La Salle University is keeping it in the Big 5 with its new men’s basketball coach.
The Explorers announced Sunday that Ashley Howard, who spent the past five seasons as an assistant at fellow Big 5 school Villanova, will be taking over the La Salle program. Howard, a Drexel University alumni, also previously served as an assistant under John Giannini, the man he now replaces, at La Salle.
"As a former assistant coach here, we know firsthand that Ashley Howard is an exceptional coaching talent who has a deep understanding of both La Salle's basketball tradition and its important student-focused mission," La Salle athletics director Bill Bradshaw said. "This is a university that holds character, integrity and commitment to that mission in the highest esteem, and our men's basketball coach has the unique responsibility of reflecting that on and off the court. We have every confidence that Ash will do that – and more – in leading this program. He is a high-energy leader with a tremendous basketball pedigree as well as a strong track record of recruiting, developing and mentoring high-quality student-athletes. His experience, especially in the past five years, reflects that Ash knows how to win. We are delighted to welcome him home to La Salle University."
The university officially introduced Howard at a Monday morning news conference.
Howard served as Nova Coach Jay Wright’s top assistant for both of the team’s recent national championships. Wight turned to Twitter to wish Howard good luck while calling him "an outstanding coach."
"Ashley is an outstanding coach who made a great impact on our program and University in his five years with us," Wright said. "His passion for mentoring young men and teaching skill has been invaluable in our team's development."
Howard takes over a La Salle program that has only one NCAA Tournament appearance since 1992, a Sweet 16 run in 2013.
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Howard is a Philadelphia native who played high school basketball at Monsignor Bonner High School in Delaware County before playing at Drexel, where he received a degree in Communications. He is married with a daughter.
