Hall of Athletes
Led by National Player of the Year Lionel Simmons and head coach Speedy Morris, the 1989-90 men's basketball team began the season with eight straight victories including two preseason tournament titles at the Coors Light Classic in Fresno, Calif., and the Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans. La Salle earned victories over the likes of Florida, Ohio State, Villanova, Fresno State, DePaul, and Temple during that stretch that vaulted them into the national rankings at No. 17.
Following a heartbreaking loss to Loyola Marymount, who at the time was ranked No. 25 in the country, the Explorers ran off 22 consecutive victories including a perfect 16-0 mark in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. In addition to Simmons, guards Doug Overton, Randy Woods, and Bobby Johnson led a La Salle attack that averaged 86.1 points per game to rank 24th nationally.Â
The Explorers ran through the MAAC Tournament, defeating Fairfield, Siena, and Fordham by an average of 18.7 points per game to earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. A 16-point victory over Southern Mississippi led into a Round of 32 contest against No. 17 Clemson, for a trip to the Sweet 16. After holding a 16-point halftime lead, La Salle saw its historic season come to a close as the Tigers took charge to earn a 79-75 win.
