The Triangle

Issue date: 3/4/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Colleen Keihm

As the old riddle goes, "If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody around, does it really make a sound?" Well of course it makes a sound!

Or does it?

That riddle applied to sports would go something like this- "If you win 17 games, are in 3rd place in the conference, have a Coach of the Year candidate and at least two All-CAA players, and there is nobody around to see or hear it, did it really happen?"

It certainly did and that riddle refers to the Drexel Women's Basketball team who are well on their way to their best season since joining the CAA. Coach Denise Dillon, a Villanova graduate, has coached the Dragons to a 17-10 record overall and a 11-5 conference record putting them in the 3rd place position in the conference behind national powerhouse Old Dominion and co-surprise team of the year- Delaware.

Dillon, in her second season as head coach, minus the "interim" tag, has taken a very young Dragon's team beyond anyone's expectations, even her own. At the beginning of the season, the CAA media picked them to finish ninth in the conference and yours truly picked them to finish fifth.

The prediction that her team would finish close to the bottom of the standings baffled her and provided motivation for her and her team. "It definitely does provide motivation. That was something we showed them [the players] from the very beginning, we put it in the locker room. We highlighted the 'ninth place,'" said Dillon.

She went on to say, "I actually agreed with you. I thought we might have fallen in the middle of the pack- returning Katrina Martin and Catherine Scanlon- two key players. I was kind of surprised that we were picked ninth."

Dillon's Dragons have stayed afloat despite their youth, having only one senior, and injuries, three of which were fairly significant. As for that stud senior, Katrina Martin has eclipsed the 1,500-point mark for her career and has a hold of sole possession of second place on Drexel's all-time scoring list ahead of Barbara Yost.

"She has grown and matured so much as a player and as person during her time here at Drexel," said Dillon. Coach Dillon often joked with Martin at the beginning of the season, noticing the youth and inexperience, saying that "you may only win four games your senior year."

Martin would say, "No, no, we are going to have more wins than losses this year."

"And as the year went on, at every practice, I would look at her and just laugh. So I think she has really enjoyed this year and has stepped it up to another level, playing as a 5'9" post-player. She knows this is it and she is giving everything she has," said Dillon.

Aside from the youth and inexperience, the Dragons have also been plagued with injuries since the preseason.

First, it was Jessica Copesky, and then it was Jackie Falson and Nicole Hester.

Copesky had been recovering from a back injury she sustained two years ago. "When the season started it was looking like Jess was going to be part of the team and we talked about giving her a shot and see how she felt physically and she made the decision into the first week of practice so it wasn't something we were depending on. It really would've been an added bonus. It would've helped with rotation and added more depth. Narissa Suber is a freshman playing 35 minutes a game, so it maybe would've given her a breather here or there," said Dillon.

As for Falson and Hester, their injuries actually opened the door and allowed for other players to step in and gain valuable experience that will only help the Dragons down the stretch and into the next couple of years. Dillon explained, "It gave Kira Karlstrom the confidence she needed. She learned in practice by working against Jackie every day and it helped her. We really didn't miss a beat. The players continued to step up when we need them and Candice Williams had come up big in some games. And they have been consistent, across the board, everyone has been pretty consistent and that's what we need."

Consistency and a lot of heart will lead to what could be considered one the most successful seasons for the Dragons in recent years.

At the moment, they will enter the CAA tournament as the third seed just ahead of James Madison who is 1.5 games behind the Dragons. So if the season were to end today, they would face the Hofstra Pride in the quarterfinals, whom they split the season series with.

But before it is all said and done, they will host Old Dominion on March 6 in what will be the primer for the Women's CAA tournament. The Lady Monarchs currently have a seven-game winning streak against the Dragons. So an expert would say there is no reason to think that streak would come to a halt. But then again, those are the same experts that picked the Dragons to finish ninth.

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