Men's Basketball | November 10, 2016
PHILADELPHIA - The 86th season of La Salle men's basketball begins on Friday, November 11 with a road matchup with Big 5 rival Temple. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Liacouras Center, and all of the action will be televised nationally on ESPNNews.
NEWS & NOTES
•The Explorers return 91.3 percent of its scoring and 86.1 percent of its rebounding from a season ago, and also welcome three transfers eligible to play in 2016-17.
•Redshirt juniors
B.J. Johnson and
Demetrius Henry, and redshirt sophomore
Pookie Powell will all see time after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
•The trio enters the season with plenty of high-level Division I experience, having played a combined 117 games including 63 starts between them.
•Also back in the fold is last season's Big 5 scoring champion
Jordan Price. The redshirt senior had 12 20+ scoring games and eclipsed the 30-point plateau on three occassions.
•For his career, Price has scored 1,164 points at La Salle to rank in the school's top 40 despite having played only two seasons.
•The Nov. 11 contest at Temple is the earliest that La Salle has ever played a contest against a Big 5 rival. Previously, the earliest the Explorers have squared off against a Big 5 opponent was Nov. 15, 2011 against Villanova.
•The Explorers were selected to finish seventh in the Atlantic 10 in 2016-17, according to a poll of the league's coaches that was announced at A10 Media Day in October.
•La Salle picked up a 79-73 victory over defending Canadian national champion Carleton in an exhibition game at Gola Arena on Nov. 5.
B.J. Johnson scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while
Jordan Price added 23 points in the win.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT
•One of the top returning scorers in the country, senior
Jordan Price has led La Salle in scoring in each of the last two seasons.
•Price was projected by SportsIllustrated.com to be the fourth-leading scorer in the country in 2016-17.
•Last year, Price averaged 19.2 ppg to pace all Big 5 players and rank third in the Atlantic 10.
•Over his two seasons at La Salle, he has scored 1,164 points to rank in the top 40 in scoring in school history. Including his year at Auburn, he has accumulated 1,309 points.
RESTED AND READY TO GO
•In addition to the returners, three transfers were a part of last season's team but were unable to see action due to NCAA transfer rules.
•Redshirt juniors
B.J. Johnson (Syracuse) and
Demetrius Henry (South Carolina), along with redshirt sophomore
Pookie Powell (Memphis) were able to practice with their teammates all of last season and are cleared to play their first game with the Explorers on Friday.
•Henry started 48 contests for the Gamecocks over two seasons, registering 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds against Tennessee as a sophomore.
•The 6-7 Johnson played in 25 contests in 2014-15 with the Orange, and scored a team-high 19 points in a road win at No. 9 Notre Dame.
•Powell was a member of Memphis' squad for one season, starting 11 games in the backcourt as a freshman and ranking second on the team in assists.
BIG 5 REDUX
•La Salle plays its first of four annual Big 5 contests on Friday at Temple.
•The Explorers hold a 89-129 record all-time in Big 5 contests and are 17-39 against Temple in such games.
•The last Big 5 title that La Salle earned came in 2013, when they went 3-1 with wins over Villanova, Saint Joseph's and Penn.
•Three seasons ago, Temple and Penn played the earliest Big 5 matchup in history on Nov. 9, 2013, with the Owls earning a 78-73 win.
•The last time the Explorers went unbeaten against Big 5 opponents came in 1989-90.
