2011 Temple Owls Basketball
Written by James Zerfoss - Google +
2010-11 Results:
Overall: 26-8 (Home 14-0 Road 8-4 Neutral 4-4 Postseason 2-2 )
Atlantic 10: 14-2
Conference Tournament: Lost in the Atlantic 10 semifinal to Richmond
Postseason: Lost in the third round of the NCAA tournament
Fran Dunphy led the Owls to a second place finish in the Atlantic 10 and a berth in the NCAA tournament. Overall Temple was 26-8 but failed to win the conference championship. The Owls were perfect at home on the year going 14-0.
Returning for the Owls will be preseason first-team all conference picks Ramone Moore who lead the team in scoring last year at 15.2 points per game and Juan Fernandez 11.2 points per game.
The Owls were fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring with 70.6 points per game and third in defensive scoring allowing 62.5 points per game.
Roster
Returning Starters
Ramone Moore
Juan Fernandez
Scootie Randall
Michael Eric
Other Returning Players
Rahlir Holllis-Jefferson
Khalif Wyatt
Newcomers
Will Cummings
Anthony Lee
Jimmy McDonnell
Nick Pendergast
Head Coach
Fran Dunphy
Key Losses
Temple will have to deal without all-time great Lavoy Allen. Last year he averaged 11.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. His leadership and strength on the boards will be missed.
2011-12 Preview
After a second place finish in the Atlantic 10 and a trip to the NCAA tournament the Owls return depth at guard and in the frontcourt. Even with the loss of all-time leading rebounder Allen, the Owls have several inside players who should be apple to step up and help the team make a run at the Atlantic Ten Conference title.
Backcourt
Fernandez and Moore will return and the Owls will also have veteran depth off the bench with Khalif Wyatt and sophomore guard Aaron Brown. Coach Dunphy has noted that he will consider using a four-guard set at times due to the strength Temple posses in the backcourt.
Fernandez will set things up and is an excellent ball handler who led the team in assists last year. Moore proved last year that he is one of the team’s best scorers. Not only was he the leading scorer but he also averaged 3.1 assist and 4.2 rebounds per game and started every game.
Wyatt is back after winning the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year award. Due to Scootie Randall’s injury he will start the year in an unfamiliar place as a starter. He shot a team-best .421 from three point range last year. Brown will also provide minutes in the backcourt after establishing himself last season. During the 2010-2011 season Brown played 10 minutes a game and averaged 3.3 points per game off the bench.
Frontcourt
The Owls are set inside with Randall, Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, and Michael Eric. Randall and Hollis-Jefferson are both excellent two way players. Eric on the other hand will need to step up his game on the boards to make up for the departure of Allen. Anthony Lee will also see time at center.
Randall has been dealing with injuries but is one of the Owl’s best players when the injury bug doesn’t strike. Last year Randall scored 10.7 points per game with a field goal percentage of 49.5%. He will start the season on the bench but his starting job will be waiting for him upon his return.
Hollis-Jefferson will replace Allen at forward. Last year he played more than 26 minutes a game and had the team’s highest shooting percentage. He was also the team’s second leading rebounder.
Eric is a six-foot- eleven inch center that averaged 5.9 boards and 1.6 blocks per game in 24 games last year before going out with an injury. He is expected to play around 30 minutes a game this year.
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