La Salle’s nonconference schedule includes trips to Villanova, Jamaica, and the Palestra for Fran Dunphy
The Explorers open with a tough test at Villanova on Nov. 7 before heading to Jamaica for a tournament. Dunphy will play former schools Temple (Nov. 30) at home and Penn at the Palestra (Dec. 3).
When Philadelphia coaching legend Fran Dunphy decided to accept the head coaching position at La Salle this spring, he knew he was in for a difficult task. It is fitting then that the Dunphy Era at La Salle will begin with a Big 5 matchup against 2022 NCAA semifinalist Villanova.
After some much-needed offseason buzz for the program because of Dunphy’s appointment, La Salle released its 13-game nonconference schedule on Wednesday.
» READ MORE: Fran Dunphy is back on the practice court at La Salle, and is still aiming for ‘perfection’
The Explorers will open the season Nov. 7 on the road against the Wildcats and new coach Kyle Neptune. The matchup with Villanova, likely to be the toughest game on the Explorers’ schedule, pits the 73-year-old Dunphy and his 905 games of college head-coaching experience against the 37-year-old Neptune. In contrast to Dunphy, Neptune, in his first year at Villanova after replacing Jay Wright, has just 32 games as a head coach to his name.
The Explorers will open their home schedule against Wagner on Nov. 12 at Tom Gola Arena. The game will be Dunphy’s first one back at his alma mater, where he starred for under Gola from 1967-70.
The next major highlight is a trip to Jamaica for the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic, which will be held at Montego Bay from Nov. 18-20. The Explorers will play Wake Forest in their opening game and then either Georgetown or Loyola Marymount in the next round. This year will mark the first time La Salle has played in Jamaica and the seventh time the program has visited the Caribbean.
Once they return home, the Explorers will play five straight games in Philadelphia, highlighted by a home game on Nov. 30 against Temple. The game will be Dunphy’s first against the Owls since he was succeeded by former assistant Aaron McKie in 2019. In 13 seasons at Temple, Dunphy amassed a 270-162 record (.625 winning percentage) and led the Owls to eight NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Dunphy reunion tour will head to Penn on Dec. 3, as he returns to the Palestra to take on the school he coached from 1989-2006. At Penn, Dunphy won 310 games and reached the NCAAs nine times.
La Salle’s other marquee nonconference game is at American Athletic Conference power Cincinnati on Dec. 17. The Explorers will wrap up the nonconference schedule on Dec. 29 at Howard.
» READ MORE: Can Fran Dunphy lead La Salle back to college basketball relevance?
The Explorers, who have seen considerable roster turnover this offseason, finished 11-19 (5-13 in the Atlantic 10) last season under former coach Ashley Howard. La Salle has not posted a winning season since 2014-15 under John Giannini and last won 20 games in 2012-13 when the Explorers reached the Sweet 16.
Josh Nickelberry (11.2 points per game), Jhamir Brickus (8.9 points, 3.3 assists), and Khalil Brantley (8.0 points) are among the key returnees for La Salle, which lost top scorers Clifton Moore (Providence) and Jack Clark (North Carolina State) to the transfer portal. In terms of newcomers, Dunphy added twins Fousseyni and Hassan Drame of St. Peter’s fame via the transfer portal, and also signed well-regarded freshman Rokas Jocius of Lithuania.
Season tickets for La Salle’s men’s basketball season are on sale now and can be purchased at goexplorers.com/tickets.