Second-year La Salle coach Darris Nichols emphasized toughness and three-point shooting with La Salle's transfer portal additions. (Photo: La Salle Athletics)
By AARON BRACY
June 20, 2026
Big5Hoops.com
[Author’s Note: This story also appears on the Bracy Sports Media Newsletter. Click HERE to read and subscribe for free to have my content delivered to your email inbox.]
In the first season under head coach Darris Nichols, the La Salle Explorers showed opponents that they would be a tough out. Now, Nichols and Company want to take the next step in the win/loss column.
Hindered by a slew of injuries that limited La Salle to eight healthy scholarship players by season’s end, the Explorers finished 2025–26 with a 9-23 overall record and 5-13 mark in the Atlantic 10. That followed three seasons in which Big 5 Hall of Famer Fran Dunphy averaged 15 wins per season.
Just as in the three seasons under Dunphy, the Explorers were picked to finish last in the Atlantic 10 in Nichols’s first season. And, just like under Dunphy, they did not place at the bottom of the conference standings. That was a small victory for Nichols and Company. There also was a big one on the court, the Explorers’ 67-64 home win over Dayton on January 21 at Glaser Arena. But the biggest win for the Explorers last season came off the court, with Nichols establishing how his teams would play, emphasizing defense, rebounding, and, most importantly, toughness.
“When you watch our games, when you talk to other coaches, they understand that,” Nichols recently told me of how hard La Salle played. “Now, when you add more talent to that, then you have something.”
Anthony Finkley on transfer to La Salle
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Recruiting Emphasis
Nichols set out to build a roster for the upcoming season with two things in mind: shooting and toughness.
The Explorers were one of the worst teams in Division I last season from long range. They hit just 5.3 three-pointers per contest while connecting on just 29.8 percent from beyond the arc to rank 352nd and 353rd, respectively, out of 365 programs.
Most importantly, Nichols wants players who are tough. He starts any conversation about a potential Explorer with that question.
“You make a call and say, ‘Is so and so tough?’” Nichols said. “[If they say] he’s not soft, but … we’re done.”
Unlike in his first season when Nichols had to scramble a bit to fill the roster through the transfer portal while not really knowing the lay of the land at La Salle, he and the Explorers staff had more time and more understanding of the environment to find players who fit the system and the surroundings.
Transfer Portal Additions
La Salle added seven players through the transfer portal. Below is a look at each, along with some information and Nichols’s take on players I asked about during our conversation before the entire roster had taken shape.
–Devin Booker (George Mason), 6-4, 180 pounds, sophomore, guard: Philadelphia native averaged 1.7 points and 0.8 rebounds in 8.5 minutes as a freshman at George Mason last season. … Was a big-time scorer at Cristo Rey, where he tallied 24.1 points per contest as a senior. … Nichols believes Booker can provide defensive versatility and strong rebounding from the guard spot.
Nichols: “He’s a big-time athlete. If you have more opportunity, I think he can be a big-time contributor for us. We need his size at that position.”
-Kam Burton (Stephen F. Austin), 6-3, 200 pounds, senior, guard: Houston native averaged 7.9 points in 18.5 minutes while starting all 34 games for Stephen F. Austin last season. He hit 42.5 percent of his three-point tries, making a total of 76. … Adds shooting that the Explorers lacked last season. … Nichols also likes that Burton is the son of a coach.
Nichols: “He’s physical, he’s tough, he’s big. He’s used to winning.”
-Anthony Finkley (Saint Joseph’s), 6-7, 235 pounds, senior, forward: Was one of best reserves in the Atlantic 10 two seasons ago, averaging 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game while shooting 39.6 percent from three-point range (44 of 111). … In 2025–26, following the Hawks’ coaching change from Billy Lange to Steve Donahue, those numbers slipped to 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19.0 minutes while dipping to 28.8 percent from three-point range (32 of 111). … Finkley is looking forward to a fresh start at La Salle. (You can read my story with Finkley explaining his decision to transfer by clicking HERE.)
Nichols: “He fits how we want to play. He can play the four. You can move him around. He can really shoot it. My goal with him is to get him to the free throw line a little bit more. … I think Anthony Finkley is the four we need to get.”
-Jamison Lynam (Arcadia), 5-10, 165 pounds, junior, guard: Put up big numbers at Division III Arcadia as a sophomore last season, averaging 17.7 points and hitting 42.3 percent from long range. … Scored 16 points at Saint Joseph’s last December 28. … Grandson of former Hawks and 76ers coach Jim Lynam.
-Trey Moss (George Washington), 6-3, 200 pounds, redshirt senior, guard: Playing at his fourth school in six years. … Sat out last season at George Washington due to turf toe. … Averaged 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 29 games two seasons ago for GW. … Best season came in 2023–24 at William & Mary when he averaged 13.5 points and hit 41.3 percent from three-point range while starting 32 games. … Brings athleticism to the guard position.
Nichols: “He can make threes, but he’s better putting pressure on the rim. We needed another guy who can do that. I think he can because he’s a big-time athlete.”
-Eunique Rink (Hampton), 6-10, 240 pounds, junior, forward: In 11.8 minutes last season at Hampton averaged 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds. … As a freshman there, he averaged 2.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in 7.4 minutes. … Teammate of former La Salle guard Deuce Jones at College Achieve Asbury Park.
-Vice Zanki (Niagara), 6-8, 215 pounds, senior, forward: Croatia native scored 8.1 points and grabbed 2.4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes for Niagara last season. … Can step outside and knock down a three-pointer, making 42 total shots from long range at 38.5 percent last season.
Nichols: “Has size, versatility, and can shoot threes. Stretch four.”
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Aaron Bracy has covered sports in Philadelphia for nearly three decades for various publications and as a freelancer for the Associated Press. His first book, A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003–04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks (Brookline), can be ordered HERE. His second book, Are You Kidding Me? The Incredible, Inspiring Story of Allen Iverson and the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers (Brookline) is scheduled to be published in February 2027. You can preorder it HERE. Follow Bracy on social media HERE. Contact him at bracymedia@gmail.com.