Season In Review: The 2006-07 Explorers, A Year of
Transition
March 26, 2007 by Jack
Coach Giannini Has Said "When
we get good we will stay good as a program even if
it takes until the 2007-08 season."
After losing Steven Smith to
the NBA and Jermaine Thomas to European
Basketball, the Explorers coach John Giannini knew
this past season would not be easy. It was a necessary
transition into the Giannini era as he began building
his program with his players. He is honest
with the
players
he
recruits,
he tells them what to expect in the recruiting process
and the quality of education they will receive at LaSalle.
He lets them know that playing time will be earned
as he begins to implement his style and
philosophy.
The team took a pre-season trip to Canada during the
Labor day weekend. Those who attended the 4 games over
3 days came away very impressed with the young Explorers.
The five freshmen would be given the most important
element they needed for future success - playing time.
Rodney Green finished second on the
team in scoring averaging 12.6 points per game that
helped him earn
All-Rookie honors in the A10 and captured the Weekly
Award 3 times. Kimmani Barrett finished
third on the team in scoring at 8.3 points per contest
and he captured
the Rookie of the Week Award once. Yves Mekongo
Mbala finished with
an 8.2 scoring average as he played very strong in
the early part of the season. Ruben Guillandeaux had
consistent improvement as the season went along and
finished with 8 points per game. And Brian
Grimes,
despite being injured for a large portion of the season
still finished with a 4 point per game average. Scoring
was the strength of the freshmen class while defense
and free throw shooting are definite areas for improvement
during the off-season.
Sophomore Paul Johnson played solid
defense throughout the season. Paul finished 6th on
the team in scoring
at 5.9 points per game. Junior Sherman Diaz gave
the Explorers relief off the bench and scored 4.8 points
per game.
The biggest disappointment had to be the play of senior
Mike St. John who cost the team at
least 3 probable victories
with critical late game turnovers and/or missed foul
shots. St. John did not play with the same confidence
he had his junior season and finished with just a 5
point average despite averaging almost 27 minutes per
game.
Darnell Harris became the target of
most defenses and despite facing consistent double-teams,
Darnell was
able to create his own shot and led the team in scoring
with 14 points per game. He was the main perimeter
option and connected on 41% of his 3-point attempts.
Darnell is one who leads by example.
The future is very promising for the program as more
A10 quality players join the solid core of young talent
already assembled. Terrell and Jerrell
Williams add
a defensive and offensive presence in the paint that
was not available this past season. Kyle Griffin will
join Harris on the outside and give the Explorers a
solid outside game when the lane becomes clogged. Two
more solid additional recruits are expected to join
the Explorers during the Spring recruiting period.
The basketball program is on the rise with the NCAA
tournament as a goal in the near-future.
The
Fix: Larry
Scirotto Blatantly Gave Xavier Many 2nd Half
Calls With A10 Supervisor of Officials
Jim Satalin In Attendance
March 3, 2007 by Jack
Xavier Given Win Over Explorers by "Maddening"
Ref Larry Scirotto; Closes Out Frustrating Season
The
Explorers finished the season (10-20,
3-13 in A10) with a loss largely
due to the corrupt officiating of ref Larry
Scirotto. It climaxed
with Scirotto calling a bogus
intentional foul against the Explorers with
under 2 minutes to go to seal the game for the Musketeers
(23-7, 13-3).
Whenever even a single call went against
Xavier, their coach Sean
Miller would whine to the official and then stare
at and then yell across the court to Jim
Satalin (supervisor
of officials for the A10 and in attendance at Gola Arena)
who kept
giving
Miller a
reassuring
nod that everything would be good for Xavier. LaSalle-Explorers.com
has been reporting the corrupt and unprofessional officiating
for the past 6 seasons (including this year). Today
just reaffirms what we have stated previously. A10 Commissioner Linda
Bruno and Satalin have done nothing to correct the problem even
though many Explorer and A10 fans have contacted them about
the problems. Maybe Satalin and Bruno think they have no
obligation to the students, alums, fans and supporters
of the A10 concerning the integrity of the game. Miller
went over and shook Satalin's hand after the game. The
win by Xavier, by the way, also just happened to clinch
first place in the A10 for them.
You can e-mail Jim Satalin to voice your
displeasure at jsatalin@atlantic10.org
The Explorers were led by Darnell Harris (17
points, 3 boards) and Ruben
Guillandeaux (14 points
and 3 rebounds). Seniors Sean Neal (2
points) and Mike
St. John (3 points, 4 rebounds) were
honored in a pre-game ceremony. The LaSalle community thanks
them for their 4 years of service. Final
score: 76-65.
Next
season is the projected turn-around season as Doctor
John Giannini (who was fuming at the
poor officiating by Scirotto) will have a full roster
of Atlantic 10 level athletes; closing
out
games
will
not be an issue
like
it was this
year. In the upcoming weeks we will recap the season
in the first report and the second report will include
the annual report on officiating including the grades
for this season and the combined analysis of the past
2 seasons.
Officials: Larry Scirotto, Jackie Sanders and Joe Townsell
Grade for Officials: F (Failure) -
Scirotto gets a "F" and has to be on the termination
list at least as far as the A10 is concerned. Even Kale
Beers said that there were "suspicious calls
being made by Scirotto". Jackie Sanders, the
lead official for this game, is one of the better
officials but
gets a "D" in this game for
not
overturning
Scirotto on the incorrect intentional foul call and
a few others. Townsell also gets a "D"
for the same reason.
Box Score
Defenseless
Explorers Discover A10 Post-Season Tourney Not In the
Cards
February 28, 2007 by Jack
Explorers Lack of Defense And Missed Shots
Leads To Tourney Elimination
The
Explorers (10-19,
3-12 in A10) played without
passion and not much defensive intensity. No one predicted
the team to finish this low in the Atlantic 10 (13th or
14th). LaSalle scored the first hoop on a dunk but then
quickly surrendered the next 16 points and never recovered.
The experienced Massachusetts Minutemen
(22-7, 12-3) outplayed the Explorers the entire game. The
halftime score was 55-22 and it was tough to watch the
second half. The good news is that freshmen become sophomores
and the team will improve starting next season.
The Explorers were led by freshman Ruben
Guillandeaux (21 points
on 8 for 13 shooting) who continues to expand his game
and shooting range (3 for 6 on 3 point attempts). Final
score: 102-63.
The
Explorers close out their 2006-07 season against Xavier
on Saturday.
Officials: George Harry, David Walker and Earl Watson
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
Nothing out of the ordinary to report.
Box Score
Learning
Experience For Young Explorers Against Older Colonials
February 24, 2007 by Jack
Explorers Will Benefit From This Game Next
Season
The
Explorers (10-18,
3-11 in A10) definitely took
away some positives from this game. They were able to play
at a high level for 30 minutes in this game and outplayed
the George Washington Colonials (18-8, 9-5) during that
stretch of action. Instead of the end of the game, the
Explorers
went
almost 10 minutes at the end of the first half without
scoring a field goal. The team will improve next year with
A10 caliber players in the Williams twins and Kyle Griffin
to replace A10 reserve Mike St. John along with the deep
sub/practice player Sean Neal. This year, the team also
suffered from missed foul shots and today was no different
as the Explorers missed 11 free throws out of 31 attempts.
Today the team was led by the freshmen. Rodney
Green (12 points, 5 boards and 2 steals) started
the game with a dunk. Yves
Mbala (7
points, 4 boards and 4 assists in 22 minutes) provided
a second half spark. Ruben
Guillandeaux (15
points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists and only 1 turnover in
33 minutes) is much more comfortable running the team now
and his confidence is helping his teammates. Final
score: 86-74.
The
Explorers play at UMass on Wednesday.
Officials: Bill McCarthy, Eric Anderson and Kevin O'Connell.
Grade for Officials: F (Failure) -
The A10 needs to upgrade to professional-level
officials.
This crew was a complete joke. Twice during the game
they gave a GW player a "heads up" and
told him that he needed to get off the court in order
to avoid getting a technical for too many players
on the court! This is not part of the rules and something
I never witnessed
before.
