Puerto Rico Bound

As the 2007-08 season dawns on the Temple Owls, there are some really interesting subplots to pay attention to as the season starts to get going:

1). Though the Legend is gone (probably on the golf course or at the card table as we speak), Coach Fran Dunphy has continued the Temple tradition of a killer out-of-conference schedule–at least as much as he can.  Because of the move of the football team to the MAC, Dunphy’s basketball team is required to play home and away games against all the MAC members over the next couple of years.  Three more of these will be taken care of after the Owls get back from Puerto Rico, as they play Bowling Green, Akron and Ohio U.  They also get E. Michigan later.  But, Dunphy used his other non-conference slots much the way Chaney used to:  at Florida, at Tennessee (an 80-63 loss Friday night) and home against Duke.  These three games will teach the young guys how to play at the top level, regardless of the results.

2). Remember the name, Lavoy Allen.  He could be really special.  Allen scored 8 points (4-7 from the floor), pulled down 9 rebounds and even dished out 3 assists, all while battling a formidable frontcourt of #7-ranked Tennessee.  Look for Allen to anchor a somewhat decent front-line for the Owls this year, with rail-thin center Sergio Olmos and not-so-rail-thin forward Anthony Ivory.  All three of these frontcourt players were highly-touted coming into Temple.  Olmos was coveted by a couple other schools originally, but made it clear that he wanted to play for the Owls because he idolizes Pepe Sanchez.  Ivory was a top-100 recruit out of Washington, D.C. and originally signed with Big East member Providence, before changing his mind and coming to Temple.  But, Allen is the real gem of the group.  Dunphy’s first big signing, Allen was good enough to be offered a tryout for the Under-19 national team this summer.  He has the potential to be a big-time Atlantic 10 performer for years to come.

3). Despite all the potential upside in the frontcourt, there are still a lot of question marks.  Not so for the backcourt, which for the upteenth year in a row, should be the strength of the Owls this season.  Last year, Temple became the first team in the 30-year history of the league that two players from the same team have finished 1-2 in scoring.  And, they are both back this year.  6’5″ junior Dionte Christmas led the A-10 in scoring last year at more than 20 points per game, but Dunphy feels that he hasn’t even fully realized his true potential.  If Christmas can put together a full season of consistency, he has a legitimate chance to win the A-10 player of the year in a conference loaded with talented and experienced players up and down the rosters.  The other big-time scorer returning this year for the Owls is 6’5″ senior Mark Tyndale.  Tyndale, a swingman who can play multiple positions, but is probably best suited for the 3, averaged 19.4 points per game last year, including 37 against Charlotte and 22 in the conference tournament.  Tyndale’s energy and reckless fervor with which he plays is unmatched, but he also has the basketball ability and acumen to go along with it.  The combination of Tyndale and Christmas is going to be a hard combination for anyone to stop this year and, if coupled with an improved defense and strong frontline, could, with some luck, lead this team back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001.

Game two of this season tips off in about 20 minutes with a first-round game of the preseason tournament in Puerto Rico against the Providence Friars.