La Salle attempting to forget scandal Giannini seeks turnaround

PHILADELPHIA – The first point John Giannini wants to make clear is that he had nothing to do with this summer’s rape scandal at La Salle. He never coached the three accused players, doesn’t know them and really doesn’t want to talk about them.

Giannini can’t be blamed for trying to make everyone forget those three former players and an offseason that tainted a once-proud program.

The former University of Maine coach sees lots of promise at La Salle, where the men’s basketball program was struggling even before the scandal. His first step is moving beyond the three arrests, still fresh and painful to so many people.

“Everyone wants to talk about it, but as a basketball program, we’ve very much moved past it,” Giannini said. “It’s not on our minds as a topic of conversation. We’re focused on the present. I understand how serious it was, but it really is not affecting our daily business.”

Dzaflo Larkai, Michael Cleaves and Gary Neal were charged with rape, and both men’s coach Billy Hahn and women’s coach John Miller resigned.

Giannini, who led Philadelphia-area school Rowan to the 1996 NCAA Division III national title, inherited a team thin on talent and expectations. He knew one of his immediate tasks was getting players to focus on proper behavior off the court.

“I did emphasize that we can’t go through another period of time where the actions of our student-athletes damage the program,” he said. “I did emphasize to them how critical it is for them to not do certain things when they leave this building.”

La Salle has just nine scholarship players and three walk-ons for Saturday’s opener against James Madison. Cleaves and Neal were two of its best offensive players, Larkai was a needed inside presence and starting forward David Bell transferred to East Carolina, leaving La Salle thin on depth, talent and experience.

The Explorers still have Stephen Smith, perhaps the best college player in Philly. Smith, a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 17.1 points and 8.1 rebounds last season, considered transferring before deciding to give Giannini a chance.

Plus, Smith felt he owed something to the only Division I school that really wanted to give him an opportunity. Now Smith wants to help change what people think of La Salle.

“I want people to look at us and talk about how our basketball program is turning it around,” he said. “I don’t want them to associate La Salle with a scandal. I want them to say La Salle is dealing with everything and they’re really turning some heads.”

Smith was friendly with the three accused players and still talks to Larkai, offering support if needed. Still, it was a long, hard summer for all the Explorers.

“I couldn’t wait until school started,” Smith said. “I couldn’t wait for practice to start. Now I can’t wait for the season to start.”

La Salle never has recaptured its success from the 1980s, when it made five of its 11 trips to the NCAA tournament. The Explorers haven’t made the tournament since 1992 and went 10-20 last season.

The 2004 season was the 50th anniversary of the school’s NCAA championship. Now, the Explorers would just like some respectability.

“The last 10 years have been a struggle, but prior to that, La Salle tradition matches up with almost any in America,” Giannini said. “This is a tradition-rich program in a great conference with an opportunity to make things better.”