Also, something else bizarre happened with 7:40 left
in the game. The Explorers were
still within striking distance at 65-55. As soon
as the refs signaled TV timeout, GW coach Karl Hobbs
ran onto the court and grabbed
the arm of ref Bill McCarthy which should have warranted
at least one if not two technicals. Coaches are not
permitted to run onto the court even during deadball
timeouts and no one is allowed to touch an official,
let alone grab him by the arm. Yet, when play resumed
no technical had been assessed. Linda Bruno
and Jim Satalin must be replaced after this season
-
no debate needed.
Box Score
Mighty
Miss For Explorers as Zebras Team Up with Billikens
For Costly Defeat
February 17, 2007 by Jack
Corrupt Officiating Down Stretch and Keeping
St. John in Game Causes Loss
Coach John Giannini continues
to play Mike St. John (11 points, 5 boards,
2 assists and 2 turnovers) at the end of games and it continues
to cost the Explorers (10-17,
3-10 in A10) victories. It
happens without fail that
St. John has a costly turnover and missed free throws that
gives the opponents an undeserved victory. With the Explorers
ahead 53-51 St. John lost an easy pass in the lane. He
also missed 2 critical free throws down the stretch.
Tonight there was also corrupt officiating involved that
led the Saint Louis Billikens (16-10, 6-6) to the win.
Most of it happened in the last 5 minutes. St. John was
pushed
as
by Ian Vouyoukas
as he was attempting to get by St. John, but instead St.
John was whistled for a foul. Then Vouyakas got away with
a clear charge and cut the Explorer lead to 53-51. Saint
Louis got away with another charge to tie the game at 53.
Giannini almost received a technical but he was correct
in pointing out that the 5th personal on Rodney
Green (4 points, 5 boards) was
a bogus call from Kevin Ferguson with 1 minute remaining.
Saint Louis sank two free throws for a 57-53 lead. Game
over. Final
score: 59-55.
Paul
Johnson (6 points and 5 boards along in 21 minutes)
and Kimmani Barrett (8 points, 3 boards
in 25 minutes) gave good efforts. Ruben Guillandeaux (8
points, 4 rebounds) gave another solid effort as well.
The
Explorers have a week to prepare for George Washington
next Saturday.
Officials: Kevin Ferguson, Ray Perone and Ron Tyburski
Grade for Officials: F (Failure) -
Allowing Saint Louis to get away with at least 2 charges
and the bogus 5th personal against Green sealed the
win for the Billikens. Ray Perone needs to be banished
permanently from officiating Division One hoops;
if the A10 had a real Supervisor of Officiating
Perone would have been gone at least 2 years ago.
Box Score
No
Love Lost As Explorers Send Dunphy Away Disappointed
February 14, 2007 by Jack
LaSalle Beats Temple and Dunphy
The weather outside prevented
many fans and the normal officials from getting to the
game. Coach John Giannini has decided
to play both Paul
Johnson (13 points and 7 boards along with solid
defense in 23 minutes) and Kimmani Barrett (career
best 19 points, 8 boards in 29 minutes) on a regular basis
and
the results were encouraging.
Rodney Green played
much better then in recent games and contributed 8 points,
4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 5 assists and just 1 turnover.
Kimmani Barrett
Most
importantly is that the Explorers (10-16, 3-9 in A10)
kept their post-season hopes for AC alive while downing
rival Fran
Dunphy
and his
Owls (11-13, 5-6).
Darnell
Harris (24 points on 6 for 12 FG shooting) did
not start the game and did not practice this week. He was
the
spark
the
Explorers
needed.
He hit
some clutch baskets and gave the team confidence down the
stretch. Final
score: 77-72.
The Explorers will face a scrappy Saint Louis team on Saturday.
Officials: John Regan, Mike Chesney, Mike Buttara
Grade for Officials: D (Below Average) -
These replacement guys were just awful for both teams.
They made some very bizarre calls including a jump-ball
call
that
was not a jump-ball and a double-technical instead
of whistling just the offender, Temple's Dionte Christmas.
Box Score
Kimmani
Barrett Earns A10 ROW Award
February 11, 2006
Barrett Earns First Atlantic 10 Player of
the Week Award
Kimmani averaged 13.7 points and five rebounds
in three contests for the Explorers. Barrett converted
13 of 20 shots from the field and
15 of 17 from the foul line and matched his career-high of
18 points and grabbed six boards against Duquesne.
Explorers Catch Bird Flu
February 10, 2007 by Jack
Low Offensive Output and Lack of Defense
Sparks The Hawks
It was a very lackluster game
for the Explorers as they did not play up to their potential
in this contest. Senior Mike
St. John (6
points on 3 for 6 shooting, had 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
and 1 turnover) played a team high 30 minutes. The Explorers
(9-16, 2-9 in A10) had a chance to
beat the Saint Joe's Hawks (14-10, 6-4) had they played their
best game.
Rodney Green had one of his worst games
by fouling out with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 4
turnovers. Darnell Harris, still affected
by a sore ankle, was only able to play 17 minutes and scored
just 3 points. Kimmani
Barrett had 11 points, 3
rebounds, 1 steal in 25 minutes. Final
score: 72-50.
The
rematch against Dunphy and his Owls is next. If John
Giannini
pulls an upset in the remaining games, this would be the
one to do it in. The reinforcements
are on the way next season so it is important that the
freshmen play with more enthusiasm then they did today.
Officials: Ken
Tucker, Jack Sweeney and Brent Hampton
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
The game was not decided by the officials who missed calls
for both sides.
Box Score
The Thrill of Defeat? Explorers Put Down Dukes In Last
2 Minutes Against Duquesne
February 7, 2007 by Jack
St. John Hesitation On Game-Clinching Jam
Attempt Costs Explorers Victory And Makes Post-Season Trip
To Atlantic City Improbable
Seniors are not supposed to
make freshman mistakes but Mike St. John (8
points and 4 rebounds) did with under 2 minutes remaining.
La Salle (9-15, 2-8 in A10) was leading
102-97 and Rodney Green found a wide-open St. John who was
headed
to the basket
for a dunk but hesitated just long enough to allow a Duquesne
Dukes (10-11, 6-4) player to block the attempt and lead to
a Dukes 3-pointer with 1:40 remaining. Duquesne
then fouled St. John with 1:29 left. St. John missed the
critical first
free throw
but
made
the second
for a 103-100 Explorer advantage. After 2 Duquesne free throws,
Ruben Guillandeaux was bringing up the ball
but did not pay attention to the trailing player. He had
the ball knocked
lose for a Duquesne breakaway layup and a 105-104 Duquesne
lead. The Explorers never recovered. Game over. Final
score: 111-105.
The Explorers obviously played almost no defense. They
wasted great efforts from Darnell
Harris (20
points and 2 steals), Rodney Green (18
points, 8 boards, 2 assists and 1 block), Kimmani
Barrett (18 points, 6
rebounds, 2 assists), Guillandeaux (14 points,
3 boards and 5 assists) and Yves Mbala (13
points, 8 boards and 5 assists).
St.
John had his minutes reduced to just 18 for this
game but unfortunately was on the floor in the closing
minutes. The team is now playing for next year but must
continue to play hard each and every possession and
learn how to play with a double-digit lead. These
types of losses certainly will not be tolerated by
Coach
John
Giannini next
season.
Officials: Ken Clark,
Eugene Crawford Jr. and Joe Townsell
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
The crew did miss a few calls but for the most part called
an accurate game.
Box Score
Owls Strike During Darkest Moment of Explorers Season
February 4, 2007 by Jack
Explorers and Giannini Make Owls and Dunphy
Look Like NCAA Contenders
This was a game that the Explorers
(9-14, 2-7 in A10) not only expected to be competitive in
but to actually win. Instead the losses continue to mount
and the team
continues to falter. The game was competitive for the first
10 minutes as the Explorers trailed 23-22 after an Yves
Mbala (10 points and 7 boards) layup. Then the
Explorers stopped playing hard. The officiating was a joke
(more on
that below) but the Explorers for some
reason played no defense and made poor shot selections which
allowed the Temple Owls (9-12, 3-5) to build and insurmountable
56-33 halftime lead.
This team is in need of energy and enthusiasm. They also
need to be reminded that they are wearing "La Salle" on
their uniforms and this season they have failed to live up
to the
history and tradition that is La Salle basketball. Losing
20 games is not an option. Darnell Harris (4
points on 2 for 7 FG shooting and 3 rebounds), who needs
to step up, hardly contributed at all
in his 21
minutes
of
action.
