Angela Lento's Mid-Major Notebook: Drexel's Frantz Massenat for CAA Player of the Year

MID-MAJOR NOTEBOOK

February 29, 2012

The preseason pick to win the Colonial Athletic Association is the top seed in the CAA tourney. So is this truly The Year of the Dragon? There is no question that the 2011-12 squad is the best that Bruiser Flint has had at Drexel. His teams have always been tough, physical defensive teams. That’s the case again this season. In fact I think they are the best defensive team at the mid-major level (one spot ahead of Wichita State), but now they also have some O to compliment the D.

Chris Fouch returning to the starting lineup (because of the suspension of Derrick Thomas) weakened the bench a little but benches get a lot shorter in March anyway. Damian Lee is one of the top freshmen in the country not playing for Flint’s mentor at Kentucky. He will win the CAA Player of the Year before his career is over. And Frantz Massenat should win the CAA Player of the Year this season. His play at the point has keyed Drexel’s offensive surge. He’s only a sophomore, but he can play. Repeat after me… Mid-Major All-American!

I am interested to see how Will Brown’s Albany team performs this weekend at the America East Tournament. The Danes enter the tournament with 18 wins, which is really impressive considering all of the injury woes. Albany beat Rider, in Bracketbusters, with just 7 healthy players. Gerardo Suero was one of those who didn’t play that weekend. He returned for the season finale with an average 15-point effort. Not exactly the same player he was just a few weeks ago when he was named a finalist for the Lou Henson award. If he plays like the kid who scored 31 against Syracuse, Brown’s team could surprise some people.

Eddie Payne’s USC Upstate squad has been one of the best stories in college basketball this season. In their first year of postseason eligibility, the Spartans have racked up 20 wins. With Belmont leaving the league Payne’s bunch has a chance to be the class of the league. Torrey Craig is a big time talent and he’s only a sophomore. And Ty Greene was named A-Sun freshman of the Year. Eddie Payne should be a candidate for Mid-Major Coach of the Year. If it happens, a Mercer-USC Upstate matchup in the semis would be fun to watch.

It’s likely that Montana and Weber State will meet again in the Big Sky tournament championship game, but don’t be stunned if Portland State is able to throw a wrench in that plan. The Vikings have a tough opening round game with Montana State. If they win they will face Weber State in the semis at Montana. Big advantage not having to face Weber in Ogden, Utah. Vikings head coach Tyler Geving has quietly done a really nice job. Chehales Tapscott leads the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (9.2), blocked shots (1.4) and double-doubles (11). Nate Lozeau leads the league in field goal percentage (.583) and Charles Odum ranks second in scoring (19.1).

The movie “I am Legend” is still playing in Philadelphia, on the campus of Penn. Zach Rosen continues to amaze. His heroics last weekend have the Quakers in position to force a one-game playoff with Harvard. It won’t be easy with games against Yale and Princeton, but nobody knows difficult better than Rosen. As a freshman he looked like a kid that would be a pretty good player for the Quakers. Being anything more than just a good player wouldn’t be easy. Four years later he is a Mid-Major Player of the Year candidate and one of the best players to ever play at Penn.

Looking forward to the MAACachusetts this weekend. The MAAC tournament is headed to Springfield MA for the first time. Iona has the look of a team on a mission, but Loyola and Manhattan are more than capable of sending the Gaels into the NIT. Two of the biggest questions this weekend are how healthy is Fairfield point guard Derek Needham (foot) and how many people will Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos want to fight? Jimmy is one of my favorite coaches. He is one of a kind. But take away all the theatrical stuff and you have a really good coach! Remember he took over a program that was 1-26 and going absolutely nowhere fast. If you have a list of finalists for mid-major coach of the year honors, Jimmy Patsos should be on it.

Has anybody paid attention to what is happening in Savannah, GA. Horace Broadnax’s Savannah State Tigers were picked to finish near the bottom of the MEAC. That’s understandable considering that Savannah entered the season eligible for the MEAC Tournament for the first time. A 15 or 16 win season would warrant high praise. The Tigers head into the final regular season game with 20 wins. A victory at Maryland-Eastern Shore on Thursday evening will give Broadnax and company the outright regular season crown in the MEAC. Considering that Broadnax works with a budget of just over $500,000 it’s remarkable! .

Angela Lento is a co-founder of collegeinsider.com. EMAIL ANGELA