Stand Tall and Resolute

The title offers my best advice to aspiring fans of Temple athletics. As if the viewing experience weren't an adequate deterrent, the Owl Club (or Athletic Department) have determined that last year's campaign of 20 losses (a school first) merits higher ticket prices and an extension of a seat license surcharge(I know, I'm supposed to refer to it as a contribution to the university) that would make sense if the seat, once vacated, were  resold. The resale of the seat is as likely as Temple restoring its gymnastics and baseball programs as varsity sports. That's a discussion for another forum, along with the state of the men's soccer program. For now, let's enjoy the successes of the women's athletic squads.


After a 10-month hiatus from blogging, Chronicowls is back. For how long is as much up to the readers as it is to the author. Once again, your comments are welcome - actually, they're invited.

Chronicowls '15 Temple-La. Tech

Notes from the Chronicowls Underground, posted by blog contributor Phil "Tall" Wagner

Owls over American 40-37…over Lousiana Tech 82-75…a trend?...unlikely!

AAC meets ACC (that’d be #4 Duke) Friday at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center. Hmmm!

But for now, last night’s was one helluva game. Qdoba tacos for all, soft or crunchy.

First Half

From Richie’s seats, we saw an Owl-lay-up/dunk attempt become a stuck-tight rim-jam.

And acres of Gems and cheerleaders deftly filling 4-minute commercial breaks.

We saw Tech surge via great guards, rocket passes, fast-twitch balletics and deadly treys.

To say naught of a whirligig, arms akimbo, 360 dunk, a Greentail Howitzer, quoth Scott.

Plus hierarchical sweatmopping—dweeb on knees w/towel vs. dude w/pad on pole.

Student band, 8 tubas strong, in rare form. Quoth Scott, “Can’t have too much tuba.” True.

Yet at the half, miraculously, Bulldogs over Owls by only 4, thanks to a Tech buzzer-loser.

Halftime

Some poor bastard, shooting 1 from halfcourt for a year’s apartment lease, won…a tee shirt.

Second Half

Bingo! 4+ minutes in, reseated just behind 8 gyrating Gems, we see the Owls go up 43-38.

Then 49-40 on Tech goaltending. And 54-44 halfway in, a sterling 20-6 run setting the tone.

Josh Brown showed some moxie, his career-high17 highlighted by 10 straight, capped by a 3.

40-minute DeCosey and Cummings, his 13 from the stripe mostly late, each bagged 20.

Obi Enechionyia. Aiynoihcene Ibo. Obi Enechionyia. Aiynoihcene Ibo. Intoxicating stuff.

With 19.3 sec. left, at77-69, I BELIEVE…  rings forth to stick a final fork in the Bulldogs.

Conclusions

Owls +2 turnovers, -4 assists! Jaylen Bond back Fri? Maybe 1,500 there of 4,237 announced?

Dunphyspeak: We went with (pressure) and it kind of looked like we knew what we were doing.

First Win in The American

Posted by Chronicowls contributor Tall Phil

And so the stage was dramatically set on this final pre-Super Bowl polar vortexed eve. Here they were, the AAC’s lone two sub-500 teams duking it out for either a Rutgers Redux or a kiss-your-sister split. Introduced with pyrotechnic fanfare, 5-13 Temple was favored by 4 on its home floor over 8-12 Rutgers. Remember, these Scarlet Knights had already upended the Owls by 5 in peerless Piscataway on New Year’s Day.

The basketball world held its breath. And mind you, adding immeasurably to the Owls’ woes this season—ever since parlaying its early 4-3 record into 4-5 by way of those two loin-numbing, early December losses to Texass and Texass Southern (by a grand total of two damn points)—was the fact that the AAC’s playing some mean ball in its own right of late.

Consider its aggregate 127-72 tally to date, well past the regular season mid-point. Consider that its top three teams sit comfortably amongst the AP’s top 25. Consider that UConn’s next win should boost them there to boot (rhymes with hoot).

Inconsequential interruption #1: The intrepid Chronicowls field team, always in search of a new truth, dined before the game at Kite & Key, 1818 Callowhill, where the draft beer selection excels. Well, the bottomless mussels, 4-way shared in a huge bowl full of hot (temp) sweet “soup” prior to sandwiches, are worth the travel from Erie. Great evenings are built on great meals, plus respites at Pub Webb afterwards. But we digress.

Now, consider this about dem Owls. Eleven games remain, 6 at home. Next up, this Saturday at 4 p.m. at Liacouras, is #9 Villanova (17-2). Oh, and by the way, Temple smoked these same Wildcats last year by 15, to go 3 of their last 4 over the Main Line boyz. And the Owls hardly want to see Villanova clinch the venerable Big 5 title on the Liacouras floor, now do they? So, can you spell “jinx”…or “domination”…or do you sense that the impossible’s about to happen?

That wouldn’t right this season’s ship. But it will (not, would) feel good. Then, ahead after that for the Owls are two vs. #12 Louisville, one vs. #22 Memphis and one vs. Connecticut. So barring a miraculous serial moment in the Memphis-based AAC tourney, there’ll be neither tap, lap or rap dancing on North Broad after conference champion coronation on the Ides of March.

Inconsequential interruption #2: Those coveted, multi-colored, limited-edition Temple Owls’ scarves, intended for frigid, freezing and just plain cold weather, drew wide-eyed attention yet again last eve. Should prospective consumer demand prove out via comments to Chronicowls, who knows, they may reappear on the open market.

 

Now here’s an interesting if worthless non-sequitur factoid proving yet again that life’s seldom fair. Temple’s total 1441 points this season are just 17 less than its opponents’ 1458. Yeah, that doesn’t change reality for a 6-13, sub-.333 team. But go figure the power and the glory of numbers and stats in sports. Without such galvanizing drivel, what’s to talk about, or bet on.

More to the point factoid: Temple’s 88 points scored last eve were 6 more than Rutgers’ 82 (and 2 more than Vegas) as the Owls laughed their 8-game futility streak away with their first home victory in nearly 6 weeks. And did so while nabbing their first conference win this season.

Inconsequential interruption #3: Walking up to the ticket counters last eve, this commentator was stopped by a nice-looking guy clutching two tix. Did I need a ticket for the game, no charge? Hell, I’ll take a frontal lobotomy, no charge? We consummated the deal—thanks again—as I reflected on this being the second such instance, and on Temple folks being my kinda folks.

You still want more numbers? Temple last night ruled in 20-pt. scorers (2-0), team rebounds (7-5), blocked shots (3-2), steals (8-2), turnovers (6-13) and paid attendance (5,039, perhaps one third of whom went through the motions of appearing in the actual flesh). Not so much, though, in 3-pointers (6-19, .316 to Rutgers’ 10-17, .588), which is why the score closed so alarmingly.

Anyway, things, for this moment, are looking up. In basketball as in life, there is always good news and bad. Come what may this season will end sooner vs. later, yet with valuable lessons learned and a strong nucleus in the fold for ’14-’15. Seem like an eternity since Temple trimmed Penn 78-73 on Nov. 9 at the Palestra? It is. But there’s still a month and a half to go. Let it happen. And besides, who’s watching the bi-polar Flyers, gestational Sixers or ancient Phils?

Final thought: Our seats are behind those occupied by residents and staff from a Woodbine, NJ home for developmentally disabled characters. And they are characters, both knowledgeable and passionate about their basketball, plus otherwise much like us all. A different contingent comes to each—yes, each—game through the good graces of generous alums and the Temple Athletic Department. When you witness such a spirited collaboration, you see a better world.