Coming off its first NCAA Tournament since 2009 and just second all-time, Drexel reloads for the 2021-22 season with veteran savvy and talent to spare. 

The goal for the Dragons coming into November after a memorable March is to carry the “intensity” from the stretch run of last season, as Drexel coach Amy Mallon called it, for the duration of the new campaign. 

“This group came in knowing we have a lot more to prove,” Mallon said. “Last year, although we finished really strong, throughout the regular season and non-conference we felt like we didn’t do the things we’re capable of doing. 

“So, we’re really apt to prove that we can play teams early on and beat them playing team basketball,” she added. 

With six seniors and grad students on the roster, Drexel embarks on the season with an experienced crew. 

Two of the Dragons upperclassmen, Hanna Nihill and Keishanna Washington, form one of the top backcourts in the Colonial Athletic Association. Washington averaged better than 14 points per game last season, and won the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award after pouring in 65 points in wins over James Madison and Delaware. 

🎥 𝘒𝘌𝘐𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘈 𝘞𝘈𝘚𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘛𝘖𝘕 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Lg9bsWhm2M

— Drexel Women's Basketball (@DrexelWBB) March 18, 2021

Nihill returns after averaging 16.3 points per game and shooting almost 37 percent from 3-point range. The NCAA extending player eligibility due to the pandemic presented her with the opportunity to play one more year and lead the drive for a second bid to the Big Dance. 

“With COVID and everything last year, not having fans, I just wanted to finish out my career with a normal season,” Nihill said. “My coaches and my teammates, being able to play with them again for another year and just see if we can match last year is what went into my decision to stay.” 

The perimeter pair of Nihill and Washington and their nearly 31 points per game set the tone, but Drexel returns plenty more from its Tournament team—like Mariah Leonard, last year’s leading rebounder at 6.5 per game. 

The Dragons made their postseason run without Maura Hendrixson, who sustained a torn ACL late in the campaign. She did not play in Drexel’s final scrimmage, but her eventual return adds a consistent 3-point shooter to help spread out defenses and the most proficient assist distributor on the roster. 

Championship experience on the 2021-22 Drexel rotation isn’t even limited to returners from last season’s NCAA Tournament team. Graduate transfer Tessa Brugler was a member of Bucknell’s 2019 Tournament squad, and earned All-Patriot League honors in both 2020 and 2021. 

The 6-foot-1 Brugler adds an interior scoring presence and should bolster Drexel’s efforts on the glass. She averaged 10 rebounds per game a season ago, and was a dominant rim protector for the Bucknell defense. 

In terms of reestablishing the dynamics that made Drexel successful in March, and bringing into the early portion of the schedule, the Dragons will test it right from the jump. They open the season with a fellow 2021 NCAA Tournament team in Marist, one of the most consistent mid-major conference programs of the 21st Century. 

The first month of the season also includes a matchup against Nebraska in San Diego over the Thanksgiving weekend.