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| La Salle Explorers Basketball | |||||||||||||||
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| University | La Salle University | ||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Darris Nichols (1st season) | ||||||||||||||
| Conference | Atlantic 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Philadelphia,Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||
| Arena | John Glaser Arena (capacity: 3,000) | ||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Explorers | ||||||||||||||
| Student section | Explorer Entourage (Formerly) Olney Outlaws (2024-Present) | ||||||||||||||
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||||||||||
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| NCAA tournament champions | |||||||||||||||
| 1954 | |||||||||||||||
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| Conference tournament champions | |||||||||||||||
| East Coast: 1975, 1978, 1980, 1983 MAAC: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 | |||||||||||||||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||||||||||||||
| 1968, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1983 (ECC) 1984, 1988, 1989 (MAAC) | |||||||||||||||
TheLa Salle Explorers men's basketball program representsLa Salle University incollege basketball. La Salle plays as a member of theAtlantic 10 Conference, having joined in 1995. The Explorers were NCAA national champions in1954, with futureHall of FamerTom Gola being named the tournament's most outstanding player. La Salle has appeared in theNCAA tournament 12 times, most recently in 2013.
The Explorers, a member of theBig 5, have long-standing rivalries with multiple institutions includingTemple University,University of Pennsylvania,Saint Joseph's University, andVillanova University. La Salle also has a rivalry withDrexel University who were previously a member of the now defunctCity 6, and who were added to theBig 5 in 2023.
The program has been rated the 53rd "Greatest College Basketball Program of All-Time" byStreet & Smith's magazine and 71st by the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia.
La Salle has won one National Championship, oneNational Invitation Tournament Championship, and advanced to twoFinal Fours. The Explorers have also made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, won eightPhiladelphia Big 5 city championships, and fourMetro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships. The program is one of only two schools (with Houston) to have two players in the top 25 in all-time NCAA scoring –Lionel Simmons andMichael Brooks. It's also had three National Players of the Year.[2]
Brother Edward J. Sheehy, FSC, Ph.D., ’68 was a history faculty member, alumni, Christian Brother, and the chaplain for the men's basketball team from 1992-2022. La Salle is a Catholic university affiliated with theDe La Salle Brothers. Brother Ed led the team in prayers before, during, and after games. Men's basketball coach Dr.John Giannini would spend 15 minutes talking to Brother Ed prior to games. On January 21, 2012, Brother Ed bobbleheads were distributed to the first 750 fans to attend the men's basketball game againstRhode Island.[3] In 2013, Brother Ed was featured in aNew York Times article while the men's basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Brother Ed died on December 22, 2022, at the age of 76.[4]
Previous head coach Dr. John Giannini previously coached atRowan College, where he won theNCAA Division III national championship in 1996, and theUniversity of Maine, where he left with the Black Bears' best winning percentage in school history.
