Chronicowls '12 Temple-Maryland

Twice as many assists as turnovers. That’ll win most basketball games. As it did, yesterday MORNING, for the Cherry and White.  Temple’s starting three guards,  Juan Fernandez, Ramone Moore, and Khalif Wyatt,  produced 54 points, 13 assists, and but 5 giveaways.  And substitute guard Aaron brown contributed 12 points and a team-leading 8 rebounds in 26 minutes of play. An impressive Parliament of Owls.  Graduate student Michael Eric  returned to action after a 13-game absence due to a fractured right patella.

--------------------

A packed but not quite full Palestra, although the attendance was announced as a sellout of 8722. Doubtless, more than a few couldn’t make the game because of “wintry mix” driving conditions. Nonetheless, plenty of spirit and energy in the hoops cathedral, as the Maryland faithful “travel well”, and brought at least several thousand supporters to the Penn campus venue. So it seemed more like a Big Five contest, as each cheering section tried to outdo the other. Only rollouts were absent.

--------------------

A little more than 5 minutes remain in the game.  In the five minutes just elapsed, the Terrapins had cut a 10-point Temple lead to one. In the next 90 SECONDS, first Wyatt, then Moore, and then Fernandez each make unlikely three point shots.  I Believe We Have Won broke out with about one minute remaining.

--------------------

It was an extraordinary day for Philadelphia college basketball, and its fans. For starters, one could have begun  at 11am with the Temple-Maryland tipoff, enjoyed lunch following the game (Slainte, at 30^th and Market, was a good choice yesterday), walked several blocks to the Daskalakis Athletic Center to join 2500 other fans to watch Drexel play Northeastern (the Dragons won), then return to the Palestra to join another sellout crowd to watch Penn edge St. Joe’s in a Big Five classic.  If an Explorers fan, one could have gone to the Gola Arena (instead of the Daskalakis Center)  to see LaSalle play Rhode Island. All in all, five city teams won (Villanova played at Madison Square Garden where they defeated St. John’s) and more than 20,000 fans were in attendance at college basketball games across the city and throughout the day .  Reuben Frank, CSNPhilly columnist,  has an interesting recap of the day (read here ).

-----------------------

Amazing series of ramps now connect part of the Penn campus. It is now possible to walk from the River Field athletic complex to the Palestra without setting foot on a Philadelphia street.

-------------------------

Oddsmakers had the Owls favored by NINE over their ACC opponent.  Surprised me (after all, Maryland entered the game with a record (12-5) identical to Temple’s), but the forecasters had obviously done their research, as the Owls beat the spread. While the game was tight throughout, Temple trailed for less than a minute, and led the entire second half.

--------------------------

The Diamond Gems were in fine form yesterday. The halftime entertainment featured a young man in a Temple teeshirt performing one  balancing act after another (using his chin) , starting with a chair and concluding with a 10-foot stepladder. You had to be there!

--------------------------

Temple now stands at #19 in the RPI rankings.  St. Joe’s, their next opponent at the Liacouras Center, this Saturday at 4pm, holds the 60^th place in the RPI.  Before then, a difficult game on the road, against Charlotte, this Wednesday evening.  Only radio coverage(1210 AM WPHT) of the game.

Chronicowls '12 Temple-Buffalo

Improbable. That was how one fan described the Owls'  home victory over Buffalo. Coming from behind in the final minutes, and winning the game in the final second on Anthony Lee's only basket of the evening. No one seemed certain how the ball wound up in Lee's hands - it seemed to most of us watching from the stands that Wyatt's missed shot had been rebounded by either of two Buffalo players. So here's another look at that improbable finish.

The win kept alive Temple's remarkable home court winning streak. It's now been more than two years since the Owls have lost at the Liacouras Center. And that loss was to Kansas, at the time ranked #1 in the nation.  25 consecutive wins since. Only six schools have a longer active home court winning streak.
---------------------
Buffalo has a solid squad. It wouldn't surprise me if they finished at or near the top of the Mid-American Conference. Considering how well Buffalo shot (better than 55%) and how poorly Temple shot (36%), it's surprising Temple was able to take the game into overtime. (The Owls have fared well this season in extra time games, winning all three they've played). Temple was simply outplayed inside "the paint", being outscored 50-32 and having 7 shots blocked. The key to victory, once again, was taking care of the ball, as the Owls had half as many turnovers (11) as their opponents (22). Juan Fernandez had an especially solid game,   scoring 21 points, recording 6 assists, and turning the ball over but once.
--------------------
A decent crowd of just over 4000, considering that it was Christmas week, an unranked opponent, and the students were on semester break. The fans were treated to an entertaining game, with 13 lead changes, 13 tie scores, and no lead larger than nine points. In other words, a tight game with plenty of drama.
-------------------

