 option is better than another as long as you vet the options and make an informed decision. Getting upset that Inglesby is having more success at Delaware than Spiker is having here, to me, is disingenuous. Circumstances at each school and program are not remotely the same. Also sometimes you get lucky with transfers, sometimes you flame out. There were certainly flags for Spiker when we hired him and those were discussed on the boards, however there was plenty of upside and potential too. Spiker was not a bad hire, regardless how it turns out. Drexel hiring a successful Patriot league head coach is a good get. Drexel is not a desirable job yet we pulled a head coach from the league others think we should be a part of. That shows we were a step above the Patriot league and was a good get. Just like any CAA team would be lucky to grab Bucknell's coach this go around if possible.
03-05-2020 07:56 AM
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J.B. Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
(03-04-2020 06:56 PM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  https://drexel.edu/alumni/involved/bog/n...ent=button

let's all submit a letter and try to get on the alumni board of governors. i didn't know this existed until i got an email about it.

You go apply and I'm sure we'll all be happy to second your nomination. I know a few people who were in it. I was friendly with the last President of the Board. Seems like a lot of work to me and a lot of schmoozing. Two thing I hate doing.
03-05-2020 08:05 AM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
(03-05-2020 07:56 AM)dan10 Wrote:  I think this is worded poorly. They brought in an assistant from a power conference. He was not a big time HC. We would not be able to pull in a HC from a power conference because of money or job desire. We could get a retread that fell hard or had controversy, but definitely not a sitting HC from a power conference. Like all assistants, there is a gamble. Ask UNCW how the assistant worked. Ask JMU how it worked.

There's certainly a lot of risk and variance when you hire an assistant. But keep in mind the circumstances of JMU and UNCW's most recent hires. McGrath was not our top choice and never the top assistant for Roy Williams at UNC. He had no mid-major experience and no HC experience. Lou Rowe had even less experience, but was brought in because he was an alum.

Our prior hire, Keatts, was a MUCH safer "assistant". He'd been a HC at Hargrave Military, which has produced several NBA players over the years. He was the top assistant for a national champion, and was named the assistant that was the "most feared recruiter in the nation" by ESPN a couple years before we hired him. McGrath wasn't in the same universe as Keatts as a candidate.

Inglesby was much closer to the Keatts category than the McGrath/Rowe category when he was hired. Though he didn't have HC experience and only minimal mid-major experience (2002-03 - Wagner), he had vaulted to the top assistant spot and put in a lot of years of work at a successful program, like Keatts had. Inglesby and Keatts were essentially being groomed to become a HC somewhere else.

And as we've seen, there's risk in hiring a prior HC too. I liked the Spiker hire when you guys made it. He'd had some success at Army, and as history has proven, if you can win at Army you can win anywhere. But it didn't work out, and that's disappointing.
(This post was last modified: 03-05-2020 09:07 AM by Seahawk Nation 08.)
03-05-2020 09:06 AM
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J.B. Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
Based on some of the posts from the other thread, it appears that there seems to be a consensus among us that he will be back next year, but year is a make or break year for Spiker with the entire team coming back. I don't think anyone is expecting a championship, but I do think that a top 4 finish or at least a top 6 finish with a strong overall record would be required. He would also need to bring in a strong recruiting class that can get the team to the next level after Walton and Butler, and then Wynter graduate. Let's face it, his competition is bringing in more talented players.

My concern is that the AD might go in the "give the guy enough rope" approach similar to what Colgate has done with Matt Langel. Langel got Colgate into the NCAA Tournament by his 8th season, but a rocky road along the way. He may try to give the Spiker as much time as he needs to build a program, like Colgate did. But he still has to show significant progress IMO.
03-08-2020 04:21 PM
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dan10 Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
Spiker has earned next year, but that is it. Next year with most or all back, there are no excuses. Why wont we be expecting a championship? Riller is gone. Buie gone. Pemberton gone. Coburn gone. Roland gone. Brace gone. Knight gone. Van Vliet gone. Sheffield gone. Fobbs gone. So what excuses will we have? Only team that is bringing everyone back of substance is Delaware. Expectations should be extremely high next season as it stands now. Anything less than a top 2 finish and a finals appearance should be enough to say he won't get it done at Drexel. My opinion.
03-08-2020 08:10 PM
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J.B. Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
I guess improvement will be the real key. Can he take the same group of players (all whom he pretty much recruited) make the leap from 8th place to 2nd place in just one season? Or does this group just not have the talent to leap that high?
03-09-2020 06:56 AM
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dan10 Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
They have the talent. I think that is obvious. Not sure they have the right schemes or coaching though. It may be a big jump by the numbers, but as I stated, is it really that big of a jump when all of those teams above us are stepping back?
03-09-2020 07:06 AM
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hiroshimacarp Offline
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RE: Spiker's Future at Drexel
Do we really have the talent? I admit yesterday was the first game i’ve watched in a while. Tournament game against #1 seed not the fairest just of our team but nobody stood out. Wynter had some terrible turnovers. Walton and butler looked decent but I don’t see them as game changers.

Either way it falls on spiker since he recruited them.
03-09-2020 04:25 PM
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