The Season That Could Have Been - The 2008-09 Explorers
March
15, 2009
by Jack
Selection-less Sunday For Explorers Concludes
What Could Have Been the NCAA or NIT Post-Season.
The
LaSalle Explorers (18-13) could have finished at least
second in the Atlantic 10 standings this
year and avoided the opening game; an early 12 pm
start. They lost a game they could have won at Rhode
Island
(key defensive lapses) and another at Saint Bonaventure
(lack of overall focus). Even though the Dayton game
at home saw favorable officiating for the Flyers the
Explorers still could have boxed out in the final second
of the game. The Explorers gave away two consecutive
home contests in February that ultimately decided their
post-season fate. They lost to Richmond as there was
little defensive intensity and a horrific shooting effort
(28%). The Explorers followed that up with another stinker
against Duquesne as they missed many open layups. If
the Explorers had won 4 of these 5 games they would have
been at 22-8 entering the Conference Tournament (and
a lock for the NIT) with a chance to advance to the NCAA
this season. Throw in the three OOC games the Explorers
could have won (Florida State, Southern Miss and Cornell)
and the Explorers could have been 25-5 and poised for
a run to the Sweet 16. Instead the season ended abruptly
with an overtime loss to the Billikens last week. Next
season the make-up of the team will change and hopefully
provide the spark for a NCAA berth.
The Major Positives: Rodney Green -
2nd Team All-A10. He has shown steady progress and is
one of the favorites for A10 Player of the Year next
season.
The
"Big Dog" averaged 17.8 points, 5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Yves
Mbala (10.4 points, 6 rebounds; limited to 23
games due to injury) and Kimmani
Barrett (11.8
points, 5 rebounds) made major strides in their games
as they increased their point totals from the previous
season. Paul Johnson (4.4 points and
4.1 rebounds) was the leader on the team and he made
sure everyone was
working
out
and getting to practice
on time.
The Contributors: Vernon Goodridge averaged
6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds but only averaged 21 minutes.
He also had 49 blocked shots for the season. He needs
to be on the court more often next year (assuming the
NCAA grants him his fourth year). Darryl Partin (4.6
points per game) was given more playing time when Yves
Mbala went down with
his injury. Darryl has decided to transfer. We hope he
does well in his future academic and athletic endeavours. Ruben
Guillandeaux
(10.1 points) saw his field goal shooting drop significantly
(37%) since the previous
year (45%) and he made some questionable decisions on
the court - sometimes rushing shots and other times throwing
the
ball away. He really needs to rededicate himself to the
game over the summer. Shooting under 45% for Ruben is
unacceptable. Jerrell Williams (6.4
points; missed 4 games due to injury) did not show the
same fire as he had as a freshman and both
his
points and
minutes were less then last season.
The Future: The future is extremely bright for the
Explorers as newcomers Aaric Murray (one
of the top high school centers in the nation this year),
Karon Burton (a state champion and top-notch
point guard) and Devon White (a red-shirt
this season) will all be major contributors to what should
be a NCAA team next year. Winning becomes contagious. Coach John
Giannini
and his staff are already out on the recruiting trail for
next year.
Final Explorer Top Peformer of The Game Standings:
Rodney Green 13
times
Kimmani Barrett 6
times
Ruben Guillandeaux 4 times
Yves Mbala 3
times
Vernon Goodridge 2 times
Darryl Partin 2
times
Jerrell Williams 1
time
Everyone's
Explorer MVP for the 2008-09 Season: Rodney Green
Poor Game Planning and Shot Selection Are Deadly
To Explorers
March
11, 2009
by Jack
Gut Wrenching Loss Caused by Poor Game Planning
and Lack of Adjustments.
The
Explorers (18-13) came out energized and it appeared
they would blow open the game. However, the Saint Louis
Billikens
(18-13) did not roll over. LaSalle built a 14-6 lead
as Darryl
Partin scored on a layup. The Billikens then
went on a 20-10 run and led at the half 26-24.
The
teams came out in the second half and traded baskets
early. Saint Louis built a 39-33 lead with 10:28 remaining.
Darryl Partin and Rodney Green (24
points, 6 rebounds) hit treys and cut the led to 41-39. Paul
Johnson was then fouled
hard
and no call was made as he had a layup. Then the Explorers
stopped attacking the basket and settled for long shots.
Green kept them close as he cut the lead to 50-47. Rodney
then tied the game at 52 on a layup. Those were the last
points in regulation for either team.
The Explorers took the lead at 56-54 on a Kimmani
Barrett
trey but Vernon Goodridge foolishly
and inexplicably fouled a Billiken under the basket right
after the basket
connected. Saint Louis immediately tied it on the free throws
from Goodridge's foul. The Explorers missed
their last shot and Saint Louis had the ball with 6.6 seconds
remaining.
The Billikens converted a basket with 1.8 seconds remaining
and
ruined my vacation as I had taken off from today to Friday
in anticipation of a good run... sorry I thought this was
a travel blog.
Saint Louis 62, LaSalle
60 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 37% from the field on 23 for 63 (and
18% from beyond the arc on 4 for 22) and 71% from
the foul line
(10 for
14). Coach John Giannini has much explaining
to do:
1.
Why did Vernon Goodridge have ZERO shot attempts after scoring
13 points on Saturday against the Bills?
2. Where was Ruben
Guillandeaux today?
3. Why did he allow the team to continue
to shoot treys when they were much more affective driving
to the hoop?
Officials:
Mike Eades, Roger Ayers and Brian Dorsey. Grade
for Officials: D (Below Average)
This
crew called the first half reasonably well. The second
half was a joke as they allowed the Billikens to get away
with hard fouls including one where Paul Johnson had a
layup except he could not shot it as a Billiken had grabbed
both of his arms.
Box
Score
Green Named A10 Player of the Week
March 9, 2009
Rodney
Green earned his first career Atlantic 10 Player of the Week
honor on Sunday after leading La Salle to a 3-0 week to wrap
up the regular season and the
eighth seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship.
Green averaged 23.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and four assists in leading the Explorers
to wins over Massachusetts, Fordham and at Saint Louis. This
is the first time he has won this award.
Explorers Discover Gateway To The West And Feast
on Billikens
March
7, 2009
by Jack
Green, Partin and Goodridge Ruin Senior Night
For Saint Louis.
The
Blue and Gold (18-12, 9-7 in A10) showed a sold-out (over
9,700) Chaifetz Arena why they are true road warriors.
They defeated
a Saint Louis Billikens (17-13, 8-8) team that had lost
only two home games all season in their new home. The
Explorers
looked lethargic at the start of the game and fell behind
22-8. The coaching staff reminded them that they needed
to look for the open man and it paid off. The Explorers
closed out the half on a 20-12 run. Darryl Partin (13
points for game) kept the Explorers close with 10 points
in the half. The Billikens
led at the half 34-28.
The
second half started much like the first as the Explorers
fell behind by 9 points at 42-33. Rodney Green (24
points and 3 assists) led the comeback as he converted
a jumper at 15:01 and later assisted on a
Kimmani Barrett (5 points and 6 boards)
trey at 10:59 to give the Explorers their first lead 43-42.
The
Explorers
never
trailed
after that and began to frustrate the Billikens coach, Rick
Majerus, who picked up a technical at 3:55 and the Explorers
ahead 52-49. Majerus stormed onto the court after thinking
his player was fouled. The refs had no choice but to give
him a technical. Green converted one of the two technical
free throws. Vernon Goodridge (13 points
and 8 boards) had a layup with 1:28 remaining to give the
Explorers what should
have
been a commanding
lead at 61-54 but the Billikens fought back to within 3 at
62-59 at 1:15. Green then had a basket due to goal-tending
but the Billikens converted a layup but Ruben Guillandeaux
(7 points) allowed a Billiken to tie up the ball and the
possession arrow favored Saint Louis with 20.7 seconds remaining.
Fortunately
the Billikens missed an open trey. Goodridge converted a
dunk with 3 seconds left to seal the win. LaSalle
68, Saint Louis 62 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 43% from the field on 23 for 53 (and
50% from beyond the arc on 5 for 10) and 74% from
the foul line
(17 for
23). The reward for winning this game is not what many
had thought it would be. The Explorers (#8) will face Saint
Louis (#9) again to open the
A10 tournament
on
Wednesday;
the give-away home losses to Richmond and Duquesne ends up
costing
the
Explorers big time as they could have had the 5th seed. Xavier
decided to let Richmond win today and thus the Explorers
slid down to the 8th position in the standings. Jerrell
Williams (2 points in 7 minutes) and Yves
Mbala (zero points in 3 minutes)
both returned to the line-up.
| A10
Standings |
Conference
Record |
Overall
Record |
A10
Tournament in Atlantic City |
| Xavier
#18 |
12-4 |
24-6 |
Thursday
vs LaSalle/Saint Louis at 12
noon |
| Rhode Island |
11-5 |
22-9 |
Thursday
vs Duquesne/Massachusetts at 6:30 |
| Dayton |
11-5 |
25-6 |
Thursday
vs Richmond/St. Bonaventure at 9 |
| Temple |
11-5 |
19-11 |
Thursday
vs Saint Joe's/Charlotte at 2:30 |
| Saint
Joe's |
9-7 |
16-14 |
Wed
vs Charlotte at 2:30 |
| Richmond |
9-7 |
17-14 |
Wed
vs St. Bonaventure at 9 |
| Duquesne |
9-7 |
18-11 |
Wed
vs Massachusetts at 6:30 |
| La
Salle |
9-7 |
18-12 |
Wed
vs Saint Louis at 12 noon |
| Saint
Louis |
8-8 |
17-13 |
See above |
| Massachusetts |
7-9 |
12-17 |
See
above |
| St.
Bonaventure |
6-10 |
15-14 |
See
above |
| Charlotte |
5-11 |
11-19 |
See
above |
| George
Washington |
4-12 |
10-18 |
Season
Over |
| Fordham |
1-15 |
3-25 |
Season
Over |
Next Game: vs. Saint Louis at Atlantic 10 Tournament on Wednesday
12pm.
Officials:
Lamar Simpson ,Kevin O'Connell and Mike Foote. Grade
for Officials: D (Below Average)
This
crew missed many calls in the first half including an unacceptable
backcourt violation call against LaSalle where a Saint
Louis player tipped the ball into the backcourt. They also
allowed a Billiken to trip up Ruben, knocking Ruben and
the ball out of bounds, and then give the Billikens the
ball. They also allowed the Explorers to trip up Mitchell
without a call. The second half was not as bad but they
missed obvious pushing calls against both teams.
Box
Score
Explorers Have Senior Moments In Win Over Fordham
March
4, 2009
by Jack
Paul Johnson and Brad Cohen Contribute on Senior
Night.
Senior Brad
Cohen Converts a Three-Pointer.
