This preview is part of the Atlantic 10's 2020-21 Men's Basketball Tipoff, which also includes A-10 media day, the preseason poll and awards and the 2020-21 schedule. The previews, written by Patrick Stevens, began on Nov. 10 and will continue through the week. Once released, each preview can be found here.
LA SALLE ESSENTIALS
Roster | Statistics | Headlines
Developing any program will ultimately require giving an extended look to young players and letting them learn and grow along the way.
A year ago, La Salle had three freshman guards --- Ayinde Hikim, Sherif Kenney and Christian Ray, each a part of coach Ashley Howard’s first full recruiting class --- average at least 19.9 minutes.
All three are back, and they’ll form a nucleus with program mainstays Scott Spencer, Jared Kimbrough and David Beatty. The return of wing Jack Clark from losing nearly a season and a half to injury adds another piece to provide the Explorers with more cohesion this winter.
“Now that we have Jack healthy, we have Dave, Jared and Scott all guys that have been in the program for three years and understand the expectations that have been around our staff, that know our core values and are able to reinforce them every day, I think that’s the biggest help,” Howard said.
A year after taking a step forward at the defensive end --- improving from 189
th in KenPom.com’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric to 129
th --- La Salle is eyeing a similar step forward on offense. And what held the Explorers back is easy enough to identify.
La Salle struggled in turnover percentage ranking low nationally and in the Atlantic 10 in conference games. That largely canceled out the positives of a defense that ranked 90
th in the country forcing turnovers on a per-possession basis in back-to-back seasons.
“We definitely have improved with the turnover situation,” senior guard David Beatty said. “Our coaching staff expressed that every day. We know what we have to get better at. We know you can’t win a ton of games or even a little bit of games if you have a lot of turnovers.”
A LOOK AT THE EXPLORERS:
Coach: Ashley Howard, third season at La Salle, 25-36 with the Explorers.
Last year: The Explorers went 15-15 overall and 6-12 in the Atlantic 10, and finished in a tie for 10
th. La Salle did finish the regular season with a flourish, edging Big Five rival Saint Joseph’s 78-77 to complete a sweep of the crosstown rival and the program’s first victory on Hawk Hill since 2014.
They’ll miss: The Explorers played their last three games of 2019-20 without forward Ed Croswell (10.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg), their leading rebounder and No. 2 scorer who transferred to Providence. There’s also a pair of backcourt mainstays to replace in Isiah Deas (9.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and Saul Phiri (7.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg). Both Deas and Phiri started 25 games as seniors last season, and Phiri led La Salle with 37 steals.
Impact returners: La Salle’s most proven players are a pair of senior guards. The 6-2 David Beatty scored a team-high 10.7 points a game last season, while the 6-6 Scott Spencer averaged 8.9 points. Both will be counted upon to provide stability as La Salle tries to climb the standings.
Newbies of note: The headliner of the recruiting class is 5-11 guard Jhamir Brickus, who scored 2,531 career points at Coatesville Area High School. He’ll immediately form a tandem at the point with sophomore defensive stopper Ayinde Hikim.
“Jhamir does a really good job of taking care of the ball, and he’s a big-time playmaker,” Howard said. “He can really shoot the ball. Those guys are getting better every single day. Hopefully, they can prepare each other for Atlantic 10 play. It’s good for us moving forward to have the option of having two different types of point guards that can change the pace.”
A few other freshmen to keep an eye on over the course of the season are guard Anwar Gill and center Tegra Izay. Indiana transfer Clifton Moore, a 6-10 forward who grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs, will also have a role with the Explorers.
Reasons to be optimistic: Perhaps the most intriguing player on the roster is redshirt sophomore Jack Clark, who hasn’t played in a game since January 2019. But he averaged 10.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in a truncated true freshman season, providing a glimmer of his potential.
“Jack Clark didn’t play a lot two years ago and played nine games before redshirting last year, so I think he’s a guy a lot of people sort of forgot about,” Howard said.
Chances are good there won’t be many foggy memories by the time this season is over with. The 6-8, 200-pounder is finally healthy, and his ability to play several positions will give Howard a lot of options in how to play this winter.
“Everything,” Howard said as he succinctly described what Clark brings to the Explorers. “He just gives you versatility and gives you a guy who can play multiple positions. We’re going to experiment with him at four different positions on offense. He’s a good player, great person and great teammate. I’m proud of the fact he’s been able to withstand the adversity he’s had these first two years.”
X factor: When Croswell left the team in late February, Jared Kimbrough was the primary beneficiary. He averaged 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds over the Explorers’ final three games (well above his season averages of 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds) and is poised to play a larger part in La Salle’s rotation as a junior.
“I’m so proud of Jared and his development,” Howard said. “I think he’s really taken a significant jump to prepare himself this year. The last couple years he’s been a guy who’s been in and out of the rotation because of injuries. Knock on wood, he’ll keep himself healthy so we can have him this season.”
Circle the date(s): The Explorers won’t get a full complement of Philly games this season, but there is a Dec. 6 trip across town to Temple to look forward to as well as the home-and-home with Saint Joseph’s (including a Jan. 18 date at home).
Bottom line: La Salle improved its overall record but slid back two games in the conference standings last season. The Explorers might not have an established star, but Howard believes his team can take a good-sized step forward in his third year with the program.
“I know we know we don’t have some of the marquee names that are featured in the [Preseason All-Conference Teams], but I do believe we’re a better team and I do believe a huge part of that is the connection our players have to each other,” Howard said.
Patrick Stevens is a veteran freelance college basketball writer. A former sports reporter for the Washington Times, he has been a contributor to Atlantic10.com for the past seven years. Follow him on Twitter at @D1scourse.