Dr. John Giannini wasn’t kidding when he said he would have a different starting lineup every game this season.
Jordan Price, likely La Salle's best player, started in the home opener after coming off the bench against Temple last Friday night. He scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds on Tuesday.
Price’s big performance helped La Salle get its first win of the season, as the Explorers defeated Delaware, 74-68, in their home opener (see Instant Replay). Depth, an issue for the Explorers last season, was key in the victory. Giannini used a nine-man rotation, which is a drastic improvement from the team's six-player rotation just a season ago.
Aside from Isiah Deas, every player who entered the game scored for La Salle. Amar Stukes, who contributed to the Explorers’ balanced attack, finished with eight points, five rebounds and five assists. Stukes also had two steals, and created problems for Delaware on defense.
“Coach always emphasizes defense, so that’s one thing I try to focus on and lead by example," Stukes said. "Any ball that I can get my hand on or any stop I can get, that’s key for our team.”
Pookie Powell, a transfer from Memphis, helped shift the momentum into La Salle’s direction. The 6-foot point guard had a huge dunk in the second half and a three-pointer with three minutes left to go.
Much like the rest of Tom Gola Arena, Giannini was impressed with Powell’s three that essentially sealed the victory for La Salle.
“It was a great shot. It was a gutsy shot, and it was huge," Giannini said. "It was a smart shot in terms of him being open on a catch-and-shoot, and I’m glad he didn’t try to put it on the floor where he would have had a hand in his face."
Forward Demetrius Henry called Powell a leader, and said his play in the second half gave La Salle energy.
“It was big. Pookie is one of the leaders on the team, so any time he does anything big on offense or defense, it is something we build on,” Henry said. "We were just following our leader and it was huge, especially in a close game."
Overall, Giannini was happy to get his first win of the season and believes Delaware will be better than people think.
“They are going to exceed a lot of expectations this season," Giannini said. "They just played absolutely great, but we played well enough to hang on and that’s important. The way they were playing, we were extremely challenged and they put a lot of stress on us and we responded.”
Although he’s happy with the victory, the head coach wants to see his players taking better shots and playing better defense in the paint.
“The shot selection is not good, but it’ll get better because we have kids that have good attitudes," Giannini said. "Our individual defense in certain situations is concerning. They had 40 points in the paint, they were just driving and going by us. We really need to respond on an individual level with some of our abilities to guard guys driving by us.”
The Explorers outplayed Delaware in the second half after trailing by one at intermission. Although Giannini said he didn’t say anything special during halftime, he saw a spark after the break.
“We did everything better in the second half," Giannini said. "We defended better and we took better shots. The break was a turning point in our favor.”