The
LaSalle Explorers (17-12, 8-7 in A10) struggled in the
first half against the injury plagued Fordam Rams (3-24,
1-14). Seniors Paul Johnson (6 points,
7 boards and 7 assists) and walk-on Brad
Cohen (8 points in 8 minutes) were in the starting
lineup and each had a basket as they built a 4-0 lead.
The Rams
kept
drilling
treys
and
pulled to within a point at 26-25
with 3:13
to go
in
the half. Ruben
Guillandeaux (13 points on 5 for 7 shooting,
3 rebounds and 3 assists) kept the Explorers ahead with
10 points in the half. Then Rodney
Green (16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists)
hit a trey at 2:56 but the Rams immediately hit another
trey to pull within one at 29-28. Darryl Partin then
hit two consecutive treys (his only points of the game)
followed by a buzzer beating layup by Kimmani
Barrett for a 37-30 halftime
advantage.
The
team came out much more focused in the second half and
began taking the ball inside. Barrett (19 points and
5 boards) delivered the knockout punch with 6:06 remaining
on trey
for a
66-52
advantage.
Vernon Goodridge (9 points) played good
defense and had 3 blocks to go with 3 steals. LaSalle
79, Fordham 59 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Kimmani Barrett.
LaSalle
shot 46% from the field on 31 for 67 (and
37% from beyond the arc on 11 for 30) and 75% from
the foul line
(6 for
8). The Explorers will need a win on Saturday at Saint
Louis in order to move up in the A10 standings; they can
finish no worse then 9th and if my scenarios are correct,
no better then 6th. The injured Jerrell Williams and Yves
Mbala could
both return to the line-up on Saturday.
| A10
Standings |
Conference
Record |
Overall
Record |
A10 Opponents Remaining |
| Xavier
#18 |
11-3 |
23-5 |
Flyers
3/5; at Spiders 3/7 |
| Rhode
Island |
11-4 |
22-8 |
Minutemen
3/7 |
| Dayton |
10-4 |
24-5 |
at
Muskies 3/5; Dukes 3/7 |
| Temple |
9-5 |
17-11 |
Hawks 3/5;
at Colonials 3/7 |
| Duquesne |
9-6 |
18-10 |
at
Flyers 3/7 |
| Saint
Joe's |
8-6 |
15-13 |
at
Owls 3/5; at Fordham Rams 3/7 |
| Richmond |
8-7 |
16-14 |
Muskies
3/7 |
| La
Salle |
8-7 |
17-12 |
at
Bills 3/7 |
| Saint
Louis |
8-7 |
17-12 |
La
Salle 3/7 |
| Massachusetts |
6-9 |
11-17 |
at Rhodey 3/7 |
| St.
Bonaventure |
5-10 |
14-14 |
49ers 3/7 |
| Charlotte |
5-10 |
11-18 |
at Bonnies 3/7 |
| George
Washington |
4-11 |
10-17 |
Owls 3/7 |
| Fordham |
1-14 |
3-24 |
Hawks 3/7 |
Standings as of games completed on 3/4/09.
Next Game: at Saint Louis on Saturday 8pm EST.
Officials:
Joe DeMayo, Ron Tyburski and Dave Draucker.
Grade
for Officials: C (Average)
They
missed obvious calls against both teams but they at least
avoided slowing the game down with too many whistles.
Box
Score
Explorers March To Victory As Green
and Partin Stomp Minutemen
March
1, 2009
by Jack
New Dynamic Duo Team-Up To Score 30 Each in 97-88
Win.
The
Explorers (16-12, 7-7 in A10) are now poised to close
out the regular season strong and then do some major
damage in the A10 Tourney in two weeks. The Massachusetts
Minutemen (10-17, 5-9) knew it would be a tough night
when Vernon Goodridge (10 points and
11 boards in 17 minutes) converted an alley-oop from Paul
Johnson (9 boards, 4 assists and excellent defense
including 2 steals) to give the Explorers a 14-3 advantage.
The Explorers continued
to
build their
lead
to 17 points
as Rodney Green (18 points in the half)
converted a jumper with only 3 seconds remaining in the
half for
a 46-29
advantage.
The
Blue and Gold came out and really started to pound the
Minutemen on the boards. The lead was 72-46 with 11:21
remaining as Ruben Guillandeaux (14
points and 4 assists) completed a traditional three-point
play. Darryl Partin shot 8 for 14 from
the field for a career-best 30 points, 18 in the second
half. Massachusetts never got closer
then 7 points the remainder of the game. LaSalle
97, Massachusetts 88 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Darryl Partin.
LaSalle
shot 53% from the field on 31 for 59 (and
50% from beyond the arc on 10 for 20) and 71% from
the foul line
(25 for
35). Green had a career-best 30 points to go along with
7 boards and 5 assists. Jerrell Williams missed the game
with an ankle sprain that required a boot; the injury occured
during practice on Saturday. His injury will be evaluated
on Monday, hopefully it is not serious enough for him to
miss any more games. The Explorers swept the two games
with
UMass
this year.
Next Game: Fordham at Gola Arena on Wednesday 7pm.
Officials:
Gene Steratore, Mike Kitts and John Regan.
Grade
for Officials: A (Superior)
They
called the game the way it played out.
Steratore who also officiates NFL games kept the game from
getting out of control when he slapped Tyrell Lynch of
UMass for over-aggressive behavior under the basket. Kitts
and Regan also called the game the way it played out.
Box
Score
Nocturnal Explorers Feast On Owls As Green and Barrett
Lead Way
February
26, 2009
by The RatMan (Exclusive submitted from
the Liacouras Center)
Coach Giannini Sends Message And Explorers Respond.
Kimmani Barrett Prepares To Take Technical Free Throw
LaSalle
(15-12, 6-7 in A10, 3-1 in Big 5) finally got motivated
to save the season. They beat a very strong Temple Owls
(17-10, 9-4, 1-2) team that had won 5 straight games.
You have to give coach John Giannini credit
for not starting Rodney
Green or Ruben
Guillandeaux due to lackluster performances
in the past couple of games. Instead deep reserve Steve
Weingarten (scored the first points of the game
on a hook shot) and sub Darryl
Partin (hit a pair of treys) each
got their first career Explorer starts. The Explorers
trailed at intermission 34-31 as Temple converted a layup
with only 2 seconds remaining in the half.
LaSalle
became a much more aggressive team in the second
half. Rodney drilled his first trey to build a 53-48
lead with 8:36 remaining but that lead evaporated into
a 53-53 tie in a matter of seconds as the Owls made a
jumper and then made a steal and a dish to Dionte Christmas
(19 points) who made the trey. Then "Big Dog" Green drilled
another trey for a 56-53 lead, one they would never surrender.
Temple remained within striking distance until Rodney
hit his third trey in as many attempts for a 66-59
lead
with 2:13 remaining in the game. Green had 22 points,
4 boards and 8 assists to go with 5 steals in 33 minutes. Kimmani
Barrett (20 points, 6 boards
and 2 steals) hit key shots and free throws down the
stretch to preserve
the hard-fought Big 5 victory. LaSalle 70, Temple
63 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 42% from the field on 24 for 57 (and
45% from beyond the arc on 9 for 20) and a poor 54% from
the foul line
(13 for
24). It was good to see Ruben (5 points in 16 minutes)
get back into the scoring column on field goals as he was
2
for
2 in
the
second half
after going 0 for 4 in the first half. It was the Explorers
first-ever win at the Liacouras Center (1-7 all-time).
Fran Dunphy was out-coached in this game.
Next Game: UMass at Gola Arena on Sunday 5pm. Televised
on CBS College Sports (Channel 274 on Comcast)
Officials:
Jeffrey Clark, Karl Hess and Jamie Luckie.
Grade
for Officials: C (Average)
According
to Temple alums ref Karl Hess has a problem with Temple
and tonight it showed as he hit Semaj Inge with a technical
foul. For once it was LaSalle who benefitted from poor
officiating. Hess earns a "D" while Luckie earns a "C"
and Clark a "B" as he kept the game from getting too physical
under the basket.
Box
Score
Explorers Miss Open Layups To Seal Win For Dukes
February
22, 2009
by Jack
Explorers Beat Themselves Again.
LaSalle
(14-12, 5-7 in A10) continues to throw away games they
should win. Today it was the Duquesne Dukes (16-9, 7-5)
who took advantage of it. For this loss you could blame
coach John Giannini for not having the
team ready to play. You could also blame the veteran
players like Rodney
Green (14
points on 3 for 11 shooting, 1 assist and 5 turnovers
in 27 minutes) and Ruben Guillandeaux who
went 0 for 11 from the field in the game and finished
with 3 points
to go with 6 assists and 2 steals. The team cannot win
when it misses at least 10 open layups in the first half.
Instead of leading comfortably at the break, the Explorers
trailed 44-41.
The
second half started with some energy as Vernon
Goodridge (5 for 5 on field goals and 2 assists
in 15 minutes) converted an alley-oop to get within a
point
but the
Explorers
never
got any closer the rest of the way. The
Dukes were getting easy layups and dunks and wide-open
treys that for some reason the Explorers chose not to
defend. There appears to be a curse playing at Gola Arena
for this team over the past 2 seasons. If seating is
required behind the baskets then the alums will force
the administration to put some in until a new arena can
be
built. They allowed
Aaron Jackson
of Duquesne to dominate the game with 25 points and 8
assists. Duquesne
79, LaSalle 68 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Vernon Goodridge.
LaSalle
shot 39% from the field on 25 for 64 (and
19% from beyond the arc on 3 for 16) and 71% from the foul
line
(15 for
21). Coach
John Giannini needs to re-educate his
entire coaching staff on the fundamentals of coaching.
The team cannot come out this flat for home games ever
again. The team needs
to pull an upset on Thursday to get back on track and at
least finish the season with an above .500 record. The
SID (Kale Beers) belatedly apoligized for the video problems
and the feed worked much better today although it went
completely
out for a couple minutes in the first half.
Next Game: Big 5 Matchup Against Fran Dunphy and Temple
7pm Thursday at Temple's Liacorous Center.
Officials:
DJ Carstensen, Bryan Kersey and Joe Lindsay.
Grade
for Officials: C (Average)
The
crew made a few bad calls against both teams and called
the game without any incidents.
Box
Score
Successophobia Infests Explorers
February
18, 2009
by Jack
Fear Of Success Kills Explorers Against Richmond
Spiders.
The
Explorers (14-11, 5-6 in A10) chances of earning a bye
for the Atlantic 10 Tournament disappeared completely
after they dropped a home game to a mediocre Richmond
Spiders (13-13, 5-6) team. You could blame the coaching
staff as it appeared that the Explorers were ill-prepared
to attack Richmond's defense from the start. You could
blame the veteran players like Rodney
Green (13
points) who went 0 for 8 from the field in the first
half. You could blame the euphoria and media exposure
of Rodney Green for beating the Hawks over the weekend.
The Explorers trailed 30-25
at
the intermission.
