Spring Break
Ribs, Memphis impressive
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 1/9/09 Section: Sports
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But aside from the shellacking, there were some interesting sidebars worthy of mention.
Bruiser Flint, wearing a track suit instead of his usual coaching attire, was forced to watch the game from Memphis Head Coach John Calipari's suite due to the fact that he was serving a mandatory, CAA-imposed one-game suspension after being ejected from the Dragons' previous game against Bucknell.
Flint, a disciple of Calipari's serving under him for seven seasons at UMass, was probably relieved that he did not have to face his mentor, even if it was for the first time.
Unfortunately, Drexel Associate Head Coach Mike Connors, who also was a member of the Calipari coaching tree while an assistant with the Minutemen, was thrust into emergency head coaching duty - not exactly an easy task.
"Well, it was exciting to play in this type of environment against a team like Memphis that is just outstanding, with a great coach [Calipari]," Connors said of his experience. "It was just a great environment. I'm disappointed in some of our performances, but as far as coming in here to Memphis, it was a great experience."
Flint took over at UMass in 1996 after Calipari left to coach the New Jersey Nets. He arrived at Drexel five years later, after compiling a 86-72 mark with the Minutemen, in 2001 - the same year Calipari arrived in Memphis.
$90,000 richer?
While the loss may have been a major blemish on Drexel's record, it certainly did not hurt its pocket.
According to Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News, one of the most acclaimed college basketball writers in the country, the Dragons received $90,000 for making the road trip and playing the Tigers two days before Christmas.
Talk about a nice gift waiting under the tree.
Hawthorne hitting his stride?
To say Tramayne Hawthorne had been struggling would have been any understatement. The senior sharpshooter had been shooting an abysmal 23.2 percent from the field (13-56) and 19 percent from 3-point range (8-42) in his previous six games. However, against the Tigers, Hawthorne poured in a career-high 26 points, making 10 of his 21 attempts from the field and six of his 11 attempts from behind the 3-point arc.
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