He can do much better. Rodney Green (12
points, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals) had 6 huge turnovers
today.
As
of today, LaSalle is one of the bottom 2 teams in the
A10 standings and would not go to Atlantic City for the
post-season tournament. That would be shocking to most
observers who saw this team winning at least 15 games
after watching them perform in Canada during the pre-season.
It is not
too late turn the season around but Coach Giannini must
implement the following:
1. employ 3-2 zone defense most
of the
game and play with more intensity and tenaciousness;
2. have players focus on stopping dribble penetration
by opponent;
3. reduce Mike St. John's playing time - 4 points
(1 for 5 FG and 1
for 4 FT), 8 rebounds, 3 assists and
1 turnover today in 23 minutes, giving
more time to Paul
Johnson - 8
points (3 for 7 FG and 2 for 2 FT), 2 rebounds, 1 blocked
shot and 1 turnover in 25 minutes today and Kimmani
Barrett - 12 points (5 for
6 FG and 2 for 2 FT), 6 rebounds,
1 assist and 2 turnovers today in 25 minutes.
This team
can win a few more games this year and gain valuable
playing time for the contributors' to next seasons team
but time is running short. It is imperative that the
Explorers find a way to send Fran Dunphy home extremely
disappointed after the game on February 14. Final
score: 89-64.
Officials: Jamie
Luckie, Pat Driscoll and D.J. Carstensen
Grade for Officials: F (Failure) -
The A10 has become a joke due to the lack of Jim Satalin properly disciplining
the corrupt officials. Corrupt as in "to destroy
or
subvert
the honesty or integrity of" their profession. This
crew was pathetic in the first half that Kale
Beers was complaining continually during the broadcast.
The score was 23-22 Temple and Mbala was hacked
on a
layup
(you could hear the contact
in the stands) and no call was made and Temple immediatley
went down the court and nailed a 3-pointer to start
the
Owls on a 8-0 run. During the 8-0 run, St. John
was called for an offensive foul when a Temple player
took an obvious dive to the floor. With the score
32-24, Tyndale of Temple took at least 3 steps in
going in for a layup, Giannini called a timeout
and complained to the officials but the damage was
already done and the Explorers were never able to
recover.
Box Score
Explorers Invent New Way to Steal A Win For Opponents
January 31, 2007 by Jack
Guillandeaux Elbow Results In Critical
4-Point Swing
The Blue and Gold of 2006-07
continue to find new ways to lose games. LaSalle (9-13, 2-6
in A10) controlled the game and held the lead in what appeared
to be a certain victory. Then with 3:43 remaining in the
game, the momentum and the lead went to the
Charlotte 49ers (9-11, 3-5).
Ruben Guillandeaux (11 points and 4 rebounds
in 29 minutes) had played one of his best games of his young
career until he
decided
to
throw
a mild elbow in the
direction of a 49er player. It may have been a cheap call
but the ref saw the elbow and immediately whistled Ruben
for the foul. The problem was that LaSalle was inbounding
so they lost possession, Charlotte converted 2 technical
free throws and inbounded the ball and connected for a layup
to give Charlotte confidence and put them within striking
distance at 75-73 with 3:14 left. After a Mike St.
John (2
points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 turnovers) sloppy throw-away
with 2:34 left, Charlotte dealt the Explorers the crushing
blow, a 3-pointer by Lee Goldwire (25 points) that put the
49ers ahead to stay at 76-75. Game over. Final
score: 87-80.
Darnell Harris (13 points and 3 boards) broke the 1,000 point
mark early in the first half to give the Explorers a 5-3 lead.
His ankle seems to be healing as he was able to play for 30 minutes.
This is as bad a loss as a team can experience. St. John has
to see a reduced role at the end of games as his throw
away was almost as costly as Ruben's technical. There were
plenty of good things that happened for LaSalle that should benefit
the team later in the year and for years to come. One was the
17 point, 6 rebound contribution from sophomore Paul
Johnson.
Also, Rodney
Green tossed a perfect game with 4 for
4 field goal shooting and 7 for 7 from the free throw line. La
Salle shot a sizzling 57%
from the floor on 31 for 54 shooting. The young guys must
learn from the way the Explorers lost as they cannot
allow this to happen again. Fran Dunphy and
his struggling Owls are next on Sunday.
Officials: Joseph
DeMayo, Paul Faia and Larry Rose
Grade for Officials: F (Failure) -
This crew allowed too much pushing
and shoving on both sides to go on the whole game
until
the
end
when
Ruben
got
whistled
for a
frustration technical. They allowed a Charlotte
player to hang on the rim after the ball went out
of bounds
which
is an automatic technical but they just issued him
a warning. They missed at least a dozen calls and
made a couple of questionable
calls
on
Darnell
Harris.
Box Score
Confidence Buster: Explorers Weak Effort Leads to Loss
to Rams
January 27, 2007 by Jack
Explorers Give Fordham First-ever Win Against
LaSalle in Philadelphia
LaSalle
(9-12, 2-5 in A10) played nervous and not very strong in
the opening minutes. The Fordham Rams
(12-7, 5-2) played sloppy in the opening minutes. This Explorer
team has allowed other teams who start slowly at Gola Arena
to hang close when LaSalle should be up big. There is no
excuse for missing 15 out the first 17 field goal attempts.
Despite the poor shooting, LaSalle was still in the game. Rodney
Green finished the first half with 6 points and
2 rebounds. The half ended with Fordham ahead 27-22.
Darnell
Harris was nearly invisible most of the game. He
did make a traditional 3-point play for his only points of
the game to give the Explorers a 37-34 lead. Harris now sits
at 999 career points. Darnell was then rolling on the floor
in pain with a serious ankle injury. He later returned to
action in the closing minute. It appeared that Green was
sulking on the court and the Explorers by trailing by just
2 points. The team needs leadership and must play team basketball.
Today they played selfish basketball and had only 5 assists
to 21 turnovers for a dismal .23 ratio. Unfortunately the
much
needed reinforcements will not arrive until next
season. Final
score: 62-54.
The Explorers blew a major opportunity as they could have easily
beaten Fordham today if they played with any kind of intensity
and team concept. This is the first time Fordham has ever
beaten La Salle in the city of Philadelphia as they are
now 1-14 lifetime against the Explorers in Philadelphia.
A not-so-good Charlotte team is next on Wednesday.
Officials: Earl
Walton, Curtis Blair and Dwayne Gladden
Grade for Officials: D (Below Average) -
Earl Walton, who receives a "F", is a horrible ref and allowed the Rams to get
away with way too much contact. He also blew his
whistle
when
he saw
Kimmani
Barrett get a rebound after hit the rim.
The shot clock buzzer went off and Barrett scored.
Those
points were taken off the scoreboard because Walton
was not paying attention. The other 2 receive a
"D". In the second half, Curtis Blair watched as
Mike St.
John
was
hacked
and he
did not
call
it. Dwayne Gladden did nothing to stop the constant
contact by the Fordham players when the Explorers
were on offense. At least Jim Satalin will have
video evidence to review these officials.
Box Score
Explorers Clean Out Cobwebs and Spiders After Shaky Start
January 24, 2007 by Jack
First Ever Worldwide Webcast for LaSalle from
Gola Arena Is A Winner
The Explorers
(9-11, 2-4 in A10) started very shaky to open the game. They
were fortunate the Richmond Spiders (5-14, 1-5) started out
just as shaky. Rodney
Green (15 points, 7 boards in 25 minutes) hit a
pair of free throws to tie the game at 2 with 18:49 to go
in the
half.
Neither
team
scored again until Green hit a jumper with 15:49 left in
the half. Then Richmond took their last lead at 5-4. La
Salle outscored the Spiders 21-12 the remainder of the half
for
a 25-17 lead.
Darnell
Harris (18 points and 7 rebounds) drilled the 3-pointer
that put the Spiders away for good at 5:57 remaining in the
game
for
a 57-42 lead. Darnell is now just 4 points shy of 1,000 for
his career. This was a game the Explorers desperately needed
to keep
them
motivated
for
a
good Atlantic
10 seeding
and
a trip to Atlantic City in March. It was good to see Ruben
Guillandeaux (10) and Sherm Diaz (12)
in double-digit scoring. It is hard to gauge how the Explorers
defense performed since Richmond
is a low-scoring
team. A challenging matchup against the Fordham Rams is next. Final
score: 79-56.