The
Explorers coaches appeared to have gotten through to
the team at the half as the Explorers came out of the
locker
room
and
quickly
scored 11 straight points that ended with a basket by
Green for a 36-30 Explorer advantage with 15:10 remaining.
It appeared as though the Explorers were on their way
to an easy victory. The Explorers, fearing success, allowed
a 17-4 Spider run and at 9:18 trailed 47-40. The Explorers
never
challenged
Richmond the rest of the game and absorbed a humiliating
loss. Vernon Goodridge (8
points and 7 boards) and Paul Johnson (7
points and 7 boards) were the only Explorers who did
not miss 8 or
more shots of the players who made field goal attempts.
It was the most pathetic shooting performance ever witnessed
at Gola Arena during the Giannini era. The team defense
was absent as they allowed Kevin "Neo" Anderson to score
a career-high 28 points. Richmond
62, LaSalle 53 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Vernon Goodridge.
LaSalle
shot a horrific 28% from the field on 18 for 64 (and a
worse-then-horrific 14% from beyond the arc on 2 for 14)
and 88% from the foul
line
(15 for
17). There was certainly no excuse for this poor of a performance
by the entire team; this team had no margin of error. This
team can not give away games like it did to the Spiders
(and
Bonnies
and
URI Rams). Coach
John Giannini needs to go back to the
drawing board as whatever game plan he had certainly did
not work tonight. Many fans reported that the video feed
from Gola was unwatchable - the SID did not get it fixed.
Next Game: Duquesne 2pm Sunday at Gola Arena.
Officials:
Patrick Driscoll, Kevin Ferguson and Dwayne Gladden.
Grade
for Officials: D (Below Average)
In
the first half the crew called a goal-tend that was not
against Goodridge and later missed an obvious call when
Goodridge was hammered on a dunk attempt. The crew missed
consecutive plays in the second half where Kimmani
Barrett
was hit
hard and
then
had his
shirt
pulled
out
by a Richmond
player (neither was called).
Box
Score
Deja "Blue and Gold" All Over Again For Hawks
February
14, 2009
by BK Seginsda
Green, Guillandeaux and Barrett Ground The
Hawks 75-68.
Paul Johnson
converts the alley-oop from Rodney Green.
LaSalle
(14-10, 5-5 in A10) has beaten Saint Joseph's Hawks (14-10,
7-3) for the second consecutive season. Not even ref
Reggie Greenwood (who has a history of costing LaSalle
games over the past 8 years) could save
the Hawks today. The Explorers started
very slowly in this soldout game at the Palestra and
trailed 20-8 with 12:33 remaining in the half. Rodney
Green (20
points) tied the game at 22 with a trey and 7:11 left.
Green then drilled another trey at 6:09 (25-22) and the
Explorers closed out the half on 27-10 run. The Explorers
led at the break 35-30.
The
Explorers quickly jumped on the Hawks in the second half
as Green made a layup and Kimmani Barrett (17
points 4 steals and 7 boards) hit a trey for a ten point
Explorer advantage, 40-30 with
18:51
remaining. Ruben Guillandeaux (11 points,
8 assists, 5 rebounds and great defense) played
an outstanding overall game got on the score sheet for
the first time with a
deep jumper just inside the arc at 14:36 to build the
lead back to ten at 46-36. Ruben was clutch in the final
3 minutes of the game as well. Ruben sealed the win with
1:26 remaining as he made the basket and was fouled by
Darrin Govens. He then converted the free throw for a
67-56 advantage. The Hawks were then forced to foul the
remainder of the game. LaSalle
75, Saint Joseph's 68 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Ruben Guillandeaux.
LaSalle
shot 42% from the field on 29 for 69 (and 27% from beyond
the arc on 4 for 15) and 54% from the foul line (13 for
24). Jerrell Williams played his best
game of the year by scoring 12 points on 6 for 10 shooting
in only 18 minutes of action. Vernon Goodridge only got
to play 11 minutes in which time he scored 7 points. The
officials made a couple of really bad calls on him in the
second half including an anticipation call (by Greenwood)
on Ahmad Nivins that fouled Vernon out of the game with
2:43
remaining.
There is no question in my mind that Phil Martelli got
his Hawks the most favorable schedule in the history of
the Atlantic 10. They are starting to pay the price for
it now as the face the tougher teams down the stretch.
The Hawks thin bench has finally caught up to them.
Next Game: Richmond 7pm Wednesday at Gola Arena.
Officials:
Brain Dorsey, Todd Williams and Reggie Greenwood.
Grade
for Officials: F (Failure) due
to Corruption
Reggie
Greenwood kept the Hawks in the game especially during
the last 10 minutes. Every time Nivins touched the ball,
even before an Explorer made contact, his whistle blew.
These are called "anticipation calls" and should never
be witnessed above the high school level. Greenwood has
been making these calls against LaSalle ever since I can
remember. Dorsey and Williams missed obvious hacks against
Kimmani and Ruben in the last 5 minutes. Hawks coach Phil
Martelli had the guts to complain to Dorsey on a jump ball
call; at that time the Hawks enjoyed a 24-6 free throw
advantage!
Box
Score
Explorers Prevent Colonials From Escaping Foggy Bottom
After Ugly Battle
February
11, 2009
by BK Seginsda
Explorers Keep George Washington at Bottom
of A10 Standings.
The
LaSalle Explorers (13-10, 4-5 in A10) stopped their losing
streak at three games by defeating the George Washington
Colonials (7-14, 1-8) in a not-so-pretty game in the
Foggy Bottom area which is one
of the oldest 19th-century neighborhoods in Washington,
DC. This contest had a bizarre start as Damian Hollis
fouled Kimmani Barrett (13 points in
first half) and then was whistled for a technical for
pushing him. Barrett calmly hit 4 consecutive free throws
for a 4-0 Explorer advantage with 18:59 remaining in
the half. Another technical was given to GW's coach Karl
Hobbs after Ruben Guillandeaux (22 points,
4 steals) made a layup and was fouled with about 3 minutes
remaining. Guillandeaux stepped up and made
2 technical free throws
followed by the free throw for a rare five-point play
to give the Explorers a 32-21 lead. The Explorers led
at the break 37-26.
The
first 9 minutes of the second half was one of the worst
displays of basketball ever witnessed. GW went on a 7-3
run to trail 40-33 with 12:23 remaining. The score remained
unchanged until the hero of the second half, Ruben, made
a jumper at 10:43 for a 42-33 Explorer advantage. Then
GW went on a 9-3 run to cut the lead to 3 with 8:08 remaining.
Vernon Goodridge (7 points and 7 boards
in 26 minutes) made a key bucket with 7:52 left to push
the lead out to 47-42. Rodney
Green (14 points) and Ruben led the Explorers
down the stretch to close out the game against
the overmatched Colonials. LaSalle
68, George Washington 57 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Ruben Guillandeaux.
LaSalle
shot 37% from the field on 19 for 51 (and 39% from beyond
the arc on 7 for 18) and 82% from the foul line (23 for
28). Darryl Partin missed the game due
to an aggrevated hip but should be ready for the next contest.
Next Game: Against the first place (for real?) Saint Joe's
Hawks (!) at the Palestra on Saturday
at the Palestra 2pm. The Hawks played the most comfortable
sched in the A10 so far this year but Saturday the Explorers
should be fired up and ready to clip both wings. The game
should be available somewhere on television... no
listings
that
I
could find but I am sure they
will provide the video feed on All-Access to this contest.
Officials:
John Hughes, James Breeding and Paul Faia.
Grade
for Officials: F (Failure) due to Ineptness
The
game was one of the most strangely officiated games ever.
Two officials who have been mostly unkind to LaSalle (Hughes
and Faia) actually helped the Explorers in the first half
with a technical
without warning at the start of the game against GW and
then later in the half they slapped GW's coach with one.
Hobbs was not whistled for another in the second half despite
walking onto the court. Of course in the second half the
officials allowed GW to push in the lane and they even
called a foul on the Explorers when it was clearly a charge
by Rob Diggs of GW. Only after the game was decided (under
2 minutes remaining) did Hughes call a bogus intentional
foul call against GW to
get back at Hobbs for barking at him in the second half.
Box
Score
Sloppy Explorers Experience Rolling Brown Out
February
7, 2009
by Jack
Lack of Mental Focus By Explorers Kills Chance
For Victory.
The
good news is that the brutal part of the schedule is
over for the Explorers (12-10, 3-5 in A10) but the bad
news is that they needed to beat the lowly Saint Bonaventure
Bonnies (12-10, 3-6). The ugly news is that Yves
Mbala is lost indefinitely
with a broken hand sustained in the Dayton game. The
Explorers started slowly and then finally started to
show signs of some life before missing 4 consecutive
free throw during one stretch of the first half. Then,
after taking a 28-27 lead on a pair of free throws by
Kimmani Barrett (13 points) with 5 minutes
left, they allowed the Bonnies to go on a 12-4 run to
close
the half for a 39-32 Bonnies lead.
However,
many expected Rodney
Green (13 points and 6 boards in 40 minutes)
to lead the Explorers to an easy victory against the
overmatched Bonnies. Unfortunately the Explorers never
got any closer then 3 points the entire second half.
Darryl Partin provided a spark off the bench (3 for 5
on treys and 2 for 2 on free throws for 11 points in
14 minutes) but the rest of the team did not get it done. Saint
Bonaventure 72, LaSalle 67 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Darryl Partin.
LaSalle
shot 37% from the field on 24 for 65 (and 28% from beyond
the arc on 5 for 16) and 64% from the foul line (14 for
22). Ruben
Guillandeaux scored
12 points.
It is obvious that Phil Martelli and his Hawks
drew up the most favorable schedule for themselves to
start A10 play (the "A" Schedule). The Explorers meanwhile
were stuck with playing road games on 4 consecutive weekends
at the most hostile environs in the A10 (Xavier, UMass,
Rhodey and the Bonnies). Next season the Explorers had
better get a much more favorable
start
to
their A10 schedule.
Next Game: at George Washington on
Wednesday
at 7:30 pm.
Officials:
Joe DeMayo, Reggie Greenwood and Donald Eppley.
Grade
for Officials: D (Below Average)
The
good news is that LaSalle nemesis Reggie Greenwood is retiring
from officiating after this season.
The bad news is that he hurt the Explorers chances of winning
this game with a handful of bad calls against the Explorers
including a call of "out-of-bounds" on Paul Johnson where
Paul never even touched the ball! Greenwood earned a "F".
Eppley also made bizarre calls and missed fouls against
both teams, also earns a "F". Joe DeMayo tried to call
the game fairly and earns a "C".
Box
Score
Home Court Disadvantage:
Refs Ensure Dayton Victory at Gola Arena
February
4, 2009
by Jack
Corrupt Officiating Ruins Contest Against #26
Dayton.
