(10-04-2013 11:29 AM)templefan1 Wrote:  

(10-04-2013 09:13 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(10-04-2013 07:08 AM)templefan1 Wrote:  

(10-03-2013 04:41 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(10-03-2013 02:53 PM)CyberBull Wrote:  I think Pastner is a smart man and knows what he is talking about.

1. UL
2. Memphis
3. UCONN
4. Temple
5. UC

who will be number six?

USF? UCF? Houston?

Consider that 2 or 3 teams could have an NIT shot and you are looking at potentially 9 out 12 teams playing in the post season. That is a DAMN good league and hopefully can get us more money down the road from the basketball alone.

There is absolutely no way that Temple should be mentioned with those other programs this year. They lost their entire starting 5 from last year and there nothing at all impressive about this year's recruiting class. They simply will not be on the same level as the others and do not project as an NCAA tournament team.

Frankly, Cincinnati projects to be pretty much what they were last year, an NCAA bubble team. After losing 3 starters, they are no sure thing to make the tournament. Their best recruit is a tremendously talented but 190 pound, 6-9 power forward. Reminds me a lot of UConn's DeAndre Daniels. The talent was their but the body was not when he arrived on campus. He needed his freshman year just to get himself physically up to BE level to be able to compete.

If you are going to act like you know something about Temple basketball...you should at least have correct information...

And for the record,mi don't think Temple will finish that high in the league this year...

One of the great things about the Internet is that someone's always out there to edit what ou say. I'm happy to have you point out where I got it wrong.

I suspect it was when I said that they lost their starting 5. I hadn't thought that was the case, but that's what I read in one of the preseason reports, so I took them at their word.

Checking further, it appears that 2 starters are returning. Correct? Lee, the team's best rebounder who also chipped in 10 ppg was an important player. Cummings was more of a role player. They are the only 2 players back who averaged more than a dozen mpg. Fair enough so far?

Now let's look at what's gone. In addition to the 3 graduated starters, the top 2 players off the bench are also gone - O'Brien (20 mpg) and DiLeo (19 mpg). Here's what the 5 departing players took with them:

Wyatt - 20 ppg, 4 apg, 2 spg, 84 FT%, team's best player
Randall - 11 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg, #2 scorer and rebounder
O'Brien - 9 ppg, 49 FG%, 43 3p%, team's best 3-point shooter
Hollis-Jefferson - 9 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, great defense
DiLeo - 3 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg, great defense

Any way you look at it the Owls lost a huge chunk of their production and don't appear to have superior recruits coming in ready to step in and pick up the slack.

I don't see how this team can be construed as a tournament team. If it does get there, Dunphy should be voted coach of the year.

I stand corrected on saying that the entire starting 5 is gone. My bad. Thanks for pointing that out. I will edit my earlier post.

Lee and Cummings return as starters, like you said in your follow up post(I believe Cummings started most of the games last year). Also, with Lee, he was injured late in the season last year. If healthy, you will see more scoring from him like he did in the first 20 games of the season...You need to remember the names Dingle, Decosey, and Brown. Those will be the core of temple! Decosey will be the leading scorer for this team and was a first team all-state NJ player in HS. Look for him to average 15+ pts this year. Dingle will be better than Hollis-Jefferson was last year. He is a heady player. The key to the season however will be backup center Watson...He needs to provide solid minutes.

You are definitely overestimating the loss of Randall and Dileo. Obrien was a great three pt threat, but he lacked defense and a low post game. Both were role players and their offensive game was very limited. Wyatt was a great player and really carried the team last year. Look for a more balance scoring attack with Lee, Decosey, Dingle and possible Pepper carrying the load.

I am not saying Temple will be a tournament team...but by the end of the year, this team will be good.

I just tend to get defensive when people start conveying "knowledge" of other team when they really don't know much...

I truly appreciate your insights. Although I hit to see Temple a few times on TV, I'm doing an analysis of them on paper. You truly know the team.

From what I saw of them last year, Wyatt carried the team at times - not only with his scoring, but with his all around game. So, he's a huge loss. While there may be players from last year's bench ready to step up, who's going to replace them in the team's depth chart?

Not disagreeing with you. Just asking questions. Losing 5 of your top 7 players is a lot to lose all at once. No matter how good the new guys are, they'll be making the mistakes that newcomers or the starting lineup invariably make. That's a lot of experience to be replaced regardless of the skill level.

Dunphy's done a great job getting Temple to the tournament 6 straight years. Just on paper, this looks like the year that the program takes a step back to rebuild in order to take a step forward next year. I may be wrong, but that's how it appears from afar.

(10-04-2013 10:59 AM)Geotag Wrote:  

(10-04-2013 10:15 AM)oldtiger Wrote:  Who would have thought that a basketball coach stating that the AAC is a step up from a previous conference would have created some of these comments?

Obviously, some folks just like to argue, even when there's nothing significant to argue about.

UConn fans are just mad because they are having a hard time recruiting. They are about to lose their commit of Daniel Hamilton to UCLA. Yes, he is going to UCLA, don't believe what any of his circle is saying.

Don't believe his circle? Then who are we supposed to believe?

Just 3 weeks ago, his coach was asked: "Is it possible that Daniel might join Isaac Hamilton at UCLA?"

Coach Taylor's reply: "Not a chance. Not interested in UCLA."

Now I can see that a kid might keep his coach in the dark about a change of heart about his destination. But the coach would know if the kid ever had an interest in a particulate destination - UCLA in this case. His comment indicates zero interest in UCLA as a destination.

What UConn has going for it is that Ollie already traveled this same route from LA to Connecticut and it made him a success. He's someone the kid can trust.

As for UConn having a hard time recruiting, even in a year when they have everyone coming back and they changed coaches in midstream, UConn is bringing in 4 recruits - one of them a 4-star kid. For 2014, Ollie has already hit a HR with Hamilton and has added Lubin. We're barely into October. They're involved with several other top 25 prospects. Where are the signs that they're having trouble recruiting?