City of Brotherly Love: Run LaSalle, Run

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"]

[color="Navy"]2014 NCAA Tournament



Midwest Region



2nd Round
[/color]

[/SIZE]



[font="Comic Sans MS"](5) La Salle Explorers vs. (12) UNC-Greensboro Spartans



Last season we got the Spartans of Michigan State in the second round, this season we get the Spartans of UNC-Greensboro in the second round. Despite 23 regular season wins, a national ranking of 16 and the regular season Atlantic 10 Championship I felt the media weren’t respecting us. A lot of the analysts were picking UNC-Greensboro to win this game. Offensively the game wasn’t a thing of beauty, it was the defense which carried us. The contest was a scrappy affair throughout and though we never trailed relief was felt as we won 65-60. Defensively we held the Spartans to 34.5% shooting from and field and 5 for 22 from the three point line. David Smallwood and Aaron Edwards our two leading scorers combined to shoot 4 for 16. To pick up the slack Brett Rogers had 12 points and 6 rebounds while Mike Tart scored 12 and grabbed 9 rebounds off the bench.


La Salle Player of The Game: Mike Tart 12 points and 9 rebounds.
[/font]

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"][color="Navy"]

2014 NCAA Tournament



Midwest Region



3rd Round

[/color][/SIZE]



[font="Comic Sans MS"](5) La Salle Explorers vs. (4) UConn Huskies



Before our third round game against UConn I pulled all the guards, Vincent Jenkins, Aaron Edwards, David Smallwood, Lou Smith , and Aaron Bruce aside. Out of my coat pocket I pulled out news clippings about the UConn backcourt duo of Quentin East and David Starks. The media raved about how great the duo were and how they would leave UConn to a Sweet 16 matchup against top seeded Georgetown. I folded the clippings up and left without saying a word, because I knew my motivational ploy got their full undivided attention.



We have guards from Philadelphia and New York so they aren’t going to back down from a challenge and they won’t be intimidated by anyone. Lou Smith and Aaron Edwards the Philly duo of the team had everyone hyped up as we jumped on UConn from the tip off. Aaron Edwards only scored two points but he set the tone of the game on the first play. He blew past his man on the baseline and rose up to dunk over UConn center David Hooks. From that moment on UConn was shook, we took their hearts and never let up.



Aaron Bruce scored 8 points on three straight possessions to extend the lead to 28-19, led by Bruce and Smallwood we led 33-25 at halftime. The guards continued their relentless play in the second half, full blown attack mode had UConn reeling. UConn never led and we easily won 71-55. Smallwood led the way with 21 points, Bruce scored 12, and Jenkins chipped in with 10 points.



La Salle Player of The Game: David Smallwood 21 points and 5 rebounds.
[/font]

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"][color="Navy"]

2014 NCAA Tournament



Midwest Region



Sweet 16

[/color][/SIZE]



[font="Comic Sans MS"](5) La Salle Explorers vs. (1) Georgetown Hoyas



The tears, towels over the heads, and coaches consoling the players gave all of the visual evidence one could need. Our season was coming to an end and it was ending in an ugly fashion. Of the four starting seniors each one of them got a handshake and a hug from me as I subbed them out of the game towards the end of the game. At halftime the score was 49-25 Georgetown, it would only get worse in the second half. A 67-43 loss ended the best season La Salle has had in decades. David Smallwood led our scoring with 18 points but he had a nightmare of a game. Smallwood shot 5 for 27 from the field, 0 for 8 from the three point line. Though Smallwood was the main culprit the poor shooting was a team effort. 12 for 59 is what the team shot from the field. From the three point line we went 0 for 13, making it the first time during my tenure we did not make a three pointer in the game. Georgetown took advantage of our smaller team outscoring us 34 to 4 in the paint. In the end we had a great season, once the sting of this game is over I will tell that to the players.



La Salle Player of The Game: David Smallwood 18 points.
[/font]

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"][color="Navy"]

2014 NCAA Tournament

[/color][/SIZE]



[font="Comic Sans MS"]Final Four



Michigan (1) 72 vs. Louisville (3) 63



Georgia Tech (4) 63 vs. Kansas (1) 75



National Title Game


Michigan (1) 62 vs. Kansas (1) 55
[/font]



[SIZE="5"]

[color="navy"] 2013/2014 La Salle Season Recap[/color]

[/SIZE]




[font="Comic Sans MS"]Overall Record: 25-7


Atlantic 10 Record: 14-2


RPI: 15


National Rank: 16

Dion Tyler- Atlantic 10 Coach of The Year

David Smallwood – Atlantic 10 1st Team



Aaron Edwards drafted 53 in 2014 draft

Recruiting – 6 Scholarships available, we will have to replace four starters. If we could have filled all 6 scholarships fine but I was looking for quality rather than quantity. Filling only 3 of the scholarships we will either be active looking at transfers or use them for next seasons class.