This
is a tough loss for the Explorers (12-9, 3-4 in
A10) to take against a Dayton Flyers (21-2, 7-1) team
that clearly was defeated and ready to go home with a
loss
as
they ran out of energy late in the second half. However,
LaSalle nemesis Frank Scagliotta and
the two other officials had different plans for the outcome
of the game. There
were at least 10 calls or non-calls that
went in Dayton's favor in the second half alone. The
alums I was
sitting with counted at least 5 travelling violations
against Dayton's Chris Wright in the second half - exactly
ZERO were called. The following order of officiating
blunders occured in the last 8 minutes of the game:
1. Kimmani
Barrett was
blatantly
pushed and no call was made by Lamar Simpson; 2. Paul
Johnson was
pushed out-of-bounds while possessing the ball and then
a Dayton
player fell on top of Paul and Scagliotta awarded the
ball to Dayton; 3. Dayton's Wright travels on two consecutive
possessions, the second leading to a layup; 4. The Explorers
trail by 3 points and Dayton's Rob Lowery does not get
whistled for an up-and-down; 5. Dayton ball with 40.9
seconds
left and 11 second shot-clock differential should give
the
Explorers
a good look at a last
shot but with 14 seconds left Barrett rebounded
a Dayton missed shot and was bear-hugged by a Dayton
player but instead of foul shots for Barrett it was ruled
a "jump ball" by Scagliotta and Dayton had the possession
arrow and the shot clock was turned off - Dayton converted
with
1.4 seconds left and the Explorers were forced to settle
for a half court shot that was short. GAME OVER. This
"loss" hurts the Explorers post-season opportunities.
Rodney
Green (25 points, 7 for 7 free throws) played
the game of his life and carried the Explorers on his
back
in
the
second
half.
Rodney
hit a trey to
bring LaSalle within 60-57 and then made 2 free throws
to cut the deficit to 1 point. Then after a Dayton free
throw, Rodney made a jumper to tie the game at 61 with
40.9 seconds to go. Dayton should have been whistled
for a foul with 14 seconds left but instead they converted
on a put-back dunk as the ball took a fortunate bounce-back
off the backboard for Dayton. Dayton 63, LaSalle
61 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 43% from the field on 21 for 49 (and 25% from beyond
the arc on 4 for 16) and 75% from the foul line (15 for
20). Vernon
Goodridge had 5
points, 1 block and 9 boards in 24 minutes. Ruben
Guillandeaux scored
12 points.
Next Game: at Saint Bonaventure on
Saturday
at 7pm.
Officials:
Frank Scagliotta, Lamar Simpson and Joe Townsell.
Grade
for Officials: F (Failure) due
to CORRUPTION
I
chatted briefly with
new commissioner Bernadette McGlade right at the end of
halftime and she assured me that the officials and Jim
Satalin (head of officials) were all being evaluated. I
encouraged her to read the ratings of the officials on
this site and she agreed to do so. She did get to witness
some of the booing and yelling out of missed calls from
the alumni side; I think she realizes that action must
be taken against these officials in particular. Ms. McGlade
seemed surprised
when
I told
her that both Satalin and former commish Linda Bruno ignored
the officiating problems over the past several years.
Bernadette McGlade at Gola Arena
"I am evaluating everything in the Atlantic 10 this year,
including the officiating".
Box
Score
Turnovers
and Defensive Lapses Lead To Overtime Loss at Rhode
Island
January
31, 2009
by Jack
Rodney Green's 22 Points Wasted in 98-88 OT
Loss.
The
Explorers (12-8, 3-3 in A10) lost
all of the momentum they had built-up over the past couple
of weeks and allowed the Rhode Island Rams (15-7, 4-3)
to have wide-open looks at the basket.
The
game started out great with the Explorers building
a 8-0 lead. However, the Explorers are uncomfortable
playing
with leads of 8 or more points quickly gave up an 11-0
run. The Explorers had trouble with the Rams full court
press and commited turnovers that led to points for the
Rams as they built an 11 point halftime lead at 46-35.
After
the half the Explorers had everything go against them
including a back-court violation called against Rodney
Green (22 points and 6 boards in 42 minutes);
the ball was clearly tipped into the back-court by a
Rams player but when Green retrieved it everyone was
stunned at the pathetic call by a pathetic crew of officials.
LaSalle fell behind 80-69 with 3:03 remaining and everyone
thought it was over except for the Explorers. They finally
played tight defense and when Kimmani Barrett (12
points and 6 boards in 33 minutes) hit a trey with 22.1
seconds left the game was tied at 80.
Rhode
Island took one more shot that missed.
The
overtime started with Rodney Green making
a jump hook for an 82-80 Explorer advantage. Then the Explorers
stopped playing tight defense and Rams hit wide-open jumpers. Rhode
Island 98, LaSalle 88 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 56% from the field on 32 for 57 (and 56% from beyond
the arc on 5 for 9) and 73% from the foul line (19 for
26). The Explorers had 24 turnover to only 14 assists. Vernon
Goodridge contributed 11
points and 5 boards in 23 minutes. Ruben Guillandeaux chipped
in 15 points but missed all 3 of his 3-point attempts.
Next Game: Dayton at Gola Arena on
Wednesday
at 7pm.
Officials:
Ray Perone, Frankie Bordeaux and John Regan.
Grade
for Officials: F (Failure) due to Incompetence
The
new commissioner really needs to take action against disgraceful
and incompetent officiating. The A10 really does get the
bottom-of-the-bird-bath officials for their weekend games.
You could find a more competent and professional official
then Perone at your local CYO league. Bordeaux and Regan
are both whistle-happy and have no idea of the following:
1. travelling violation, 2. the difference between a charge
and a blocking foul, 3. a back court violation. All 3 of
these refs should be sent to Canada to officiate... they
really hurt the Explorers chances for winning by constantly
bailing out Rhode Island players with foul calls.
Box
Score
Explorers
Are Back To The Future After Win Over Colonials
January
28, 2009
by Jack
Yves Mbala Career Best 26 Points Leads Explorers
To 76-66 Win.
| A10
Standings |
Conference
Record |
Overall
Record |
Top
A10 Opponents Remaining |
| Xavier
#10 |
6-0 |
18-2 |
Owls
2/5; at Dukes 2/7; at Flyers 2/11 |
| Saint
Joe's |
5-0 |
12-7 |
at
Flyers 2/1; LaSalle 2/14; Muskies 2/26 |
| Dayton |
4-1 |
18-2 |
at
LaSalle 2/4; at Muskies 3/5; Dukes 3/7 |
| Duquesne |
4-2 |
13-6 |
Muskies
2/7; at LaSalle 2/22; at Flyers 3/7 |
| La
Salle |
3-2 |
12-7 |
at
Rhodey 1/31; Flyers 2/4; at Hawks 2/14 |
| Temple |
3-2 |
11-8 |
at
Muskies 2/5; at Dukes 2/15; at Flyers 2/28 |
| Richmond |
3-2 |
11-9 |
at
Flyers 2/14; at LaSalle 2/18; Muskies 3/7 |
| Rhode
Island |
3-3 |
14-7 |
LaSalle 1/31;
Flyers 2/25; at Dukes 3/1 |
| Saint
Louis |
2-3 |
11-8 |
|
| Massachusetts |
2-3 |
7-11 |
|
| St.
Bonaventure |
2-5 |
11-9 |
|
| Charlotte |
1-5 |
6-13 |
|
| Fordham |
1-5 |
3-15 |
|
| George
Washington |
0-6 |
6-12 |
|
The
Explorers (12-7, 3-2 in A10) captured
their third consecutive win with a grind-it-out victory
over the George Washington Colonials (6-12, 0-6). The
Colonials have now lost 10 in a row while the Explorers
moved up in the A10 standings to a 5th place tie.
The
game opened with Yves Mbala setting
the pace with 22 points in the first half alone. Yves
started the LaSalle scoring with a trey and ended the
half with a dunk for a LaSalle
36-31 lead at the break.
The
lead for LaSalle was gone at 9:37 of the second half and
the Colonials showed no quit. It was not until Ruben
Guillandeaux (14
points) drilled a trey at 5:40, for a 60-58 Explorer
lead, did the Blue
and Gold start to seize control. Rodney Green (20
points and 8 assists) made a trey right after that for
a 63-58 advantage. Then the
Explorers won the game at the foul line as they held
the Colonials scoreless for the last 1:25. LaSalle
76, George Washington 66 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Yves Mbala.
LaSalle
shot 46% from the field on 26 for 56 (and 30% from beyond
the arc on 7 for 23) and 77% from the foul line (17 for
22). The Explorers had 17 assists to only 4 turnovers. Paul
Johnson added
13 points.
Next Game: at Rhode Island,
Saturday
at 2pm.
Officials:
Gene Steratore, Jeffrey Anderson and Frank Scagliotta.
Grade
for Officials: B (Above Average)
Steratore
told the other two refs (especially Scagliotta) that
they will work as a team. That is why you saw a couple
of huddles. They could have given GW's coach Hobbs
a Technical a couple of times for walking on the floor
during game action but instead just warned him.
Box
Score
Explorers
Run Past Minutemen In Amherst
January
24, 2009
by The Oz
LaSalle Earns Victory Over Massachusetts Minutemen
62-54.
LaSalle
(11-7, 2-2 in A10) won a hard-fought game over the Massachusetts
Minutemen (7-11, 2-3) in a place the Explorers struggled
mightly the last couple of games there. The game started
with a huge amount of turnovers for both teams (11 total)
with the score 8-7 in favor of UMass. Rodney Green (22
points, 5 rebounds and 2 huge blocks) put LaSalle ahead
9-8 at 12:04. The lead eventually grew to
13 (33-20) when Green nailed a trey at 2:28. However, the
half ended with UMass going on a 8-1 run for a LaSalle
34-28
advantage.
The
second half started sloppy but with fewer turnovers. UMass
cut the Explorer lead to a single point 51-50 with 7:22
remaining but Green came to the rescue again with back-to-back
jumpers with 4:12 remaining. Then UMass pulled to within
three 55-52 at 3:15. However, Vernon Goodridge (4
points, 6 rebounds and a block in 25 minutes) immediately
responded with a bank shot to boost the lead to 57-52.
UMass only scored two points for the remainder of the
game. LaSalle
62, Massachusetts 54 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 44% from the field on 23 for 52 (and 25% from beyond
the arc on 4 for 16) and 50% from the foul line (12 for
24). Kimmani Barrett contributed
with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Yves
Mbala added 9 points
and 10 boards. Goodridge helped to neutralize UMass senior
center Luke Bonner who fouled out in only 23 minutes. He
stared at Goodridge (attempting to intimidate him after
Vern forced a jump ball) and could have been whistled for
a technical. Goodridge calmly walked away.
