Latest news with #LaSalleUniversity
CBS News
25-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Darris Nichols opens up about rebuilding La Salle basketball in NIL era
For La Salle University, the NCAA Tournament is a reminder of what it hopes to get its program back to. As they rebuild, the Explorers are turning to Darris Nichols as their new men's basketball head coach after Fran Dunphy retired . "The people, the energy they have around this place. The enthusiasm they have to get it going in the right direction," Nichols said. "I want to embrace challenges, and that's what I felt from them in the interview process." In four years as head coach at Radford University, Nichols posted two 20-win seasons with a 68-63 overall record. The Explorers haven't had a winning season in 10 years. At Radford, Nichols helped turn the program almost immediately. Accountability was what Nichols preached to his Highlanders teams. "The biggest thing is not making excuses and being flexible," Nichols said. "You have challenges at every job. I know what the challenges are here, and I'm excited about those challenges. I've seen them before. Finding guys that aren't going to complain. Finding guys that are going to buy into what you believe and the family feels." Nichols is tasked with turning the Explorers program around in Philadelphia while also managing the new-age challenges in the game with the transfer portal. "It's really hard," Nichols said about whether culture and transfer portal coexist. "We don't use the world 'culture.' We use the word 'environment.' I think culture is long term. It takes a long time to get that culture. A lot of times you don't have that kind of time, so we focus on the environment that we create as a program." This is a new culture with name, image and likeness (NIL) . It seems like universities with bigger budgets are able to get the top players, leaving it more difficult for small programs to compete. Nichols plans to attack that by making sure he nails player evaluations on the recruiting trail. "It goes back to evaluation. Sometimes we've taken players where people say, 'I don't know if he's good enough,' and he turns out to be really good," Nichols said. "But we may not be able to keep that player. I'm OK with that. You have to be flexible, and your evaluations have to be spot on in what you do. You can't have a missed step with that." Unlike modern philosophy in the game, Nichols is going big — literally — in what he likes to call, "Finish at the rim culture." As Nichols builds out his roster, the new La Salle head coach is looking for players with one specific quality. "We play differently. We play with two bigs," Nichols said. "A lot of people play with one, some people play with none to space the floor and shoot threes. Find the guys that fit us and are really tough guys. it's something we've had success with." Nichols hopes to build off his success at Radford by cultivating a blue-collar team that matches the toughness of the city.
CBS News
11-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Paralyzed below hips, Ciarlo Liples has become La Salle men's basketball team's "brother"
La Salle University was introduced to Ciarlo Liples by Team IMPACT, an organization that pairs children with disabilities with sports teams. Ciarlo has since become an inspirational part of the program and has traveled with the Explorers wherever they go. Ciarlo was born with spina bifida and is paralyzed below his hips, but nothing can keep him from the game he loves. "Whenever someone asks me, 'What's my happy place?' I say any basketball court," Ciarlo said. "Anywhere I can get a ball and shoot." Basketball has helped Ciarlo get through personal tragedy. His older brother, Dominic, died in 2016 after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. That's when Ciarlo joined Katie's Komets, a wheelchair basketball team. "Being with everyone and playing the sport I love really helped me get through it, and it still helps me to this day," Ciarlo said. "I miss him every day, but he's still with me in here." The La Salle players know firsthand just how good Ciarlo is. "Last year, the family asked for a number of our guys to come to the house because they have a basketball court, and three of our guys went up and got in the wheelchairs and played basketball with them," said La Salle coach Fran Dunphy, who's retiring after the season. "Now, Ciarlo kicked all of their butts." "It was really fun because first, I got to teach them – and then I also got to cook them," Ciarlo said. "I didn't realize how hard it was," La Salle guard Andres Marrero said. "He taught me a lot of new things that I didn't know." A couple of weeks ago, Ciarlo was playing at the Mayfair Rec Center at the 27th annual Katie Kirlin Junior Wheelchair Basketball Tournament. And on that Sunday morning, Ciarlo's La Salle family was there. "He's their brother," Dunphy said. "He's their younger brother, and they want to support him like crazy." "He's always got a smile on his face," Marrero said. "Us as a team, we have our highs and lows, and he's just always there being positive." The players were there for the ups and the downs, doing everything they could to support their adoptive little brother, making memories and cementing friendships that will last a lifetime. "It's pretty special for us to be here supporting him and showing him the same love he gives to us," Marrero said. "Seeing him out here playing basketball and then him coming to support us, it's motivation for me," La Salle guard Corey McKeithan said. "I can do anything. He can do anything." Ciarlo plays with one dream in mind. "To get gold in the Paralympics," Ciarlo said.
CBS News
27-02-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Schools evacuated in Logan section of Philadelphia after gas main break
Streets in the Logan section of North Philadelphia are being closed and students are evacuating nearby schools due to a gas main break Thursday morning. Videos from Chopper 3 and CBS News Philadelphia viewers showed a large quantity of smoke coming from what appears to be a utility line along Olney Avenue near 18th Street and Ogontz Avenue. Students could be seen walking out of the main entrance of Central High School nearby. The area affected is also near La Salle University. We've reached out to PGW, the School District of Philadelphia and other authorities for more information. This is a developing story and will be updated.