The Explorers Athletic Department in cooperation with the Communications
Department and CSTV launched the first-ever live webcast
from Gola Arena that was offered free worldwide. I encourage
all the alums outside the area or who cannot attend
the game to tune in to the free broadcast this coming Saturday.
There
will be a minimal fee of $6.95 for the
February games.
Officials: Mike
Roberts, Duke Edsall and Kevin Ferguson
Grade for Officials: B (Above Average) -
They worked as a team and called the game as they saw it (as there were no anticipatory
foul calls).
Box Score
Green Earns Third ROW Award
January 21, 2007 by Jack
Rodney Green Earns Second Straight A10
Rookie of the Week Award
Green earns his third A-10
Rookie of the Week award after averaging 20 points, five
rebounds and
3.5 steals on .542 shooting (13-of-24) in two games.
Rodney is fourth in A10 field goal percentage at 55% and
14th in scoring at 14.4 points per game.
Lousy Game Against Lowly Bonnies Stings
January 21, 2007 by Jack
Poor Execution and Lack of Discipline Doom
Explorers
This was a game the Explorers
(8-11, 1-4 in A10) should have won by at least 15 points. Darnell
Harris (23 points) had a good first half with 13
points but Rodney
Green (4 points) did not get on the scoreboard in
the half and missed a couple easy layups. LaSalle fell behind
the lowly Saint Bonaventure Bonnies (5-14, 2-3) 35-24 with
5:15 to go in the half. La
Salle then went on an incredible 17-0 run to take a 41-35
halftime
lead. The coaching staff finally started mixing in more zone
defenses and became much less predictable.
LaSalle started the second half with 4 straight points to
complete the 21-0 run and appeared to put the Bonnies away
with the 45-35 lead. But no lead is safe with this Explorers
team. The Explorers seemed to surrender and Michael Lee (19
points) made them pay and put the Bonnies ahead at 55-52.
The Bonnies had a 12-0 run and they held the lead the rest
of
the game.
The lights went out with about 7:05 remaining and they never
came back on for the Explorers who let the 66-60 deficit
increase to 74-64 with 2:10 remaining and were never in the
game after that. Final score: 87-73.
This is a game
the Explorers had to win to rebuild confidence and respectability
in the A10. The reality of the situation is that this team
may be one of two Atlantic 10 teams to NOT qualify for the
A10 tournament in Atlantic City at the end of the regular
season. The coaching staff and players need to make sure
that they are not one of those two teams. And it starts
by beating
a bad Richmond team this week at home.
Officials: Ray
Perone, William Bush and John Gaffney
Grade for Officials: F (Failure) -
These "officials" would fail to qualify to officiate in a local CYO league. They
missed an intentionally kicked ball by the Bonnies,
they
allowed
Rodney Green and Brian Grimes to get hacked inside
the paint all game long and they even awarded the
Bonnies the
ball on an out of bounds play where they saw a Bonnies
player diving on the floor in attempt to save it
(obvious to everyone else that a Bonnie touched
the ball last).
Box Score
Quakers Provide Poison Ivy to Explorers
January 18, 2007 by Jack
Explorers Play Without
Defensive Intensity in Big 5 Loss
The Explorers (8-10, 1-3 in
A10) wasted a career best 32 points by Darnell Harris (12
for 20 on field goals, 8 for 14 on treys) and 22 points from Rodney
Green. Paul Johnson (17 points, 6
boards and 6 assists in 24 minutes) sizzled offensively as
well. When your top 3 scorers get to your entire teams' scoring
average, you expect to win. The Explorers did build a couple
10 point leads in the first half. The Explorers did close the
half ahead 49-41.
The second half started with a Green basket to extend the lead
back to ten points. Penn kept the game close and kept scoring
while LaSalle played horrible defense and never denied the
ball to Mark Zoller (28 points) nor Ibrahim Jaaber (27 points)
who are the only real scoring threats the Quakers have. Jaaber
gave Penn their first second half lead at 68-67 with 10:03
remaining in the game. The teams traded baskets and lead changes
and LaSalle took an 85-84 lead on a traditional 3-point conversion
by Yves Mbala (5 points and 5 boards in 19
minutes) with 2:24 remaining. Zoller was allowed to be a major
offensive factor
in the last couple of minutes and it killed the Explorers.
Zoller made the 2 crucial free throws with 1:03 left to give
Penn a 90-87 lead. Then Kimmani Barrett (8
points and 2 assists) threw the ball (and the game) away as
Rodney Green could not control the pass. Jaaber converted a
basket with 11.6 seconds
to go to give Penn an insurmountable 92-87 edge. The Explorers
played out the rest of the game but finished 1 point behind.
Game over. Final score: 93-92.
This is a game
the Explorers needed to win to restore some order in
the Big 5 as well as build confidence for Sunday's game
against the Bonnies. The message should be loud and clear
to the freshmen. You must get back quickly on made baskets
and you must deny top scorers the ball. Zoller was allowed
to stroll through the lane the whole game; no one pushed
him out.
Officials: George
Harry, Tom Lopes and Wally Rutecki
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
This crew earned
a "C" as there were only a few missed
calls, most in the first half.
Box Score
Explorers Take Down Highlanders
January 16, 2007 by Jack
Rodney Green Provides The Spark In Victory
LaSalle (8-9, 1-3 in A10)
trailed 2-0 but then rattled off 8 straight and never
trailed the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders
(3-15) again. The Explorers led by double digits for the most
of the game. Rodney
Green had
a big first half with 11 points, 3 assists and 4 big steals
(18 points,
8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in 26 minutes). Darnell
Harris finished the half with 8 points, and did not score in
the second half. La Salle led at the break 44-31.
Ruben Guillandeaux had an excellent game
with 12 points and 4 assists and is starting to
look comfortable at the point. Yves Mbala continues
to develop and had an alley-oop dunk in the second
half as part of his 10 points and 8 rebounds.
Paul Johnson (8 points and 8 boards in
20 minutes) surprised many with his solid effort.
Kimmani Barrett gained some meaningful
minutes and 8 points to go with 5 rebounds. Final
Score: 78-59.
The
Explorers played well in this game and never let NJ Tech
get any closer then 8 points in the second half. The
team is starting to develop a defensive presence and
toughness that they will need on Thursday against their
Big 5 rival, the Penn Quakers.
Officials: Frankie
Bordeaux, Tony Dawkins and Jeff Janosik
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
Frankie Bordeaux gets a "D" for some really bad calls including 3 straight against
LaSalle with NJ Tech only trailing by 12 at 54-42.
He made an incorrect back court violation call against
Ruben and followed that up with 2 more incorrect
foul calls against the Explorers. Time for Frankie
to find another part-time job. The other 2 refs
receive
a "C".
Box Score
Green
Named A10 ROW for 2nd Time
January 14, 2007 by Jack
Rodney Green Earns His Second A10 Rookie of the Week
Honors
Rodney earned
his second A-10 Rookie of the Week award after averaging
18 points and 6.5 rebounds while
shooting .592 (16-of-27)
from the field. Green is second at LaSalle in
scoring at 13.8 and ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in
field goal shooting at 55.1%.
Explorers
Toughness Prevails Against The Dukes
January 10, 2007 by Jack
6 Game Losing Streak Ends With Victory in Pittsburgh
Green Guillandeaux
Rodney Green (19 points, 8 rebounds and a
steal in 24 minutes) provided the early spark for
LaSalle (7-8,
1-2 in A10) against their rival, the Duquesne Dukes
(5-9, 1-2). Duquesne kept the game close until the
Explorers started to build a double-digit lead as
Duquesne went scoreless for over 3 minutes. The Explorers
led at halftime 40-29.
The Explorers continued to build the lead in the
second half. Darnell Harris (13 points in
26 minutes) hit a trey to make it 55-36 with 13:07
remaining. Then Duquesne started to connect on shots
and cut the lead to single digits at 67-59 with 4:54
remaining. Darnell stifled
the Dukes comeback attempt with another 3-pointer
to bump the lead to 70-59 with 4:15 left in regulation. Ruben
Guillandeaux (17
points and 3 rebounds) had a very solid game in 34
minutes of action. Final
Score: 79-63.
This
victory is a giant leap for the freshmen as this is their
first Atlantic 10 win. The coaching staff is looking
to build on this game for another very tough road opponent
in the Dayton Flyers on Saturday.
