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Former Temple player Nate Pierre-Louis just completed playing his first year professionally for the South Bay Lakers in the G-League. He played very well in his first pro season.

As playing in 23 games, he averaged 27.6 mpg, 9.2 ppg, shot 49 percent on all fga’s (including shooting 25.3 percent on three’s), averaged .8 FTM on 68.6 percent shooting on FTA’s, averaged 4.4 rebounds per game (including 1.2 offensive rpg), 2.9 assists per game, 1.8 steals per game, .9 turnovers per game, and 2.8 fouls per game.

His offensive rebounding, steals, and low turnover rate are very good. As is his 3-1 assist to turnover ratio, and plus 4.6 plus box score per game. Nate had an underwater assist to turnover ratio at Temple, an indication that the pro offensive system is better than Temple’s.

He’s raised his field goal percentage from 39 percent at Temple to 49 percent in the pro’s, due to his far superior two-point shooting playing pro ball. An indication that Temple’s offensive system did not bring out his best. He’s seen his defensive rebounding which is still good decline from when he played at Temple.

Nate provided the South Bay Lakers with 1.3 extra scoring opportunities per game and opponents 1.3 less scoring opportunities per game, when his offensive rebounds plus steals per game are added together and his turnovers per game are subtracted out.

Very few players do that, and such goes a long way in off-setting his low three point shooting percentage.

Nate’s low three-point shooting percentage is similar to when he played for Temple, and he still needs to work on improving it, and to also cut-down on his high foul-rate (average of one foul every 10 minutes of play).

Former Temple player Quentin Rose just completed playing for the Winchester Knicks in the G-League.

He appeared in 13 games, averaging 21.1 mpg, 7.7 ppg, having an overall field goal percentage of 36.6 percent, 27.6 percent on three’s, and 64.6 percent at the foul-line.

He also averaged 4.2 rebounds per game (.9 offensive rebounds), 1.9 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game, 1.1 turnovers per game, and 1.7 fouls per game. He had a plus 2 box score per game.

Rose’s shooting was quite poor as it was at Temple in his final year. He really needs a shooting coach as he’s too gifted an athlete not to succeed.

He did vastly improve on cutting down his turnovers from when he played at Temple.

Former Temple player Shizz Alston Jr, played professionally in Belgium in the 2021-2022 season for the Kangoeroes Mechelen. I’m still trying to determine if he’s playing this season.

He played in 25 games, averaging 27.2 mpg, 10.2 ppg, while shooting an overall 47.1 percent on field goal attempts, 38.8 percent on three’s, and 80.8 percent at the foul-line.

His overall field goal percentage last season (47.1 percent) was far higher than it was at Temple. As in his last season at Temple his overall field goal percentage was 40.5 percent. An indication that Temple’s offensive system could have been better.

He averaged 2.4 rebounds per game (.3 offensive rebounds), 3.5 assists per game, .9 steals, 1.7 turnovers per game, and 2.5 personal fouls per game.

I remember challenging Shizz before the commencement of Temple’s 2018-2019 season, to vastly increase his steals. He took the challenge and increased his steals from .8 the season before to 1.5 steals per game in his final season.

Northern Colorado transfer 6’9” forward Kur Jongkuch, a fifth year player, has committed to Temple. At Northern Colorado, he averaged 27 mpg, 10 ppg, had a 67.8 percent FG percentage, but shot only 41 percent at the foul-line. He did not shoot three’s.

He also averaged 8.6 rebounds per game, including 2.4 offensive rebounds per game. He’s not really a shot-blocker per se, as he blocked shots at .7 per game.

Temple SG Quincy Ademokoya has entered the transfer portal. Played limited minutes last season. Temple now has 6 bb scholarship openings.

Temple has received a commitment from Univ of Central Florida’s (UCF) 6’10”, 285 pound Center Jamille Reynolds, who averaged 10.2 mpg, 2.8 ppg at UCF in conference play. He has a high turnover and foul rate which contributed to UCF being outscored by opponents when he played.

He’s the second big to join the Temple roster ( 6’9” Jongkuch is the other) in the last two weeks.

They both will be replacing departed Temple bigs Jake Forrester and Sage Tolbert.

The purpose of this post is to look at how transfer Centers Kur Jongkush from Northern Colorsdo and UCF’s Jamille Reynolds stack up to Tolbert, Parks, Okpomo. and Forrester who manned the center position for Temple in conference play last season.

Tolbert, Forrester and Parks are in the process of transferring to other schools. Only Okpono Is returning to Temple.

