If anyone is going to the Donofrio semis tomorrow, I would like to meet up and say hello. Match the name with the face, if we don't know each other already.

Wow...what an impressive performance from Nova...I am stunned,,,to see them at the end of "one shining moment", would be a nightmare come true!!

Here are some of the noteworthy visitors for tomorrow's practice:

-2017 Bishop Guilfoyle (Altoona, Pa.) cornerback Evan Chadbourn - offered
-2017 Bishop Guilfoyle tight end Luke Frederick
-2017 Ocean Township (N.J.) quarterback Kenny Pickett - offered
-2017 Blair (Md.) linebacker Eric Zokouri
-2017 DeMatha (Md.) linebacker Grant Donaldson
-2017 Norwalk (Ct.) offensive tackle/defensive end James Makszin

2018 Imhotep (Pa.) safety Isheem Young is no longer expected to be on hand.

Nine days prior to the C&W game and I'm geeked for us to get it going.

According to this article, Temple has offered him.

Fran has been up to see him several times recently....http://abc27.com/2016/04/01/college-coaches-flocking-to-central-pa-to-recruit-cheickna-dembele/

Temple head coach Fran Dunphy was at Saint Raymond For Boys in the Bronx, N.Y. on Thursday.

Dunphy was mainly there to see 2017 wing Sidney Wilson, according to a source. Wilson holds offers from Temple, Saint John's, Indiana, Providence and others.

Saint Ray's happens to be the school that produced rising senior forward Daniel Dingle.

When will they be announced. I notice that Sean Chandler is listed as No. 30 on the OWLSPORTS.com roster.

He was No. 3 the past two years.

ESPN's Kevin Negandhi was a guest on our podcast this week and had some good stuff when weighing in on what the expectations for the Temple program should be and what he wants to see moving forward. Worth a listen if you haven't done so already.

The Scoop

Plenty of hoops and spring football talk today, along with an interview with ESPN anchor and Temple graduate Kevin Negandhi. You can post your questions here or on Twitter @OwlScoop_com. Thanks in advance for listening!

I flew down last night. This morning I rode the streetcar to the French Market and got into a discussion with a very knowledgeable Memphis fan. We talked about the game.
The subject turned to the coaches. He mentioned Pastner's sizable buyout and the fact that there area number of deep pockets who could pay it.
Finally, and this rumor is intended for amusement purposes only, he claimed that Fran had expressed interest in the the job if Pastner were fired. I told him no way, but this stone-sober, 65 year old man swore that it was true.
So far the only colleges I've seen represented, besides LSU and others from the SEC were from Penn State. I gave them a nod and a hairy eye.

Per Jon Rothstein of CBS, Temple will be joined by Maryland, Auburn, Dayton, Clemson, Hofstra, Indiana State and ODU in the 2017 Charleston Classic.

I've been looking at each position with the returning starters, "rising stars", and incoming freshmen and think the team is in pretty good shape on both sides of the ball.

QB - PJ Walker, and three very capable backups
RB - Jahad Thomas, Ryquell Armstead (good spring), plus two other good backs
WR - Bryant should be great this year. We also have Jennings and Marshall Ellick who Rhule has hinted as being a starter, Yancy, Deloatch, and Kirkwood add experienced depth
OL - Johnson, Carter, Dawkins, McGowan back. Maybe Aaron Ruff gets his start?
TE - Thompson back, also got Patton

DL - Robinson, Martin-Oguike, Reddick back. Webb and Dioubate incoming. Bronson and Booth-Lloyd seem promising
LB - Williams, Sharga, Alwan, Marshall back and experienced. Russell and Grimes should be able to contribute.
DB - Chandler, Smith back. Three talented freshmen coming in. Randall doing well in spring practice. Jefferson has experience also. Kareem Ali should be able to contribute

Which unit do you think is weakest? It's hard to say.

It used to bug me when a coach, supervisor/manager, or teacher punished the entire group for the actions of a few. I'm not sure what is going on at practice.

He has hired an agent and can't return. A real shame that Dunphy couldn't out-recruit/outwork Martelli and St. Joe's.

Villanova just proved that this area produces more than enough talent to compete on a national level. I really wonder how often Coach Chaney speaks to Fran because Coach has been on the radio often recently pretty much saying Temple's problem in the tournament has been the lack of a true PG. How Fran lost Jalen and the aftermath is enough frustration to climb under a rock until changes are made to the program.

