City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2022-23 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 9. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season click here)

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Coletrane Washington entered Drexel five seasons ago as a prolific scorer from Western Pennsylvania.

The Quaker Valley product ended his high school career with 1,551 points, filling it up for 25-or-more points eight times in his senior season as he averaged more than 21 points per game.

With others ready to shoulder the leading role and on-ball scoring, that hasn’t been Washington’s job in years one through four with the Dragons. It took some time, but he found other ways to work his way into the starting lineup by the end of last season. 

As Washington concludes his career, however, the Dragons are looking for the 6-foot-4 sniper to tap back into his high school days.

“Obviously in high school, everyone can do whatever they want,” Washington said. “I got into the role of a catch and shoot shooter and a defender coming in and over the years I’ve started to develop into more ball handling, coming off screens, creating my own shot.”

“(I’m) definitely taking a bigger offensive load because those three guys were our top three scorers who departed, so there’s definitely going to be a lot more shots open. I’m just working on my game, sharpening my game to where I can score from all three levels.”

The Dragons lost their top two scorers Camren Wynter (15.8 ppg) and Xavier Bell (11.0 ppg) via the transfer portal — Wynter to Penn State and Bell to Wichita State — and the only other double-figure scorer from last year’s group, Melik Martin (10.6 ppg), graduated.

After junior forward Amari Williams (9.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg), Washington is the team’s next top returning scorer at 6.5 ppg.

“Obviously we lost a lot of guys who were scorers last year but so far Coletrane has really stepped up to the role of being one of our main scorers this year, and I feel like he’s doing a great job so far,” fellow fifth-year player Mate Okros said. “You never know what he’s going to do. He can score on all three levels, drive to the basket, knock down a shot. He’s a really good shooter, so I feel like teams are going to have a hard containing him or trying to contain him and trying to stop him in any position because he can pretty much score from all over the floor.”

Washington, who had mulled a prep year as a high school senior, planned to redshirt during his first season at Drexel in 2018-19. Instead, injuries thrust him into action in 24 games, averaging 2.0 ppg and knocking down 45 threes in 11.3 mpg.

It wasn’t always natural playing without the ball in his hands, but Washington began to find a role as a 3-point specialist for the Dragons as a sophomore as he earned the team’s most improved player award, scoring 5.1 ppg and shooting a CAA best .439 percent from 3-point range. Forty-three of his 58 made baskets were 3-point shots.

Hampered by injuries, he missed his entire junior campaign and the Dragons’ run to the NCAA tournament. Back to full health last season, he embraced his role as a catch-and-shoot 3-point and defensive specialist, working his way into a full-time starter by late January — a little before the midway point of CAA play.

Washington averaged 6.5 ppg last season, starting 17 of the 28 games he played.

“Obviously, it was tough missing the whole year, coming back trying to work yourself back in,” Washington said.” I think I did a pretty good job through the highs and lows of last season for myself personally and just working back to being able to be effective out there.”

“I think I just focused on my defense, honestly, just picking up dudes 94 feet,” he added. “Coach had me probably guarding one of the best guys on the team each game. That was my job just to get up in those guys, tire them out and then just shoot threes. I think it was just my confidence. I really worked on my confidence, believing in myself and I think that’s allowed me to step up into that role.”

Washington averaged 8.3 ppg and shot .460 percent from the field and .406 percent from 3-point range as a starter in the team’s final 14 games. Those numbers will likely have to take a significant jump up as the Dragons look for perimeter scoring options.

Williams should be a go-to inside presence for Drexel, but the team will look to Washington as a go-to option on the outside.

“He’s got to be more assertive, yeah,” Spiker said. “He’s got to assert himself. I think naturally he is a guy that always wanted to put more dribbles on the floor than necessary, so we want him to be more efficient, but he’s got a honey shot.”

The early returns have been good both during the team’s trip to Italy this summer and fall pick-up runs and now practice.

Washington credits his work with assistant coach Will Chavis, who helps the team’s guards, as a reason he’s been able to make strides over the last several seasons.

Spiker’s also seen a lot of physical and mental maturity from a player who’s original plan from a player who originally had this season circled as his senior campaign even before getting an extra season of eligibility due to th COVID.

“He scored 23 straight points the other day in a Division I practice, I don’t care who that is, that’s pretty impressive,”” Spiker said.

“He almost stopped pickup the other day because he saw something he didn’t like about what our guys were doing. I’m pushing him to continue…Make or miss baskets, this is all about growing young men. He’s evolving, he’s growing, and I love, love, love his progression. We need him to be good.”

Washington knows that fact as well, and he’s not running from the challenge.

“I think it’s exciting,” Washington said. “Obviously those guys like Cam, X, JB (James Butler), I came in with those guys, so it’s tough to see them leave, but I think it’s exciting for me and the team for like a fresh start and me taking a bigger role up.”