Tolbert, Okpomo. and Forrester all made positive contributions as Temple outscored their opponents when they played. Temple scored fewer points than opponents when Parks played.

Tolbert played in all of Temple’s 17 conference games, averaging 12.4 mpg, 2.9 ppg, and shot 53.8 percent on 2’s. He also turned the ball over just once every 17 mpg, and excessively fouled as he averaged committing a foul once every 8 mpg.

Okpomo played in only 5 conference games, averaged 7 mpg, and averaged 1.8 ppg, and shot 55 percent on 2’s. Okpomo only shot the ball every 8 minutes of play, committed no turnovers, but committed a foul once every 4.4 minutes of play. The later is why his minutes were limited, but he was a far better player than Parks who played far more than he did.

While Okpomo performed well during his limited playing time, be did not produce many points, and Temple big deficiency was scoring points. So he either has to shoot more as he shoot’s well, or Temple has to find scoring elsewhere.

When Okpomo played, Temple slightly outscored their opponents.

This past season Forrester played in 12 games, including in 3 conference games, averaging 16.7 mpg, 3.7 ppg, and shot 51 percent for the season on 2’s and but 44 percent on two’s in conference play this past season. Although these stats were his worse in 3 years, it was the first time that Temple scored more points than it’s opponents
When he was on the court.

Forrester reduced his turnover rate from the season before from once every 8 minutes the season before to once every 23 minutes, astonishing turnaround. Forrester did excessively foul as he averaged committing a foul once every 7.2 minutes of play.

His reducing turnover rate is directly tied to his shooting far less than in the previous two seasons. As less touches equals less turnovers. His low turnover rate turned Forrester into a solid contributor when he played.

Forrester and Tolbert combined playing time per game is going to be replaced by Northern Colorado transfer Kur Jongkuch and Reynolds. Jongkush averaged 8.6 ppg compared to Forrester and Tolbert scoring a combined for 6.6 ppg.

Jongkuch shot 67.8 percent on two’s and rebounded well, but he shot just 41 percent at the foul-line which combined with a high foul rate of one foul every 7.45 minutes, somewhat negated his excellent shooting percentage. How a player can shoot so well from the field and not from the foul-line is a head-scratcher.

He also had a turnover rate of once every 12 minutes which is almost twice Forrester’s turnover rate, and a third higher than Tolbert’s turnover rate.

Just like Temple, Northern Colorado had a winning record, and they outscored their opponents with most of it’s rotational players. However, with Jongkuch playing, Northern Colorado scored slightly less points than their opponents did. Such was the result of Jongkush shooting poorly at the foul line, and having a high foul rate.

Jongkuch only shot once every four minutes. If he shoots more that will also raise his turnover rate.

Temple’s other transfer center is UCF’s Jamille Reynolds. At UCF. he averaged 10.2 mpg, 2.8 points, shot 46 percent on two’s. He averaged committing a turnover once every 12 minutes, and he fouled once every 8 minutes of playing time.

Will be interesting to see if Jongkush or Reynolds starts at Center for Temple.

In the 2018-2019 season, some four years ago, in Fran Dunphy’s last season as Temple’s HC, Temple had a winning AAC record of 13-5. That season Temple averaged 75.8 ppg in AAC play.

Mckie inherited a good team, but immediately Temple’s s Pringle dropped 9-points per game in conference play, and Temple had a losing conference record.,Temple’s endemic performance scoring-wise was due to a combination of an offensive system that had players Forrester and Moorman playing over Hamilton and M. Scott, not playing Rose at PF instead of Moorman which would have allowed M. Scott to play in the starting line-up and provide more scoring punch than Moorman’s did, and by allowing Rose and NPL, veteran poor shooters, to take shots over M.Scott and Dre Perry who were better shooters.

Most fans didn’t realize this, and blamed Temple’s losing season on Mckie just getting his feet wet as a first-year coach.

After the season ended, good players like, Scott, Hamilton, and JPL, transferred out. With Temple coming off a losing record, HC had a hard time recruiting good players. With mostly a young roster, Mckie had a losing record in his second year as HC, Temple again had a losing record and once again did not even average 66 ppg.

In MCKie’s third season that just past, once again Temple averaged less 66 ppg in AAC, but did manage to have a winning AAC record, but still failed to average 66 ppg in AAC play. Temple was lucky to have a winning AAC record as conference opponents averaged more ppg than Temple did.

After the season, six veteran players players have left Temple, and Mckie has six bb scholarships to fill.

