Lavoy Allen

There was a Dionte Christmas bobblehead doll giveaway at the Liacouras Center, but even the Temple star acknowledged that Lavoy Allen merited a figurine as well. Instead of an oversize nodding head, though, an Allen statuette should have jumbo arms and hands that bounce up and down. Whether it was grabbing rebound after rebound or flushing the basketball through the hoop, the Owls forward repeated that motion over and over as Temple coasted past St. Bonaventure, 70-56, yesterday on North Broad Street.

It's no secret that the play of sophomore forward Lavoy Allen, who needs to become more consistent, could be one of the biggest keys to Temple's late-season aspirations. Maybe he's coming on at just the right time. In his last two games, he's averaged 18.5 points and 13.5 rebounds, scoring a career-high 23 in Sunday's 68-62 home win over Rhode Island. For that, he was named the Big 5 Player of the Week for the first time. It might not be his last. The 6-9 Pennsbury High product is fourth in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding at 7.8 per game, and leads the Owls (13-9, 6-3)

On Saturday - the last day for underclassmen to declare their intentions under NCAA rules - Temple forward Lavoy Allen withdrew his name from consideration for next month's NBA Draft. Allen was unavailable for comment Saturday, but Owls coach Fran Dunphy spoke about his star player's decision. "I'm happy for him, and I'm happy for the program, because it was the right thing to do," Dunphy said. "We move on, and hopefully, this time next year, he will be in a much more advantageous position.

Temple senior center Lavoy Allen yesterday was added to the USA Men's Select Team, replacing Georgia forward Howard Thompkins. Allen trained with the Select Team, coached by Villanova's Jay Wright, last month in Las Vegas. The Select Team will train against Team USA in New York from Aug. 11-13, providing competition for Team USA, which will compete in the world championships from Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Turkey. In other Temple news, the Owls will play California in the first round of the Old Spice Classic on Thanksgiving night in Orlando, Fla. The Owls and Cal, both NCAA Tournament teams last season, will tip off at 9 o'clock.

After Saturday's disheartening 70-62 home loss to Princeton, the last game before the start of the conference portion of the schedule, disappointed St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli said, "Now it's on to the Atlantic Ten. Ready or not, here we come. " Last night, against city rival Temple in the A-10 opener for both teams, the Hawks were ready. They just weren't able. The difference in size and talent was reflected in the Owls easy 73-46 win at the Liacouras Center. The loss was the ninth in the last 10 games for the Hawks (4-9, 0-1)

Temple couldn't contain Western Michigan's David Kool, but the Owls had double-digit scoring efforts from four of their starters last night to emerge with a 76-70 victory at University Arena. Kool finished with 30 points for the host Broncos (2-3) of the Mid-American Conference. Ryan Brooks had a double-double for Temple (5-2), scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Craig Williams and Juan Fernandez each added 14 points for Temple, while Lavoy Allen scored 13 points.

Who: No. 7 Temple vs. No. 10 Penn State What: NCAA First Round (West Region), McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz. When: 2:10 p.m. TV/Radio: TNT/WPHT (1210-AM) History: Temple leads the series, 59-32. The teams played last season and the season before that. Temple won both, including 45-42 last season. How they got here: Temple (at large from Atlantic 10), Penn State (at large from Big Ten) Coaches: Fran Dunphy (Temple)

What many considered a formality turned out to be a real tryout. The 76ers had Temple product Lavoy Allen in for two predraft workouts, and the 6-9, all-time leading rebounder for the Owls apparently impressed enough to warrant the team to select him with the 50th overall pick. "I think I definitely proved that I could play at a high level and have a high motor," said Allen, a Pennsbury High grad. "I was a little surprised when they took me. I know there's no guarantees in the NBA draft, especially in the second round.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Starting Wednesday it will be Training Camp, Part 2, for the 76ers. Part 1 included the team holding about 10 practices, collectively finding their legs, familiarizing themselves with one another and somewhat getting ready for the preseason. That preseason, which heaved seven games in 12 days onto the team, ended Monday at the Carrier Dome with a 98-90 win over the New York Knicks and a 6-1 record. Now comes the favorite part of coaching for Doug Collins - getting in the gym with his team.

Spend enough time around elite athletes and you come to realize something that you'd otherwise miss. While many wrongly assume they are all mostly narcissistic, self-centered, intolerant and out of touch, I've always felt that they have, in some regards, a better perspective on some things than the fans who complain about the salaries they help to pay. Athletes operate in a world where many of the picayune barriers we erect - racism, sexism and...