Philly traditions return with M. Hoops

No matter which way you look at it, the Drexel men's basketball team is young.

Only one of nine returners saw playing time last season, the starting line-up is full of freshmen and sophomores and the only senior is back from a year hiatus.

Even the coach is a rookie.

But that coach, James "Bruiser" Flint, is no stranger to the Palestra.

Flint may be in his first year as Drexel's head coach, but he's spent plenty of time in West Philadelphia.

He grew up on 58th and Baltimore and then moved across town to attend college and play ball for St. Joseph's.

After graduating, Flint began his coaching career at Coppin State University in South Carolina. Two seasons later, he joined the coaching staff at the University of Massachusetts, where he served as an assistant coach until John Calipari's resignation. For the past five seasons, he's been the Minutemen's head coach.

But when the Drexel job opened up, Flint knew it was time to come home.

Tonight he's hoping to make his Palestra coaching debut a successful one. The Quakers (3-1 overall) host the Dragons (1-3) at 7 p.m.

"The biggest thrill about coming back to Philly is getting to coach in the Palestra," Flint said. "I've spent a lot of time in that building as a player for St. Joe's and as a kid watching Big 5 double-headers."

The Dragons were 15-12 last season, including a five point win over the Quakers in January. But this year is an entirely different story.

Drexel lost its three top players to graduation, each one of them All-League picks last year. At this point, Flint is preoccupied with putting a solid team out on the floor that will be competitive.

"We're young," Flint said. "And Penn's going to be tough. We're working on ourselves and trying to get out guys to realize we need to get better as a team. This is a chance for us to improve as a team and individually."

Flint's strategy is to contest Penn's shooters right away and refuse to let the Quakers get any second chances. Not a bad strategy, considering Penn is shooting 44.3 percent from three-point range.

But the Red and Blue are ready. After all, it is their first home game of the season, and the Quakers have beaten three teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year.

"I think we've realized how much fun basketball can be when you win," Penn senior guard Dan Solomito said. "It took a while last year -- eight games -- to finally get that first 'W' and there's nothing fun about that... I think this year we have the personalities and the abilities and the discipline as a team to be able to come out and win the next game against Drexel."

Penn head coach Fran Dunphy is trying to keep his team grounded. The Quakers are off to a promising start, but it's still early in the season.

"Drexel's got athletes," Dunphy said. "They're probably undersized, but they've got athletes and they're very active."

At tipoff tonight, there will be more than just a basketball game at stake. The Quakers are seeking redemption for last season, Bruiser Flint is hoping for a successful homecoming and Philadelphia bragging rights are on the line.

"They're in the city," Penn sophomore Jeff Schiffner said. "I consider them to be a big rival to us. I think it'll be a great atmosphere."

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