Mckie has not recruited players the past two years who were as good as those he inherited three year’s ago. One has just to look at Temple’s decline in scoring points to see that.

However, Temple has played better defense with Ross as Temple’s defensive coach than Temple played under HC Dunphy.


In future posts, I’ll take a look at Temple’s returning players.

Temple has 5 players returning-Dunn, Hicks, Jourdain, White, and Miller, Are the Temple players who return who scored most of Temple’s points last season.

Of these 5 players in AAC play last season, Dunn is the only returning player who averaged over 10 points per game as he averaged 16.2 points per game, but did so shooting poorly from the field.

Of the five players, Dunn, White, and Jourdain, all shot 2’s and 3’s poorly. As Dunn shot 42.4 percent on 2’s and 27.1 percent on 3’s. He did somewhat offset his poor shooting by averaging 6.2 foul shots per game and shot them at a high rate (82 percent).

Jourdain shot 2’s at 44.2 percent, 3’s at 22.9 percent.

White shot 2’s at 45.7 percent and 3’s at 25.7 percent.

Hicks mostly shot 3’s and shot them at 38 percent. But he shot two’s at only 38 percent, but took very few of them. His good three point shooting combined with his playing well on defense, bodes well for his career going forward.

Temple fans are optimistic about Miller’s future as he shot three’s quite well at 36 percent. But his two point shooting was abysmal as he shot 2’s at only 31 percent overall, and at only 42.9 percent at the rim. Since he’s undersized, it’s unlikely he’ll substantially improve his 2-point shooting as he needs to do. He’d be wise to switch to shooting far more 3’s than 2’s.

Temple dos not have one returning player who averaged shooting 46.5 percent on two’s while it’s conference opponents shot 46.5 percent on two’s in conference play.

As one can readily see, Temple does not have any good 2 and 3 point shooters returning. No player is returning who has even made half his two-point shots. Such confirms that Temple’s HC McKee has not recruited well during his three-year tenure as HC.

Temple’s overall shooting may improve if K. Battle decides not to go pro and returns to Temple.

So, as one can readily see, any hope of Temple playing well next season depends on Temple signing 4 good new recruits.

As of right now, Hicks is Temple's only returning player other than Okpono in which Temple outscored their opponents. Temple treaded water with three other players.

There is still the possibility of Mckie signing others good players with his four remaining open scholarships.

When Joudain or White was on the court, Temple’s scoring was virtually a draw with their conference opponents.

With freshman PG Hysier Miller playing, Temple was outscored by conference opponents than with any other returning Temple player. Such was due to his being a poor two-point shooter (31 percent), and by him taking more two’s than three’s even though he shot his three’s far better (36 percent). Even with one-year under his belt, I can not seeing Miller in Mckie’s half-court sets ever being a good 2-point shooter. His two-point shooting would increase if Temple either pressured the ball more or fast-breaked more often, but that is not how Mckie has his teams play.


With J.Williams starting the entire season at PG, Temple scored slightly more points than their conference opponents did. He has since transferred to another school. He will be missed.

Temple was outscored by conference opponents when Dunn played, even though Dunn averaged the most points of any Temple player. Such was due to his low shooting percentages on two’s and three’s alike, and his having an exceedingly high turnover rate that was not offset by his getting to and shooting well from the foul-line.

Temple’s teams have committed far more fouls and turnovers under HC Mckie than Temple did under HC Dunphy.

As under HC Mckie in AAC play this past season, Temple was 1st in most fouls, and 5th in most turnovers.

In HC Dunphy’s last season, Temple was 9th in the AAC in most fouls, and 7th in most turnovers.

One can readily see the steady decline in the number of quality of players on Temple’s roster.

In Dunphy’s last season as HC, Temple had five players who shot over 50 percent on two’s in conference play. In Mckie’s first season as HC, he had four players (Scott, Forrester, Perry, and Josh Pierre-Louis) who shot at least 50 percent on two’s in conference play.
Last season, both Williams and Tolbert shot better than 50 percent on two’s. They’ve departed.

As of right now, except for Okpomo who averaged 7 mpg in AAC play, Temple has no returning player who shot 50 percent or more on two’s in conference play.

However, Temple has added transfer Jongkuch who shot 67 percent on two’s last season.

Temple has seen six players enter the transfer portal transfer-Williams, Forrester, Strickland, Tolbert, Quincy A, and Parks. Battle has signed up for the NBA draft, but he may withdraw from the draft. If he doesn’t return than Temple will have lst seven players from last season.

