Men's Basketball
Spiker, Zach
Zach Spiker
- Title:
- Head Men's Basketball Coach
- Email:
- zjs36@drexel.edu
Zach Spiker is now in his 10th season as the head coach of the Drexel Men’s Basketball program. Spiker and his staff have led the Dragons to five straight winning seasons for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Last season the Dragons were 18-15 overall and narrowly missed defeating the top seed in the Coastal Athletic Association quarterfinals. Spiker has continued to rebuild the roster and keep Drexel as a major player in the Coastal Athletic Association despite the changing environment in college athletics.
Spiker was named the 26th head coach in Drexel history on March 25, 2016 and just the sixth since the school became a Division I member. Spiker, the 2023-24 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year, has had 14 All-Colonial Athletic Association selections and two CAA All-Rookie Team selections since taking over at the school. He has also recruited a CAA Rookie of the Year (Camren Wynter) as well as a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year (Amari Williams). Two of his recruits have been named to the CAA All-Rookie Team.
Drexel had one of its best seasons under Spiker in 2023-24. The Dragons won 20 games for the first time in more than a decade and for only the 11th time in school history. Spiker's squad earned a two-seed in the CAA Championships after a 13-5 regular season record in conference play after winning seven straight games to start conference play. It was their best start since joining the CAA. Spiker's team played well in the Daskalakis Athletic Center, closing the year with a 13-game home winning streak, the longest home winning streak since 2012. The Dragons were also undefeated at home in CAA games (9-0). With the 12 league wins, Drexel recorded its third straight 10-win season in the CAA, something that hadn't happened at Drexel in more than a decade. Prior to the 2023-24 season, the Dragons became part of the fabled Philadelphia Big 5. After suffering narrow losses in their first two Big 5 games, the Dragons defeated No. 18 Villanova in front of a crowd of 15,215 at the Wells Fargo Center. It was Drexel's first win against a top 25 team since 2010 and only the fifth win against a nationally-ranked team in Drexel's Division I history. It was also only the second time in school history the Dragons defeated their rivals from the Main Line. In addition, Drexel’s Amari Williams became the first player in CAA history to win the CAA Defensive Player of the Year in three straight seasons. He also led the league in blocks for the third straight year.
In 2022-23, Drexel finished 17-15 overall and advanced to the CAA quarterfinals. The Dragons went 10-8 in CAA play, including a come from behind win against Charleston, a team receiving votes nationally, at the DAC for the second consecutive year. Williams picked up his second straight CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2020-21 season was an unforgettable year. Games were canceled on numerous occasions by the pandemic, but the Dragons stayed discipline the entire year. The Dragons played just five home games due to other teams testing protocols, but that didn't deter them from their ultimate goal. Drexel knocked off James Madison in the final regular season game to earn the CAA's sixth-seed. The Dragons then returned to Harrisonburg for the Championships and proceeded to beat the College of Charleston, Northeastern and Elon on consecutive nights to win their first-ever CAA title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Spiker returned the Dragons to the tournament for the first time in 25 years. Spiker's team shot a blistering 58 percent from long-range during the CAA tournament as the Dragons advanced to the Indianapolis Bubble for their first appearance in March Madness since 1996. Camren Wynter was named the CAA's Most Outstanding Player, while Zach Walton and James Butler were named to the All-Tournament team. The Dragons had their magical run end at the hands of Illinois in the NCAA Tournament.
The Dragons followed that season up with a 15-14 mark during the 2021-22 campaign. Spiker's squad finished the year with a 10-8 record in the CAA, the most conference wins by a Drexel team in 10 years. The Dragons were 5-4 in league road games. Spiker's team became just the second Drexel men's basketball team to finish above .500 in back-to-back seasons in the last 17 years. Wynter was a First Team All-CAA pick, while Williams was named the CAA's Defensive Player of the Year and a Third Team selection. Matey Juric became just the second Drexel men's basketball player to earn the CAA's prestigious Dean Ehlers Award.
During the 2019-20 season, the Dragons picked up their first in-season tournament victory in 17 years by winning the Boardwalk Battle in Atlantic City, N.J. The Dragons defeated Quinnipiac and Norfolk State at Boardwalk Hall. Those were two of Drexel’s seven non-conference wins, the most for the school in six years. In addition, Drexel won 10 games at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, marking the first time the team won 10 or more games at the DAC since the 2011-12 team won 15. Off the court, the Dragons compiled a 3.25 grade-point average during the winter quarter.