Officials: Brent
Hampton, DJ Cartensen and Lamar Simpson
Grade for Officials: D (Below Average) -
The officials were inconsistent as they let things go for awhile and then they
started calling the game extremely close; ref Lamar
Simpson even called a phantom foul on La Salle when
no one
was
touched. There were several other bad calls against
both teams.
Box Score
Better
Effort Provides Exciting Contest Against Experienced
UMass
January 6, 2007 by Jack
Explorers Fast and Furious Start Not Enough
The Explorers (6-8) came
out on fire and looked impressive at the start of
the game. When Darnell Harris (19 points,
3 rebounds) drained his fourth consecutive 3-pointer
to give the Explorers
a 28-14 lead over the Massachusetts Minutemen (11-4),
things were looking great. However, LaSalle was outscored
19-9
the rest of the half only held a 37-33 lead at the
half. The good news is that the Explorers led almost
the entire
half.
Momentum started to shift early in the second half
when UMass took a 43-41 lead on a layup and free
throw from Rashaun Freeman (18 points). The Explorers
continued to play solid defense and kept within striking
distance. One of the major problems is that Darnell
got few touches until the end of the game. LaSalle
played some zone defense in the second half but will
need to play more of it as conference play continues.
The growth continues for Yves
Mbala (8 points
and 4 rebounds), Ruben
Guillandeaux (4
points and 3 assists) and Rodney
Green (12 points, 7 boards,
2 steals and 2 assists in 32 minutes). Final
Score: 79-71.
This
game was encouraging as it should give the freshmen confidence
that they can play with the most experienced teams in
the Atlantic 10.
Officials: Fran
Connelly, Eric Anderson and Mike Roberts
Grade for Officials: B (Above Average) -
The game was called as it should have been, the crew worked as a team to overturn
incorrect calls on possessions.
Box Score
Explorers
Still Green As They Fail To Batter Rams
January 3, 2007 by Jack
LaSalle Would Have Won If...
LaSalle (6-7) must
stop the habit of falling way behind at the beginning
of games. It is something that cannot continue to
happen; the coaches must make more adjustments. A
Rhode Island Rams (8-7) team that is not very good
opened a nearly insurmountable lead at 39-17 with 1:11 seconds
to go in the
first
half. A 3-point buzzer beater by Kimmani Barrett (15
points, 4 boards in 26 minutes) cut the deficit to
18 at 39-21.
The next 20 minutes could have produced a win if the
Explorers were able to convert free throws. The
Explorers scored the first 9 points to open the half.
They continued to chip away at the lead but missed
critical free throws. Darnell Harris (only
10 points in 36 minutes) drained a 3-pointer to tie
the game at 66 with just under 2 minutes remaining.
After a blocked shot by Yves Mbala (9 points
and 8 rebounds) and a chance for LaSalle to take its'
first lead since 2-0, senior Mike
St. John (6 points, 4 rebounds) turned the ball over.
Rhode Island scored to make it 68-66. Ruben Guillandeaux (13
points in 36 minutes) and Rodney
Green (10 points in 14 minutes)
each had a chance to tie the game but missed. Green
had another chance with 2 seconds left to tie the game
but his 3-point attempt went in hit the back of the
rim and just barely trickled out. Game over. Final
Score: 69-66.
The
second half provided the necessary experience for
the freshmen as they will be ripe next season and convert
free throws, not miss open layups and not turn the
ball over. Those are the things that cost them the
game tonight.
Officials: Ken
Clark, Mike Eades and Paul Faia
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
The game was called properly for the most part.
Box Score
LaSalle
Falls To Niagara To Close Tourney
December 30, 2006 by Jack
Hosts Fail To Win Any of 3 Contests in Christmas
Tournament
The Explorers (6-6) continued
to struggle in this game. However, LaSalle did hold
a lead in this game 5-4, as Mike St. John (10
points, 7 boards and 4 assists) nailed a 3-pointer
with 17:01 to go in the first half. Unfortunately,
Niagara (6-7) made a trey with 16:43 remaining in the
half to go
ahead
7-5 and they never trailed again. The deficit was 7
points at halftime 43-36.
Joe Mihalich
The
second half was not much better as the Explorers allowed
Joe Mihalich's Purple Eagles to control the pace of
the game. Darnell
Harris missed 11 shots in the game on 6 for 17 field goal
shooting and finished with 15 points and 5 assists
in 36 minutes. Ruben
Guillandeaux (19
points on perfect shooting 9 for 9 field goals and
made only free throw attempt) and Yves
Mbala (23 points and 7 boards) both
had career-best games. The Explorers continued to
play without intensity on the defensive
end, which is a major problem that needs to be fixed. Final
Score 88-82.
There will be a few idiots on a messageboard writing how
Doctor
John Giannini is to blame and paint a doomsday scenario.
Even our radio announcer misinterprets the
play of the Explorers. I can tell you right now that
the team will make improvements and play much tougher
as the season progresses. As Doc G told me prior to
the tournament "We have to establish defense as our base
and build for the future and not try to do too much
because we just can't at this point. This is a long
term process, but when
we get good - this year or next - we will stay good.
Defense and
toughness
will be our base, as it is with any good team. We must
learn this.
Remember, everything we are doing is new-even for the
older guys."
Officials: Bryan Kersey, Wally
Rutecki and Dennis Arinello
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
Guillandeaux picked up a second half technical from ref Bryan Kersey that appeared
to be warranted.
Box Score
Exciting
Finish Not Enough Against Blue Hens
December 29, 2006 by Jack
Slow Start By Hosts Really Hurts
LaSalle (6-5) got off to a very slow start again. They
spotted the Delaware Blue Hens to a 5-0 lead.
The first half was just as bad as last night. The Explorers
trailed at the break 37-25.
In
the second half LaSalle made a run to cut the lead
to 5 at 37-32 but then allowed Delaware to build the
lead back to 10. Darnell Harris (14 points, 2 boards
and an assist in 33 minutes) brought the Explorers
back again with a huge trey to cut the lead to 55-49
with 2:38 remaining. Then hit another one with 48 seconds
left to cut it to 55-54. Ruben Guillandeaux (5 points,
4 rebounds and 2 assists) had an opportunity to tie
the game in the final seconds but his shot missed. Final
Score 58-56.
It is obvious that the team needs to develop both toughness
and a defensive presence. The coaches must continue
to make adjustments to get the team ready to play the
tough opening weeks of the A10 schedule.
Officials: Jackie Sanders,
Kevin Ferguson and Ron Tyburski
Grade for Officials: D (Below Average) -
Ron
Tyburski who gets an "F" made a few horrible
calls and a blatant non-call that hurt
the
Explorers. With the score 49-40,
Sherman Diaz had the ball at mid-court
and was run over by a Delaware player
who took the ball away from him and the
whistles remained silent. Tyburski was
the closest official. Delaware scored
2 points on the possesion. Doctor Giannini
to his credit walked over to Jackie Sanders
and told him that those kind of non-calls
will not be tolerated. The other two
officials get a "D".
Box Score
Explorers
Near No-Show Effort Against Holy Cross
December 28, 2006 by Jack
32% FG On Home Court Opens LaSalle Tournament
This was one of those ugly losses that a young team
goes through. LaSalle (6-4) gave the Holy Cross Crusaders
(7-5) an 8-0 lead on 3 baskets by Kyle Cruze who entered
the game with a 0.9 point per game scoring average and
9 total points in ten games for the season! There was
absolutely zero defense in the game for the Explorers
and on offense
whomever had the ball was throwing up ugly off-balance
shots. The Explorers could have escaped the half trailing by
9 points but they allowed Holy Cross a buzzer beater
to end the half at 32-21.
The
second half was just as bad as the first. Holy Cross
again scored the first 8 points of the half. There
was a lack of effort all-around by the Explorers. There
was zero zone penetration on offense and simply no defense
as Holy Cross fired up open three-pointers, dribble-penetrated
and cruised through the lane. Free-throw
shooting was
disgustingly bad as LaSalle connected on just 13 of
22 (59%). The Explorers were also out-rebounded for
the first time this year by 34-24. Cruze finished the game with 15
points. Rodney
Green and
Brian Grimes each has 10 points for LaSalle. Final
Score 68-48.
