THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Coach: Dr. John Giannini, sixth season, 71-79
Last season: 18-13, 9-7 Atlantic 10
Last league title: 1991-92, MAAC
Last NCAA berth: 1991-92
PROJECTED STARTERS
G Rodney Green, Sr. 17.8 pts. 5.0 reb.
C Aaric Murray, Fr. *17.5 12.4.
F Jerrell Williams, Jr. 6.4 4.2
F Kimmani Barrett, Sr. 11.8 5.0
F Yves Mekongo Mbala, Sr. 10.4 6.0
KEY RESERVES
G Ruben Guillandeaux, Sr. 10.1 2.5
F Terrell Williams, Jr. 2.7 2.6
*Note: High school statistics.
It all comes down to ... Senior leadership. The Explorers are projected to start three seniors, all of whom possess a ton of experience and averaged in double figures last season. When the game is on the line, Giannini will have plenty of veteran options.
Shouldering the load: The 6-5 Green is a versatile scorer who also distributes the ball. Expect him to merit heavy consideration for A-10 player of the year honors if he can elevate the Explorers past the other top-tier teams in the conference. He's probably the best Big 5 player you've never heard of.
Number to watch: 24. That's the number 6-10 freshman center Aaric Murray will wear. Murray, ranked as the 35th-best prospect in the country by rivals.com, shocked the college basketball world when he chose La Salle over the likes of Villanova and West Virginia. The Concordville native attended the Glen Mills School, where he averaged 17.5 points and 12.4 rebounds per game during his senior year. It remains to be seen if he can handle all the pressure and added expectations that come with playing at the collegiate level and living up to his potential.
Key stretch: The Explorers welcome Xavier to Tom Gola Arena on Jan. 7 to open A-10 play. Then they play at Massachusetts on Jan. 10 and follow that with George Washington at home on Jan. 13. The early conference stretch that might define their season culminates with a crucial road matchup at Richmond on Jan. 16.
Quote of note: "We want to be in the NCAA Tournament like every other team in America, and I believe it's a realistic goal for us. You have to have a strong strength of schedule. It's so important. We just tried to put together a schedule that would give us the best opportunity of getting there." - Giannini, on his team's highly competitive nonconference schedule. The Explorers will play at No. 5 Villanova on Nov. 28 and visit consensus No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 12 in Kansas City.
Bottom line: The Explorers enter the season with an abundance of veteran talent and depth provided by up-and-coming youngsters. They were picked to finish fourth in the A-10 behind preseason favorite Dayton, Xavier and Richmond. However, that could change if the established Green and the newcomer Murray can combine to form the conference's most prolific inside-outside tandem.