The Temple soccer team sold scarves this past fall as a fund-raiser. Edna Hecht, Temple alumni and Hall of Fame member, is modeling the scarf  below. Show your school spirit, keep warm, and be stylish with the Temple scarf. Drop me a note at tpcousounis@gmail.com or to Joe Stulz at jstulz@verizon.net if you're interested in purchasing one (or several).

Two important home games this week. This Wednesday evening, at the Wells Fargo Center, the Owls take on #7 ranked Duke. And this Saturday afternoon, tipping off at 4pm, the Owls open  Atlantic 10 conference play  against Dayton. The Owls now stand at #27 in the RPI ratings.

Lavoy Allen's Breakout Game - St. Bonaventure's 2009 visit to Liacouras

Don't know that I've ever seen this before by a Temple player. But I sure do hope that I'll see more. Lavoy Allen had a double-double in the FIRST half. 13 points and 14 (yes, you read correctly) rebounds. He went on to nab 18 rebounds for the game, setting a Liacouras Center record.
--------------
The second largest crowd of the season. Not certain what was the draw. Surely, it was not Temple's opponent, St. Bonaventure, whose record has been just good enough to earn a spot in the bottom half of the Atlantic 10. By the way, there are probably others, but the Bonnies are the only school I 'm aware of (other than the obvious one) that features brown in its uniforms. So perhaps the crowd was attracted by the birthday celebration (for Hooter, the Temple Owl). His birthday brings out other mascots from throughout the region (including the Philly Phanatic in other years, but not this one). Like college nicknames, I thought I knew mascots, but the only ones I recognized were the Penn Quaker and the Camden Rivershark. I'm not counting the Trenton Thunder mascot because he(she?) had the word Thunder emblazoned across the front of the costume, and beyond that I couldn't make out what I was looking at. There was a lame stunt during one of the time outs in which a "gift from Phil Martelli" was brought out onto the floor - out of the box emerged - what else, the Hawk (and not the real hawk, since St. Joe's had a game at the Palestra at the same time). Of course, the Hawk was immediately confronted by the Owl , a scuffle ensued and the Owl lost his head. He wasn't seen again.
---------------
While on the subject of heads, the Owls ran a promotion featuring a Dionte Christmas bobblehead. Perhaps that was the attraction that drew more than 7000 fans - we arrived shortly before tipoff and were shut out of our Christmas bobblehead. Al Shrier will have to stand alone on the bookshelf in my office. Maybe the bobblehead went to Dionte's head. He made only 4 out of 15 shots, in the process taking several ill-advised shots that were easily in NBA three-point range. Christmas scored 18 points to maintain his conference scoring lead (he's on track to become the first player to lead the Atlantic 10 in scoring for three seasons) but he'll have to regain his shooting stroke if the Owls are to play well into March. Christmas made one of his three-pointers with 16 minutes remaining in the game to put the Owls up by 17. It was the last Temple score for the next five minutes, during which St. Bonaventure cut the deficit down to 8, and at the same time put our departure plans on hold.
---------------
The Owls were sloppy handling the ball. More turnovers than assists. Enough said.
---------------
The bookmakers were on the mark, again. Temple was favored by 16 points. With four minutes left in the game, the Owls were ahead by 16.
Had their final shot of the game gone in, the winning margin would have been...16.
---------------
Temple now has a 9-3 record in the A-10 and is tied for first in the conference with Xavier and Dayton. The Owls travel to Dayton next Saturday for a game that very likely could determine the top seed in the conference tournament. I'm told the game will be shown on Comcast Sports Network.
---------------
Watching Juan Fernandez play invariably draws comparisons to Juan Ignacio Sánchez, better known to Philadelphians as Pepe. In the "where is he now" category, Pepe is 32 years old and playing with Real Madrid in the Spanish League. He's getting about 20 minutes per game, and as you might expect, not scoring very much but continues to be a playmaker (he averages more assists than points per game). Once again, Fernandez showed flashes of brilliance, bringing oohs and aahs from the crowd as well as heaping doses of optimism for the next four years.
Perhaps the Temple soccer coach could pick up some recruiting tips from Fran Dunphy. Temple's hoops roster includes four internationals (Olmos, Fernandez, Michael Eric (from Nigeria) and Craig Williams (from Virgin Islands).
--------------
For the first time in years, I parked in the Liacouras Center garage. It was raw and raining at 2pm, for those of you wondering what madness had overcome me. We stayed to the final buzzer. We were out of the lot in about 15 minutes, although it sure seemed longer while we were stationary on the third level. It set back our post-game plans just a little bit. Wanting to try a new (to us) spot, we ventured to Liberties restaurant in Northern Liberties, where a large group of middle-aged men (who from their looks were either police officers or members of an Irish sporting club) had taken over the establishment. Up the street we went to Standard Tap, where we were told the kitchen wouldn't be serving for another 30 minutes. (These 2pm tipoffs leave those looking for a meal in a predicament). Wound up at North on Third, where, as in seasons past, the service, food, and ambience were first-rate. It's at the corner of 3rd and Brown Sts.
　