Is anyone else
annoyed by the travel blogs by Kale
Beers (S.I.D) on the Explorers official website. The
players must think he is annoying always wanting to play
cards and act like he is a star athlete on the team. Rodney
had to tell him that Paul wasn't up for playing. The players
are trying to focus on the upcoming game. He
should
realize that the alums are not interested in his adolescent
rantings about 80's movies and his bad selection in music
for his
iPod or that he ate light because he was going running
that afternoon!!! Maybe coach John Giannini should say
"the road trips are not about "you", Kale".
Next Game: GW on
Wednesday
at 7pm.
Officials:
Ken Clark, Jeff Clark and Wally Rutecki.
Grade
for Officials: B (Above Average)
Ken
Clark gets an "A", Jeff Clark a "B" and Rutecki a
"D". Rutecki made that awful touch-foul call against
Barrett in the second half and LaSalle holding a one-
point advantage and made a couple of incorrect out-of-bounds
calls.
Box
Score
Big
5 Battle At Gola: LaSalle Believes In Green
January
21, 2009
by The Oz
LaSalle Wins City Series Contest Over Penn
Quakers 79-70.
A Common Site During the Game; Rodney Green at the
Foul Line.
The
Blue and Gold (10-7, 1-2 in A10) completed their out-of-conference
schedule with a 79-70 victory over the Pennsylvania Quakers
(4-9).
The Explorers trailed 7-6 but then went on a 16-0 run
that spanned over 7 minutes of the half. The lead at
the half for LaSalle was 31-17.
The
play in the second half was sloppy at best but LaSalle finished
the game with the all-important victory. Rodney Green (26
points on 13 for 14 from the charity stripe, 3 steals and
5 boards) made his presence felt on the court. His dunk with
3:04 remaining helped seal the victory by giving the Explorers
a 66-54 advantage. LaSalle
79, Pennsylvania 70 FINAL. Explorer Top Performer
of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 45% from the field on 21 for 47 (and 47% from beyond
the arc on 7 for 15) and 68% from the foul line (30 for
44). Paul Johnson contributed
with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and a block in only
25 minutes. Yves Mbala added 13 points
and 7 boards. Don't forget to catch the Kale Beers,
err, I mean the John Giannini Show at
the Ugly Moose next Tuesday evening! Kale Beers trivia
contest after the show!!! Next Game: at UMass on Saturday
at 4pm.
Officials:
Jeff Janosik, Bill McCarthy and Ron Tyburski.
Grade
for Officials: D (Below Average)
This
whistle-happy crew called a total of 46 fouls. I give
Janosik a "C" and the other 2 refs get a "D". When
will the A10 start to retire some of these guys like
Tyburski.
Box
Score
Explorers
Barely Get Their Uniforms Dirty In Loss To #16 Xavier
January
18, 2009
by BK Seginsda
Explorers Fall 73-53 As Offensive Execution
Failed.
The
Explorers (9-7, 1-2 in A10) figured it would be tough
to beat the #16 Xavier Muskateers. One would also think
that the offensive game plan devised by the coaching
staff would be much better then the execution.
The Explorers trailed at the break 39-22.
There
was not much relief in the second half. Yves Mbala (15
points, 7 boards) made several treys in the second half to
keep Xavier from pulling
too
far ahead. Rodney
Green (15 points, 2 steals) made a jumper to cut
the lead to 12 at 65-53 with 2:49 remaining but the Explorers
did not score the remainder of the game. Xavier 73, LaSalle
53 FINAL. Explorer Top Performer of
the Game: Yves Mbala.
LaSalle
shot 41% from the field on 23 for 56 (and 19% from beyond
the arc on 3 for 16) and 44% from the foul line (4 for
9). The biggest disappointment was the play of Ruben
Guillandeaux (zero points
on 0 for 7 shooting, 2 boards, 2 assists and 3 turnovers).
Also Vernon Goodridge has to be better coached as he cannot
foul out in just 17 minutes - he is too valuable as he
never really got into the flow of this game.
Up next: Penn at Gola Arena on 1/21 at 7pm.
Officials: Mike
Sanzere, Bob Donato and Terry Wymer .
Grade
for Officials: C (Average)
The
game was called the way it played out but it was surprising
to see the box score and Xavier had 36 free throw
attempts to only 9 for LaSalle.
Box
Score
49ers
Discover Blue and Gold Fight To The Finish
January
14, 2009
by Jack
Explorers Recover After Nearly Throwing Away The Game.
LaSalle
(9-6, 1-1 in A10) knew they needed to get back to rebounding
and the did by doubling-up their opponent to the count of 50
to 25. The Charlotte 49ers (5-10, 0-2) came into the game with
a 3-game losing streak. Kimmani
Barrett (12
points) drilled a trey at the 8 minute mark to give the Explorers
a 21-14 lead. The Explorers only converted 7 free throws the
rest of the half but led 28-24
at halftime.
The
second half opened with the Explorers building the lead to
41-31 as Rodney Green (11 points, all in
the second half) converted 2 free throws. Then, the Explorers
fell asleep as Charlotte
went
on a 11-0 run to
take the lead at 45-43. It appeared as if the "Blue and Gold"
were ready to fold. Instead, the veteran leadership on the
team took charge in the closing minutes. Green converted
an alley-oop pass for a 59-53 lead. Then after Charlotte
pulled
to within
4
with
1:07 remaining, Ruben Guillandeaux (14 points)
stepped up and delivered the dagger - a trey with 34 seconds
remaining
to push the
lead to 64-57. LaSalle 68, Charlotte 61 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Ruben Guillandeaux.
LaSalle
shot 40% from the field on 22 for 55 (and
27% from beyond the arc on 4 for 14) and 77%
from the foul line (20 for 26). Halton Arena is one of
the toughest road places to play in the Atlantic 10. Vernon
Goodridge (6 points on 3 for 3 shooting, 8 boards
and 3 blocks in 20 minutes),
Yves Mbala (11 points and 9 boards)
and Terrell Williams (with a double-double
- 10 points and 11 boards in 18 minutes) all contributed
to the win. Up next: at Xavier
on
1/18 at noon; televised on the Comcast Network (formerly
CN8).
Officials:
Joe DeMayo, Michael Stephens and Dave Draucker.
Grade
for Officials: C (Average)
The
officials were sloppy in stretches of this game but the calls
evened out for both teams.
Box Score
Owls'
Droppings In Basket Create Mess For Explorers
January
11, 2009
by Jack
LaSalle Failed To Show Any Defensive Intensity
in 75-68 Loss.
LaSalle
(8-6, 0-1 in A10) failed to show any defensive intensity for
most of the game. They allowed the Temple Owls (8-6, 1-0) to
score easy lay-ups especially early in the first half. The
Owls built a 17-4 lead with 14:20 remaining in the first half.
The Explorers fought back for a 22-17 deficit as Ruben Guillandeaux (17
points, 3 rebounds) drilled a trey. Rodney
Green (11 points in the first
half) hit a trey to keep the Explorers close at 42-36.
LaSalle trailed at the break 43-36.
There
would be no second half heroics as the Explorer defense never
stepped up. Vernon Goodridge (8 points,
2 steals) was limited to just 17 minutes of total playing
time which was
due largely
to "touch fouls"
from the below average officiating crew. Coach John
Giannini did not show enough fire and passion in
the second half. Green (20 points, 5 boards
and 4 assists for the game) tried to bring the team back
but it was not enough. Temple
75 LaSalle 68 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 45% from the field on 28 for 62 (and
50% from beyond the arc on 8 for 16) and a horrible 40%
from the foul line (4 for 10). Dionte Christmas was not
guarded a few times and he torched the Explorers for
30 points (something that cannot happen if you expect
to win as he only averages 20 points). This combined
with allowing Lavoy Allen (averages 9 points) to score
the Temple's first 12 points and 21 for the game was
a killer.
The
Explorers
had better get things turned around quickly as the hardest
portion
of their A10 schedule appears to be in January. This
game was televised on CBS College Sports nationally.
Up next: at Charlotte on 1/14 7:30pm.
Officials:
Kevin O'Connell, Mike Foote and Joe Lindsay.
Grade
for Officials: D (Below Average)
The
officials called two quick fouls on Goodridge before even
2 minutes of the game elapsed. The second foul call was inexcusable
as Goodridge was run into by Allen. There was more contact
by Temple in the paint and yet LaSalle had more fouls (17)
to just 12 called against the Owls for the entire game! Temple
went to the line 20 times to just 10 for LaSalle.
Box Score
Green
Reaches 1,000 Point Total in Victory Over Howard
January
3, 2009
by Jack
LaSalle Learning to Win Big at Gola Arena in
81-66 Win.
Rodney Green prepares to convert his 1,000th career point.
The Explorers (8-5) had to show some fight and it took
a little convincing from their coach to provide it. Rodney
Green (7 points and 5 rebounds in the first
half) hit a trey to give LaSalle a commanding 34-18 lead
with
4:15
remaining
in
the half.
Howard Bison
(1-12)
closed the half on a 4-0 run for a 34-22 Explorer halftime
lead.
The
second half opened with Howard converting 2 free throws
and then a couple of no-calls against Ruben Guillandeaux (12
points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, zero turnovers and 2 steals
in 26 minutes) as he was hacked twice and ref Paul Faia (one
of the worst officials)
looked on. Coach John Giannini finally exploded
against Faia and picked up a technical.
Howard
converted both free throws for a 34-26 LaSalle lead. Yves
Mbala (9 points, 2 boards) finally ended the near
6 minute scoring drought with slam dunk and the Explorers
never
looked
back.
The officials
made a couple more calls in Howard's favor to try to keep
them close but the Blue and Gold played solid defense the
rest of the game. Rodney (21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals
for the game) scored his 1,000th career point on a free throw
with 9:10 remaining
to extend
the lead
to
53-41. He is the 46th Explorer to reach that mark. Terrell
Williams (8
points) and Kimmani Barrett (16 points,
4 boards) also had major contributions. Jerrell
Williams (back strain) remained on the bench and
is scheduled to resume practice on Monday. Paul
Johnson returned to the lineup and contributed 4
points and 3 rebounds in 22 minutes. LaSalle
81, Howard 66 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 62% from the field on 33 for 53 (and
36% from beyond the arc on 4 for 11) and 55% from the
foul line (11 for 20). The Explorers will need to come
out aggressive against Temple (currently 5-6 but plays
2 more out of conference games this coming week) next
Sunday. Coach Giannini has to keep the players focused
and ready to play a full 40 minutes. This a game the
Explorers need to win to give them confidence in the
tough early part of their A10 schedule. LaSalle
plays Temple (not a City Series game) on Sunday 1/11
at Gola Arena with a 2pm
tip (televised on CBS College, regional).
Officials:
Paul Faia, John LaRocca and Donnie Eppley.
Grade
for Officials: D (Below Average)
Paul
Faia (earns a "F") must have been shocked to see
Coach Giannini screaming at him. Faia and the handful of
other pathetic officials
had better get used to it. The LaSalle coach made a loud
statement the he will not tolerate incompetent officiating
any longer. Faia somehow got promoted to head official -
he never views the other two officials as team members; in
fact there were a few times in this game he needed help on
calls
but
never bothered asking either of the other two officials who
had better views. Donnie Eppley earned a "D" as
he missed obvious calls right in front of him including a
goal-tend
that Barrett should have been given credited 2 points for.