Officials: Dennis
Arinello, Kevin O'Connell and Jackie Sanders
Grade for Officials: B (Above Average) -
This
crew worked as a team and called the
game correctly.
Box Score
Tough
Fought Big 5 Loss for Explorers
December 23, 2006 by Jack
Slow Start, Lack of Defense at Key Moments Prevents
Win
LaSalle (6-3) spotted Villanova (9-2) a 10-0 lead. Later,
they fell behind 30-11 with 6:10 to go in the half.
However, the Explorers never quit; they closed out the
half only trailing 11. Yves Mbala (9 points,
6 rebounds) led the team with 8 first half points.
The
second half started out totally differently for the
Explorers. Ruben Guillandeaux started the scoring
with a 3 pointer. Darnell Harris (12 points,
2 rebounds) drilled a trey to cut the lead to 39-38 with
16 minutes to go in the game. Then, the refs missed an
obvious travel against Villanova that
led to two huge points for them and gave them a 41-38
lead. On the very next sequence Harris drained
another 3-pointer and tied the game at 41 with just under
15 minutes remaining. Later, the Explorers did
pull to within a basket at 48-46. The shots were not
falling for the Explorers but they hung close. There
was a major non-call against Mike St. John who
got mugged (see below) with 5:06 to play to give the
Wildcats a
54-46 advantage. St. John (7 points, 4 boards) pulled
the Explorers to within 3 at 54-51 on a trey with 3:10
remaining. Unfortunately,
these were the last points of the game for LaSalle.
Final Score 64-51.
Officials: Bryan Kersey, John Cahill
and Paul Faia
Grade for Officials: F (Failure) -
It is ashame that the soldout arena had
to witness some of the worst officiating seen
at Gola Arena since Frank Scagliotta's 3 visits
to Gola Arena last year. Here are the specifics
for 3 very specific BLATANT
OFFICIATING ERRORS that had an affect on
the game.
#1)With the score 41-38, 4,000 LaSalle
fans yelled
"walk", and it was an OBVIOUS travel by
Villanova. Yet
not one of the 3 refs called it.
#2)
2nd half, 5:06 remaining. Ref John Cahill allowed
Villanova's Curtis Sumpter to not only go over the
back of LaSalle's Mike St. John but to also knock the
ball away and land on top of St. John and made no
attempt to blow his whistle!
#3) The score is 54-51 and Villanova leading.
Villanova's Will Sheridan runs through the lane and threw
his shoulder blatantly into a LaSalle defender taking
him out of the play. Villanova got the basket and a
foul to put the game out of reach at 57-51.
Box Score
Explorers Maul Bears 102-76
December 20, 2006 by Jack
5 Explorers Reach Double-Digits With Barrett Leading
The Team
The game had only one tie (2-2) but then the Explorers
(6-2) went on a 43-22 run to close out the half with
a 45-24 lead. A10 Rookie of the Week Rodney Green had
another good game with 16 points, 4 boards and 4 assists
in only 20 minutes. Sherman "The Tank" Diaz contributed
14 points and 3 blocks in 18 minutes. Paul Johnson played
a very good game with 11 points and 4 boards. However,
the star of this game was Kimmani Barrett with
18 points and 6 rebounds in just 23 minutes.
Kimmani Barrett
The
Explorers never slowed down and put the Morgan State
Bears away for good early in the second half. All
11 Explorers played and scored in the game. Final
Score 102-76.
Coach
John Giannini used this game as a tune-up for the Villanova contest.
Drexel had a good strategy for beating Villanova so you can be certain
that Doc will find some variation of their game plan to use against
the Wildcats.
Officials: Earl Walton,
Eric Anderson and Jeff Janosik
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
Eric Anderson made a few bad calls and
gets a "D". The other two officials receive a
"C" grade.Box Score
Rodney
Green Claims A10 ROW Honors
12/17/06 by Jack
Sensational Freshman Wins First A10 Rookie of Week
Honor
Rodney
Green won his first Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week award after scoring
a career-high 25 points in a win at Central Connecticut
on Saturday. Green is also the Explorers'
leading scorer by averaging 16.6 points. Rodney is
8th in scoring in the Atlantic 10 and second in Field Goal percentage.
The "G" Men Stop Blue Devils Cold
December 16, 2006 by Jack
Rodney Green, Brian Grimes and Ruben Guillandeaux
Have Career Games
No one really anticipated an overtime game let alone
a 3-hour marathon 4 overtime game with 213 points
of combined scoring as happened last season between
these teams. Fortunately, the Explorers (5-2) made
sure of it this year by never letting the Central
Connecticut State University (CCSU) Blue Devils
(3-8) get closer then 2 points in the second half.
The contest started with multiple lead changes until
the Explorers got
on-track. The Blue Devils last lead was 16-15. Rodney Green (25
points, 6 boards, 2 steals and only 1 turnover in
28 minutes) started the first half red-hot as he
was 4 for 4 from the field. Coach John Giannini
implemented a new strategy. He substituted an entire
5 man rotation for the starters on the floor. Brian
Grimes (3 rebounds, 2 steals) led the second unit
by scoring 11 of his 13 points (career
best) in the first half. Ruben Guillandeaux (career
best 9 points all in first half) closed out the
Explorer first-half scoring as LaSalle led at the
break 41-34.
The
second half showed that the Explorers are developing
toughness. The Explorers built a 64-52 lead with 9:15
remaining in the game. The Explorers then allowed CCSU
to score the next 10 straight points and the Explorer
faithful began to get nervous. This team has yet to
demonstrate a killer instinct by letting teams back
into games due to lack of concentration on both ends
of the floor. The Explorers finally woke up under the
freshman leadership of Rodney Green. Green's layup
gave the Explorers a 73-66 lead with 3:40 remaining.
Mike St. John, who played his best game of the year,
contributed with 9 points, 5 rebounds and an incredible
10 assists (many to Green). The Explorers played tough
down the stretch and closed out the game. Final Score
86-73.
A busload of 40 alums from the Philadelphia area went
to see the game. A couple hundred more alums located
around Connecticut were also in attendance.
Officials: George
Harry, Nate Milligan and Tom Fahey
Grade for Officials: D (Below
Average) -
At the end of the first half there was
an blatantly incorrect call against Mike
St. John by ref Tom Fahey. The outside official
had the correct call (2 foul shots) but Fahey
overruled and gave Mike an intentional foul.
CCSU got 2 foul shots plus kept possesion.
CCSU converted this gift into 3 points to
keep within striking distance. George Harry
made several bad calls including one
in the second half where he said a CCSU player
was shooting when he clearly was not; this
gave CCSU 2 foul shots. Nate Milligan failed
to overturn any of the bad calls he witnessed.
This crew did not work as a team.
Box Score
Explorers
Toss Monroe and His Dogs Treats All Night
December 7, 2006 by Jack
Former Explorer Assistant Randy Monroe Benefits from
Sloppy Explorer Play
There are a couple of Explorer upperclassmen who
need to step up. Mike St. John (0 for 4 shooting,
0 points, 6 rebounds, 4 turnovers and 2 personal
fouls in 23 minutes) and Sherman
Diaz (most of his 13 points were meaningless in garbage
time) both need to play with confidence and leadership
and not make sloppy passes and unforced turnovers. Another needs
to take charge. Darnell
Harris
(13 points, 5 for 15 from the field and an ineffective
3 for 12 from beyond the arc) needs to be more
in-control offensively and not force outside shots.
The freshmen will make mistakes that the upperclassmen
cannot.
The
coaching staff needs to work with the team on switching
between man-to-man and zone defense. There certainly
is never an excuse for falling behind Randy Monroe's
undersized University of Maryland Baltimore County
(UMBC) Retrievers by
25 points or turning the ball over 22 times. These
were not the Maryland Terps even though it looked that
way.
In the second half La Salle quickly fell behind by 8 at
39-31. Then, the Explorers went into a no-offense, no-defense
lapse after cutting the deficit to 5 at 42-37 on a Paul
Johnson (10 points) layup. UMBC scored an impossible
20 straight points for an insurmountable 62-37 lead with
under 5 minutes remaining.
The Explorers scored a meaningless 30 points in the last
4:36 of the half. It was an ugly display of basketball
by the Explorers, something they will have 9 days to
correct. Final
Score 78-67.
Officials: John
Cahill, John Hughes and John Gwynn.
