The 2014-2015 Temple Owls’ Men’s Basketball Team left the city with a deep anguish after this past season. A National Tournament snub, the Owls were only able to get to the semifinals of the NIT. “What if’s” lingered in fans’ mouths until early May. The season leaves us with many questions as to how the Cherry and White will respond.
- How will the Owls fill Cummings’ void?
Will Cummings was the unrefuted leader of the Temple campaign this year. The audacious point guard led the Owls on the court physically, and off the court mentally. Number two led Temple in points, assists, steals, free throws attempted, points per game, player efficiency rating, and field goals made. The Owls have two ready options as Will’s replacement in Junior Josh Brown and Senior Devin Coleman. Both fit to play the position extremely well, the rational assumption is that 2014-2015 backup point guard Josh Brown will be the successor. The 6’3 point guard averaged 6.3 points per game in 37 games this year for the Owls. A tremendous passer, the court general should be able to replenish the vacancy at point guard for the next two years.
- What will Levan Alston’s effect be?
The Temple Owls have landed their first ESPN Top 100 recruit ever in Levan Alston. The Haverford School product agreed to become an Owl over many enticing options such as: Georgetown, Marquette, and Notre Dame. His father, a former Temple owl, had a strong influence on his son’s decision. The lanky shooting guard said he “always wanted to go” to Temple after watching his father’s college tapes in the family’s household. Alston played for the highly illustrious AAU’s Team Final, the top team in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Fran Dunphy has a decision to make about the young superstar’s playing time. A strong argument can be made that there hasn’t been a potential of greatness in a singular Temple uniform in the last 24 years.
- Is Fran Dunphy still the guy?
Back-to-back NCAA tournament misses are not common for the Fran Dunphy coached Temple Owls. Rumors swirl and talking heads babble, and while an abrupt departure is highly unlikely for Temple’s captain, questions linger about the fit of Coach Fran with the modern era of college basketball. The hire of former Owl and Sixer Aaron McKie raised some eyebrows as to Dunphy’s future. Could the landscape of Temple basketball change with a new coach? Would McKie be able to adapt better to a pick-and-roll and three point shooting image the league is currently expressing. The space the floor, “create a great shot” or the “get to the foul line” (20.7 attempts per game) idea that Dunphy has implemented into his teams looks stupendous on paper and has been successful over his tenure. But with the league changing, maybe the Owls are looking at a modernized heir to this renowned organization.
- Who is the shot-taker in a final second close game?
Temple ended its season with a loss to Miami in the Final Four of the NIT. Will Cummings wasn’t chosen, and neither was three point specialist Jesse Morgan. Quentin DeCosey was the one to put himself in the spotlight with the game on the line. Will DeCosey be able to accept the leadership role that his formers have taken willingly. Juan Fernandez, Khalif Wyatt, and Will Cummings all accepted this scorer-leader role volitionally in the previous years. Will the Owls look to other modes of scoring when DeCosey is getting star-style pressure.
This season looms as a great opportunity for the Owls to get deep into the NCAA tournament. I wish them well, and I am eager to see how my questions are answered.
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