Penn, Drexel seek hoops bragging rights

Despite being situated just blocks apart, tonight's game will be the first meeting of the two schools since 1988. At last, The Battle For 33rd Street. It's hard to believe, but University City neighbors Penn and Drexel have met on the hardwood just eight times in their respective histories. The ninth meeting, and the first since 1988, takes place at 7 p.m. tonight in the Palestra. It's difficult to explain why the Quakers and Dragons haven't gotten together more often. Even the game in 1988 wasn't really planned -- Drexel (8-6) beat Penn (5-4) in the second round of the Josten's Classic tournament. Their last game before that was in 1928. "This is only my sixth year here, and I have no idea why they haven't played in the past," Dragons coach Bill Herrion said. "But I've become very friendly with Coach Dunphy. I think our relationship is, hopefully, the reason why this is [happening]." Drexel's emergence in recent years as the sixth major program in the city no doubt also helped. The Dragons are a stronger and more worthwhile opponent, and their schedule this year also includes La Salle and St. Joseph's. "I think Philadelphia college basketball has changed to the point where now Drexel has been given its proper respect," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. Much of the credit for that goes to Herrion. Under his reign, the Dragons have enjoyed their greatest success. And strangely enough, it has been remarkably similar to the Quakers' under Dunphy. Drexel has won four North Atlantic Conference [now America East] regular-season titles in a row and has made three straight trips to the NCAA tournament. The Dragons were the closest thing to a Cinderella team in last year's tourney, upsetting Memphis and giving Final Four-bound Syracuse a scare before losing. This year's Drexel squad might not be as strong as other recent teams, simply because former center Malik Rose is now playing forward for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. The Dragons lost two conference games on the road last weekend, at Northeastern and Boston, but Dunphy believes the Quakers will have their hands full tonight. "I still think they're an outstanding basketball team," said Dunphy, whose own team will try to extend its modest two-game winning streak. "I didn't think we played particularly well against Yale or Brown either, so it's just one of those things that happens on the road in the league." Leading Drexel this year are a pair of 6-foot-2 shooters, senior Jeff Myers (17.0 points per game) and sophomore Mike DeRocckis (12.4 ppg). But the Dragons are not just a two-man team. "I like Linderman a whole lot, and I like (Chuck) Guittar very much," Dunphy said. "So, I think they've got a nice, solid team. I think they're pretty balanced." Indeed, freshman center Joe Linderman (12.5 ppg) and senior forward Guittar (11.9 ppg) have demonstrated the ability to score. With four players averaging double figures in scoring, Drexel has demonstrated nice balance on offense. The team's biggest problem, according to Herrion, is finding a leader in tight games. The two losses over the weekend were by a combined seven points, and two other setbacks were by four and five points. "We lost by three Friday, we lost in overtime Sunday," Herrion said. "I think when you get in those kind of games, you need people to step up and make some plays. We're struggling right now trying to find somebody to kind of step into that leadership role." Herrion hopes that will change tonight. He expects his players to be fired up, and says this is a big game for all of Drexel University, not just its basketball team. "I think it's a game that's really probably way more important for Drexel than it is for Penn," Herrion said. "We're in a situation, being in this city and not being in that Big 5, where we need games like this. We need to build some tradition and some pride. So it's a big game for Drexel from that standpoint." Even though the two teams are not traditional rivals and the game is not a Big 5 matchup, both coaches foresee the same kind of intensity tonight. "You get into these city games, and you throw the records out the windows," Herrion said. "I'm expecting it to be a war." "I think they'll be fired up and ready to go," said Dunphy. " We should be. If we're not... we'll issue a saliva test before the game." Herrion hopes the Penn and Drexel continue to meet every year. Dunphy said there have been discussions between the two schools about hosting doubleheaders at the Palestra. If their relationship continues to develop, a real rivalry might be born. As Herrion said, "It's a natural."

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