Spiker picked up his first victory at Drexel against Hartford in his first game at the DAC on Nov. 18, 2016. The Dragons have had some memorable wins in his time in University City. Drexel knocked off Houston, an NCAA Tournament team, at the Paradise Jam in 2017. The team made national headlines as it rallied from a 34-point deficit to defeat Delaware at the DAC on Feb. 22, 2018. That marked the biggest come-from-behind win in NCAA history.
The Dragons increased their conference win total for the second straight year and averaged 75.8 points per game in 2018-19, their highest average since joining the CAA. Drexel picked up a 79-78 win at the College of Charleston, which snapped the Cougars' 22-game home winning streak, which was the second longest in the nation at that time. Wynter won the CAA Rookie of the Year Award, joining Chris Fouch and Damion Lee as the only Drexel players to earn the award. Graduate student Trevor John set a school record by making 103 three-pointers as Drexel finished the year with 237 treys, the third-highest total in school history. Spiker's first team at Drexel made 256 three-pointers, breaking the mark set by the 1995-96 team.
Spiker and his team have been very active in the West Philadelphia community. The team organized a coat drive that has turned into an annual event. Members of the team were once again part of the Vidas Field Day, which brought 200 children from a nearby local elementary school in for a field day which included games and lunch with members of SAAC and different Drexel teams. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day over the last few years (this past year the event was postponed due to weather), the team, along with more than 300 other volunteers through Drexel, participated in a day of service. It was part of Community Clean-Up Days in West Philadelphia. Head coach Zach Spiker has been involved since he arrived on campus. He was named the 2021 Lindy Center for Civic Engagement Award winner. He was given the Staff Award for Campus and Community Engagement by the Lindy Center and became the only Drexel coach to win the award. It goes to one staff member each year that exhibits the tenets of good campus or community partnership in their efforts regardless of their university role. Spiker has been a vocal supporter and helped raise funds for the creation of the Center for Black Culture.
Spiker came to the Dragons from Army West Point, where he spent seven seasons as the head coach of the Black Knights. He led Army West Point to it most win in more than 30 years in his final season. Spiker won 102 games during his time at West Point, which is tied with Naismith Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight for second all-time at the Academy. In his final season, Spiker led the Black Knights to a 19-14 record and tied for the best overall mark in the Patriot League. They earned Army’s first postseason appearance since another Hall of Famer, Mike Krzyzewski, led them to the National Invitation Tournament in 1978. He is the only coach in Army history to win 15 or more games in four consecutive seasons, a mark the program has not achieved — even under multiple coaches — since 1920-24.
Spiker was selected as the 2016 Skip Prosser Man of the Year. He was named the 2013 Patriot League Coach of the Year award and was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, presented annually to the nation’s top mid-major coach. Spiker was one of only seven coaches in the country to receive at least one vote for the Associated Press National Coach of the Year honor that season.
The 2015-16 Black Knights squad was one of the best in recent memory at West Point. The team’s 19 wins were the most by Army since the 1977-78 season. Spiker’s team also set a school record with 11 road wins. Army led the Patriot League in three-pointers and rebounding, and was second in scoring offense, putting up 76.9 points per game. It had top-30 national rankings in rebounds per game (40.58), defensive rebounds (28.21) and three-pointers made per game (8.9), as its high-powered offense was one of the quickest in the nation with 75.4 possessions per contest. Its 294 three-pointers made set a program record, surpassing the previous high-water mark by 30. The Black Knights hosted quarterfinal and semifinal games in the Patriot League Tournament before falling to eventual champion Holy Cross.
The 2015-16 Black Knights featured some of the most successful players ever to come through the Academy, all recruited and mentored by Spiker. Kyle Wilson finished his career with 2,001 points, becoming the fourth Black Knight and sixth Patriot League player ever to reach the 2,000-point milestone. Wilson’s 100 three-pointers this year were second-most all-time in program history. Tanner Plomb finished as the 11th-leading scorer in program annals, netting 1,359 points. Kevin Ferguson, whose 205 career blocked shots are fifth in Patriot League history, concluded his career with 1,059 points. Dylan Cox netted 1,030 points in his career, making the Black Knights the first team in Patriot League history to feature four 1,000-point scorers on the same roster. Over his last four seasons, Spiker’s team had 11 All-Patriot League selections, the most in a four-year span in program history.
