Explorers' season has been disappointing
Columnist comments on La Salle's performance and progression this year

By Adam Bagni
Collegian Staff
February 21, 2007

With all things, there comes a point when you’ve just had enough. No matter how optimistic or excited you can be about something, we all have a boiling point.

Rodney Green takes off against Temple’s Mark Tyndale on Wednesday at the
Tom Gola Arena. - Mike Dao

I’m at that point with the La Salle men’s basketball team, courtesy of Saturday night’s “eight-point-lead-turned-loss” at Saint Louis—a game in which I had as many field goals as the Explorers in the final 7:42.

If you follow sports at all, or hail from the Northeast and follow an NBA team in our lowly Atlantic Division, then you know the Boston Celtics have made quite a bit of news lately with their 18-game losing streak. However, you probably haven’t realized the stark similarities between the Celtics and our beloved Explorers.

Both teams have storied histories that seem like they’re ancient history. Both teams have directors who feel they have a fiery, up-and-coming coach. Both teams are stocked this season with new talent. And, most importantly, both teams have exciting young players that make them worth watching every night.

The problem is, despite the great promise that exists within the teams’ youth, Celtics fans have grasped what I don’t believe has been acknowledged by Explorers fans (at least in this publication)—this team stinks. It may even be worse than the 2003-2004 team, which had a bench filled with walk-ons.

I’ll be the first to admit that it would be crazy to completely back down from my column a month ago, which asked for patience for John Giannini’s inexperienced team. The team is young and is extremely talented. This is one of the best recruiting classes La Salle has had in recent memory, and one could even argue it’s the best in 50 years. I still believe that with what this team has, and with what they’re aiming to get, La Salle could start contending consistently for an Atlantic 10 title as soon as next year.

But honestly, what the heck has happened this year? The defense has been atrocious, and the Explorers’ uncanny knack for collapsing at the end of games has become commonplace. It’s one thing to have a young team that’s inexperienced and doesn’t yet know how to finish ballgames. It’s quite another to be 1-6 in games decided by less than three points and 3-8 in games within two possessions (six points). I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the lack of progression that these young freshmen have displayed collectively.

But keep the emphasis there on “collectively.” Rodney Green has been spectacular this season in many games, garnering A-10 Rookie of the Week honors three times already this season. After an injury earlier in this season, Kimmani Barrett has heated up as of late, averaging more than 10 points a game in A-10 games, and bringing home his own conference rookie award last week. Yves Mekongo Mbala deserves some credit as well for his solid rebounding this year, many of which have come on the offensive end.

So what gives? I think a huge portion of it has to do with what happened in the off-season. The losses of Tabby Cunningham and Marshall Taylor have been key from the standpoint of having solid players on the floor who have experience playing Atlantic 10 basketball. Let’s not forget the loss of transfer DeSean White as well, who probably would have been an everyday starter on this team. These defections were big, and I don’t think they’ve been discussed in La Salle circles nearly enough.

After initially balking on it, I have to say a lot of it probably lies on Coach Giannini as well. I find it so tough to criticize this guy when he did such an amazing job in his first two seasons, but I wonder sometimes about his decision making, particularly in regards to substitutions late in the game. You can’t have so many meltdowns and not say that the responsibility lies with the head coach.

I was hoping for a turnaround after the upset win over Temple, but the game against the Billikens has dimmed my hopes. La Salle needs at least one more win in its final three (difficult) games to get to the A-10 Tournament in Atlantic City, along with four St. Bonaventure losses. Keep in mind, though, that the Bonnies do play three of their final four on the road.

Let’s hope we see a little bit of what’s to come next season, mixed into the end of this year’s campaign.

bagnia1@lasalle.edu