LaSalle Explorers Need Tyreek Duren to Bring Noise

There are not nearly enough adjectives to describe the run the LaSalle Explorers went on in the NCAA Tournament. Magical, awesome and Cinderella-ish are just a few that pop immediately into my dome. Now, however, LaSalle has to move on without their star, Ramon Galloway. During the crucial offseason, it is time for a new Explorer to emerge as their leader and their dominant offensive threat.

Luckily for LaSalle, they already boast one such player on their roster. Tyreek Duren was the team’s second leading bucket-maker last season and is going to be a senior next year. Meaning, LaSalle still have one more year to milk out whatever awesomeness is left in Duren’s body.

There are a few, underlying issues by having him as their main man on campus. Duren is listed as 6′, which means he is more likely 5’10”. Not that size prevented the guard from scoring over 14 points per game last season, although, he was not the opposing team’s main focal point and a player that they were game planning to stop.

Duren is also listed as being 185 pounds — which is also a slight exaggeration of the truth. But while Duren is unlikely to grow a few inches in the offseason, he can bulk up and become a stronger player.

The Explorers are obviously going to need more than Duran becoming bigger to make the same run next season. Things like other players stepping up, a few lucky bounces and things of that nature are a must for nearly any team who plays at a mid-major level.

Still, LaSalle can bank their hopes for next season on Duren. There is nothing so flawed in his game that says he won’t end up being one of the better guards in the entire nation next season.

 

Joseph is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JosephNardone