• Jeff Donovan continues our tradition of getting great JuCo talent from the state of Pennsylvania. Donovan is rated as the 56th best player in the country. A 6-6 Power Forward, Jeff is a scoring machine. His skill set will make him a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses.



• Keith Riley is a 6’8 Center from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Keith is rated number 68 in the country, though skilled on offense he shot blocking ability excites us the most. He will be the first true shot blocker we have had during my tenure at La Salle.



• Ben Anderson a.k.a “White Man Can Jump” due to his phenomenal athletic ability. At 6’0 Ben can jump out of any gym and he will excite the fan base with his highlight reel dunks. Ben also fits in due to his shooting ability. The Athens, Pennsylvania is the 120th ranked player in the nation.


[/font]




[SIZE="5"][color="navy"]

La Salle 2013 /2014 Season Stats

[/color][/SIZE]




[font="Comic Sans MS"] PPG
1. David Smallwood 19.4
2. Aaron Edwards 10.5
3. Vincent Jenkins 8.5
4. Brett Rogers 8.3
5. Lou Smith 7.6



RPG
1. Brett Rogers 6.0
2. Aaron Edwards 5.6
3. David Smallwood 4.6



APG
1. Vincent Jenkins 3.8
2. Lou Smith 2.6



SPG
1. David Smallwood 1.3
2. Aaron Edwards 1.2
[/font]

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"][color="Navy"]

2014/2015 La Salle Explorers Roster

[/color][/SIZE]




[font="Comic Sans MS"]Starting Lineup


*Denotes Returning Starter


Lou Smith 6-5 Senior PG 4/4.5
* David Smallwood 6-5 Senior SG 4/4.5
Ruben Carter 6-0 Sophomore RS SG 1.5/4.5
Michael White 6-6 Junior PF 4/4.5
Keith Riley 6-8 Freshman C 3.5/4


Bench


Tega Lee 6-7 Sophomore PF 2/4
Clyde Nielsen 6-11 Freshman RS PF 2/3.5
Terry Tillman 6-6 Senior PF 2.5/3.5
Ben Anderson 6-4 Freshman SG 1/4
Brian Stone 6-8 Freshman RS SF 1/2.5
Quincy Rand 6-2 Junior RS SG 1/1
Ted Green 6-8 Junior RS C 2/2
[/font]

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"]

[color="Navy"]2014/2015 Non Conference Review[/color]

[/SIZE]




[font="Comic Sans MS"]Now that we have experienced consistent success I believe in playing anybody, anywhere. Though the team is young and inexperienced I stuck to my nature to schedule aggressively in the non-conference. Road games at (19) Oregon, (21) Oklahoma, (24) Arizona, Butler, a home game vs. Marquette, and participation in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.



I never have believed in moral victories, however a young team played very well on the road losing 55-63 at Ariozna. We trailed 45-24 at halftime, but showed plenty of heart as we made a furious comeback in the 2nd half coming up a little short. Darnell Phillips who averaged 25 per game as a freshman the year before scored 36 points against us, however we made him work hard to get those points as the defense held him to 13 for 31 shooting.



After years of trying including failed attempts at Arizona and Oregon this season, the program got the breakthrough road win we’ve been waiting for. A 75-65 win at Oklahoma was the first time in my tenure in which beat defeated a ranked opponent on the road. After being tied at the half David Smallwood and Lou Smith carried us to victory combining for 33 points. We used the Oklahoma win as momentum, for the trip to Orlando. We won the Old Spice Classic with ease beating Butler 74-52, Nebraska 76-65, and Colorado 74-52 in the final. Averaging 20 plus points in the three games meant David Smallwood was named the MVP of the tournament.



We had some ups and downs which is to be expected from a young team, as a result we went into Atlantic 10 with an 8-5 record. A cause for concern was on offense, as a team we were averaging about 65 points per game. Senior guards David Smallwood and Lou Smith suggested we should have more freedom in the offense like we did in past years. After thinking about it I agreed with them, we had to get back to what we did best and that was pushing tempo with a lot of offensive freedom
[/font]

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"][color="Navy"]

2014/2015 Atlantic 10 Conference Review

[/color][/SIZE]



[font="Comic Sans MS"]David Smallwood is the star player of the team, no debating that. It bothers me when people call us a one man show because that is the furthest thing from the truth. To be a good team you need multiple players to contribute. Our run during Atlantic 10 play hopefully eliminated the notion that La Salle is a one man team



If I had to pick one theme during Atlantic 10 season it would be a variety of players stepping up when needed. We were dealt a blow when Jeff Donovan got injured in the first game of Atlantic 10 play. Clyde Nielsen came off the bench for Donovan and get 15 points and 13 rebounds in a 65-57 win at Richmond. Keith Riley recorded his first career double-double getting 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 79-76 overtime win against Xavier. The very next game Riley got 17 and 10 in a 62-55 win at Charlotte. For those efforts Riley was named Atlantic 10 Freshman of The Week. Nielsen had his second double-double with 16 and 13 in a 84-81 win at George Washington. Tega Lee scored a career high 15 points in a 78-66 win at Dayton. Lou Smith had 10 assists and 14 points in a 79-70 win at Fordham. We started off the season 11-0 in Atlantic 10 play before finally losing 65-70 at St. Joseph. Even in defeat we received an unexpected boost as Ben Anderson scored his career high of 17 points 7 for 10 shooting.