On April 8, 2018, La Salle announcedAshley Howard as the next head coach of the Explorers.[5] Howard previously served as an assistant coach underJay Wright atVillanova University, where he helped led the Wildcats to two NCAA Division 1 basketball championships. After four losing seasons at La Salle, Howard was fired in March 2022.[6]
On April 5, 2022,The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that La Salle would hire alumFran Dunphy to be the Explorer's next men's basketball coach.[7] After 3 seasons, Dunphy announced in February 2025 that he would retire from his head coaching role while staying with the school as special assistant to the Vice President of the university.[8]
On March 11, 2025, La Salle announced the hiring ofRadford head coachDarris Nichols as the new head coach.[9]
The Explorers have appeared in theNCAA tournament 12 times. Their combined record is 14–11. They were National Champions in 1954 and National Finalists in 1955.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | First round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | Fordham NC State Navy Penn State Bradley | W 76–74OT W 88–81 W 64–48 W 69–54 W 92–76 | |
| 1955 | First round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | West Virginia Princeton Canisius Iowa San Francisco | W 95–61 W 73–46 W 99–64 W 73–76 L 63–77 | |
| 1968 | First round | Columbia | L 69–83 | |
| 1975 | First round | Syracuse | L 83–87OT | |
| 1978 | First round | Villanova | L 97–103 | |
| 1980 | No. 11 | First round | No. 6 Purdue | L 82–90 |
| 1983 | No. 12 | Preliminary Round First Round | No. 12 Boston University #5 VCU | W 70–58 L 67–76 |
| 1988 | No. 13 | First round | No. 4 Kansas State | L 53–66 |
| 1989 | No. 9 | First round | No. 8 Louisiana Tech | L 74–83 |
| 1990 | No. 4 | First round Second Round | No. 13 Southern Miss #5 Clemson | W 79–63 L 75–79 |
| 1992 | No. 13 | First round | No. 4 Seton Hall | L 76–78 |
| 2013 | No. 13 | First Four Second Round Third Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 13 Boise State #4 Kansas State #12 Ole Miss #9 Wichita State | W 80–71 W 63–61 W 76–74 L 58–72 |
The Explorers have appeared in theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) 12 times. Their combined record is 9–11. They were NIT champions in 1952, when the tournament was considered an elite event.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Quarter-finals | WKU | L 61–68 |
| 1950 | First round Quarterfinals | Arizona Duquesne | W 72–66 L 47–49 |
| 1951 | First round | Saint Louis | L 61–73 |
| 1952 | First round Quarterfinals Semi-finals Finals | Seton Hall St. John's Duquesne Dayton | W 80–76 W 51–45 W 59–46 W 75–64 |
| 1953 | Quarter-finals | St. John's | L 74–75 |
| 1963 | First round | Saint Louis | L 61–63 |
| 1965 | First round | Detroit | L 86–93 |
| 1971 | First round | Georgia Tech | L 67–70 |
| 1984 | First round | Pittsburgh | L 91–95 |
| 1987 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals Semi-finals Finals | Villanova Niagara Illinois State Arkansas–Little Rock Southern Miss | W 86–84 W 89–81 W 70–50 W 92–73 L 80–84 |
| 1991 | First round | Massachusetts | L 90–93 |
| 2012 | First round | Minnesota | L 61–70 |
La Salle has an extensive history of players who played professional basketball, including:
La Salle has retired five jersey numbers:[10]
| La Salle Explorers retired numbers | ||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Career | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Tom Gola | SF/G | 1951–1955 | |
| 22 | Lionel Simmons | SF | 1986–1990 | |
