La Salle, St. Joe’s have low A-10 expectations but hopes of building something better and fast

NEW YORK — La Salle and St. Joseph’s have starkly different challenges ahead of them. But challenges nonetheless.

Fran Dunphy, the Explorers’ new coach, reshaped his roster over the summer and has spent time constructing an identity at his alma mater. For Billy Lange and the Hawks, it’s about making up for lost production and building for the future.

Neither program was projected to achieve much this season in a preseason poll of Atlantic 10 coaches after both finished 11-19 last year. St. Joe’s was tabbed to finish 13th and La Salle 14th out of 15 schools.

Dunphy spent this summer recruiting, rubbing off three years worth of coaching rust, and brushing up on his Spanish.

All five of the Explorers’ newcomers — Rokas Jocius, Lucas Mercandino, Jorge Sanchez-Ramos, and Hassan and Fousseyni Drame — have international roots, among seven players on La Salle from outside the United States. Mali, Argentina, Spain, Lithuania, and Venezuela are all represented.

» READ MORE: Fran Dunphy may be 73 taking over La Salle, but he hasn’t slowed down

“I’ve got to stay up on my Español,” Dunphy joked. “No es un problema [It’s not a problem]. But the kids are great. … We didn’t have this plan that we were going to go international, it just kind of fell to us that way because we needed players in a hurry.”

Dunphy pointed to La Salle’s closed scrimmages against Towson on Oct. 22 and Princeton on Oct. 29 as barometers for where his team stands before opening the season against Villanova on Nov. 7.

“We’re still finding our way,” Dunphy said. “You should be solid on defense. Be smart on offense. Work at it. You want that as your identity. But it’s a work in progress because part of the identity is, how many guys are going to play and what roles are they going to have?”

He added that the Explorers’ turnover numbers shouldn’t surpass 10 per game, in a nod to his late friend John Chaney. Much higher than that, Dunphy said, and the Hall of Fame coach might “call from heaven.”

» READ MORE: Fran Dunphy back on practice court at La Salle, still aiming for ‘perfection’

Josh Nickelberry should be a force for La Salle offensively. The senior guard is the team’s leading returning scorer at 11.2 points per game. He scored 20-plus points four times last season.

Dunphy wants him hunting shots even more. In a recent practice, he asked the room who the best movement-without-the-ball shooter was. Junior guard Jhamir Brickus chimed in with Richard “Rip” Hamilton. Klay Thompson and JJ Redick were additional nominations.

“That’s where you want him thinking,” Dunphy said. “He can score and he can make shots so we have to play to that. It’s the same thing with [Andres Marrero]. He can make shots, but they have to work to get them. They’re not off-the-bounce guys. Their stuff is going to come out of the offense.”

Replacing the scoring production of the Hawks’ two leading scorers, Taylor Funk and San Antonio Spurs guard Jordan Hall, is no easy ask.

“Taylor is irreplaceable. Jordan is irreplaceable,” Lange said.

The fourth-year coach prefers to frame it as developing similar skill level. That starts with the underclassmen, of which the Hawks have plenty (seven of 15 players).

Lynn Greer III transferred from Dayton in January. Lange anointed the sophomore the team’s best ball handler who has dedicated more time to developing his body.

Erik Reynolds II averaged 12.1 points a year ago as a freshman.

“We want him to be unapologetic about taking 25 shots a game if that’s what the situation tells him to do,” Lange said. “Not worrying about letting anyone down because the entire team loves his heart and understands his intentions. I think it comes with an aggressiveness that is supported by like, ‘Yo, we love you.’”

» READ MORE: Billy Lange earns a couple of more seasons with 2023 St. Joseph’s recruiting class

The Hawks also have graduate Ejike Obina (12.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg) returning to the fold.

St. Joe’s played in 11 games last year decided by six points or fewer. The Hawks lost eight of them, four during a six-game losing streak in February. Lange remembers those losses well.

“Any coach that’s worth his vocation looks at things they could have done better,” Lange said. “I’m looking at a lot of these close games and saying, ‘Hey look, I feel really good that we were here. I feel really good that we were prepared. I don’t like the way some of these results went. Where are the areas we can change?’ Let’s be fair about them.”

The last day in November will mark only the second Palestra doubleheader in the last 15 years. It’s also only the seventh doubleheader showcasing four Big 5 teams since its formation in 1955-56. La Salle and Temple will square off at 6 p.m. followed by St. Joe’s and the host school, Penn, at approximately 8:30.

“The Penn guys got a hold of us and said, ‘What do you think? Should we try to put this together?” Dunphy said. “We said, ‘Yeah, let’s try this. See if we can make this an old fashioned doubleheader. … Hopefully it will be something that we can build on, maybe once a year. Obviously the Palestra is the venue.”

Added Lange: “As a guy that grew up in South Jersey that followed the Big 5 his whole life and now to be coaching in one of those, it’s so great. I just hope the first game doesn’t go overtime or double overtime because we’re starting late to begin with.”

The last true Big 5 doubleheader came on Jan. 20, 2016, with the same four teams and matchups.