GLASSBORO, N.J. — Dr. John Giannini felt right at home Saturday night during his postgame press conference.
After all, he taught his first course at Rowan — a health and wellness class — just a few doors down from the classroom he was currently in as La Salle's head basketball coach.
It's not typical for a Division I school to visit a Division III program, but these circumstances are far from typical for Giannini and Rowan.
"This was a very selfish game," Giannini said of his 81-51 win over the Profs at Esby Gym (see Instant Replay). "I've never scheduled a non-Division I regular-season game at La Salle but this opportunity was so unique."
Giannini was given his first opportunity to become a head basketball coach back in 1989. That opportunity arose with Rowan University, located in Glassboro, New Jersey. Giannini had a great deal of success with the Profs during his tenure, which culminated in a D-III national championship in 1996, his last year there.
Giannini and the Explorers made the trip to celebrate that 1995-96 team. Several members of that team were on hand to relive memories and celebrate each other's success in the time since. Rowan head coach Joe Cassidy, a member of Giannini's coaching staff that year, became Giannini's successor and has led the program since.
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Both coaches, who keep in touch regularly, were excited about the opportunity to reunite that memorable team.
"We came up with this idea last May," Giannini said. "It's even exceeded my expectations because of the turnout. Because of the people from the town, people that have worked here, former coaches. It just was absolutely terrific."
Cassidy was trying to focus on the game and not look down at his predecessor on the opposing bench. However, he couldn't ignore the build up or what Esby Gym was like before, during and after the game.
"I thought it was gonna be a very special day and it ended up being better than anticipated," Cassidy said. "The atmosphere and the packed house … even an hour before the game usually in a Division III game there's nobody here and there's nothing going on. Today, an hour before the game, this place was hopping. The whole day has been great, just wish we played a little better in the second half."
As Cassidy alluded to, the game itself didn't go the Profs' way, but nobody expected it to. La Salle turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, which kept the game close for a little while. The Explorers asserted themselves in the second half, going on a 16-6 run out of the locker room before eventually earning their 30-point win.
"Well the game — especially the first half — went how I thought it would," Giannini said. "Rowan came out with phenomenal energy. They sprinted through their offense, they outrebounded us, they forced us into turnovers, they shot the ball with confidence. It was a big game for me. It was a big game for them and you could tell."
A key to La Salle establishing dominance was the nation's leading scorer, sophomore guard Jordan Price. Price finished with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists.
More importantly, according to Price, he made sure his coach got a victory.
"Our focus as a team was to get this win for coach," Price said. "Just honored to come here and be able to play where Coach G won a national championship. It was a great experience and I'll remember this for the rest of my life."
After the game, you wouldn't have known Rowan lost, but who could blame it? As Giannini said, the Profs came out with great energy and led, 13-11, over a Division I team midway through the first half. Rowan hasn't beaten a D-I opponent since taking down Rider in 1979.
The players enjoyed the experience but a part of them wished the outcome could've been different.
"We were all really excited," Profs freshman guard Rob DePersia said. "It was a great opportunity to play a D-1 school. The support was there. We all wanted to get on SportsCenter the next day as the team that knocked off a D-I school."
It was a scrappy effort by Rowan, but this was Giannini's and that 1996 D-III national champs' day. Phillies PA announcer Dan Baker, a Glassboro State (now Rowan) alum, was the special guest PA announcer for the game. During a halftime ceremony, he introduced the members of the team in attendance.
Except one important person didn't make his way to the court: Giannini.
"Rowan's been unbelievable in their organization but if you have a 1,000 things planned, it's natural to oversee one," Giannini said. "I just didn't know I was supposed to be out there. That's all. If I had known I would've been out there."
Is Cassidy buying what Coach G is selling?
"Well, he didn't join us on the floor, that's for sure," Cassidy jokingly said. "I've been in some halftime locker rooms with Coach Giannini when his team's not playing particularly well so I'm sure he had some choice words for the young men. Obviously, they responded in the second half."
Giannini's trip to Rowan was two-fold. He wanted to enjoy a celebration with his former players and coaches. But he also wanted to help promote the program that gave him so much. He sees how much Rowan has expanded and what it's trying to build in Glassboro.
"We're really proud of this school," Giannini said. "One of the few ways in society to get attention is frankly through sports.
"People pay attention to what's going on in terms of football and basketball and that's why you're all here. If this was a biology class, you wouldn't be here. So this is just a great way to get attention for one of the fastest, most spectacularly growing universities in the country, quite frankly."
It's been 20 years since Giannini was on the sidelines at Esby Gym. Twenty years since his 168 wins and national championship with the Profs.
Were there any surprises?
"There's nothing in that gym I wouldn't be used to," Giannini said. "If you handed me the mop, I'd be used to it."