GETTING INSIDE
La Salle is off to a 7-4 start and coach John Giannini wants two things in the coming weeks—some RPI-enhancing victories and the healthy return of Ruben Guillandeaux.
Without Guillandeaux, who has a stress fracture in his right foot, the Explorers missed a handful of opportunities to shoot up the RPI rankings, losing in ugly fashion to three nationally-ranked, brand-name programs—Villanova, Kansas and Oklahoma State.
So Christmas came and went without La Salle picking up that signature win, a victory that would help their RPI and their NCAA tourney at-large profile.
The problem? A number of other A-10 programs, such as Xavier, Temple, Dayton and Richmond, picked up those types of victories in November and December.
That means Giannini’s bunch will need to excel in league play to have any prayer of going to the Big Dance for the first time since 1992.
To make a run at the league crown, La Salle probably needs a healthy Guillandeaux, who is averaging 9.5 points.
La Salle features a balanced scoring attack, led by 6-5 point guard Rodney Green, who is averaging 18.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
Green is a stat-sheet stuffing point guard who should attract NBA scouts aplenty to Tom Gola Arena this winter.
Green is one of four Explorers averaging in double figures, as 6-6 senior Kimmani Barrett is at 13.8 points, 6-10 freshman star-in-the-making Aaric Murray at 10.7 and 6-7 senior Yves Mekongo at 10.0.
If Guillandeaux can make it back, Giannini would have a fifth double-figure scoring threat, something that would have helped him against the likes of Villanova, Kansas and Oklahoma State.
NOTES, QUOTES
• On Dec. 21 vs. Oklahoma State, senior Rodney Green, the A-10’s leading scorer this season at 18.8 points per game, became the second player in La Salle’s rich basketball history to record 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. He joined Explorer great Lionel Simmons, who had 3,217 points, 1,429 rebounds and 355 assists.
• La Salle’s roster is chock-full of proven mid-sized athletes, including seniors Kimmani Barrett (1,010 career points), Yves Mekongo (860 points) and Ruben Guillandeaux (776 points).
January At A Glance: After a winnable non-league game at Binghamton on Jan. 2, La Salle will face A-10 tests aplenty in January. The Explorers host Xavier on Jan. 7), are at UMass on Jan. 10, host Richmond on Jan. 16 and Charlotte on Jan. 23 before visiting Temple on Jan. 30. All of these are potential RPI enhancers for the Explorers, who feature a balanced scoring attack and hit the glass with reckless abandon, with a plus-7.1 rebounding margin. To thrive during that stretch, they’ll need to take better care of the basketball after averaging 17.2 turnovers per game, and must be stingier at the defensive end, where they allow 73.6 points per game.
Quote To Note: “If you’re not used to that level of defensive intensity, it shocks you a little bit. I think that’s what happened to us.”—La Salle coach John Giannini, of his team’s 2-for-20 shooting start in its 77-62 loss to Oklahoma State.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: La Salle entered the 2009-10 season with legit NCAA tournament hopes, but haven’t been able to clam that one resume-building victory, losing by double figures to South Carolina, Villanova, Kansas and Oklahoma State. At 7-4, the Explorers still own a good record, but they could really use some RPI building in the coming weeks vs. the likes of Cornell on Dec. 29, Xavier on Jan. 7 and Richmond on Jan. 16.
Player Rotation: Usual Starters—F Yves Mekongo, F Jerrell Williams, C Aaric Murray, G Rodney Green, G Kimmani Barrett. Key Subs —G Ruben Guillandeaux, F Steve Weingarten, F Devon White, F Terrell Williams.
Game Review:
Kansas 90, La Salle 65
La Salle 83, Bucknell 70
Oklahoma State 77, La Salle 62
Game Preview:
Vs. Cornell, Tuesday, Dec. 29
At Binghamton, Saturday, Jan. 2
Vs. Xavier, Thursday, Jan. 7
At UMass, Sunday, Jan. 10
Vs. George Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 13
In Focus: The upcoming game vs. Cornell, a 2009 NCAA tournament team that is 9-2 this season and owns victories over Alabama, St. John’s and St. Joseph’s, will provide an excellent measuring stick for La Salle right before league play begins.
Roster Report:
• Senior guard Ruben Guillandeaux, who is averaging 9.5 points per game, is out indefinitely because of a stress fracture in his right foot.
• Senior swingman Kimmani Barrett suffered a broken middle finger on his non-shooting hand the day before a 90-65 loss to Kansas on Dec. 12. Barrett played that day with the broken finger against the Jayhawks and finished with eight points. He’s fine now.
• La Salle signed three players, two point guards and a center, during the early signing period. The three members of the Class of 2014 are 6-foot point guard Tyreek Duren from Philadelphia Catholic League hoops power Neumann-Goretti High School, 6-3 point guard Sam Mills from Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and 6-10 center Matt Lopez from Sewell, N.J. Duren and Mills will shore up the point guard spot once Green departs next year, while Lopez is viewed as a project, albeit a big one.
