Drexel guard Keishana Washington was named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Preseason Player of the Year.
She was the 2020-21 CAA Tournament MVP, was on the 2021-22 CAA First Team, and was last year’s CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Now she’s back for the fifth and final season.
Her stats are impressive. The team, which has won the CAA Championship for the second year in a row, looks to Washington to help guide them through an upcoming season filled with aspirations for repeat NCAA Tournament appearances.
As Drexel gears up for their home opener against Ryder University on November 10, Dragons head coach Amy Maron discusses how Washington inspires his teammates on and off the court. I gave my opinion.
“Keishana represents the type of success we’ve achieved,” Mallon said. “She’s a very talented player, and it’s consistent with her work ethic. To the point where she didn’t always have the courage to hit the big shots, now she wants to get the ball in those big moments.” I’ve seen it grow.”
Alongside inspiration, Washington’s leadership has led not only to her growth, but to the success of Drexel’s program.
“She will carry the team on her shoulders and really carry them when we need her,” Maron added. “It’s been a pleasure watching her grow. Five years. The next step is the leadership aspect. [is she] We’ve been doing these things and now we believe her teammates can do it too. “
Washington will say she feels the same way about her own leadership qualities and her ability to take the team to the next level.
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“I am personally proud of myself,” she said. He’s doing a perfect 360 in the way he leads and keeps him motivated.”
“Our team is new, we have a lot of rookies and a lot of people who are inexperienced. We know that we can lead to a championship-contending team.”
The Dragons were voted #1 in CAA preseason polls. What does that mean for Washington and her team?
“Everybody knows it’s an honor for other CAA coaches to pick us as number one,” Washington said. Being number one puts a lot of pressure on you and you have to play by that standard. We’re in the top 3 since I’ve been here. We know what it takes to stay on top. So is this team. “
She doesn’t even discuss it, but now in fifth grade and senior year, Washington has a legitimate chance to play basketball beyond college. Mallon thinks Washington has what it takes to take it further.
“For players who work as hard and are as passionate about the game as I am, the question is always ‘What’s the next step? Maron said. “She will have the opportunity to play beyond Drexel, whether in the WNBA or abroad, if she wants to. She believes she has a chance. is.”
Each year Maron creates a theme to motivate the team. With the added challenge of becoming the team everyone at CAA wants to beat, this year’s theme focuses on getting better every day.
“Eat, sleep, make, repeat. That’s our theme this year,” Mallon said. “We have a foundation established by so many former players in our culture and now we need to build on that. Keishana is that point person, also in his fifth year. I’m with Maura Hendrixson who’s a repeater, they both lead the team and I always tell the players who’s next to them and how they’re doing and what they can do to make them better. He says that if we were more concerned about what we could do, we would be quite successful.
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