La Salle Basketball: Explorers loading up on transfers

La Salle basketball landed another key transfer in Savon Goodman Saturday morning.

The La Salle Explorers had a rough 9-22 season last year, as they struggled to find balanced scoring and lacked the experience of some of the other teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

But head coach John Giannini has to be pleased with how his 2016-17 roster is filling out. The Explorers have landed four quality transfers, including a critical addition Saturday morning when they snatched Arizona State graduate transfer Savon Goodman.

BREAKING: Arizona State transfer Savon Goodman has committed to La Salle, source told @CBSSports. Immediately eligible.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 23, 2016

This is suddenly shaking up to be the best team the Explorers have had since their 2013 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run.

Goodman is an undersized four man, who relies on his toughness, physical play and explosiveness to make plays on the interior. He is a brutal free throw shooter and doesn’t have great range, but his ability to rebound and instill energy is a valuable asset for any college squad.

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The 6’6″ forward has had off the court issues in the past. He faced a felony burglary charge that forced him to leave the UNLV program after his freshman season. He was also suspended for four games this past year at Arizona State for an undisclosed incident.

Goodman will likely realize that this is his final chance and his final season to make an impact at the college level. Moving back to his home town Philadelphia could turn out to be a positive, along with the fact that Goodman will have a massive role on the court.

The power forward developed his mid-range jumper last season and has experience that La Salle could greatly use to their advantage.

But Goodman isn’t the only transfer set to make an impact.

Giannini snagged South Carolina’s Demetrius Henry, Syracuse’s B.J. Johnson and Memphis’ Pookie Powell last offseason. All three transfers sat out this past year and will be ready to contribute on a team that is expected to make a push for the NCAA Tournament.

Henry played two seasons with the Gamecocks and provided solid rebounding, some blocked shots and a shooting percentage of 51 percent in year two. At 6’9″, Henry (like Goodman) doesn’t give the Explorers much spacing (other than a mid-range game), but will have an impact on the defensive end of the floor.

Johnson didn’t play much in two seasons at Syracuse, but did produce a 19 point, six rebound performance against Notre Dame during his sophomore season. The 6’7″ small forward has talent and potential.

Then there’s Powell, who is a quick point guard with the ability to score in multiple ways. He has a good first step and is capable of getting to the rim because of his burst.

La Salle has been successfully with transfers in years past – Ramon Galloway, Tyrone Garland and Jordan Price – so there is no question the coaching staff is strong in terms of player development. Powell and Johnson aren’t very experienced but in their one year transition period, they almost certainly were able to specialize in improving specific areas of their game.

With Price (their leading scorer), Cleon Roberts, Johnnie Shuler, Amar Stukes and Tony Washington all returning, the Explorers are ready to contend in the Atlantic 10 and will be one of the most feared teams in the conference.

Next: This offseason's top 15 transfers

The Explorers are doing what they do best: loading up on transfers.

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