Spiker’s success at West Point did not happen overnight. As a rookie head coach in 2009-10, Spiker’s squad won 14 games, the most for any first-year head man with the Academy since Knight’s 18-win campaign in 1965-66. The growth continued for the Army program under Spiker’s watch, and he joined Knight and Krzyzewski as the only coaches in the program’s history to win 65 or more games in their first five seasons.
The Black Knights also excelled in the classroom during Spiker’s tenure. Nate Hedgecock, who graduated in 2011, was that year’s Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year and the first Army Academic All-America selection in 22 years.
Prior to his arrival in West Point, Spiker was one of the architects of the resurgent men’s basketball program at Cornell University. He served as an assistant under Steve Donahue with the Big Red from 2004-09 and was instrumental in helping Cornell’s recruiting efforts that culminated in three consecutive Ivy League titles from 2008-10. With those titles, Cornell became the first Ivy League institution other than Penn or Princeton to win consecutive league crowns.
Spiker joined the Cornell staff after spending the 2002-04 seasons at West Virginia University under Head Coach John Beilein. He helped the Mountaineers to an NIT bid in 2004. While in Morgantown, Spiker was responsible for managing on-campus recruiting visits, assisted with opponent scouting, postgame film breakdown and daily schedules. Spiker earned a master’s degree in sport management from West Virginia in 2004.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in communications from Ithaca College in 2000, Spiker’s first collegiate coaching opportunity came at Winthrop University, where he served as a graduate assistant under Gregg Marshall from 2000-02. Both years, the Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big South Tournament.
The Spiker File
Hometown: Morgantown, W.Va.
Date of Birth: Sept. 30, 1976
Education:
Ithaca College, B.S. in Communications, 2000
West Virginia University, M.S. in Sport Management, 2004
Coaching Experience
2016-present: Drexel Head Coach
Overall Record (nine years): 131-145
2016-17: 9-23
2017-18: 13-20
2018-19: 13-19
2019-20: 14-19
2020-21: 12-8
2021-22: 15-14
2022-23: 17-15
2023-24: 20-12
2009-2016: Army West Point, Head Coach
Record at Army (seven years): 102-112
2009-10: 14-15
2010-11: 11-19
2011-12: 12-18
2012-13: 16-15
2013-14: 15-16
2014-15: 15-15
2015-16: 19-14
2004-09: Cornell, Assistant Coach
2002-04: West Virginia, Administrative Assistant
2000-02: Winthrop, Graduate Assistant
Spiker was named the 26th head coach in Drexel history on March 25, 2016 and just the sixth since the school became a Division I member. Spiker, the 2023-24 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year, has had 14 All-Colonial Athletic Association selections and two CAA All-Rookie Team selections since taking over at the school. He has also recruited a CAA Rookie of the Year (Camren Wynter) as well as a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year (Amari Williams). Two of his recruits have been named to the CAA All-Rookie Team.
Drexel had one of its best seasons under Spiker in 2023-24. The Dragons won 20 games for the first time in more than a decade and for only the 11th time in school history. Spiker's squad earned a two-seed in the CAA Championships after a 13-5 regular season record in conference play after winning seven straight games to start conference play. It was their best start since joining the CAA. Spiker's team played well in the Daskalakis Athletic Center, closing the year with a 13-game home winning streak, the longest home winning streak since 2012. The Dragons were also undefeated at home in CAA games (9-0). With the 12 league wins, Drexel recorded its third straight 10-win season in the CAA, something that hadn't happened at Drexel in more than a decade. Prior to the 2023-24 season, the Dragons became part of the fabled Philadelphia Big 5. After suffering narrow losses in their first two Big 5 games, the Dragons defeated No. 18 Villanova in front of a crowd of 15,215 at the Wells Fargo Center. It was Drexel's first win against a top 25 team since 2010 and only the fifth win against a nationally-ranked team in Drexel's Division I history. It was also only the second time in school history the Dragons defeated their rivals from the Main Line. In addition, Drexel’s Amari Williams became the first player in CAA history to win the CAA Defensive Player of the Year in three straight seasons. He also led the league in blocks for the third straight year.