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
The only bad calls that were noticed were
made by John Hughes (the only A10 ref who
put Steven Smith in foul trouble last season
in 3 seperate games) who gets a "D"; the
other 2 officials receive a "C".
Hughes should have been removed from the
A10 rotation after
last season.
Box Score
Superman
Saves The Trip
December
2, 2006 by Jack
Darnell Harris' Buzzer Beating 3-Pointer Clinches
64-63 Win
LaSalle built a 20-17 lead on a deep Darnell
Harris (15
points) 3-pointer with less then 10 minutes remaining
in the first half. LaSalle played with little enthusiasm
against the University of Texas Pan American (UTPA)
Broncs in the half and trailed 30-25 at the break.
The second half saw the Explorers play with more urgency
and they built a 48-45 lead with 11:43 remaining. The Explorers
continued to maintain the lead until 4 minutes remained
when UTPA tied the game at 57. Kimmani Barrett (8
points and 4 boards in only 19 minutes) hit a long 2-point
jumper for a 59-57 Explorer advantage with
3:18
remaining. Paul Stoll of UTPA drilled a 3-pointer for a
60-59 UTPA advantage. With 42.2 seconds left Mike
St. John (3 points and 3
rebounds in 32 minutes) had a chance to take the lead back
on a 1 and 1 but missed the
free
throw. Stoll got fouled by Harris and made the first free
throw but missed the second one but the ball was tied up
and went to UTPA on the possession arrow. UTPA was fouled
again and this time converted both free throws for a 63-59
UTPA advantage with 23.4 seconds left. Then, there was
a jump ball with 11 seconds remaining but LaSalle was given
the ball via the possession arrow. Rodney
Green (16 points and 6 assists) drew a foul and
made both free throws to cut the lead to 63-61.
With 7 seconds to go things looked rather
bleak as UTPA was going to the foul line for
a 1 and 1. UTPA missed the shot and Yves Mbala (13
points and 9 rebounds) rebounded and fed the
outlet to Green who found Harris standing
beyond the arc. Darnell launched the shot
that connected. Buzzer, game over! LaSalle
finished the night 14 for 22 from the line
(64%). Final
Score 64-63.
Officials: Terry Anderson,
Tom Clark and Tom Mauer.
Grade for Officials: B (Above
Average) -
Game was called evenly for both sides and
refs were not involved in any controversial
plays.
Box Score
Sloppy
Play, Missed Foul Shots Doom Explorers
December 1, 2006 by Jack
Missed Free Throws by Freshmen in Closing Minutes
Cost Explorers
The game started out slowly for the Explorers
(3-1) as they fell behind 4-0 to the Coppin State Eagles
(2-5).The offense started to produce and LaSalle
led 28-19 on a Darnell
Harris (19
points) triple with 5:15 to play in the first half.
LaSalle had a 37-28 lead with 1 minute remaining
on an Yves
Mbala (8 points, 7 rebounds) layup. But then the defense
fell asleep and allowed two Coppin State 3 pointers
including one at the buzzer to cut the Explorers
halftime lead to 3 at 37-34.
The second half saw more defensive lapses by LaSalle as
Coppin State started drilling 3-pointers to build a 51-46
lead with 12:20 to go. Coach John Giannini even
picked up an unnecessary technical in the game that resulted
in 1 of 2 free throws
being converted. You will see why that is important.
With 1:19 remaining Mbala made both ends of a 1 and 1 to
give
LaSalle the lead at 67-66.
Rodney
Green (career best 18 points, 6 boards and
4 assists) fouled Tywain McKee (our defense allowed him
a game high 31 points) who missed the front end of a 1
and 1. Rodney then chased down
the
rebound
with
1 minute
to go. Harris missed a jumper but Mbala stole the ball
and was fouled by McKee (fouls out) with 33.8 seconds remaining.
Mbala has a 1 and 1 situation and misses the free throw.
The shot clock is turned off and Coppin State sees the
Explorers lazy defense and drains a crushing 3-pointer
with 14.6
to go to give Coppin State a 69-67 lead. Then, there was
a blocking foul called, with 4.4 seconds, sending Green
to the line for another 1 and 1. Rodney connects on the
first
but then
missed the
second. Mike St. John (3 points) got the
board and attempted a reverse layup instead of going strong
to
the
basket. Buzzer, game
over. LaSalle finished the night 11 for 19 from the line
(58%). Final
Score 69-68.
Officials: Terry Anderson,
Terry Wymer and Zelton Steed.
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Box Score
LaSalle
Handles First Road Test
November 25, 2006 by Jack
Sherman Diaz and Rodney Green Combine
for 36 Points
The Explorers
(3-0) passed their first "road test" of the season
playing at the St. Francis Red Flash (2-1) in Loretto,
PA. The first half started with a few lead changes
and some pourous LaSalle defense. Darnell Harris (8
points for the game) closed out the half with a jumper
inside the arc to give the Explorers a 31-27 halftime
lead.
Sherman Diaz Rodney
Green
The heroes in this game were Sherman "the Tank" Diaz and Rodney
Green. Rodney started the second half scoring with a layup
which was followed by an Yves Mbala (7 points) jam
and then a Diaz dunk. Sherman hit a couple more shots
in helping extend the lead to 45-33. After extending
the lead to 48-37 on a Green free throw with less
then 10 minutes remaining, St. Francis went on a 9-1
run to cut the deficit to 3 at 49-46. Mike St. John (5
points) answered the call to take the pressure off
by drilling a clutch three-pointer with about 6 minutes
to go to give LaSalle a 52-46 edge. With 1:18 remaining
and the Explorers leading 60-54, Diaz (19 points on
8 for 10 shooting) connected on a key 3-pointer as
the shot clock expired for a 63-54 cushion. Rodney
closed out the scoring with 2 free throws to tie his
career best with 17 points. Despite
some defensive lapses, the Explorers have out-scored
their opponents in all 6 halves this season. The
Explorer defense must be able to stop the dribbler
and also get back on defense after made baskets, so
far they have not done this consistently. Final
score 69-60.
Officials: Bruce
Benedict, Carl Grinage and Jeffery Bryant.
Grade for Officials: C (Average) -
The NEC crew did not make any real blatant errors
but did allow too much contact by St. Francis. They
also had St. Francis with a 3 to 1 free throw advantage
late in the second half giving the Red Flash a few
home calls.
Box Score
Bison
Sent to Pasture By Explorers
November 21, 2006 by Jack
Darnell Harris, Rodney Green and Paul Johnson Combine
for 59 Points
Coach John Giannini's blood pressure was not measured
in the first half but you could tell it was very high
based on his facial expressions. The young Explorers
(2-0) made some unforced turnovers and bad decisions
but ended the half on a very high note. The Explorers
trailed the Howard Bison (1-3) 36-30 with 2:18 to
go. Then, the Explorers scored on a standing ovation
reverse dunk by Rodney Green (17 points) to cut the
lead to 38-36.
Ruben Guillandeaux (6 points, 4 boards) then forced
a 5 second violation with 28 seconds to play. LaSalle
inbounded a jump ball with 2.4 seconds to go and the
pass went to Kimmani Barrett (5 points) who launched
a 3 point buzzer-beater that connected to give the
Explorers a 39-38 halftime lead.
The second half started out with 4 Explorer chances
to score on their first possesion and nothing to show
for it. The Explorers never panicked as Sherman "the
Tank" Diaz (6 points, 5 assists and 3 blocks) stabilized
the team after a series of bad officiating calls (including
2 by ref David Walker). Diaz cooly hit the front
end of a 1-and-1 and then the back end to put LaSalle ahead
for good at 64-62 with 7:37 remaining. Paul Johnson (a
career high 15 points) also came to the rescue in this
game with key baskets.
Darnell Harris was just as good as he was in the
opening contest as he shot 10 for 15 (4 for 6 from
3 point land) for a career best 27 points to go with
6 boards, 3 steals and 2 assists in 38 minutes. Eugene
Myatt of Howard tried to match Harris shot for shot
as he finished with 26 points on 10 for 15 shooting
and had 5 boards. Final
score 84-78.
Officials: David
Walker,
George Harry and Quinton Murphy.
