It is no coincidence that Temple has been in the NCAA tournament each of those four years. During that time, Allen has been an exceptional defender and a great cog in the team's sharing philosophy, but he has never been the monster underneath the basket that his physical gifts would suggest.
And so Lavoy Allen enters what might be the final game of his college career as an enigmatic figure and is facing the sort of challenge and comparison that could be Temple's undoing.
While the Owls offense is built on perimeter shooting and penetration by its guards, San Diego State, the No. 2 seed in the West Regional and Saturday's opponent, is a very strong frontcourt team. Kawhi Leonard is the best of them, a 6-foot-7 forward with hands the size of pie plates who rebounds as if it were a religion. He isn't much of a shooter, but he is one of those "high-motor" players who can overwhelm opponents.
Coming off a game in which he had just one field goal and didn't get that until the final two minutes, Allen will need to step up his own intensity against San Diego State. He said that is his intention, but if Temple loses and people point to the frontcourt battle as the difference, they will pretty much be pointing at Allen.
"When you're a good player, you have to take the criticism along with everything else," Allen said. "I don't mind it. I've been criticized a lot of times before, but I'm just trying to help the team win. There have been times I've deserved the criticism, and I just use it to motivate me."
Dunphy agrees with the old adage that a wise coach has to accept the whole player, utilizing his strengths and living with his weaknesses. He takes that bargain with Allen without hesitation.