I need to know from the insiders on this board whether the hope of Aaron Mckie restoring the program as the next head coach is valid. From my perspective it makes perfect sense and could stimulate energy in this program. The talent in the area is there - we just need a head coach kids want to play for.

So ... can any insiders grade how Aaron how done his first 2 years as an assistant? An NBA assistant coach roll is VERY different than what is expected at the college level. Aaron has made plenty of money in his career and it would be easy for him to spend his days at the golf club rather than chasing after high schoolers. When the position opened up following Brunson's misconduct, I thought they would give Mckie 2 years to test whether he could see himself at this level and if not they could always go back to Brunson (This seems impossible now).


In short - How do those close to the program feel about Aaron Mckie 2 years in? This is a pay board so let's hear the truth. I'm looking for something (anything) for hope.

Engineered this championship team. In 2012 'Nova missed the NCAA tourney finishing 13-19. Many on the mainline wanted to chase him out after the two previous seasons being lackluster. They were starting to question whether his appeal had worn off. Had they peaked? No. They were just getting started!

He went out and got a great point guard in Arch. Then, he built his team around his PG (If you listened to Chaney on WIP, that was his advice to Dunphy. Get yourself a great point guard).

Over the next 4 years they went for a combined 117-27 (0.813pct). Astounding and fast turn around. All due to recruiting.

It can be done folks. We can do it, but only if we put ourselves in the position to have a chance.

Tremendous job by Jay Wright.

He's now going to be able to go head to head in recruiting battles with Duke, UNC, Kentucy. He had a title under his belt. I'm not saying he will start winning those battles, but he will most definitely be able to compete. And once again, the Cats are just getting started!

We are on another planet from what they just accomplished. This is what it's all for. Not 20 win seasons and 1 and done Tournament appearances.

i think Brunson went to Nova for two reasons:

1- he wanted to play the second weekend of the tourney

2- he wants to play in the NBA

Whether right or wrong decision wise, this Fran Dunphy cannot and has not delivered. That's a fact and unarguable. I hate Nova and all they represent but if you had kid who had the potential to play in the NBA, would honestly let Fran Dunphy be the guy to get him there?

His D League game is on ESPNU right now. Rio Grande Valley Vipers vs. the Oklahoma City Blue. I got the Vipers -5.5.

Here goes:

UNC. Rather than break down all this matchup, game plan, strategy stuff, going with the hunch. Aside from obvious ability and teamwork, Nova has won by attacking opponents from the outset, sorta like Tyson did in his heyday by charging across the ring and pounding the heart out of the opponent. Every Nova opponent was too passive and played into this so Nova could play its game, and inevitably they blinked, wobbled, and broke.

My guess is Coach Williams has UNC ready to play and they also begin by charging across the ring. Thus a slugfest for quite a while. UNC has more "NBA" talent and prevails, and even if it falls back, if not too much they are talented and tough enough to come back.

This promises to be a helluva game.

GO Owls

Yesterday afternoon... Recap:

He doesn't talk to Brunson anymore!

Thinks Nova will win it all.

Says Fran has had some good teams, but needs to get a point guard. I'm guessing what he means is, a start point guard. Perhaps one of the incoming freshman is the answer! When asked about Frans troubles to get to a Sweet 16, and the heat he is feeling from alums... Again, Chaney went back to the need for a point guard.

Chaney built Temple. It has to pain him that we aren't ever making in noise in March.

Link: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/03/29/john-chaney-villanova-buddy-hield/

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/mens-basketball/coach/

Always an interesting read. Dunphy 37th at 1,037,186. Surprised at how much Cronin and Greg Marshall make on the high end and shocked how little Roy Williams makes considering his resume and success.

Delaware rising junior Kory Holden is transferring. He averaged nearly 18 points per game, 3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He shot nearly 39% from 3, and made 79.5% of his FTs. He's 6'2 180, and can play the 1 and 2. He is from Maryland, and was a team captain this year as a sophomore.

He had a poor game against us, but had 23 against USF, scored 23 against Nova, scored 35 against BC, and scored 29 and 33 against Towson. He scored 20+ in 40% of UDel's games this season. He's a bit of a gunner, but we could use another scorer for sure.