Grade for Officials: D (Below Average) -
David Walker, who receives a "F" making a couple of
blatantly incorrect calls including a call against
Yves Mbala where
2 Howard players ran into each other and Yves touched
neither
of them but picked up his fourth foul with about 10
minutes to go. The other 2 officials receive a "D"
for allowing too much contact by Howard players including
a major
hack against Barrett with the ball near the basket
with La Salle leading 62-60, Howard tied the score
right
after
this
non-call.
A little over two minutes later there was more heavy
contact by another Howard player and no call was made.
Box Score
Explorers
Win Opener Over the Mount
November 18, 2006 by Jack
Darnell Harris Leads Explorers to Victory With 25 points
The Explorers took a 2-0 lead on Yves Mbala's (11
points, 5 rebounds) layup early in the first half.
However, the Mount Saint Mary's Moutaineers scored
the next 9 points to force coach
John Giannini to call a timeout. Whatever coach told
the players certainly had an affect as LaSalle went
on a 14-2 run to lead 16-11. Rodney Green had a very
good first half with 9 points (11 points for the game).
La Salle led at the break 37-35.
Sherman "the Tank" Diaz (9 points) put
LaSalle up 42-38 early in the second half and played
a solid game.
Kimmani
Barrett contributed 6 points including two important second
half free throws.
Darnell Harris was fantastic today as he connected
on 8 of 13 shots from the field including 5 of 7 from
beyond the arc. His first half shots kept the Explorers
within striking distance while his second half shots
helped to increase the lead and put the game almost
out of reach.
The Explorers made the crowd a little nervous toward
the end of the game as The Mount closed the gap to 63-60 with about
30 seconds
remaining. Darnell hit a couple of free throws to seal
the game with under 6 seconds remaining.
Final score 66-60.
Officials: Lamar
Simpson, Curtis Blair and Eric Anderson.
Grade for Officials: B(Above Average) -
I am using the same grading system as our semi-retired
Hoops Tick did last season.
Box Score (Requires
Acrobat Reader)
Exhibition Game 4 of 4 from Ottawa
"Phenom
Phive" Close Out Great White North Trip With Victory
September
4, 2006 by Jack
Explorers
earn 92-57 win over Algonquin College Thunder
This
game started with an Yves Mbala (11 points) steal
that lead to a Sherm Diaz (8 points) layup for a
2-0 lead. La Salle never trailed in this contest. Rodney
Green (21
points for the game) had another big first half with
15 points and 8 rebounds. La Salle led 45-22
at the break.
The second
half started with a reverse layup by Kimmani Barrett (15
points).
Paul Johnson added 17 points as La Salle built a 76-45 lead with 5:19 remaining. Walk-on Brad Cohen hit a 3 pointer in the
closing minutes.
Notes: The game was played at Algonquin
College which a few have described as a "grade school
caliber"
gym. There were about 100 in attendance. Darnell
Harris did not play in order
to give the Freshmen class known as the "Phenom Phive" additional
playing time. The Explorers went 2-2 on the trip and easily
could
have won
all 4 games with a couple of breaks.
No Box Score Available
Exhibition
Game 3 of 4 from Ottawa
Explorers
Take Canadian Champs to OT
September
3, 2006 by Jack
Explorers
drop a 76-75 Heartbreaker to 4-time Canadian Champs
Carleton Ravens
The
Explorers came out very aggressive and led 21-20 on
a Rodney Green (9 points) layup. Brian
Grimes (10
points, 6 boards) drilled a 3 pointer to give the Explorers
a 29-24 lead. La Salle gave up a 3 pointer at the buzzer
but still led 33-28 at the break.
The second
half started with Green making a jumper.
Mike
St. John (3 points and 8 boards) hit a 3 pointer to give the
Explorers the lead at 56-45 with 9:17 remaining. The
Ravens then scored 8 straight points over the next 2:09
to cut the lead to 3 points. The teams battled then Ruben
Guillandeaux (11 points) makes a clutch basket with 1:01 remaining
to give La Salle a 66-63 lead. The score remained the same with 16.3
seconds to go and a timeout was called with Carleton
in possession. The Explorers should have fouled immediately.
Instead Carleton was able to launch the game tying 3
pointer with 5 seconds left. Tabby Cunningham missed
the buzzer beater.
In the Overtime, Ruben hit a runner to give La Salle
a 68-66 lead. Later Darnell Harris (20 points) made
a layup which should have sealed the victory by giving
the Explorers a 74-69 lead with 2 minutes remaining. Kimmani Barrett
missed a critical free throw with 34 seconds to go and
the Explorers leading 75-74. The Ravens hit 2 free throws
with 13.6 remaining to take a 76-75 lead. Ruben took
the last shot which missed off the rim.
Notes: The game was played at Carleton
University's Ravens' Nest and attended by over 2500 (standing
room only). The Explorers must work on their free throws
as they shot a poor 11 for 20. The road trip ends with
a game against Algonquin College Thunder at 11am tomorrow.
Box Score
Exhibition
Game 2 of 4 from Ottawa
First
Year
Explorers Earn First Win in Double-Header
September
3, 2006 by Jack
Explorers
win 91-69 decision over Laurentian Voyageurs
The
Explorers started out by opening a 17-12 lead with
an Yves Mbala (10 points, 5 rebounds) layup and free
throw. They extending it to 23-14 on a basket from Kimmani
Barrett (11 points and 4 rebounds). The
Explorers closed out the half with Brian Grimes (10
points, 6 boards) making a free throw with 0.2 seconds
remaining to give them a 43-38 lead.
The second
half started with a Rodney Green (25 points in 24 minutes)
making a pair of free throws. The Explorers
lost a little focus on defense and Laurentian actually
held a 53-49 lead before Coach Giannini called a timeout.
The Explorers responded with a Mbala 3 pointer and Mike
St. John's (4 points, 6 boards) layup to up 54-53 with a little
over 14:30 to go. They never trailed again. Ruben
Guillandeaux (16 points) hit a clutch 3 pointer to build the
lead to 63-54. Paul Johnson (6
points) had a couple of two-handed jams.
Notes: Darnell Harris did not play so
he could rest for tonight's challenge against Carleton
University and for the coaches to give the freshmen more
playing time. The crowd was
estimated
to be
around
60. The game was played at Carleton University's
Ravens' Nest which seats about 2500. Tonight the place
will be packed as the host team welcomes the Explorers.
Box Score
Exhibition
Game 1 of 4 from Ottawa
Young
Explorers Nearly Upset One of Canada's Best Teams
September
2, 2006 by Jack
Explorers
drop 89-88 decision to Ottawa Gee Gees
The
Explorers started strong with a 10-5 lead as Darnell
Harris (33 points on 7 for 11 from beyond the arc) hit a
3 pointer. All of the freshman scored in the first
half including 11 points by Kimmani
Barrett (16 points and 7 rebounds). The
Explorers battled with Ottawa throughout the half and
Explorers finished with a 47-45 halftime lead.
The second
half started with a Mike St. John (6 points) layup.
But the Explorers defense was unable to prevent Ottawa
from taking a 63-54 lead with 13:36 to go. The Explorers
battled back as Ruben Guillandeaux hit a 3 pointer
to bring La Salle to within 4 at 65-61. Rodney Green scored
on a layup to give La Salle the lead at 84-83 with 1:20
remaining. Ottawa led 87-84 but fouled Darnell who made
2 free throws. Then Paul Johnson (13 points) got a
steal and got a monster jam for a 88-87 Explorer lead.
However with 8.1 seconds remaining
Tabby Cunningham was whistled for a foul. Ottawa converted
both free throws. Darnell took a three pointer that missed
as time expired.
The main purpose of this trip is to incorporate Doctor
Giannini's offensive philosophy into the young freshman
class. Playing this well this early really gives the
coaching staff a chance to implement even more then originally
planned.
Notes: Some described the facilities at
Ottawa University as less then high school standard (tight
base lines and a curtain covering one side
of the court). Plus, Kale "Overseas" Beers had trouble
getting a phone line and a chair for the game! The
crowd was
estimated
to be
around
350. The officiating was one-sided at critical times;
some might say "home country cookin'". The starters were Paul Johnson,
Mike St. John, Darnell Harris, Yves
Mbala (6
points) and Sherm
Diaz. Brian Grimes only
played 10 minutes in the first half. Marshall
Taylor did not make the trip as he is nursing a sore
knee. In case you were wondering, the term Gee-Gee is taken from
horse racing where a Gee-Gee is the first horse out
of the starting gate.
Box Score
