City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue
__

OLNEY — La Salle freshman Ashton Walker was sitting in the nurse’s office at Catholic High School in Virginia Beach, Va. when he found out he was going to be an Explorer.

When Walker checked a notification on his phone, he saw a text from his dad:

“You’re going to La Salle.”

Walker, then a Radford-recruit who thought La Salle was some type of island, hadn't heard the news that the coach he made his commitment to, Darris Nichols, had taken the job in Philadelphia. It didn't matter where Nichols was headed, he coming with.

Eight months later, Nichols and Walker sat at the podium together at John Glaser Arena fielding questions after beginning their tenure on Broad and Olney with an 87-59 season opening win over Coppin State on Wednesday.

Walker came off the bench and led four double-figure scorers with 18 points, followed by graduate guard Jaeden Marshall (15), redshirt-junior wing and Camden (N.J.) alum Jerome Brewer (14) and redshirt-sophomore guard Robert Dockery (13).

“I was just excited,” Walker recalled of his decision to come to La Salle. “No matter where I’m at, as long as I’m with him, with my family, I’m good.”

Nichols was formally announced as La Salle’s head coach last March following the retirement of Fran Duffy, who popped in to check out his alma mater on Wednesday. After a mass exodus of transfers, Nichols recruited an almost entirely new roster with 12 players from the transfer portal and two from the high school ranks. 

The Nicholls era at La Salle officially started with a 27-4 run to begin the game as the Explorers held Coppin State to one make on its first 15 shots. La Salle held Coppin State to 35.1 percent from the field, including just 27.6 percent in the first half as the Explorers built themselves a 47-23 cushion by the break and never took their foot off the gas.

Torrin Andrews had a game-high 11 points for Coppin State. Former Imhotep and Bonner-Prendergast guard Baasil Saunders, who spent the last two seasons at Montgomery County Community College, started and scored six points for the Eagles.

“Our guys really locked in over the last week of really emphasizing getting in the passing lanes, being disruptive and I thought it really paid off,” Nichols said. “We got contributions from a number of different guys and that’s usually how we’ll do it.”

“It’s fun when you see guys’ hard work pay off,” he added. “The game was fun for me.”

Walker first checked in at the 14:31 mark in the first half, and scored his first collegiate points on a jumper with 11:19 left in the half. While he started as a reserve, he led the team with 29 minutes played.

He went 6-of-10 from the field and added three assists, seven rebounds, and two steals in an all-around effort for La Salle.

Nichols applauded his ability to come in and take advantage of his opportunity.

“I think the biggest thing tonight is guys were engaged, even starting coming off the bench,” Nichols said. “I think about teams in the past that had depth. Those guys really don’t care who starts the game, who finishes the game. They’re just engaged while they’re on the bench or in the game, and then they’re ready to make an impact.”

Walker, a 6-foot-4 point guard, committed to Nichols at Radford in July before his senior year. His loyalty to the La Salle first-year man is a reciprocation of the time Nichols spent recruiting him.

Walker played his sophomore season of high school at Oak Hill Academy Red — the regional varsity team of the powerhouse program located in Mouth of Wilson, Va. The dedication and authenticity of Nichols and his brother, Associate Head Coach Shane Nichols stood out early on.

“Coach has always been trustworthy,” Walker said. “I knew I wanted to commit to him when he was coming to hot gym to watch me play, him and his brother. Hot gym. No AC. 

The Explorers have a plethora of veterans on the roster, including grad transfers Justin Archer, Truth Harris and Josiah Harris, who all previously played for Nichols. Truth Harris went down early in Wednesday's game with a lower body injury.

Walker likely won’t have to always be the leading man with a number of others ready to handle their share of the scoring load. However, he showed he’s ready when called upon Wednesday night.

“I’m just trying to bring support, honestly,” Walker said. “I’ve got a lot of older guys around me, and it’s their last year, so I’m trying to make it the best year possible for everybody else. I’m trying to be a great teammate, bring energy, play good defense, and if I play good defense it’s going to turn into good offense.”

Box Score