City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
—

Cara McCormack needed to check off two boxes when she elected to leave the College of the Holy Cross this spring. 

The first was a math-based Master’s program. An economics undergrad, McCormack could have stayed at Holy Cross if she elected to add a second major, but wanted to get started on a graduate degree, something her former school doesn’t offer.

The second was a winning basketball program in need of an experienced guard. 

“I honestly didn’t want to go to a school that had (an academic) program that I was iffy about,” she said, “and I also didn’t want to go to a school that had the program I wanted and didn’t have the basketball that I would be happy with.”

Drexel fit the bill for both.

And so far, she’s fit the bill for Drexel.

The 5-foot-3 graduate student has jumped right into a starting role for the Dragons, who are counting on her to help defend their Coastal Athletic Association title from a year ago. And she’s getting her master’s degree in business analytics, hoping to get into a career in sports analytics after her playing days are done.

“You can’t ask for anything better than getting a guard with experience,” Drexel coach Amy Mallon told CoBL just before the season got underway. “We always say you’re only as good as your guards, and someone who has experience — Cara comes in winning back-to-back championships, winning for her is something that she wants to do and expects to do.”

A native of Long Island and graduate of St. John the Baptist (N.Y.), McCormack committed to Holy Cross well before her junior year of high school got underway. She ended up arriving as the program was in transition, head coach Maureen Magarity taking over from interim Ann McInerney for the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season; McCormack started 14 of 15 games that season, averaging 8.1 ppg and 3.3 rpg as the team went 7-8. 

Holy Cross won 20 games the following season, McCormack playing in 20 games (7.8 ppg) in a reserve role, though she averaged more than 23 minutes per contest. The Crusaders captured the 2022-23 Patriot League title on the backs of a 24-win season, McCormack averaging 9.5 ppg and 2.3 apg while starting 14 of 26 games (27.1 mpg). 

She moved back into the starting lineup full-time as a senior, averaging a career-best 10.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 3.0 apg in 31.5 mpg, the Crusaders successfully defending their league title with a win over Boston University in the championship. They then beat Tennessee-Martin in a play-in game before falling short against Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 contest.

“I think being in such a successful program, I think the main reason for that is just having the right culture and having people that are bought in and want to win and want to play for each other,” McCormack said. “The main reason I wanted to come to Drexel was because of that culture and the people there, and you knew that everybody would have each other’s back.”

She found that out quickly after the school started recruiting her, with help from a local connection. McCormack’s teammate at Holy Cross was Kaitlyn Flanagan, who captained Plymouth Whitemarsh’s state championship run in 2022 and is now one of the top guards in the Patriot League; Flanagan’s summer teammate with Comets Basketball was Archbishop Carroll grad and Drexel junior Grace O’Neill. 

“I talked to her a bunch about it,” McCormack said. “How the team is, how city life is, and I heard nothing but great things. It was all green flags for me.”

She came down to visit on April 12 and committed shortly thereafter, arriving in town in June to officially begin her year in the City of Brotherly Love.

McCormack ended up being one of two Holy Cross grad transfers to the Big 5. Villanova got Bronagh Power-Cassidy, a 5-10 forward who started 109 out of 110 games in her four years at Holy Cross. 

“I committed first to Drexel, so I think maybe that was a point for her to go to Villanova,” McCormack said with a laugh.

Both are starters for their new teams. 

Drexel’s only played three games thus far, Amaris Baker (21.0 ppg) the no-doubt star for the Dragons, who were picked second in the CAA preseason poll. McCormack has started all three, averaging 4.7 ppg after a rough night from the floor Wednesday against UC Irvine — on a night the Dragons scored only 47 points as a team — and contributing to a defense that’s picked up 21 steals in those two games. She's been part of a three-headed backcourt with Baker and O'Neil, capable of playing on the ball or off it.

Power-Cassidy is averaging 8.0 ppg and 3.5 rpg for Villanova, the Wildcats off to a 3-1 start to the year. She doesn’t have to be the scoring powerhouse she was at Holy Cross, for whom she averaged 16.8 ppg a year ago, playing a complimentary offensive role to freshman point guard Jasmine Bascoe (17.3 ppg).

“I think it’s just breaking the game down and just taking it as it comes, don’t force anything, and that’s something the coaches just tell me a lot,” she said. “We’ve got so many great pieces on the team and anybody can step up on any given night.”

There’s a chance the two play each other this season. 

Drexel and Villanova both won their opening Big 5 games, beating La Salle and Penn, respectively. If Drexel beats Temple on Saturday and Villanova beats St. Joe’s on Dec. 1, then Drexel and Villanova each win their pods and will meet for the Big 5 championship on Dec. 6 at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion. It also would happen if Temple and St. Joe’s win, as long as Temple beats La Salle (Dec. 1).

“I think it would be fun, I think it would be cool playing against her,” McCormack said. “I got the scouting report for that. But whatever happens, happens. If we play against each other, that’d be great; if not, I’ll be rooting for her, she’ll be rooting for me and I think it’ll be exciting either way.”

McCormack said she hadn’t heard of the Big 5 before this year but she understands the importance of the potential title for her new program, in its first year as an official member of the city’s long-running hoops series, one year after the men made their debut.

“I think with it being the first year, it’s pretty special to be part of something for the first time, you’re making history no matter what,” she said. “I hadn’t even heard of the Big 5 until I got to Philly — that’s probably my fault — but it seems like a really big thing, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”