Temple’s Williams, Forrester, and Tolbert are the only players who might be missed.

Only Forrester and Tolbert have been replaced. Temple has four and possibly 5 additional slots to fill. Finding a starting or back-up PG is necessary as Williams and Strickland have entered the transfer portal. If Battle doesn’t return, Temple will be hard-pressed to find anyone as talented as he is.

With Temple having just two players Okpomo and Jongkuch on the roster this up-coming season Okpomo who both have played a total of 34 mpg
( Okpomo 7 mpg, Jongkuch 26 mpg) who shot above 50 percent on 2’s, while opposing teams shot 51 percent on two’s against Temple in conference play, Temple will need, in order to be competitive this season, the four remaining open scholarships to be filled by good shooters.

This will be the third straight year of players jumping on and off the Temple carousel. Some players HC Mckie wanted to jump-off, others chose to get-off. The net effect has been a decline in talent.

In Fran Dunphy’s last season as HC, Temple shot a decent foul shot rate of 73.5 percent. In Mckie’s three’s year’s as HC, Temple’s best conference foul-shot percentage was 71.2 percent.

In conference play this past season, Temple shot 40 more foul shots than it’s opponents, but opponents made 3 more foul-shots than Temple did. Such was do to Temple shooting but 66.6 percent at the foul-line, and it’s conference opponents shooting 74.9 percent.

Five of of Temple’s departed players shot foul shots at less than 70 percent. Forrester took but 3 foul shots in conference play and made all three. One can only conclude that Temple’s coaching staff is incapable of teaching players how to shoot foul-shots. Also explains why so many players had low field-goal shooting percentages.

Temple new transfer Jongkuch shot but 37.7 percent at the foulsline at Northern Colorado, and transfer Jamille Reynolds shot 64.9 percent at the foul-line for UCF. So far, it looks like Temple’s foul shooting may be even Jess this up-coming season.

If Battle doesn’t return and with Strickland having departed, Temple has lost two of it’s better players at both getting to the foul line and converting foul shots at a high rate.

Temple scored more points than opponents with only 2 players that are returning from last season.

The players are Hicks and Okpomo. Hicks averaged 27 mpg and Okpomo just 7 mpg. With both players playing, Temple was able to outscored their opponents due to Hicks shooting very well on three’s, and Okpono , although taking less than one field per game, did shoot 53 percent on two’s. Temple has a great need to be able to sign with their remaining scholarships other good shooters.

Temple posters say Temple’s problem is not recruiting top 100 players. I guess they never heard of St. Peter’s. If recruited, will all of St.Peter’s bb players attended Temple. The answer is ‘yes.” Would Temple then gone to NCAA Tournament? You can answer that question.

WATCHING A GAME AND EVALUATING THE COACH

When we watch a game we often don’t realize that a player!s mistakes could have been avoided with good coaching. Many times we don’t even realize the player even made a mistake.

The following is a guide for what look for when watching a bb game.

Every time you see a player throw a long pass that obviously will be intercepted or see a player foul a player who’s shot has little chance of going in, you should blame his coach more than the player.

Every time you see a player lean forward shooting a floater and not go straight up, he has a lesser chance of making the floater. Blame his coach , not the player, for not being told how to shoot a floater.

Evettime you see a player take a jump shot by starting to jump first and then bring the ball to shooting the pocket rather than the other way around, blame the coach not the player when the ball does not go in the hoop.

Every time you see a player hit the back rim on a foul-shot, blame his coach, not the player. Player has to be taught consistent pace and arc of ball on foul shot.

Every time you see a player throw a lazy one hand pass that goes awry , blame his coach, not the player.

Anytime who’s see a defender have his forearm down and not up between his opponents eyes before his opponent brings ball to shooting pocket, blame is coach not the player. That happen almost every time.

Why should forearm be up before player brings ball to shooting pocket? Because if shooter’s eyes don’t have an unobstructed view of the basket , his brain is prevented from calculating both distance and path to the hoop.

Every time you see a player drive to the hoop and pass by the hoop without getting control of his body at time of release and. Misses the lay-up, blame his coach, not him. As the player should get his body to pause before releasing the ball.

Every time you see a player do a put-back off an offensive rebound when he knows he’s surrounded by two players and misses, blame his cia h, not him.

Really hope that K.Battle withdraws from the NBA draft and returns to Temple. Since he was injured early last season, his returning would mean that Temple is adding a quality guard to their roster.