John LaRocca earns a "C" as he did not make any
bizarre calls.
Box Score
Explorers
Stretch Lead To Beat Jaspers
December
31, 2008
by BK Seginsda
LaSalle Uses Gola Arena As Home Court Advantage
in 89-64 Blowout.
LaSalle (7-5) showed no major scoring droughts in defeating
the Manhattan Jaspers (7-5) 89-64. This was the first
meeting since March 9, 1992 when LaSalle beat Manhattan
to gain entry into
the
NCAA tournament. The Explorers opened up a 25-17 lead
on a Vernon Goodridge (career best 15
points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks) slam dunk mid-way through
the
first half. The Explorers closed
out the
half with a 48-31
advantage.
The
Explorers extended the lead to 52-31 as Rodney Green (18
points and 5 assists) converted two free throws. The Jaspers
cut the lead to 16 at 57-41
but never really threatened LaSalle in the second half. This
was due to the fact that Ruben Guillandeaux (22
points, 8 boards and 7 assists) had a sensational second
half in scoring 12 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Yves
Mbala (10 points, 5 boards) had
a solid game as did Terrell Williams (14
points) filling in for
his injured twin Jerrell
Williams (back strain). Paul Johnson also
was out due to a concussion received at practice. LaSalle
89, Manhattan 64 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Ruben Guillandeaux.
LaSalle
shot 61% from the field on 34 for 56 (and
21% from beyond the arc on 3 for 14) and an excellent
82% from the foul line (18 for 22). The Explorers practiced
hard during the week as both Paul Johnson and Jerrell
Williams were injured during the practice sessions.
Note: Manhattan is a Christian Brothers college and their
nickname is derived from Brother Jasper who
brought baseball to Manhattan. He is credited with the
creation of the
7th inning stretch to help wake up the student section
during games. The Explorers play Howard on Saturday 1/3
at Gola Arena with
a 2pm
tip.
Officials:
Bill McCarthy, Pat Driscoll and Brian O'Connell.
Grade
for Officials: B (Above Average)
The
crew made a few questionable calls for each team. They allowed
the players to decide the outcome and did not make "touch
calls".
Box Score
Explorers
Wake Up Just In Time To Beat Mount
December
23, 2008
by BK Seginsda
LaSalle Played Down To Level Of Competition Until
Last 7 Minutes.
The Explorers (6-5) played like they were the underdog
for a large portion of this game. No one was sure what
the game plan was in the first half as the first half
closed with LaSalle trailing Mount Saint Mary's Mountaineers
(3-8) 32-26.
Then
it appeared the Explorers were going to allow the Mount to
seize control of the game as they fell behind to the visitors
46-37 with 15:33 remaining in the second half. Then Yves
Mbala (8 points, 9 rebounds) came to life and scored
the next 5 points to pull LaSalle within 4. LaSalle finally
tied
the
game
at
53 with 6:54 remaining
on a Kimmani Barrett (15 points, 4 boards)
jumper. Rodney
Green (17
points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, but 6 turnovers in 33 minutes)
converted 7 straight points, including a trey, to make it
60-53 with 3:53 left. The Explorers eventually sealed the
win but missed 4 free throws in the final 30 seconds. LaSalle
65, Mount St. Mary's 59 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 40% from the field on 25 for 62 (and
27% from beyond the arc on 3 for 11) and a pathetic 52%
from the foul line (12 for 23). This was a game the
Explorers should have seized by the end of the first
half. Vernon Goodridge (10 points, 3
rebounds, 2 blocks and zero turnovers in 22 minutes)
returned and
his presence was needed. Jerrell Williams was
benched after only 18 minutes - he did have 7 points
and 10 rebounds
but 3 turnovers.
Congrats to Kimmani Barrett
as he won Big 5 Player of the Week Award. Darnell
Harris paid a visit to Gola Arena as he is home for the
holidays from France where he now plays hoops professionally.
The Explorers
play
Manhattan
on Wednesday 12/31 at Gola Arena 4pm.
Darnell
Harris Visits Gola Arena
Officials:
Ken Clark, Kevin Ferguson and Wally Rutecki.
Grade
for Officials: C (Average)
It
is time for Wally Rutecki (earns a "D") to be retired from
officiating at the college level.
He missed an obvious travel against the Mount (the player
slid across the floor at least 10 feet on his rear-end while
holding the ball) and later missed an obvious trip against
Rodney Green (Green scored anyway and then went over to tell
Rutecki during the timeout that he needs to make that call).
The other two earn a "C".
Box Score
Explorers
Gift Wrap Victory to Cornell In Second Half Collapse
December
20, 2008
by BK Seginsda
LaSalle Failure To Double-Team
Cornell Center Down Low Turns Game From Easy Victory
To Huge Upset.
This type of gut-wrenching loss has been all too common
for coach John Giannini over the past
few years. The Explorers (5-5) played the game
without
Vernon Goodridge (bruised ribs) but
the game plan against the Cornell Big Red (5-5), especially
in the second half, was awful. The first half saw the
Explorers
use
the 3-pointer
to their advantage (5 for 7) in leading at the half 38-27.
The
second half started with Rodney Green (12
points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, zero turnovers in 36 minutes)
getting the steal and was fouled on a layup attempt but there
was
no call from
the refs. Green was pushed into the bleachers and was laying
on the floor in pain. Meanwhile the refs let play continue
as LaSalle was forced to foul to stop play. This is where
coach Giannini should have stormed onto the court to pick
up a technical to let the refs know that he will not tolerate
that kind of play. Instead he showed mild anger. The Explorers
then went on a run to build a 42-28 advantage before LaSalle
stopped playing for a long stretch as they gave up a 19-4
run with around 11 minutes to go. This gave Cornell all of
the confidence they needed. LaSalle
allowed Cornell's big man Jeff Foote (who averages 12.8
points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists) to
turn into Wilt Chamberlain as he had 25 points and 4
boards in 33 minutes. Even the Cornell announcers
during the webcast stated how surprised
they were
that
LaSalle did not double-team
Foote until under 8 minutes remained in the second half. The
team has taken on the personality of its' head coach
as it meekly and mildly gives away double-digit
leads in just a few minutes of playing time. There is
no killer instint by anyone other then Kimmani
Barrett (18
points, 12 rebounds in 32 minutes) on
this team. The Explorer fans had to suffer another ulcer-producing
loss. Cornell
79, LaSalle 70 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Kimmani Barrett.
LaSalle
shot 43% from the field on 23 for 53 (and
40% from beyond the arc on 6 for 15) and 78% from
the foul line (18 for 23). This was a game the Explorers
should have won by at least 10 points even without Goodridge.
The post-season is now going to be very, very difficult
to reach this year. The Explorers come home
to play Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday at 7pm.
Officials:
Donnie Eppley, Kevin O'Connell and Don McEvoy.
Grade
for Officials: F (Failure) - due to Inconsistency
The
entire crew made bizarre calls in the first half when light
contact was made on both teams. Then in the second half,
Green got hammered into the bleachers and no call was made.
After that, the crew went whistle-happy and turned the game
into
a free
throw contest mid-way through the second half. The second
half turned ugly as Cornell marched to the line on nearly
ever possession as they took 37 foul shots compared to only
23 for LaSalle.
Box Score
Deluge
of Assists Makes It An Easy Rider Win For Explorers
December
17, 2008
by BK Seginsda
26 Assists Help LaSalle To Break Rider Broncs
92-75.
The Explorers (5-4) never trailed against the Rider
Broncs (5-3). In fact LaSalle opened a 20-6 lead on an
alley-oop from Ruben Guillandeaux (13
points, 4 assists) to Vernon
Goodridge (9 points,
8 boards and 3 blocks in 15 minutes). Rider kept themselves
within striking distance but Guillandeaux
nailed a fade-away to close the half with a 44-34 lead.
The most amazing stat was that LaSalle had 11 assists
on their first 14 field goals.
The
second half began with a Goodridge block. Jerrell
Williams'
(9 points, 5 boards and 4 assists) layup gave the Explorers
an insurmountable 73-56 lead mid-way through the half. Rodney
Green (19 points, 8 boards, 8 assists and 4
turnovers) had his best game at point guard. Kimmani
Barrett (16 points and 6 rebounds) gave
another solid effort as did Yves Mbala who
had10 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Darryl
Partin saw extended playing time and contributed
6 points and 5 assists in 18 minutes. LaSalle
92, Rider 75 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot a sizzling 56% from the field on 32 for 57 (and
47% from beyond the arc on 9 for 19) and 70% from
the foul line (19 for 27). This game shows the importance
of teamwork and how important it is to have more assists
then turnovers. The Explorers travel to play Cornell
on Saturday at 2pm.
Officials:
Alvin Cox , Paul Faia and Jeffrey
Anderson.
Grade
for Officials: C (Average)
Paul
Faia gets a "D" for some bizarre calls including a travel
that was only seen by him against Mbala and some calls at
the end of the game that just made it a longer night for
Rider. The other two earn a "B".
Box Score
Explorers
Blow Golden Opportunity To Tame Wildcats
December
14, 2008
by Jack
LaSalle Falls 70-59 To "Weary" Villanova Wildcats.
The game started like the LaSalle Explorers (4-4, 0-1
in Big 5) planned. A jam packed Gola Arena witnessed
LaSalle stay with the #12 ranked Villanova Wildcats (10-1,
3-0) for the first 5 minutes of the half. Then the Wildcats
best
player, Dante
Cunningham,
picked up 2 consecutive fouls and had to sit on the bench
with 13 minutes to go in the half. The Explorers held
an 18-16 advantage when Jerrell Williams (5
points, 8 rebounds in 23 minutes) made a jumper at 10:05.
Then,
instead of building a larger lead, the Explorers threw
the game
away with
undisciplined
and
sloppy play
that
allowed
the Wildcats to go on a nauseating 20-1 run for a 36-19
lead at 4:14. The Explorers then went on a 7-0 run but
the damage had been done and against better teams it
is tough to overcome such a huge deficit. The half closed
with LaSalle trailing by 10 at 36-26.
In
the second half there simply was not enough energy and
the Explorers never really threatened to take the game.
This game could have given the Explorers post-season
hopes a boost. Instead, bad decisions by both Ruben
Guillandeaux (0 for 4
shooting, 0 assists, 2 turnovers and 1 point in 12 minutes)
and Rodney
Green (16 points, 3 assists and 3 turnovers)
at key times were extremely devastating. We need to see
more poise and maturity especially from Guillandeaux. Vernon
Goodridge (5 points, 8 rebounds, 3 turnovers
and 2 blocks in 24 minutes) brought some excitement to
the crowd with his 2 blocks. Kimmani
Barrett (16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and
Yves Mbala (8 points, 4 rebounds) were
keeping the Wildcats honest in the second half.