| 20 | Larry Cannon | G | 1966–1969 | |
| 32 | Michael Brooks | PF | 1976–1980 | |
| 33 | Ken Durrett | PF | 1968–1971 | |
La Salle has held membership in five conferences throughout its existence. After being an independent for several years they officially joined theMiddle Atlantic Conference in 1958, before the larger schools in the conference created theEast Coast Conference in 1974. In 1983 the team switched to theMetro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), staying until joining theMidwestern Collegiate Conference (now known as the Horizon League) in 1992. In 1995 the team joined fellowPhiladelphia Big 5 teamsTemple andSaint Joseph's in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
| Season | Record | Conference Record | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931–32 | 15–8 | ||
| 1932–33 | 13–3 | ||
| 1933–34 | 14–3 | ||
| 1934–35 | 15–6 | ||
| 1935–36 | 4–13 | ||
| 1936–37 | 12–7 | ||
| 1937–38 | 13–6 | ||
| 1938–39 | 13–6 | ||
| 1939–40 | 12–8 | ||
| 1940–41 | 11–8 | ||
| 1941–42 | 12–11 | ||
| 1942–43 | 13–10 | ||
| 1943–44 | 8–8 | ||
| 1944–45 | 11–8 | ||
| 1945–46 | 9–14 | ||
| 1946–47 | 20–6 | ||
| 1947–48 | 20–4 | NIT | |
| 1948–49 | 11–8 | Cincinnati Invitational Tournament | |
| 1949–50 | 21–4 | NIT | |
| 1950–51 | 22–7 | NIT | |
| 1951–52 | 25–7 | NIT champion | |
| 1952–53 | 25–3 | NIT | |
| 1953–54 | 26–4 | NCAA champion | |
| 1954–55 | 26–5 | NCAA finalist | |
| 1955–56 | 15–10 | ||
| 1956–57 | 17–9 | ||
| 1957–58 | 16–9 | ||
| 1958–59 | 16–7 | 5–2 | |
| 1959–60 | 16–6 | 6–1 | |
| 1960–61 | 15–7 | 7–2 | |
| 1961–62 | 16–9 | 5–3 | |
| 1962–63 | 16–8 | 7–1 | NIT |
| 1963–64 | 16–9 | 5–1 | |
| 1964–65 | 15–8 | 4–1 | NIT |
| 1965–66 | 10–15 | 3–2 | |
| 1966–67 | 14–12 | 2–3 | |
| 1967–68 | 20–8 | 8–0 | NCAA tournament |
| 1968–69 | 23–1 | 7–0 | *Suspended from Postseason |
| 1969–70 | 14–12 | 3–2 | |
| 1970–71 | 20–7 | 5–1 | NIT |
| 1971–72 | 6–19 | 2–4 | |
| 1972–73 | 15–10 | 3–3 | |
| 1973–74 | 18–10 | 5–1 | |
| 1974–75 | 22–7 | 5–1 | NCAA tournament |
| 1975–76 | 11–15 | 1–4 | |
| 1976–77 | 17–12 | 3–2 | |
| 1977–78 | 18–12 | 5–0 | NCAA tournament |
| 1978–79 | 15–13 | 10–3 | |
| 1979–80 | 22–9 | 7–4 | NCAA tournament |
| 1980–81 | 14–13 | 8–3 | |
| 1981–82 | 16–13 | 7–4 | |
| 1982–83 | 18–14 | 7–2 | NCAA tournament |
| 1983–84 | 20–11 | 11–3 | NIT |
| 1984–85 | 15–13 | 8–6 | |
| 1985–86 | 14–14 | 8–6 | |
| 1986–87 | 20–13 | 10–4 | NIT Finalist |
| 1987–88 | 24–10 | 14–0 | NCAA tournament |
| 1988–89 | 26–6 | 13–1 | NCAA tournament |
| 1989–90 | 30–2 | 16–0 | NCAA tournament |
| 1990–91 | 19–10 | 12–4 | NIT |
| 1991–92 | 20–11 | 12–4 | NCAA tournament |
| 1992–93 | 14–13 | 9–5 | |
| 1993–94 | 11–16 | 4–6 | |
| 1994–95 | 13–14 | 7–7 | |
| 1995–96 | 6–24 | 3–13 | |
| 1996–97 | 10–17 | 5–11 | |
| 1997–98 | 9–18 | 5–11 | |
| 1998–99 | 13–15 | 8–8 | |
| 1999-00 | 11–17 | 5–11 | |
| 2000–01 | 12–17 | 5–11 | |
| 2001–02 | 15–17 | 6–10 | |
| 2002–03 | 13–16 | 6–10 | |
| 2003–04 | 10–20 | 5–11 | |
| 2004–05 | 10–19 | 5–11 | |
| 2005–06 | 18–10 | 10–6 | |
| 2006–07 | 10–20 | 3–13 | |
| 2007–08 | 15–17 | 8–8 | |
| 2008–09 | 18–13 | 9–7 | |
| 2009–10 | 12–18 | 4–12 | |
| 2010–11 | 14–16 | 6–10 | |
| 2011–12 | 21–12 | 9–7 | NIT |
| 2012–13 | 23–9 | 11–5 | NCAA round of 16 |
| 2013–14 | 15–16 | 7–9 | |
| 2014–15 | 17–16 | 8–10 | |
| 2015–16 | 9–22 | 4–14 | |
| 2016–17 | 15–15 | 9–9 | |
| 2017–18 | 13–19 | 7–11 | |
| 2018–19 | 10–21 | 8–10 | |
| 2019–20 | 15–15 | 6–12 | |
| 2020–21 | 9–16 | 6–11 | |
| 2021–22 | 11–19 | 5–13 | |
| 2022–23 | 15–19 | 7–11 | |
| 2023–24 | 16–17 | 6–12 | |
| 2024–25 | 14–19 | 5–13 |