Chronicowls '11, Post 5 (Temple - St. Louis)

Listless. How a nearby fan described yesterday afternoon at the Liacouras Center. Apt, if describing the Temple basketball team, the Diamond Gems, and the crowd. Only the Temple pep band, small in number but large in enthusiasm, were undeserving of the label.
---------------
Good teams find a way to win games they don't deserve, according to conventional sports wisdom. That's probably the best which can be said about the Owls performance against St. Louis University. The Owls were outrebounded by one of the poorest rebounding teams in the nation. The Owls had one stretch where they missed 11 shots in a row. Lavoy Allen committed as many fouls (4) and turnovers (4) as he scored points (4). St. Louis did not help their cause - they did not make a three-point shot. Don't recall the last time an opponent came into the Liacouras Center and failed to make a three-pointer.
---------------

The nickname of St. Louis University is the Billiken. It's a mythical creature, like the dragon, griffin, or elf. The school newspaper describes it as a jovial creature with a broad smile, a rotund belly and a tuft of hair on top of his head. Translation: some weird member of the elf family. Or as another observer of college mascots put it, if an Ewok and a Gremlin produced offspring, you may have an idea of what a Billiken looks like. Though no one is certain of why the Billiken came to be the mascot, there are a couple of things the Billiken positively stands for: good luck, happiness and heaps of grins. Apart from a rabbit's foot, souvenirs symbolizing a Billiken are next in line for bringing you luck. Not a bad mascot to have on your side.
---------------
As if to stir the crowd out of its somnolence, the music during time-outs was cranked up to ear-splitting levels. And, please, will someone in TU's athletic department ask the PA announcer to push away the microphone once he announces the names of the contestants during a time-out. The fans don't need a running commentary (she dribbles, he shoots, he misses). We're perfectly able to follow the action on the court. It's really no different than following the action during the game - we don't need the PA announcer to describe what we're seeing.
One of the contests during a time-out turned out to be a test of endurance for the contestants, who had to make at least 3 full-court dashes before even getting to pick up a basketball. It took the The PA announcer nearly 30 seconds to describe what the contestants had to do to win a $100 certificate to the Fresh Grocer. Nice prize, bu t next time just let the two students play out the contest and skip the explanation for the fans. We already have an idea that the first one to score a basket is the winner.
---------------
Home team usually receives four points from the bookmakers. Familiarity with the baskets/rims is one reason. Temple made fewer than one out of three shots yesterday. Loud support from a large crowd is another reason. 3300 fans, mostly sitting on their hands. Favorable calls from the referees is yet another reason. Surely, the referees were worth all four of those points yesterday, as most of the late-game calls favored the home team.
---------------
Fernandez was on the bench in street clothes. Injured his knee in a practice. His presence was missed. The Owls only recorded seven assists. His status for Wednesday's game against St. Bonaventure is uncertain.
--------------
Pub Webb (on Cecil B. Moore Avenue) turned out to be an ideal post-game spot. Just a block walk from the Liacouras Center. Available table for a party of six, large-screen TV for Eagles viewing, and meaty chicken wings (the mild sauce is on the spicy side, can't imagine what the "atomic" sauce is like).
-------------
Next game is Wednesday night, against a St. Bonaventure squad that has racked up 9 wins already, including one over St. John's. Students will still be on break, so I'll be surprised if the attendance tops 4000. Too bad, because the Owls are one of the top teams in the country.