Villanova 70, LaSalle 59 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Kimmani
Barrett.
LaSalle
shot 38% from the field on 21 for 56 (and 29%
from beyond the arc on 4 for 14) and a poor 65% from
the foul line (13 for 20). It was extremely disappointing
to see the team not play for a full 40 minutes. LaSalle
needs to beat all of its' remaining OOC opponents. The
Explorers host Rider on Wednesday at 7pm.
Officials:
Jamie Luckie, Les Jones and Joe Lindsay.
Grade
for Officials: C (Average)
There
were a few calls that went against LaSalle in the second
half that should not have been called and a travel on Villanova's
Fisher in the first half that should have been called as
even the fans yelled "walk". Their calls did not
affect the outcome of the game. Not sure why they gave Villanova
coach Jay Wright a warning instead of a technical with about
3 minutes
remaining in the game. Wright was whining for some unknown
reason.
Box Score
Explorers
Knock Hawks Off High Perch
December
6, 2008
by Jack
LaSalle Defense Keys 70-64 Win Over Hartford
Hawks.
The Explorers (4-3) won their first road game of the
season in their first attempt over Hartford (3-6). Ruben
Guillandeaux was the offensive star of the
first half as he shot 4 for 6 (2 for 3 on treys) for
10 points in the half. The Explorers trailed for a large
portion of the first half as they played sloppy offensively
and missed a few defensive assignments. The Explorers
fought back from a 20-12 deficit to lead at the half
31-29.
The
second half was an improvement for the Explorers as
they started to play defense and pushed the lead to 41-33
with 14:59 left. Vernon
Goodridge (10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks
in 24 minutes) had 6 points during that run. Kimmani
Barrett (14 points, 4 rebounds) hit four consecutive
shots (10 points) starting at 10:08 which included two
huge treys. He also played excellent defense. This
pushed the
lead to
55-44. Rodney
Green (14
points, 6 rebounds and was 6 for 6 from the foul
line) sealed the victory with a traditional 3-point play
with 2:27 left for a 63-53 lead. Guillandeaux finished
with 14 points and 3 rebounds.
LaSalle 70, Hartford 64 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Kimmani
Barrett.
LaSalle
shot 51% from the field on 23 for 45 (and 43%
from beyond the arc on 6 for 14) and 69% from the foul
line (18 for 26).
Jerrell Williams (2 points, 6 rebounds
in 20 minutes) did not start due to a bloody nose from
pre-game warmups. Yves Mbala had another
solid outing with 11 points, 6 rebounds and a blocked
shot. This win could propel LaSalle
to victory over Big 5 rival and #16 ranked Villanova.
The
Explorers host Villanova
7pm
on
December
14. Villanova has to play Texas and Saint Joe's this
week before visiting Gola Arena. The Explorers will
take their exams this week and be rested and able to
focus on the Wildcats (8-0) at the end of the week.
Officials:
Gary Agger, David Walker and John Regan.
Grade
for Officials: A (Outstanding)
The
game was called properly from start to finish for both teams.
Box Score
Explorers'
Victory Makes Bison Wallow
December
2, 2008
by Jack
Explorers Free Throw Shooting Major Concern
As They Hold On for 68-65 Win Over The Bucknell Bison.
LaSalle (3-3) stayed in front of the Bucknell Bison (1-5)
for most of the first half. Kimmani Barrett had an excellent
first half as he scored 10 points and recorded 4 rebounds
in the half. Paul Johnson had 4 points and 4 boards in
playing 12 minutes of the first half. The Explorers allowed
Bucknell to score the last 4 points of the half but led
28-25.
The
Blue and Gold opened the second half by being outscored
10 to 4. But then went on a 18-2 run, capped by a Vernon
Goodridge (7 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks
in 19 minutes) turnaround jumper at 11:29, to lead 50-37.
Rodney Green (11 points, 6 rebounds
and 5 assists) is still shaky at the line (5 for 9) and
made the game much closer then it should have been. In
fact the Explorers missed 11 out of 24 free throws. Barrett (15
points, 6 boards in 30 minutes) sealed the win by making
2 free throws with 13 seconds left to push the lead to
67-60.
LaSalle 68, Bucknell 65 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Kimmani Barrett.
LaSalle
shot 40% from the field on 25 for 62 (and 29%
from beyond the arc on 5 for 17) and 54% from the foul
line (13 for 24).
Terrell Williams started in place of
Goodridge and contributed 8 points and 5 boards in 15
minutes. This win should
give
LaSalle
confidence
going into the next
game.
The
Explorers
play
at Hartford
4pm
on
December
6.
Officials:
Gene Steratore, Joe DeMayo and John Hughes.
Grade
for Officials: B (Above Average)
Steratore
and DeMayo (who both get "B" grades) kept Hughes who gets
a "C" from messing up this game by telling him before the
game
that
he needed
to
make
good
calls.
Hughes
only had
a few mistakes (2 "jump ball calls" against Jerrell Williams
that were obvious fouls and missed a ball that clearly hit
the shot clock in the first half).
Box Score
Explorers
Shoot Crusaders Off Islands After Recovering From
"DVIS"
November
24, 2008
by Jack
Explorers Recover From "Deja Vu Island Sickness"
(DVIS) In Overtime by Beating Valparaiso Crusaders 75-70.
The Explorers played a very good
first half and led at the break 32-23.
A
second half collapse is not what the Explorers (2-3)
needed for the second straight game but it happened!
The Explorers
built a 45-35 lead over Valparaiso (2-3) with 10:51 remaining
as Paul
Johnson (5 points, 2
steals) converted a pair of free throws. Somehow the
Explorers allowed
the
lead
to evaporate into a tie at 58 with 11 seconds remaining.
Rodney Green (4 points, 1 steal) was
fouled with 3.2 seconds remaining and needed to convert
just
one
of two
free
throws. Unfortunately
he made neither and the Explorer faithful had that DVIS
feeling as regulation ended with the score knotted at
58. Jerrell Williams played extremely
well as he had 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in
35 minutes. Yves Mbala (17 points, 6
boards) and Kimmani
Barrett (16 points, 5 boards in 39 minutes)
delivered the scoring punch also.
Fortunately, the Explorers were given a dose of medicine
after a meeting with Doctor G (aka John Giannini)
on the sideline. The Explorers opened the overtime on
fire
and scored the first 6 points. The Crusaders were
not done yet and made the Explorers nervous by cutting
the lead to 3 points with 6 seconds remaining. Green,
who had taken his medicine, was fouled with 5 seconds
left but this time he converted both free throws and
the Explorers
were
cured
of the
dreaded island disease.
LaSalle 75, Valparaiso 70 OT FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Jerrell Williams.
LaSalle
shot 39% from the field on 19 for 49 (and 37%
from beyond the arc on 7 for 19) and 70% from the foul
line (30 for 43).
The Explorers play Bucknell
7pm on December 2 at Gola Arena.
Officials:
Ray Styons, Manny Upton and Scott Smith.
Grade
for Officials: C (Average)
The
difference in this game is that Tyburski was not involved
and the Explorers were able to salvage one game on the trip.
Box Score
Explorers
Battle Incompetent Officiating and Golden Eagles;
Missed Free Throws Costly
November
22, 2008
by Jack
Explorers Lose Gut Wrenching Game to Southern
Mississippi Golden Eagles 76-72.
The Explorers (1-3) played a near flawless
first half and led at the break 36-22.
The
second half is not what the Explorers needed - a blowout
victory turned into an overtime loss.
Somehow the Explorers allowed a 45-29 lead to evaporate
into a tie at end of regulation by being outscored 36-20.
The Golden Eagles were aided by a handful of pathetic
calls and non-calls. Vernon Goodridge (5
points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 for 4 from foul line)
was pulled to the floor and Rodney
Green (22 points and 6 rebounds) had
his jersey pulled and no calls were made. Yves
Mbala (9 points, 3 rebounds)
had a critical hoop at 3:15 waived-off on an obvious
continuation
play
where he should have gotten the basket
plus the
free throw. Later, the Explorers played right into Southern
Miss' hands by Yves traveling with a 2 point lead with
under 25 seconds remaining. Southern Mississippi Golden
Eagles (3-1) converted to tie the score at 65. Then,
with 12 seconds remaining
the Explorers drove to the hoop and Vernon got fouled
with 1.8 seconds remaining and needed to convert at
least 1 free throw. He could not and the Explorers were
forced to play overtime.
The overtime saw the Explorers outscored 11-7. Ruben
Guillandeaux (12 points) played well and hit
a few treys. John Giannini and the coaching
staff has to take much of the blame for
not
making the appropriate adjustments and substitutions
as the Explorers played nervous at key times by missing
a few easy layups in the second half. This is a game
the Explorers must win. Southern
Miss 76, LaSalle 72 OT FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot 43.6% from the field on 24 for 55 (and 54%
from beyond the arc on 7 for 13) and 68% from the foul
line (17 for 25).
The Explorers play Valparaiso
at 1pm in the third
round of the Paradise Jam on November 24.
Officials:
Scott Smith, Manny Upton and Ron Tyburski.
Grade
for Officials: F (Failure) due to Incompetence
The
officials called a poor game for both teams but made critical
calls against the Explorers to allow the lead to be cut drastically.
During one stretch the refs aided Southern Miss to cut the
lead to 6 at 50-44 with 7:41 left which prompted Kale
Beers to say "the officials are butchering
this game" during
the broadcast. This
was truly the worst officiated game for both teams that I
ever witnessed and the NCAA needs to investigate
incompetent officials, especially Tyburski who has something
against LaSalle.
Box Score
Explorers
Make Huskies Work to the End of the Race
November
21, 2008
by Jack
Explorers Fight #2 University of Connecticut
Huskies in Paradise Jam Opener Before Losing 89-81.
The
weather in Philadelphia was enough to make one think
the Iditarod was starting in Philly as snow showers made
the morning miserable. The Explorers were warm as they
prepared for the first game in the Paradise Jam against
the second ranked Huskies. This was the first-ever meeting
between the two teams. Vernon
Goodridge (8
points, 4 rebounds in the first half) had a great first
half as he helped the Explorers build a
13-6 lead.
LaSalle led for the majority of the first half. UConn
took its
first
lead
at 31-30
with 6:02 remaining in the half. Jerrell Williams (5
points for the game) is still making costly mental errors.
Jerrell forced a trey
with 20 seconds remaining in the half when the Explorers
should have been holding for the last shot. He then compounded
the error by fouling and making it a 3-point play for
UConn with less then a second remaining in the half.
Instead of a 3 point or less deficit, the Explorers trailed
at the half 46-40.
The
second stanza opened with the teams trading baskets.
