Coach: Fran Dunphy (55-43 in three seasons at school, 361-205 in 20 seasons overall)
Last season: 22-12
Postseason: Lost in first round of the NCAA Tournament to Arizona State, 66-57.
Last league title: 2008
Last NCAA berth: 2008
PROJECTED STARTERS
C Lavoy Allen, Jr. 10.9 pts. 9.0 reb.
F Michael Eric, So. 2.7 2.1
G Ryan Brooks, Sr. 10.6 3.8
G Luis Guzman, Sr. 2.1 2.1
G Juan Fernandez, So. 5.5 1.9
KEY RESERVES
F Craig Williams, Jr. 5.3 3.0
F Scootie Randall, So. 1.2 0.5
G Ramone Moore, So. 4.5 2.3
F Carmel Bouchman, Fr. *8.0 7.7
G Khalif Wyatt, Fr. *20.0 4.0
F Rahlir Jefferson, Fr. *17.6 10.0
*Note: Bouchman's statistics are for Israel in 18-under Euro championship, Wyatt's and Jefferson's are high school.
It all comes down to ... How do you replace the 20 points a game that Dionte Christmas gave you each of the last three seasons? It probably won't come from any one player, which means a bunch of guys are going to have to contribute more. And not just at that position. There's no lack of potential candidates. But which ones are going to emerge, and when?
Shouldering the load: No secret here. This is now Lavoy Allen's team. He has to become a dominant figure. The ability is obvious, so it's pretty much up to him. He has to become for Temple a lot like what Ahmad Nivins was for Saint Joseph's. The better he gets, the easier it should be for his teammates to develop as well.
Number to watch: Temple limited opponents to 65 points or fewer 20 times. It won 19 of those games. The lone loss was to Villanova (62-45) in late December.
Key stretches: Well, three of the first five games are against Georgetown, Siena and Virginia Tech. Then there's 2 weeks in December that include Penn State, Villanova and Seton Hall. As for the Atlantic 10, how about La Salle and Duquesne at home, followed by Richmond on the road from Jan. 30-Feb. 6? Or maybe Dayton home, then La Salle away in late February.
Quote of note: "I think each team has a different personality, each and every year. I still don't know what this team's personality is yet. Until we get in some tough, hard-fought games, I don't think you can predict that. Can these guys find ways to win? That's the mark of a true champion. The last 2 years, we got better and better as the year went on. I hope that's the case this year." - Fran Dunphy
