Head Coach: Fran Dunphy (31-36); 3rd season
Theme song: ‘Til You Can’t by Cody Johnson
Last Season: Fran Dunphy’s second season at his alma mater was considered a window of opportunity after a surprisingly successful run in the 2023 A10 tournament. They built upon last year’s postseason to become a team fighting for position in the thick of things. With a hot 9-4 start and some old-school Dunphy ball, the team showed its capabilities, providing optimism when conference play came around.
When conference play arrived, things imploded, changing their season’s course. Two separate losing skids of four and five games certainly raise concerns—questionable losses such as getting blown out by Saint Louis, a close call to Rhode Island, having St. Joe’s on the ropes at home, and losing to Davidson did not help make matters any better.
Key rotation pieces missed time due to injury, but there was enough on the roster to keep the ship afloat. Thus, La Salle went 4-2 in their final six games, entering the A10 tournament with Anwar Gil healthy just in time. In typical Dunphy fashion, the team picked up steam at the right time.
The momentum shifted as La Salle escaped the lowly George Washington Revolutionaries by one point, advancing to face off against Saint Bonaventure in the second round. The contest was close the entire game as La Salle’s season came down to one final possession: off an air-balled three, Daeshon Shepherd went for a wide-open putback slam and blew it.
What made that moment so jarring was that none of the nearby bodies challenged Shepherd with a boxout—a simple layup would’ve done it. Yet again, La Salle’s season ended with much left to be desired despite overall record improvement.
The same questions continue to arise with Dunphy at the helm: Has Father Time caught up to the aging legend? Who is transferring, and where are they going? How will they be replaced? From what I’ve observed, new AD Ashwin Puri has confidence in Dunphy, and they’re finally taking down Tom Gola Arena to build a new stadium for the team, which helps matters. But La Salle had more transfer smoke around them this season than in the past, and given their current offseason situation, it could be rough sledding.
Arrivals: Eric Acker (LIU), Deuce Jones (F), Demetrius Lilly (Penn State), Jahlil White* (Temple), Corey McKeithan* (Rider), Mac Etienne (DePaul)
Departures: Jhamir Brickus (T), Khalil Brantley (T), Rokas Jocius (T), Efe Tahmaz (T), Anwar Gill (T)
Returnees: Daeshon Shepherd, Andres Marrero, Ryan Zan, Milos Kovacevic, Jorge Sanchez-Ramos, Tunde Fasasi, Lucas Mercandino
Potential Strengths: Dunphy-led teams are infamous for caring for the ball and not turning the thing over. Last year, La Salle averaged 9.6 turnovers per game in the A10, the second-best number behind Richmond’s 8.6. None of his teams will be uncompetitive, regardless of the roster construction. I don’t care who he plays; Dunphy’s reputation with player development is a testament to investing in your in-house talent that generates the best results. The individual jumps the “Killer Bs” took in their two seasons under the Big 5 legend is proof of this.
Dunphy will conduct a similar process with LIU transfer Eric Acker, an NEC All-freshman pick last season (for a seven-win LIU team). Acker was one of the best at creating fouls, ranking 17th in the nation in fouls created per 40 minutes last season (Kenpom). Acker also showed signs of being a creator last year at LIU, with a 24.7 assist rate, ranked 190th in the country.
Rider transfer Corey McKeithan, an experienced guard who will stabilize the second unit, will back him up. I see freshman Deuce Jones getting significant time in this somewhat crowded backcourt. Jones is another point guard who can do everything on the floor and will eventually be an all-A10 player under Dunphy.
Daeshon Shepherd is due for another giant leap as a senior, and given how La Salle’s season ended, that play I mentioned earlier will be a driving force mentally for him. He emerged as a legit third option behind the “Killer B’s” with a steady 10.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. His athleticism will also serve him well when finishing at the rim, where he shot 64.8% last season.
Temple transfer Jahlil White will make a real impact, especially on defense. White’s defense did take a hit last season due to Adam Fisher shifting all the focus on building up the Owls’ offense. However, he still has a strong defensive reputation, a solid build at 6’7”, and the ability to switch to every position. White’s length will allow him to be an elite finisher in both transition and half-court sets for La Salle.
Tunde Fasasi’s importance for this team in his second season cannot be emphasized enough. Not only will there be voids left to fill for the scoring alpha, but Fasasi’s progress on defense will make or break La Salle’s season. Watching him in real-time, what stood out to me was how he handled the physicality at the A10 level. With an already promising shot from three, Fasasi’s overall game should pick up to make a case for the Most Improved Player award. He and Ryan Zan give La Salle a nice dynamic at the four, especially on defense.
Andres Marrero is someone who will have a big year for the Explorers. Marrero’s ability to hit threes uplifts La Salle’s offensive attack from that area. The Explorers took the fourth most in the A10 (24.6), hitting the fourth most per contest (8.5), but lacked the efficiency (35%) given their volume. Marrero’s evolution from three will be critical, along with new duties as a headliner offensively.
Potential Weaknesses: La Salle’s big-man situation is wildly suspect. The loss of Jocius is a hole that must be filled, no question, though the potential replacements have more questions than answers.
Their in-house talents don’t scream “starting center,” in my estimation: Milos Kovacenic played in only five games last season. Zan and Fasasi don’t have the physical chops to hold down the minutes at the center. There is a chance Dunphy throws White at center for stretches out of necessity, and he does have the physical tools, but does he have the stamina for center?
As for the transfers, Penn State import Demetrius Lilly likely wins the most time at center. As is the case for most of La Salle’s bigs this year, Lilly provides a limited sample size for what he can do.
The Explorers’ options here don’t provide some of the shot-blocking they would need for 40 minutes. Others don’t have the sample size for me to predict what they could give accurately. Dunphy’s bright spot is that each of his big men offers different looks, providing him situational flexibility. Still, each one is probably better in spurts than leaving Jocius for long stretches.
La Salle’s tallest order will be replacing the “Killer B’s” production. Both Khalil Brantley and Jhamir Brickus were wizards with the basketball and knew how to play the possession game. Last season, Brickus finally took the scoring leap to assist Brantley in leading the Explorers. Both were also excellent at stealing the ball and creating for others.
Shepherd will have to become one of the leaders this year if La Salle is to minimize any scoring issues. The jumper showed more than a pulse last season, which should only help him this year. White and Marrero will also need to be part of this quartet in leading La Salle’s offensive attack, with Acker doing most of the playmaking duties.
Fasasi will also find his way into the mix with a more all-around game that can back up every element needed. There is another level Fasasi can go to, particularly with his passing, morphing into a Sean Bairstow archetype that could give La Salle some extra juice on offense.
X-Factor: If he can stay on the floor, Mac Etienne could change La Salle’s trajectory. I flag his health as a significant concern: he tore his ACL at UCLA and then missed some games at DePaul. Even then, Etienne’s production has been the bare minimum at best. As aforementioned, La Salle’s center options have different reasons for caution—I’m also not sure if Dunphy is willing to get super weird with his lineups and play one of his taller wings as the small-ball center for long stretches. If Etienne can put up better numbers and stay healthy, then none of what I just said in this little paragraph matters.
Outlook: A number of the A10 units in the middle are puzzles this season, and La Salle is one of them. Dunphy and his staff did about as good a job at replenishing what they lost, but there are questions about the potential of some of the guys they did add. The guards and wings are PERFECT for Dunphy to play spoiler this season and keep La Salle in the hunt, perhaps winning them games they should lose; the front court is where all the concerns are for me. But if there is one thing I have learned about Fran Dunphy while watching A10 ball, never count “The Wizard” out.
Posted In: General Discussion