Explorers searching for a super point guard

La Salle head basketball coach Dr. John Giannini has let be know that point guard is a position that needs to be strengthened in the program. While one specific player has appeared to leap to the top of his recruiting wish list, whoever La Salle lands during the spring recruiting period will need to play at a high level for La Salle to move among the top of the Atlantic 10 conference.

La Salle fans have watched and complained about it all season long. Conversations inside Tom Gola arena are the same game after game. “If we only had a point guard”, “a point guard is what we need”, and the proverbial “point guards are born and not made”. While the staff has tried different point guard combinations and tried to convert both Rodney Green and Ruben Guillandeaux into the point guard position for the first time while they played college basketball, an 18-31 record over that year and a half period has convinced the staff that they must find a point guard to move the program to the next level.

With the core group of player’s juniors next year and the entrance of a legitimate power forward in Vernon Goodridge the Explorers must find a high level point guard that can push these players to a higher level rather than waiting for a point guard to develop into the level of player that will do that for the program. The player that seems at the top of the La Salle wish list is 6”2 point guard Ruben Cotto from Alton High School, in Alton Illinois. Cotto is described as a gifted offensive player with obscene shooting ability and high-major athleticism. He is averaging 28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists this season. He transferred from La Salle High School in Miami Florida were he averaged 19 points per game last season. Cotto is getting solid recruiting interest from St. Louis as well as La Salle and also has Illinois and Iowa State sniffing as well. Rumors persist that La Salle assistant coach Horace Owens, who was not on the bench in during La Salle’s 84-61 victory over St. Bonaventure, was in the St. Louis area to see Cotto. A high-major player like Cotto would be the perfect fit to join Goodridge next season and further develop the skills of next year’s team.

The only high level point guard in the Philadelphia area still available is Karon Burton from Chester High School. While Burton has indicated that if he was able to strengthen his academic standing Big 5 schools would get involved in his recruiting, it appears that is not happening at this point. Burton, a 5”9 whirlwind had a monster game last night against Pennsylvania power Jeanette High School scoring 32 points while garnering MVP honors in the Prime Time Shootout at Villanova. Giannini has a very good relationship with Chester high school coach Fred Pickett so Burton’s recruitment bears watching but that recruiting picture may not clear until late spring at the earliest.

Another player the staff may be looking at is Michael Johnson from Blinn Junior College in Texas. The 6”1 sophomore from New York City has been mentioned but his recruitment has not been confirmed by Explorer Hoop Report. He is probably Blinn’s best overall player and plays in a solid JUCO basketball conference.

Many Explorer fans think A JUCO point guard is the best option for the Explorers because a good player from that environment has the experience and maturity to step in and raise the level of play for D-1 players entering their senior, junior, and sophomore years much easier than a young freshman making the transition from high school to college basketball. By the time that freshman has gotten his feet firmly implanted into the program the core junior and senior players will be leaving the program and the window of opportunity will have closed. But keep in mind La Salle has had 3 junior college players in 22 years have any impact in the program.

On the surface that kind of thinking may have some merit. Players like Ruben Cotto and Karon Burton may be the exception. Certainly someone like Cotto would be a nice fit the staff would like secure. Which way Coach Giannini and staff go remains to be seen? A lot has to do with which Ruben Cotto goes because it is certainly looking more and more that he is the player the staff wants most right now.