A Look Back at Christmas (Five Months of It)

There hasn't been a home game for more than two  weeks, so no posts in that time. But I thought I'd try something different. The Owls will be  in New York City tomorrow night to match up against Fordham for their first game of 2011. Below is  a post from February 2009, when Fordham was a much weaker side than now, and visited the Liacouras Center.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The oddsmakers are brilliant. The spread for last night's Temple-Fordham game was 26. With just under 7 minutes remaining in the game, the Owls' lead was , yup, you guessed it, 26. And so, for the final 7 minutes, the lead went up and down, never more than 28, nor less than 22.
And, at the end, after Juan Fernandez scored his first points of the game, the Owls beat the spread. The oddsmakers should be our weather forecasters, and the weather forecasters should be our oddsmakers. The world would be a better place.
--------------
For a betting person, 26 points is a lot to be conceding. I would have taken the points (as would have everyone polled in last night's informal survey in Section 114 of the Liacouras Center). With seven minutes remaining in the first half, the score was tied at 18. The Owls were sloppy and playing without any intensity. At that point, a win of any margin was in doubt. Fordham went the next six minutes without a basket, and the Owls led at half-time by 11.
--------------
Intermission brought out two pairs of salsa dancers (among the best halftime entertainment this season) and a pitch from the head of Temple's Transplant Service to be an organ donor (no, February is not National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Month , it's April, but hey, it's not likely that there will be nearly 4000 fans in the Liacouras Center stands in April). Come to think of it, it's not likely that there would be 3800 fans in attendance for a Wednesday night game against a Fordham team with 20 losses already on their record - the official attendance was 3837, but there couldn't have been more than 2500 fans in the stands.
-------------
The Owls' play was considerably better in the second half. All in all, a decent effort (15 assists to 10 turnovers), balanced scoring, good shooting (50% from the field, although Christmas hasn't regained his stroke) and tight defense.
--------------
In my office, I have an Al Shrier bobblehead (Al Shrier has served the athletic program at Temple in a PR capacity for more than 50 years).
This Sunday, if I'm among the first 3000 fans (I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't 3000 fans in attendance) I'll add a Dionte Christmas bobblehead to my collection (hey, I know it's not Cole Hamels, but I have to give Temple credit for their Five Months of Christmas campaign, it's clever and well-executed.)
-------------
We heard the winning 50-50 raffle ticket announced last night. Once again, we were advised by the student-athlete sellers, (it was the men's soccer team last night, so of course we were full supporters) to listen for the announcement at halftime. We know better. We listened carefully during the first time out AFTER intermission. No announcement. But our patience and attentiveness was rewarded during the next timeout. We missed the winning number by TWO.
-------------
Temple's record now stands at 16 up, and 9 down. Five games left in the regular season. Before last night's game, Temple was 34th in the RPI rankings. That is their best ranking in more than 5 years. An at-large bid to March Madness remains a possibility, but not a distinct one. 22 wins (including the A10 tournament) is what it will take (I believe) to earn a bid, if the Owls do not win the Atlantic 10 conference tournament.
------------
For a 17-year old just out of high school and living in a foreign country, Juan Fernandez handles himself with lots of poise on the court. And off it as well, as we learned last night at the post-game spot (St. Stephen Green, 17th and Green) at which we had gathered for some gustatory delights. We had a good meal there recently, and although the service was at best uneven, we thought we would give it another chance (it's but five minutes from the Liacouras Center, and parking is relatively easy). Well, the food was good, but the kitchen was very slow in getting our orders out ( it seems to us that the kitchen gets overwhelmed easily), and our server not especially attentive. But she did notice our Temple apparel, and proudly noted to us that 1) she's a Temple student and 2) there's a Temple basketball player in our midst.
Sure enough, it was Juan Fernandez (with a soft drink in front of him), and on our way out, we stopped by his table to convey our wishes for a successful academic and playing career at Temple. He and his dining companions seemed very appreciative of our gesture. I'd like to think that years from now, he'll look back on his early days in the US (and at Temple) and recall the advice and encouragement he received from some fans after a game at a bar long forgotten.