City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2023-24 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 6. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season click here.)

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Big 5 Preseason Primers
MBB: Drexel | La Salle | Penn | Saint Joseph’s | Temple | Villanova
WBB: Drexel | La Salle | Penn | Saint Joseph’s | Temple | Villanova

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2023-24 La Salle Explorers WBB Primer
Coach: Mountain MacGillivray, 6th season (64-83, .435)
Last Year: 17-14 (8-7 Atlantic 10), lost in A-10 second round (George Mason, 64-58)

The Explorers didn’t have a major breakthrough the last couple years, though their 33 combined wins between 2021-22 and 2022-23 represent the most on Olney Ave since winning 21 and then 15 games in 1996-97 and 1997-98, so progress must be recognized. MacGillivray and his staff have a major project in the works, with a senior-laden roster from a year ago mostly moving on; only one player of the eight who averaged double-digit minutes a year ago returned for 2023-24. MacGillivray’s got some pieces to work with, but this might be a multi-year rebuild with all the youth they’ll have to rely on.

Key Departures: G Claire Jacobs (12.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg), F Kayla Spruill (12.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), G Mia Jacobs (9.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg), G Charity Shears (7.0 ppg), F Gabby Crawford (6.0 ppg), G Amy Jacobs (4.1 ppg), G Jaye Haynes (3.7 pg)

As mentioned, the Explorers had the vast majority of their minutes and production depart this offseason, many running out of eligibility while a few others found other homes; Haynes is now at Monmouth and Mia Jacobs at Fresno State following her sisters’ graduations. The toughest to replace will undoubtedly be Spruill; the 6-0 wing from Maryland put her stamp on the La Salle record books, finishing fifth in program history in points (1,629) and tops in games played (141), while also finishing in the top 10 in rebounds, starts, blocks, and more. The older Jacobs sisters, Claire and Amy, were both four-year contributors who started a majority of their college careers, combining to play more than 5,500 minutes in La Salle uniforms. Haynes started all 28 games as a sophomore, averaging 8.1 ppg and 3.3 rpg, but saw her role drop off significantly as a junior.

New Faces: F Amber Bullard (Fr. | The Christian Academy), G Nicole Melious (Fr. | Susan E. Wagner, N.Y.), G Laia Monclova (Fr. | Mallorca, Spain), G Aryss Macktoon (Fr. | St. Timothy’s, Md.), C Hailey Chiles (Fr. | Greenwood, S.C.), G Tiara Bolden (Jr. | Eastern Arizona), G Gabby Turco (Jr. | St. Anselm), G Makayla Miller (Gr. | Ouachita Baptist), G Jolene Armendariz (Gr. | San Francisco State)

Not surprisingly, a whole lot of departures means a whole lot of arrivals. There are nine newcomers altogether: five freshmen and four transfers, all four of whom came from junior college or small-college ranks. The three D-II transfers were all quite productive at prior stops: Turco, a Wildwood Catholic (N.J.) product, averaged 16.2 ppg last year at St. Anselm (Vt.), and is a career 33.5% 3-point shooter; Miller, a 5-8 guard, averaged 14.8 ppg and 5.5 rpg last year for Ouachita Baptist, a D-II program in Arkansas; Armandariz, a 6-0 wing, averaged 11.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg at D-II San Francisco State (Cali.).

Of the five freshmen, the most heralded coming in is no doubt Melious, the 5-8 guard who set the all-time NYC scoring record (3,140 points), more than any other boy or girl who played in the five boroughs. MacGillivray also added some good length in the 6-1 Monclova and 5-11 Macktoon, two athletic wings, plus size up front in the 6-2 Bullard and 6-3 Chiles, the team’s only two true post players.

Key Returners: G Molly Masciantonio (6.0 ppg, 4.5 apg), G Emma Egan (1.7 ppg), G Julie Jekot (1.7 ppg), G Fiona Connolly (1.2 ppg)

You might notice we’re structuring this preview a little differently than the others, where we attempt to pick a starting five and key reserves. With these Explorers, that’s almost a task in futility for two reasons: first, that there are so many moving pieces here that nailing down more than one or two starters seems an unlikely task; second, that because MacGillivray will almost certainly sub five players in within the game’s first two or three minutes, and could even go deeper than that, exactly who starts isn’t exactly of much importance or mention. We expect just about everybody mentioned above, with perhaps the exception of one or two of the freshmen, to be in the mix to some extent, whether that means playing 8-10 mpg or 25-30 mpg. 

The only real guaranteed stalwart in the rotation is Masciantonio, who’s going into her third year as the Explorers’ full-time point guard. The Archbishop Carroll graduate, now in her sixth year of college between Holy Family and La Salle, is by far the most experienced player on the roster, with more than twice as many Division I minutes under her belt as the rest of the roster combined. Jekot is next up with about 500 minutes under her belt, but she’s yet to become a significant member of the rotation in her two years; Egan and Connolly both played just shy of 10 mpg as freshmen last season.

In terms of the top half of the rotation, expect to see Masciantonio, Miller and Turco on the floor quite a bit, while Armendariz, Melious, Egan, Jekot and Connolly should all have steady minutes; Macktoon and Bolden can contribute with their length and athleticism, and Bullard gives them something up front. The only name not mentioned yet is 6-0 junior forward Emilee Tahata, who’s gone through some injuries thus far but is their only rostered forward with experience, averaging 5.1 mpg last year in 14 appearances. 

Biggest Strength: Depth

Perhaps the Explorers’ biggest strength is the return of Masciantonio, the nation’s leader in assist-to-turnover ratio a year ago (4.72:1). But one player can only do so much; MacGillivray will have to rely on his collective unit to be better than the sum of its parts. The ability he has to throw out wave after wave of substitutes and keep fresh legs on the floor at all times should allow them to play at a high pace without getting too tired — MacGillivray said he wants to be by far the fastest team in the Atlantic 10, and that means using his depth to his advantage.  

Area for Improvement: Size/Post play

Other than just Division I experience, the Explorers’ biggest issue is their lack of size or post players, at least those who are ready to play big minutes from the get-go. The two freshmen both have promise but both have work to do in terms of the physicality and conditioning needed to run up and down at the Division I level, while also guarding the different types of players they’ll need to at the mid-to-high-major level. That being said, the Explorers got by with having a couple 6-0 forwards as their post players the last few years, and might just go with a collection of guards/wings and give up the size advantage in favor of other benefits elsewhere.