Of course, eventually having the opportunity to annihilate every conceivable scoring record in the book would have meant nothing to the 22-year-old if her team didn't win. But after leading the Dragons to a program-record 24 victories last season, the university's first-ever Colonial Athletic Association title in any sport, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, Marginean had finally achieved what she set out to accomplish when she arrived at Drexel in 2006 as an unknown with untapped potential from Mount de Chantal Academy in Wheeling, W.Va.
"Last year was amazing," said Marginean, who earned the CAA Player of the Year award after she scored a conference single-season record 769 points. "We didn't even expect to finish where we did [the Dragons started off the season 8-8] and do everything we did. But as soon as we hit conference play, I think we finally came together, played really well together, and it showed."
This season, however, expectations are a bit loftier. Drexel was chosen to repeat as conference champion and Marginean enters the 2009-10 campaign as a nominee for the John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the outstanding men's and women's college basketball players.
"I think it's a great honor to be nominated for all these awards," Marginean said. "It's just something that motivates me to work even harder and helps me continue to improve."
There's not much room for improvement for Marginean on the court skillwise. She's a versatile player who can score seemingly at will and in a variety of ways; she can dribble like a guard and defend any position. But according to Denise Dillon, Marginean's head coach, she still needs to evolve in her role as a leader.
