Drexel Men’s Basketball 2026-27 Season Preview: New Look Lineup for the Dragons

Drexel Men’s Basketball had to turn over their roster after losing four of their starters last season to graduation or the transfer portal, the unfortunate fate of many mid and low-major programs in the NIL era. Making matters worse for the Dragons, expected contributors like 7-foot-1 forward Martin de LaPorterie and 6-foot-4 guard Moses Hipps, a former three-star recruit, were listed as out indefinitely due to injury as Drexel’s preseason schedule began.

During their first two preseason games, the Dragons opted for a starting lineup of junior guard Josh Reed, 6-foot-9 forward Clem Edomwonyin, 6-foot-7 Dillon Tingler, and European standouts Adrian Petkovic and Panagiotis Pagonis.

Reed, an Archbishop Wood graduate, averaged 7.9 points over 18.8 minutes off the bench for Drexel last season; Edomwonyin missed all of last season with an injury. Tingler, another returning Dragon who averaged 10 minutes per game last year, is lanky for his frame at just 175 pounds, while  Pagonis stands 6-foot-9, weighs 220 pounds and averaged 17.1 minutes per game at Division I – New Orleans last season.

Petkovic, at 6-foot-2, played two years in the third flight of German basketball but so far has made a strong impression on this side of the pond. The return of de Laporterie and Hipps — whenever they might be — could change the starting lineup, and Drexel’s final preseason game against Penn State on Oct. 26 will indicate if head coach Zach Spiker has any other alterations planned.

Reserves to Watch

Others who saw major playing time in the Dragons’ preseason include 6-foot-11, 230 pound freshman forward David Simonivic, who put up 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in the top flight of the French pros last season; LaDricus Pittman, a senior transfer from D-II Lemoyne-Owen, and graduate guard Amaree Abram, who played 10.5 minutes off the bench last season at Tennessee.

Drexel’s freshman class includes Philadelphia product Latief Lorenzano-White, a 6-4 wing from Imhotep Charter; 6-foot-6 wing BJ Brown Jr., and 6-foot-5 wing Rickey Paulding III, the son of a former pro.

Brown and Lorenzano-White both saw plenty of action in the preseason, while former walk-on Max Davis and 7-foot-1 junior forward Ralph Acuta (five minutes per game last season) should see some minutes too, especially as the Dragons wait for de LaPorterie and Hipps to recover.

With a new-look lineup, expect Drexel to struggle early in the season. They lost their first two preseason games — an imperfect metric, to be sure — by an average of 27 points and, despite playing competitive basketball in the CAA under Spiker, all that roster turnover will come with growing pains.