City of Basketball Love

Aron Minkoff (@AronMinkoff)
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John Giannini knows that he has a problem.

Banking on the arrival of several key transfers next year, he went with only nine scholarship players on the roster heading into the season.

Now, thanks to two injuries, La Salle only has seven of those student-athletes available at the coach’s disposal, and two of them are freshmen.

So Giannini consulted the expert on playing with small rotations, Philadelphia University’s Herb Magee.

Magee has won 1,019 games and counting at the Division II level, largely relying on a rotation that goes six deep at the most. Suffice to say, Magee knows a thing or two that could be useful Giannini in his current situation.

“Herb Magee helped me a lot with it,” Giannini said. “Herb put it perfectly--when a guy knows he is going to play, even if he makes a mistake, if he misses some shots, their confidence goes up, and when they play together they build better chemistry.”

Despite their lack of a bench, Explorers weren't entirely far off from beating Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon, dropping their Atlantic 10 opener by a score of 74-67 to the Minutemen. Giannini stuck with his starters for 186 out of 200 minutes, with one freshman, Karl Harris playing 12 while the other, Dusan Majstorovic, only got a brief minute at the end of the first half.

While only having a six-man rotation is not the conventional recipe for success at the Division I level, it is not exactly like Giannini has a choice.

Forwards Rohan Brown and Yevgen Sahkniuk have both missed the last two games, and it doesn't sound like either will be back anytimesoon. Brown, a senior, has been hindered by a knee injury all season and just had surgery on Friday to repair his meniscus. Sahkniuk, a sophomore in his first year of eligibility, has been suffering from a health condition that's kept him from being 100 percent.

La Salle’s other available scholarships are being used by a trio of transfers: sophomore guard Pookie Powell (Memphis) junior wing B.J. Johnson (Syracuse) and junior forward Demetrius Henry (South Carolina) will all be eligible to play next season.

It was a gamble Giannini took going into the season, and he acknowledged even before losing Brown and Sakhniuk that he was to blame for the team's struggles to win games. Now, he's seen a tough outlook for the rest of the 2015-16 season get even tougher.

“Frankly, if those guys [Brown and Sahkniuk] were 100 percent and were playing the way I had envisioned, obviously we would be much better with them,” Giannini said. “But because they have not been able to play the way they can, we are keeping our best players on the floor now. I actually feel better, just because I think letting those guys be confident, develop chemistry and stay in the game.”

One of those guys benefiting from increased playing time is redshirt sophomore forward Tony Washington.

The 6-foot-10 forward recorded his first career double-double in netting 11 points along with 10 rebounds in the loss to UMass. He was one of three Explorers to hit double digits in scoring, along with juniors Jordan Price (23 points) and Cleon Roberts (11 points).

Another player who will benefit from extra minutes is Harris who finished with career highs in both points (six) and rebounds (six) on Sunday as he becomes the team's default sixth man.

The loss to UMass was La Salle’s sixth straight, dropping the Explorers to a 4-7 mark (0-1 Atlantic 10). It can be tough to remain motivated in the midst of a six-game skid and in the middle of a season that looks mainly unsalvageable under the circumstances, but the additional playing time and opportunities to work through some of the mistakes seem to be beneficial in the long run for La Salle.

“They know they are going to play and know that they are going to have a chance, that is enough motivation for them,” Giannini said. “They don’t quit, and winning and losing in the future is under their control because they are out there...their character level is high, they know they are going to play and that the future under their control.”

While it is certainly far from ideal, Giannini seems contempt and understanding of the fact that he could be forced to play with a six-man rotation for a majority of the season.

“These are the guys who are available physically able to play,” Giannini said. “Of course they are going to get a little bit tired but we will roll with these guys. Herb won 1,000 games that way. Hopefully we can win a few.”

La Salle’s next opportunity comes on Wednesday at Fordham, as the Explorers seek their first Atlantic 10 win.