Welcome to the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Tipoff for the 2020-21 Season. This afternoon, we feature the La Salle Explorers. To revisit all of the season previews throughout the week, click here.
La Salle
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It’s a steep climb in the Atlantic 10, but after two seasons under a new coach, La Salle is pointed in the right direction.
The Explorers won six games in Mountain MacGillivray’s inaugural season in Philadelphia and followed that up with 13 wins in 2019-20.
La Salle, which returns its top five scorers from a year ago, will get another lift from senior Deja King. She was the team’s leading scorer when she got hurt as a sophomore, and she struggled last year following ankle surgery.
“Now she’s back and playing really well,” MacGillivray said. “She’s shooting the ball at a pretty high level and playing her typical standout defense.”
A healthy King and the return of one of the premier point guards in the league in Kate Hill, fifth in Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio last season, gives La Salle a formidable backcourt. The Canadian will look to lead the A-10 again in that category in her final season.
Australian sophomore Claire Jacobs, who amassed 412 points as a freshman, was listed on the roster at 5-10 a year ago. Now, she’s a 6-footer.
“She grew a couple of inches,” MacGillivray said, who is even more impressed by her growth on defense. “She’s one of our leading rebounders in practice.”
Her twin, Amy, buried 43 three-pointers a year ago and returns as a better attacker. “She’s going to the basket and finishing on the break and creating off the dribble at a much higher level than before,” MacGillivray said.
Don’t forget leading scorer Kayla Spruill, the Explorer who logged the most court time. “She’s picked up right where she left off,” said MacGillivray, who expects her to play more around the basket. “Her versatility is a real bonus for our team.”
Reducing turnovers will be critical under the system MacGillivray would like to play. For two years, he’s preached a style built around forcing turnovers from your opponent while limiting your own.
“I think the majority of our players who are returning and the style of play of our freshmen will help us do that,” he said.
The team spent a summer talking about its identity — which will be put to the test in what promises to be a season like no other.
A look at La Salle:
Coach: Mountain MacGillivray, 19-42 in two seasons at La Salle and overall
Last year: 13-17, 7-9 Atlantic 10, (Lost at No. 7 Davidson 67-63 in Atlantic 10 Championship first round)
They'll miss: Shalina Miller (led Atlantic 10 in blocked shots and blocks per game. Obliterated the school's all-time blocks record — Miller is 42 blocks ahead of anyone else in program history)
Impact returners: Claire Jacobs, 6-0 sophomore G (Australia native, team-high 13.7 ppg, scored program freshman record 412 points, Atlantic 10 all-rookie team); Kayla Spruill, 6-0 junior G/F (11.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, one of three women named Kayla on the team); Kate Hill, 5-7 senior G (second in A-10 with 4.4 apg, fifth in Division I in assist/turnover ratio (2.95); Jordon Lewis, 5-10 sophomore F (7.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg); Amy Jacobs, 6-0 sophomore G (Australia native, 6.9 ppg); Deja King, 5-7 senior G (5.3 ppg)
Newbies of note: Molly Masciantonio, 5-10 junior G, who transferred to La Salle after one year at Holy Family, is expected to receive a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible. Jete Nulle, 5-6 freshman G, Latvia native, veteran of major international tournaments
Reasons for optimism: The Explorers, who went from 6-25 to 13-17 in Year 2 of MacGillivray era, are set up for another step forward as they return their top five scorers and seven players that started at least 10 games a year ago.
Bottom line: La Salle will certainly play spoiler in the Atlantic 10 this season and given the core returning and the lift King will provide, the Explorers should continue the upward trajectory established by the third-year coach.
Vicki Friedman is a freelance writer who has covered women's basketball for major newspapers for over two decades, and she has written for Atlantic10.com since 2012. Her blog, LadySwish, can be found at ladyswishwbb.com and on Twitter.