In 2022-23, Drexel finished 17-15 overall and advanced to the CAA quarterfinals. The Dragons went 10-8 in CAA play, including a come from behind win against Charleston, a team receiving votes nationally, at the DAC for the second consecutive year. Williams picked up his second straight CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2020-21 season was an unforgettable year. Games were canceled on numerous occasions by the pandemic, but the Dragons stayed discipline the entire year. The Dragons played just five home games due to other teams testing protocols, but that didn't deter them from their ultimate goal. Drexel knocked off James Madison in the final regular season game to earn the CAA's sixth-seed. The Dragons then returned to Harrisonburg for the Championships and proceeded to beat the College of Charleston, Northeastern and Elon on consecutive nights to win their first-ever CAA title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Spiker returned the Dragons to the tournament for the first time in 25 years. Spiker's team shot a blistering 58 percent from long-range during the CAA tournament as the Dragons advanced to the Indianapolis Bubble for their first appearance in March Madness since 1996. Camren Wynter was named the CAA's Most Outstanding Player, while Zach Walton and James Butler were named to the All-Tournament team. The Dragons had their magical run end at the hands of Illinois in the NCAA Tournament.
The Dragons followed that season up with a 15-14 mark during the 2021-22 campaign. Spiker's squad finished the year with a 10-8 record in the CAA, the most conference wins by a Drexel team in 10 years. The Dragons were 5-4 in league road games. Spiker's team became just the second Drexel men's basketball team to finish above .500 in back-to-back seasons in the last 17 years. Wynter was a First Team All-CAA pick, while Williams was named the CAA's Defensive Player of the Year and a Third Team selection. Matey Juric became just the second Drexel men's basketball player to earn the CAA's prestigious Dean Ehlers Award.
During the 2019-20 season, the Dragons picked up their first in-season tournament victory in 17 years by winning the Boardwalk Battle in Atlantic City, N.J. The Dragons defeated Quinnipiac and Norfolk State at Boardwalk Hall. Those were two of Drexel’s seven non-conference wins, the most for the school in six years. In addition, Drexel won 10 games at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, marking the first time the team won 10 or more games at the DAC since the 2011-12 team won 15. Off the court, the Dragons compiled a 3.25 grade-point average during the winter quarter.
Spiker picked up his first victory at Drexel against Hartford in his first game at the DAC on Nov. 18, 2016. The Dragons have had some memorable wins in his time in University City. Drexel knocked off Houston, an NCAA Tournament team, at the Paradise Jam in 2017. The team made national headlines as it rallied from a 34-point deficit to defeat Delaware at the DAC on Feb. 22, 2018. That marked the biggest come-from-behind win in NCAA history.
The Dragons increased their conference win total for the second straight year and averaged 75.8 points per game in 2018-19, their highest average since joining the CAA. Drexel picked up a 79-78 win at the College of Charleston, which snapped the Cougars' 22-game home winning streak, which was the second longest in the nation at that time. Wynter won the CAA Rookie of the Year Award, joining Chris Fouch and Damion Lee as the only Drexel players to earn the award. Graduate student Trevor John set a school record by making 103 three-pointers as Drexel finished the year with 237 treys, the third-highest total in school history. Spiker's first team at Drexel made 256 three-pointers, breaking the mark set by the 1995-96 team.
Spiker and his team have been very active in the West Philadelphia community. The team organized a coat drive that has turned into an annual event. Members of the team were once again part of the Vidas Field Day, which brought 200 children from a nearby local elementary school in for a field day which included games and lunch with members of SAAC and different Drexel teams. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day over the last few years (this past year the event was postponed due to weather), the team, along with more than 300 other volunteers through Drexel, participated in a day of service. It was part of Community Clean-Up Days in West Philadelphia. Head coach Zach Spiker has been involved since he arrived on campus. He was named the 2021 Lindy Center for Civic Engagement Award winner. He was given the Staff Award for Campus and Community Engagement by the Lindy Center and became the only Drexel coach to win the award. It goes to one staff member each year that exhibits the tenets of good campus or community partnership in their efforts regardless of their university role. Spiker has been a vocal supporter and helped raise funds for the creation of the Center for Black Culture.
Spiker came to the Dragons from Army West Point, where he spent seven seasons as the head coach of the Black Knights. He led Army West Point to it most win in more than 30 years in his final season. Spiker won 102 games during his time at West Point, which is tied with Naismith Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight for second all-time at the Academy. In his final season, Spiker led the Black Knights to a 19-14 record and tied for the best overall mark in the Patriot League. They earned Army’s first postseason appearance since another Hall of Famer, Mike Krzyzewski, led them to the National Invitation Tournament in 1978. He is the only coach in Army history to win 15 or more games in four consecutive seasons, a mark the program has not achieved — even under multiple coaches — since 1920-24.
