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T.J. Simmons

T.J. Simmons, a four-star running back from Florida, decommitted from UCLA today. At the same time, Simmons tweeted that he's considering Marshall, Temple and West Virginia.

Simmons would be a big, big get for Temple, obviously. A source we spoke to said that the issues that prevented Simmons from enrolling at UCLA would not prevent him from coming to Temple.

T.J. Simmons

Ranking Star System

For those who like to cite the star system when talking about recruits:
Average # stars for Seattle Seahawks roster 2.4
New England Patriots 2.3
# 5 stars on either team 0
Average # of stars for Temple players in the NFL Below 2.
For what it is worth, not much-just like the star rankings.
Coaches know who can play in their system, players know who can play.

Some 2016 names

Kind of a cool thing happened today when Camden hosted St. Anthony. I put this out on Twitter earlier.

A total of seven Temple coaches were at the game. Matt Rhule, Fran Brown, Ed Foley, Marcus Satterfield and Elijah Robinson were there to watch Brad Hawkins and Jamal Holloway (better football players who are staying in shape with basketball - a la Brandon McManus, Chris Coyer, etc.), and Fran Dunphy and Dwayne Killings were there to see St. Anthony juniors Taurean Thompson (6-8 F) and Jagan Mosley (6-3 G).

Temple's more interested in Thompson, who has a chance to be very good. Mosley is getting a lot of Ivy interest and is getting better.

Penn St sucks

I just noticed that PSU is 0 - 6 in conference play. They had gone 12-1 in OOC against mostly less than challenging opponents. Apparently, Chambers is having the same level of success in Central PA as Parkhill, Dunn and Dechelis before him despite some recruiting success (e.g., Shep Garner). Perhaps Tone Clark is noticing, too.

USF Game

USF game is just over 12 hours, and crickets on this board about the game. Any word on Cummings' status? Considering the top 5 teams in the AAC get a first round bye in the AAC tournament, and that we currently are in 6th place, this is an important game.
This post was edited on 1/22 5:22 AM by Number1OwlsFan

Gamechanger

This would be a game changer!!!!

Even though quarterback Braxton Miller is enrolled for spring semester at Ohio State, that merely reflects the present and is not necessarily a prediction about the future. Miller, the Buckeyes' starter for three seasons before he sat out the national championship run in 2014 because of a shoulder injury, still could wind up playing elsewhere this fall.

With his degree in hand, Miller can transfer and play immediately, and his current enrollment at Ohio State has nothing to do with that.

No disrespect to PJ but Well, we can dream.

Observations from Haverford/Friends Central Game

I attended the Haverford/Friends Central game on Saturday afternoon at Lower Merion High School. It was part of the Kobe Bryant Classic. Here is what I saw from players of interest to Owls fans:

1) Shizz - he played a solid game and was the MVP with 27 points (Haverford won by 4 in OT). He got to the basket with ease and as always, knocked down open shots. He (and the entire Haverford team) strugged at the point and had some unnecessary turnovers. Shizz is much better suited as the two rather than the point. This game was more of the same in that regard. He shoots bad shots at times also. But the kid has a big heart and led the comeback in the 4th Q. Very happy to have him coming next year.

2) LaMar Stevens - he is a man child and can easily score inside against most high school big kids. He seemed a little out of most of the game (Haverford had played the night before and lost to GA). He faced DeAndre Hunter in this game (see below) and was matched up with someone his own size. We would definitely love to have either kid. Some knowledgeable hoops people love Stevens and see him as a three in college. I don't see it unless he improves dramatically in terms of his handle and jumper. Seems more like a Bond or RHJ to me. Nova lean, but I don't think that will be the best place for him. Temple is a better fit given our experience with undersized bigs (don't take this the wrong way, he is super athletic and would do well here, we are not talking about Mark Williams).

3) DeAndre Hunter - big, athletic kid who missed all of last year with an injury. This was the first time seeing him play and I was expecting a little more. He has some unique skills - can shoot it mid range and has a decent handle for someone his size. The issue is his motor - plays passive and I was also expecting more of a point forward type skillset for him based on what I have heard. That being said, I would take him, he has major upside. Maybe even more upside than Stevens who is ranked ahead of him in the class of 2016.

4) Cameron Reddish - 6"6 freshman guard, incredibly skilled. Was also out of it mentally most of the game. Plays so fluid, it is hard to determine if he lacks the motor or if he is just so good the game comes easy to him. Has it all - great handle, smooth jumper and can get to the basket. Very long, could be an excellent defensive player. Plays third fiddle to Shizz and Stevens right now, but will emerge as a force next year. Good chance of being a McDonalds All American and has a shot at the league if he continues to progress and grow. No idea about his recruitment, but I doubt we have a shot here. Probably Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, Arizona type recruit.

New commits

In case you didn't see it on twitter, North Carolina athlete Jager Gardner and Ohio offensive lineman Jovahn Fair committed to Temple today.

Gardner, who could play a number of positions at Temple, had an offer from Virginia. He originally had an official visit with the Cavaliers lined up but cancelled when he verballed to Temple today.

Fair was committed to Ohio prior to flipping his commitment to Temple. The 6-foot-3 Fair had offers from Toledo, Ohio and Kent State. Despite his MAC-level offers, I hear that the Owls are very high on Fair.
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