Another highlight of Atlantic 10 play were David Smallwood’s late game heroics. Against Xavier Smallwood proved to be the difference on two occasions, burying a game-tying 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to go to send the game into overtime. Then in overtime Smallwood hit a right-wing 3-pointer at the buzzer to give us a 79-76 victory over Xavier. In a tie game against Duquesne Smallwood split two defenders and laid the ball off glass as time expired to give us a 51-49 victory. Smallwood's right-wing 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left erased a tie score and lifted us to an 84-81 victory at George Washington.



Overall we finished 13-3 in Atlantic 10 play and 21-8 overall.
[/font]

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"][color="Navy"]

2015 Atlantic 10 Tournament

[/color][/SIZE]




[font="Comic Sans MS"](1) La Salle Explorers vs. (9) Fordham Rams



Right before the tournament we received great news as Jeff Donovan was cleared to return from his ankle injury. Though Clyde Nielsen and Tega Lee performed well in his absence the return of Donovan is a big upgrade for us. Donovan showed no rust whatsoever scoring 17 points in 31 minutes. Unlike last year when we dismantled Fordham in the A10 Tournament, this year’s game was a tight contest. Every time it seemed Fordham would overtake us David Smallwood would answer with a clutch basket. We needed every one of those baskets as we held on for a 72-64. Smallwood was excellent scoring a season high 34 points.



La Salle Player of The Game: David Smallwood 34 points 8 rebounds 7 steals.


(1) La Salle Explorers vs. (4) George Washington Colonials



A familiar scene potentially was unfolding during the Semifinal game, trailing 71-69 with 6 seconds left we needed a basket. Everyone in the Barclay’s Center knew the ball was going to David Smallwood so it was up to me to come up with a creative way to get him the ball. I had David take the ball out on the sideline, he inbounded the ball to Lou Smith who returned the ball right back to David. This setup allowed David to get a running start, Keith Riley set an excellent pick which allowed David to get inside the foul line. His running floater swished through the net sending the game into overtime. George Washington took control in overtime leaving us down 79-76 with 12 seconds left. Smallwood got the ball at the top of the key, took two dribbles and pulled up for a three pointer which missed badly. GW rebounded the ball and eventually won the game 81-76. The difference in the game was three point shooting, GW made 6 threes while we went 0 for 15 from three.


La Salle Player of The Game: Jeff Donovan 18 points 11 rebounds.

[/font]

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"][color="Navy"]

2015 NCAA Tournament



East Region



2nd Round

[/color][/SIZE]




[font="Comic Sans MS"]
(7) La Salle Explorers vs. (10) Duke Blue Devils



The looks in the players eyes before the game showed 100% focus, we’ve played big teams before but playing Duke has the team extra ready for this game. Duke is one of the name brands of college basketball and to beat them would be an impressive feather in the cap of La Salle. We didn’t need an extra motivation but when Dick Vitale said “La Salle has no chance vs. the Dukies” that put us over the top. David Smallwood scored the first 11 points of the game sparking us to a quick 11-2 lead. What Duke lacked in an individual star they made up for it with a variety of players chipping in. Duke but a 35-26 lead at the 3 minute mark, that would be the last points Duke scored in the half as we ran off 11 straight points to take a 37-35 lead into halftime. In the midst of a 3 for 16 shooting game by Jeff Donovan we were given a boost off the bench from Clyde Nielsen. Clyde shot 7-7 from the field scoring 18 points. Holding a 72-70 with 15 seconds left in the game, David hit a 3 pointer with the shot clock at 1 to give us a 75-70 lead. A 77-72 win meant we would be facing second seeded Maryland in the 3rd Round.



La Salle Player of The Game: David Smallwood 27 points.
[/font]

[TheShow23]

[SIZE="5"][color="Navy"]

2015 NCAA Tournament



East Region



3rd Round

[/color][/SIZE]



[font="Comic Sans MS"] (7) La Salle Explorers vs. (2) Maryland Terrapins



Maryland decided their plan of attack on defense would be make fluster David Smallwood. They did this in a variety of manners, switching multiple defenses. They through a man to man defense, matchup zone, box and one and double teamed him frequently. Maryland also used a variety of players to guard David making it tough for him to get in any kind of rhythm. We were down 20-35 at halftime and David was struggling. Things got worse in the second half when Lou Smith picked up his 5th foul with 12 minutes left in the game. Jeff Donovan’s 25 points kept us in the game until Maryland went on a 19-2 run to blow the game open. Scoring 8 points on 3 for 13 shooting was not the way David wanted to end his college career, nor was losing 61-76 in the NCAA Tournament.


La Salle Player of The Game: Jeff Donovan 25 points and 8 rebounds.
[/font]