Drexel has hit its stride on the court at the right time. Point guard Jason ‘Deuce’ Drake is a big reason.

When Drexel tipped off its season on Nov. 4, there were more questions than answers across its 2024-25 men’s basketball roster.

For starters, the team’s entire guard rotation from the 2023-24 season left via the transfer portal. It forced head coach Zach Spiker and his staff to search far and wide for hidden gems that other programs had not yet scooped up.

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This search led Spiker and his staff to Butler Community College in Dorado, Kan. There, they discovered Jason “Deuce” Drake, the player whose recent performances have quietly helped Drexel become a top contender in the upcoming Coastal Athletic Association Tournament.

The Dragons have won four of their last five games, earning the No. 8 seed and a bye to the second round against No. 9 Elon in Washington on Saturday (noon, CBS Sports Network).

Drake’s journey to Drexel was not a linear one. The Oak Park, Mich., native initially committed to Cleveland State out of high school, and he spent one year there before heading to Butler’s Juco program in the transfer portal.

Spending a year in “the trenches” of the Juco level ended up being what Drake called “one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

“Coming out of high school, I was getting a lot of attention from everybody,” said Drake. “The Juco route humbled me and showed I had a lot of work to do. [Juco]‘s the bottom, so you got to find a way up, and that helped me just keep my eyes on the prize and just keep grinding every day even though you don’t know the result.”

Drake fought through a back injury while at Butler. It suppressed some of his performances —and subsequent interest — from top Division I schools, but Drexel liked what it saw. In a “last-minute recruiting process,” Spiker got the point guard to Philadelphia for an official visit.

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Drake called Drexel’s interest a testimony to keeping faith, something that even showed itself in the serendipitous timing of a text.

“I was in church that day, and Coach Spiker was texting me while I was in church saying he wanted to get on a call,” said Drake. “I was praying about it probably just about every day; and when he called, he told me to come out and visit. The rest is history.”

Drake was the de facto starting point guard when the season began as the other Juco point guard that Spiker brought to the program in the offseason, Kevon Vanderhorst, broke his wrist before the season began.

Drake was inconsistent early on, but lately the point guard has blossomed into a reliable source of offense who lets the game come to him.

Drake’s development has come not a moment too soon for the Dragons, and his recent form is a major reason Drexel fought its way from the basement of the conference up to the No. 8 seed over the last month.

Since Jan. 30, Drake is averaging nearly 14 points and four assists on 46% shooting from the floor and 38% from beyond the arc. Before that, Drake was averaging nine points and two assists per game on 41% shooting and 31% on three-point attempts.

As a player, Drake is undersize and not particularly explosive, but what he lacks in physicality he makes up for in craftiness and grit. He credits his in-practice competition against fellow point guards Josh Reed and Vanderhorst with forcing him to get better, as well as the development-minded focus of Drexel’s staff.

“I feel like this is one of the best coaching staffs I’ve ever played for,” said Drake. “They try to get the most out of everyone, that’s a big thing here. They develop you on and off the court.

“The coaching staff gives me a lot of confidence every night just telling me what I’m capable of doing and just getting me more consistent. I feel like I can do anything on the basketball court [when I’m consistent].”

In the CAA preseason coaches poll, Drexel was picked to finish 11th in the conference. While Drexel hovered around that mark at some points this season, the Dragons have credible claims to win over the top four seeds in the CAA.

Drexel beat No. 4 William and Mary and No. 3 College of Charleston by a combined 29 points. Drexel lost to No. 2 UNC Wilmington in shocking fashion in double overtime and lost to No. 1 Towson in overtime at home by blowing a six-point lead in less than a minute.

Frustrating results? Yes. But these final scores indicate a team capable of pulling off a few upsets in March, according to Drake.

“You can’t tell me that we’re not capable of beating anybody,” he said. “I feel like the losses have prepared us and we’re getting closer to showing what we’re capable of, that we can actually do something in the tournament and make a big run and shock everyone.”

It would be a shock if Drexel were to make a run through the CAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed. For those who think they can do it, though, Deuce Drake is near the top of the list of reasons.

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