LaSalle got to within one at 56-55 as Rodney
Green (career-best 25
points) converted 2 free throws on a play where goal-tending
should have
been
called and Green should have had an
opportunity for a 3-point play. Then a UConn player
got away with a push-off and the Explorers were charged
with a foul and the lead was 58-55. On UConn's next
possession Terrell Williams (2 points)
stole the ball but was called for a foul instead. UConn
scored
to extend lead
to 60-55. The Explorers fought back to 62-61 on a goal-tend
that was called correctly, credit Green with the hoop.
But on the very next UConn possession, the refs once
again bailed out UConn on a bogus call against Ruben
Guillandeaux - Ruben had a clean block at
8:30 remaining. Goodridge (career high 12 points to
go with 8 rebounds) was whistled for his 5th foul -
a bad call on a clean strip with 2:07 left.
The
Blue
and
Gold fought to the end but UConn won the game. #2
UConn 89,
LaSalle 81 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Rodney Green.
LaSalle
shot over 50% from the field on 34 for 67 (and 31% from
beyond the arc on 4 for 13) and 90% from the foul
line (9 for 10).
The Explorers play Southern Mississippi in the second
round of the Paradise Jam on November 22 at 6pm. Yves
Mbala's (13 points and 4 rebounds) inspired
play and mental toughness were instrumental in keeping
the
Explorers
close.
Officials:
Greg Maxwell, Bernard Clinton and Ron Tyburski.
Grade
for Officials: F (Failure)
The
officials made sure UConn "got a call" whenever the Explorers
got to within 2 points in the second half. It killed the
momentum of the game and any chance for the upset. The officials
are not supposed to know the rankings or the records of teams
so as to ensure even-handed officiating. The Explorers did
not get that in the second half of this game as mentioned
above.
Box Score
Explorers
Cannot Seal The Deal With Indians
November
18, 2008
by Jack
Explorers Allow Florida State Seminoles to Control
Final Minute and Lose Game
65-61.
The
game started like one of last seasons' early games where
the Explorers surrendered an early 7-0 lead. LaSalle
finally
scored as Ruben Guillandeaux (8 points
and 3 assists) drained a trey with 13 minutes remaining
in
the half. In fact
the Explorers scored 12
straight points to lead 12-7 with 9:13 to go in the half.
The Explorers built a 21-13 lead but then allowed the
Seminoles to close the half on 6-1 run. LaSalle led at
the break 22-19 but it could have been a bigger lead.
The
second half was exciting as the Explorers were able
to build a 43-34 lead with 10:47 left. Florida State
(2-0) made 3 consecutive treys and benefitted from
officiating calls (more on that in officiating section)
to
cut the lead
to one at 49-48. The Explorers (1-1) missed a golden
opportunity
to
seal
the game. FSU was trailing 52-48
with 6:01 and looked like they were ready to go home
with a loss as Rodney Green (6 points
on 3 of 15 shooting and 7 assists in 39 minutes) stepped
to the line in a one-and-one situation that could have
pushed
the
lead
to six points.
Instead, Rodney missed the critical front-end and the
Seminoles immediately hit a jumper to cut the lead
to two points.
Both Jerrell Williams (10 points,
6 critical turnovers and ill-advised 3-point attempt
in last 20
seconds)
and
Green (sloppy pass
that led to a turnover and killed the Explorers chances
with
11.4 seconds remaining) tried
to do too much and their out-of-control play cost the
Explorers
dearly.
Vernon
Goodridge (7
points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in 26 minutes)
played well defensively at times but needs to use his
fouls more wisely. Kimmani
Barrett (8 points and 2 assists)
played well except for taking and missing 3 treys. Yves
Mbala (13 points, 11 boards in 35 minutes) showed
why he deserves more playing time.
Florida
State 65, LaSalle 61 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Yves Mbala.
LaSalle
shot 37% from the field (and a dismal 19% from beyond
the arc on 4 for 21) and 72% from the foul line. The
Explorers must learn how to close out games they should
win. The coaching staff has to teach Jerrell and Rodney
to slow down and not try to force things in the closing
minutes. The Explorers travel to the Paradise Jam in
the Virgin Islands to play the 2nd ranked Connecticut
Huskies on November 21 at 6pm.
Officials:
Reggie Greenwood, Joe Lindsay and Brian Dorsey.
Grade
for Officials: F (Failure)
This
crew was pathetic. Greenwood missed obvious calls all night.
Brian Dorsey made a pathetic call after a FSU player
missed a dunk - he bailed out the player who ended up missing
both free throws. Joe Lindsay must have graduated from Florida
State as he made
a handful
of bad calls against LaSalle in a critical juncture of the
second
half. He called a foul on LaSalle but said that the FSU player
was in the act of shooting when in fact he never even had
possession of the ball! Later he made a call against Guillandeaux
on an obvious flop by a FSU player who was laughing after
he got the call. Then, in the very next play Green was ran
into by a FSU player right in front of Lindsay and he made
no call. The refs kept FSU within striking distance. The
majority of the bad calls went against the Explorers.
Box Score
Bears
Cannot Ruin Explorers Picnic
November
15, 2008
by Jack
Explorers Win Opener By Defeating the Morgan State
Bears 64-61.
Morgan
State (0-1) focused its defense on Vernon Goodridge (6
points and 3 blocks in 19 minutes) which opened up the
floor for Jerrell
Williams (12 points, 11 boards), Kimmani
Barrett (15 points on 5 for 5 shooting), Yves
Mbala (9 points, 8 boards) and Rodney
Green (15 points). Goodridge won the opening tip
to start the 2008-09 season. Mbala drilled a trey for an
18-13
advantage
but Morgan State outscored the Explorers 11-7
the rest of the half. The Explorers led 25-24
at the break.
The
second half opened with the teams trading baskets. The Explorers
(1-0) could not pull away from Morgan State (picked to finish
first
in the MEAC) until the final minute when a Jerrell Williams
free throw gave the Explorers a 63-58 lead. However, the
Explorers were unable to seal the win at the foul line as
Green missed 2 free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining. After
a timeout, Paul Johnson (4 points, 3 boards in 16
minutes) deflected the inbounds pass into Barrett's hands
and he was
fouled
with
2.7 seconds
left.
He made only
1 of 2 free throws for a 64-61 lead. Morgan State had one
last shot from 35 feet that hit off the backboard as time
expired. LaSalle 64, Morgan State 61 FINAL. Explorer
Top Performer of the Game: Kimmani Barrett.
LaSalle
shot 48% from the field (33.3% from beyond the arc) and
75% from the foul line. The Explorers must work on a more
controlled offensive game plan as several possessions were
wasted on sloppy play caused by forcing shots. The positive
is that they start the season with a victory and can build
on it with a victory on Tuesday. The
Florida State Seminoles invade Gola Arena on November 18
at 7pm.
Officials:
Bob Donato, Paul Faia and Matt Lee.
Grade
for Officials: D (Below Average)
The
officiating was not very good for either team. These officials
missed the obvious travelling calls including one where a
Morgan State player tripped over his teammate carried the
ball and then lost it out of bounds as he was falling. They
also did not notice when players were pushed into travelling.
One case was when Rodney Green was going in for a breakaway
layup with around 14 minutes remaining in the game and instead
of a foul call against the Morgan State player, Green was
whistled for the travel. Additionally, ref Matt Lee had
many late whistles.
Box Score
Explorers
Exhibit Power Game In Pre-Season Contest
November
8, 2008
by Jack
Exhibition: LaSalle Beats Philadelphia University
76-60 at Gola Arena
Vernon Goodridge made his debut in a LaSalle
uniform and was very impressive; he had an alley-oop jam
that had the crowd in awe. Vernon contributed with 12 points,
8 boards, 3 blocks and
2 steals in just 23 minutes. He also opened up the lane
for Jerrell Williams who had a game-high
19 points and 8 rebounds to go with 3 assists in 30 minutes.
Ruben Guillandeaux was sharp and had 10
points and 5 assists. Rodney
Green poured in 11 points
and had a steal. Yves Mbala had 8 points
and 6 boards to go with 2 assists.
The Explorers built a 32-22 halftime lead over Division
2 Philadelphia University Rams (ranked 18th in pre-season
standings for division 2 teams). The Rams are coached by
Philadelphia coaching legend Herb Magee who
is second in all-time wins for Division 2 coaches with
855
total.
The
second half started with a Mbala 3-pointer and later he
added another trey to increase the lead to 55-37. Guillandeaux
drilled a long trey to give the Explorers an insurmountable
70-47 lead. Darryl
Partin (5 points) and Kimmani Barrett (7
points, 10 boards) played with defensive intensity. Paul
Johnson played only 17 minutes as coach John
Giannini wanted to get more playing
time for others. The final score was 76-60 as the bench got
some playing time for LaSalle.
The
season opener is only a week away as the Explorers open
at home against the Morgan State Bears on November 15 at
2pm.
Season
Preview of the 2008-09 LaSalle Explorers
October
28, 2008
by Amanda Preston
Contenders for the Atlantic 10 Title and Post-Season Goals
Dr. John Giannini now has an entire roster
of players he has recruited. The roster is extremely talented,
experienced and contains plenty of depth. This Explorer
team will feature an inside presence that will give defensive
coaches nightmares and defenders the choice of who will
beat them. The front court will consist of small forwards
Jerrell Williams, Paul Johnson
and Terrell Williams,
power forwards Kimmani Barrett, Yves
Mbala and freshman Devon White and
6-10 center transfer Vernon
Goodridge.
The
backcourt will be run by Rodney Green and Ruben
Guillandeaux and feature shooters Kyle
Griffin and Darryl Partin. The
remainder of the roster features transfer forward Steve
Weingarten and guards Brad
Cohen and Greg Danish.
The
team has hit the weights in the off-season and most of
the team looks in mid-season form already. Ruben has bought-in
to coach Giannini's coaching style and his maturity will
definitely help the team. Others expected to stand out
this year include Rodney Green, who has worked at perfecting
the point guard position over the summer, as he looked
sharp last Friday at practice. Vernon Goodridge, has a
slight ankle injury but will be ready when the season starts,
could be a dominate inside presence all season long. Jerrell
Williams is expected to compliment Goodridge and make opponents
not want to visit the lane area. Darryl Partin has extended
his shooting range to beyond the 3-point line and Yves
Mbala is much stronger and quicker then last season.
The Atlantic 10 coaches always seem to under-estimate the
Explorers in their pre-season predictions. This year they
picked the Explorers to finish in 10th place. Those of
us who have followed the Explorers realize that this team
is top-tier material that has to go out on the court
and prove it. The main goal for this team is to reach the
post-season with the NCAA tournament a possibility. This
team is truly Built
For Excellence.
Our annual predictions for the Explorers follow:
| ExpMod |
4th - NIT |
| BK Seginsda |
1st - NCAA |
| Mascot |
5th - CBI |
| Amanda Preston |
3rd - NCAA |
| The
Oz |
4th - NIT |
| Jack |
3rd - NIT |
