The Explorers are moving into a new home.

La Salle is just weeks away from debuting the 3,000-seat John Glaser Arena, a project that reinvented the old Tom Gola Arena from the inside out.

The Explorers will have a 360-degree bowl with new video boards, revamped audio and lighting systems and a switch to an east-west court orientation rather than north-south. Plus a new plaza, named after the legendary Tom Gola, outside the arena to welcome fans.

“I think it’s amazing,” redshirt junior guard Andrés Marrero said. “I think it’s a lot different than the two years before. It brings life to campus and to the athletic department. It’s going to be amazing and we’re really excited for Nov. 4 and we’re looking forward to it.”

That’s the date of La Salle’s season opener against American, and the first of six home nonconference games. But there’s more to this season than a new building; the Explorers hope to nose over .500 after improving to 16-17 in coach Fran Dunphy’s second season.

Both years have included some promising stretches. The Explorers ripped off a five-game winning streak in the heart of Atlantic 10 conference play in February 2023 and later made the quarterfinals of the league tournament.

Last year, La Salle won five of its last eight --- including its final four games at Tom Gola Arena --- before falling in the second round of the A-10 Championship.

“Our No. 1 priority is are we ready to go Nov. 4?” Dunphy said. “And as soon as that’s over, are we ready to go Nov. 9? Let’s play the best basketball we can. It’s not only a game-to-game thing, it’s a possession-to-possession thing.”

FIELD OF 68 MEDIA DAY - LA SALLE
A look at the Explorers:

Coach: Fran Dunphy, third season at La Salle, 31-36 with the Explorers and 611-361 overall in 32 seasons

Last year: After a 9-3 start, the Explorers struggled in the first half of conference play before regaining their equilibrium down the stretch. La Salle finished 6-12 in the league to earn the No. 10 seed in the conference tournament, where it beat George Washington for the third time in less than two months before falling 75-73 to St. Bonaventure in the second round to close the year 16-17.

They’ll miss: Four of La Salle’s top five scorers exited the program after last season, including the backcourt tandem of Khalil Brantley (15.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.2 apg) and Jhamir Brickus (13.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.8 apg), the latter a third team all-Atlantic 10 pick. Guard Anwar Gill (9.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and forward Rokas Jocius (8.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg) also departed.

Impact returners: The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Daeshon Shepherd was La Salle’s top rebounder a year ago, averaging 5.6 per game. He also averaged 10.6 points, a figure that seems likely to go up as he heads into his senior year.

“We need him to be the best rebounder he can be, the best defensive player he can be, run the floor like crazy,” Dunphy said. “Lots of expectations are put on Shep and I’m looking forward to him being the best version of himself every single day.”

Look for Andrés Marrero (7.9 ppg) also to fill a larger role. The 6-foot-5 Venezuelan shot 39.4 percent from 3-point range, ranking second on the Explorers in made 3s with 52.

Newcomers of note: La Salle’s transfer additions include sophomore guard Eric Acker, who averaged 12.7 points last season at LIU to earn a place on the Northeast Conference’s all-freshman team.

“With Eric, he brings everything,” Marrero said. “He brings energy. … He has experience already, and he brings that to the court. It’s been amazing and he’s really good.”

A pickup from within the Big Five is former Temple wing Jahlil White, who averaged 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds last season for the Owls and was a part-time starter for the last three seasons.

Another name to keep an eye on is freshman Deuce Jones, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Trenton, N.J., who is the Explorers’ second-highest rated freshman signee in the modern recruiting era.

Reasons to be optimistic: The glistening new arena has a chance to invigorate the La Salle community well beyond this season.

“It means a great deal,” Dunphy said. “It’s an amazing project, a very ambitious project. We left the building probably March 15 and it’s now almost Oct. 15 and we’re almost there. I think everybody on campus is excited about it.”

X factor: Demetrius Lilley got into 25 games over two seasons at Penn State, shooting 70 percent from the floor while also grabbing 11.4 rebounds per 40 minutes.
He might be able to do even more with the Explorers, including the possibility of stretching the floor out to the 3-point line.

“If he can shoot 36, 37, 38, he can shoot them all day long as far as I’m concerned,” Dunphy said. “He just has to know how to get them. … He’s a key for what we’re going to be about.”

Circle the date: Besides the arena opener on Nov. 4, a highlight will be the Explorers’ Dec. 14 trip to North Carolina. They’ll also play Big Five rival Saint Joseph’s twice in the back half of conference play, visiting City Avenue on Feb. 12 before playing host to the Hawks in the March 8 regular-season finale.

Bottom line: Dunphy has kept the Explorers competitive the last two years, and there’s little reason to think he won’t do the same this year.

The 1970 La Salle graduate sounds excited about the group he’s assembled --- not just for their basketball skill, but for who they are as people.

“It’s fun to be around them, but it’s really fun when a plan comes together and they completely buy into each other, which is great,” Dunphy said.