Men's Basketball | November 8, 2021

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team opens its 2021-22 season on Tuesday evening against Sacred Heart inside Tom Gola Arena. The game is the second of a double-header featuring both the men's and women's programs, set to tip off at 8 p.m.

The game on Tuesday airs on ESPN+, with an audio broadcast available to fans through SideArm on GoExplorers.com/watch. Kale Beers will be on call for the opener.

NEWS & NOTES

• The matchup between the two programs is just the second in history.
• The last time these two teams met, the Explorers went on to the Sweet 16 as they took down the Pioneers 100-71 in the 2012-13 season. The matchup marked the last time that La Salle scored 100 points in a contest.
• Three of the top four returners are back for the Explorers, led by Jack Clark (9.9 ppg) and Sherif Kenney (9.6 ppg). Jhamir Brickus returns after a stellar freshman campaign where he led the Explorers in minutes per game (26.4), assists (85) and steals (45).
• La Salle returns two of its more consistent presences on the defensive side, returning leading rebounder (6.0) Christian Ray and one of the best shot blockers in the A-10 in Clifton Moore, who averaged 1.4 per game to rank seventh in the conference.
• Eight newcomers joined the roster from last year's team, three by way of transfer to join an incoming freshman class of five players.

HOME COURT HAVEN

• In each of the three prior seasons under Ashley Howard, the Explorers have improved their record at home with 5-9, 8-7, 6-3 home records, respectively. La Salle has had an above .500 home record in the last two seasons and look again to make Tom Gola Arena a fortress.
• La Salle is 1-2 in home and season openers under Coach Howard. The season the Explorers won both their home and season opener stand as the best season in Howard's tenure.

FRESH FACES

• The Explorers grabbed two players in the offseason from Power 5 programs, as Mamadou Doucoure spent four seasons on the Rutgers sidelines while Josh Nickelberry comes from a two-year stint at Louisville.
• Matt McFarlane comes home after two years spent at Colby CC in Kansas. The Philly native played his high school ball at Samuel Fels.
• Khalil Brantley, Andrés Marrero and Daeshon Shepherd enter the fold in the 2021-22 season, while walk-ons Brandon Dwyer and Charles Ireland finalize the roster.

SCOUTING SACRED HEART

• Only playing 18 games a year ago, the Pioneers finished the 2020-21 season with a 9-9 record and a 9-7 mark in the Northeastern Conference.
• Tyler Thomas, who led the team in scoring for Sacred Heart with 19.1 points per game, returns to a team that brings back its top eight scoring options.
• Cantavio Dutreil led the Pioneers with a team-high 8.9 rebounds to go along with his 7.1 points per game last season.
• The Pioneers outworked the preseason predictions when they were selected to finish 10th, making the NEC tournament last season as a #3 seed before falling to #2 Bryant.