Spiker was selected as the 2016 Skip Prosser Man of the Year. He was named the 2013 Patriot League Coach of the Year award and was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, presented annually to the nation’s top mid-major coach. Spiker was one of only seven coaches in the country to receive at least one vote for the Associated Press National Coach of the Year honor that season.
The 2015-16 Black Knights squad was one of the best in recent memory at West Point. The team’s 19 wins were the most by Army since the 1977-78 season. Spiker’s team also set a school record with 11 road wins. Army led the Patriot League in three-pointers and rebounding, and was second in scoring offense, putting up 76.9 points per game. It had top-30 national rankings in rebounds per game (40.58), defensive rebounds (28.21) and three-pointers made per game (8.9), as its high-powered offense was one of the quickest in the nation with 75.4 possessions per contest. Its 294 three-pointers made set a program record, surpassing the previous high-water mark by 30. The Black Knights hosted quarterfinal and semifinal games in the Patriot League Tournament before falling to eventual champion Holy Cross.
The 2015-16 Black Knights featured some of the most successful players ever to come through the Academy, all recruited and mentored by Spiker. Kyle Wilson finished his career with 2,001 points, becoming the fourth Black Knight and sixth Patriot League player ever to reach the 2,000-point milestone. Wilson’s 100 three-pointers this year were second-most all-time in program history. Tanner Plomb finished as the 11th-leading scorer in program annals, netting 1,359 points. Kevin Ferguson, whose 205 career blocked shots are fifth in Patriot League history, concluded his career with 1,059 points. Dylan Cox netted 1,030 points in his career, making the Black Knights the first team in Patriot League history to feature four 1,000-point scorers on the same roster. Over his last four seasons, Spiker’s team had 11 All-Patriot League selections, the most in a four-year span in program history.
Spiker’s success at West Point did not happen overnight. As a rookie head coach in 2009-10, Spiker’s squad won 14 games, the most for any first-year head man with the Academy since Knight’s 18-win campaign in 1965-66. The growth continued for the Army program under Spiker’s watch, and he joined Knight and Krzyzewski as the only coaches in the program’s history to win 65 or more games in their first five seasons.
The Black Knights also excelled in the classroom during Spiker’s tenure. Nate Hedgecock, who graduated in 2011, was that year’s Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year and the first Army Academic All-America selection in 22 years.
Prior to his arrival in West Point, Spiker was one of the architects of the resurgent men’s basketball program at Cornell University. He served as an assistant under Steve Donahue with the Big Red from 2004-09 and was instrumental in helping Cornell’s recruiting efforts that culminated in three consecutive Ivy League titles from 2008-10. With those titles, Cornell became the first Ivy League institution other than Penn or Princeton to win consecutive league crowns.
Spiker joined the Cornell staff after spending the 2002-04 seasons at West Virginia University under Head Coach John Beilein. He helped the Mountaineers to an NIT bid in 2004. While in Morgantown, Spiker was responsible for managing on-campus recruiting visits, assisted with opponent scouting, postgame film breakdown and daily schedules. Spiker earned a master’s degree in sport management from West Virginia in 2004.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in communications from Ithaca College in 2000, Spiker’s first collegiate coaching opportunity came at Winthrop University, where he served as a graduate assistant under Gregg Marshall from 2000-02. Both years, the Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big South Tournament.
The Spiker File
Hometown: Morgantown, W.Va.
Date of Birth: Sept. 30, 1976
Education:
Ithaca College, B.S. in Communications, 2000
West Virginia University, M.S. in Sport Management, 2004
Coaching Experience
2016-present: Drexel Head Coach
Overall Record (nine years): 131-145
2016-17: 9-23
2017-18: 13-20
2018-19: 13-19
2019-20: 14-19
2020-21: 12-8
2021-22: 15-14
2022-23: 17-15
2023-24: 20-12
2009-2016: Army West Point, Head Coach
Record at Army (seven years): 102-112
2009-10: 14-15
2010-11: 11-19
2011-12: 12-18
2012-13: 16-15
2013-14: 15-16
2014-15: 15-15
2015-16: 19-14
2004-09: Cornell, Assistant Coach
2002-04: West Virginia, Administrative Assistant
2000-02: Winthrop, Graduate Assistant
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Wednesday, August 27
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Tuesday, March 18
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Wednesday, March 05
