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| INSIDE THE NUMBERS |
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2000-01 record: 19-15;
12-4 in A-10
(Tied 1st/East)
Postseason: Lost to Memphis 78-77 in NIT semifinals, beat Syracuse 65-54 for third place.
RETURNING LEADERS
Points: Hawkins 15.1
Rebs: Wesby 5.9
Assists: Hawkins 2.3
FG: Jeferson 59.3%
3pt: Murry 37.1%
FT: Hawkins 67.3%
01-02 Stats:
Temple | A-10
KEY LOSSES
Lynn Greer | 23.2
Kevin Lyde | 8.6 ppg
Ron Rollerson | 3.6 ppg
PROJECTED STARTERS
G | Nile Murry | Soph
G | David Hawkins | Junior
F | Alex Wesby | Senior
F | Maurice Collins | Fresh
C | Keith Butler | Fresh
Player to Watch
David Hawkins
Junior Guard
Only proven scorer for the Owls returning should average close to 20 ppg.
DATE TO REMEMBER
NCAA finalist Indiana visits the Owls to break Temple's streak of six straight road games: Wake Forest, South Carolina, Charlotte, Penn State and Illinois. Wow.
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TEMPLE OWLS
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Expectations should be as low at Temple as they've been in a long, long time, and you know what that means? Beware the Owls. Nobody does more with less -- nobody -- than John Chaney, and this season he seems to have less than he's had in years. He lost two big-time players: one of the best scorers in the country in Lynn Greer (23.2 ppg) and one of the best rebounders in the league in Kevin Lyde (8.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg). Also gone is Lyde's backup, Ron Rollerson (3-6 ppg, 4.4 rpg). Some nice parts are back, but none is a natural point guard or a natural post presence. Chaney will make do, as he always does, with a number of wings: 6-4 offensive machine David Hawkins (15.1 ppg), 6-4 Nile Murry (5.3 ppg), who will replace Greer at the point, 6-6 Alex Wesby (11.3 ppg) and 6-4 Brian Polk (8.5 ppg). The key to the season could be the development of 7-foot freshman Keith Butler, one of the better big men in the high school ranks last season. Also, freshmen Maurice Collins and Antywane Robinson will get key minutes.
TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
Without Greer around to, how shall we say this, hog the ball, look for Hawkins to radically increase his scoring output. An undersized, de facto forward at 6-4, Hawkins has the toughness and tools to score more than 20 points a game, and the Owls will need every one of them. If you've never seen Hawkins play, think Vinnie Johnson, the former Detroit Pistons wing known as the "Microwave."
TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
Chaney hates playing freshmen. We mean, he hates it. But he has no choice this season, and for his sake his freshmen had better be plenty good. That goes double for Butler, whose recruitment triggered controversy when a Cincinnati assistant coach got busted for mailing him a recruiting letter disparaging some of the Bearcats' competitive suitors for Butler - including Temple and North Carolina. Because of that, and also because of his size and skills, the spotlight will be on Butler from the beginning.
BOTTOM LINE..............................
Temple always wins more games than you'd think. This season, we think they'll be about a .500 team -- which means don't put it past Chaney to get the Owls into the NCAA Tournament again. If he does, this would be one of his better coaching jobs, and he's had plenty of brilliant ones.
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