La Salle freshman Khalil Brantley shines in his first college start, and the minutes were only a matter of time

This season for the La Salle men’s basketball team has been a string of games with standout individual performances. Coach Ashley Howard acknowledged that while his players themselves have been good, there hasn’t been a commendable team performance yet. The Explorers are 5-8 overall, 0-3 in Atlantic 10 games.

After La Salle’s loss to VCU on Saturday, Howard said, “We haven’t had that yet. It’s coming, we’ve just got to keep working and keep these guys positive and encouraged so we can continue to get better.”

One particularly good performance was turned in by 6-foot-1 freshman point guard Khalil Brantley. He had his first collegiate start Tuesday in the Explorers’ 80-76 overtime loss to St. Bonaventure, and totaled 10 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and just 1 turnover in 41 minutes.

» READ MORE: St. Bonaventure holds off La Salle, 80-76, in overtime

More importantly, however, his playing style shined through brighter than it had in previous games.

Brantley, a native of Bronx, N.Y., came into the La Salle program already an established name, having played at four high schools and for the New York Lightning and New Jersey Playaz in the AAU, and earning a three-star rating from ESPN.

In the preseason Hoops Madness event, Brantley announced himself loudly. During the player introductions, he came out in a way that would leave no question in the minds of La Salle students of who he was — hood up, serious facial expression, cocky and dancing to the rap song that was playing. In the subsequent dunk competition, Brantley scored 10′s across the board with a soaring move that saw him take flight over the head of 6-foot-6 Christian Ray. Unsurprisingly, Brantley won, something Howard noted is second nature to the ultra-competitive point guard.

“He has the swagger and the confidence, and he’s the kind of dude that lives for this [kind of competition],” Howard said after the loss to St. Bonaventure. “I wasn’t surprised that he played well, and I was really proud of the fact that he took care of the basketball, but he also found his teammates. You know, usually Khalil likes to be the shot-taker.”

Brantley commanded the court like a five-star general against St. Bonaventure, with Josh Nickelberry, Clifton Moore, and Anwar Gill his faithful lieutenants. Whenever La Salle started an offensive push, Brantley was always passed the ball to get the momentum going. He was easily the most vocal player on the court, directing plays and telling his teammates when to back off and when to drive forward — and they listened.

Brantley doesn’t throw elbows, and he doesn’t get in the faces of opposing players or officials. He lets his play do the talking, aside from shooting a knowing smirk at the other team when he makes a basket.