His eyes are on the prize

The fun-loving senior is looking to add to the tradition of great guard play at Temple.

In the long and storied history of the men’s basketball program, names like Guy Rodgers, Hal Lear, Bill Mlkvy and Mark Macon line the banners of the Liacouras Center.

Recently, it’s been the likes of Pepe Sanchez, Lynn Greer, David Hawkins and Mardy Collins who have carried on the tradition.

Now, senior guard Dionte Christmas has his chance to add his name to that prestigious list. He has his chance to be the next 1,500-point scorer, the next guy to carry his team deep into the NCAA Tournament.

And that’s why a year after leading the Owls to their first Tournament appearance since 2001, Christmas’ eyes are set on making another run.

Anything short of that would be a failure.

“It’s definitely a must,” he said. “Getting past the first round is a must for me. I wouldn’t feel complete if I didn’t get past the first round of the Tournament.”

Last year, Christmas and his 19.7 points per game helped the Owls capture the Atlantic Ten Conference Championship and make the Tournament as a No. 11 seed. But they lost to No. 6 Michigan State, badly, in the first round.

Yet, the entire year was not all bad.

“It felt so good in the second half of the season to pick it up like we did,” Christmas said. “It was fun. It was a fun ride. And with the help of [everyone], we could do it again this year.”

This will be a big year for Christmas, with NBA scouts watching his every move and Temple fans looking at him to lead the way. The weight of an entire program rests softly on his 6-foot-5-inch frame.
But perhaps he has the right mindset for a job like that.

“He keeps his antics going all day. [He] just doesn’t stop,” senior guard Semaj Inge said. “Always talking, talking about girls, talking about basketball. [He’s] just always talking.”

“He’s just a funny guy. He loves to joke around,” junior guard Ryan Brooks added. “[He] makes the atmosphere a positive atmosphere that everybody wants to be around.”

That kind of personality can be a key for a team to have, with long bus trips, plane rides and weight room sessions common occurrences during the tiring days of a basketball season.

With that, it helps to have a joking, talkative guy like Christmas around.

But don’t peg the Philadelphia Lutheran Christian Academy product as just comic relief. He also has a bit of a competitive streak going for him.

“The first time I came here, I remember him saying, ‘You’re going to have to earn your playing time,’” Brooks said. “I definitely [took] it personally. … He wasn’t going to let a freshman come in and take his time. So, I definitely knew right away that he was very competitive.”

That kind of attitude led Christmas to practice his game every day during the summer after his sophomore year of high school. Practicing helped him have the breakout junior season that led to his eventual scholarship at Temple.

Now, in his final year on North Broad Street, all those days in the gym and all those nights practicing his jump shot are going to come into play more than ever.

He is the go-to guy on this Owls team. He is now the guy who will make this team go.

But, his coach said he should have spent some of that time practicing his defense.

“I’m not expecting him to be the second coming of Scottie Pippen or whatever,” coach Fran Dunphy said. “But I’d like him to play a little better defense than he has in the past. He’s heard me enough on that.”

However, Christmas considers defense the part of his game people don’t give him enough credit for.
“I’m a great defender,” he said. “Everybody sees a lot of my offense, but I can be a great defender and a great passer.”

That running subplot, alongside many others, is sure to be a focal point for the Owls this season.
Just don’t tell Christmas that.

“I’m just focused on Nov. 14 when we toss that ball up against East Tennessee State,” he said. “That’s the only thing on my mind right now.”

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

Christmas still a Sixer

Dionte Christmas hit a 3-pointer in his second Philadelphia 76ers’ preseason game. He’s still on the roster after earning a training camp invite.

Dionte Christmas sat on the Philadelphia 76ers’ bench in his red-and-white warm-ups for a little more than 35 minutes last Friday night, an unusual spot for the three-time Atlantic Ten Conference scoring champion.

And then, with 22.8 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Sixers coach Eddie Jordan motioned for Christmas to check in at the scorer’s table and enter the game.

“Today just felt extra good, being home and when I got in, the ovation I got from the crowd,” Christmas said. “To know that Philly is behind me throughout the whole process I’m going through and for all my family to be here and see me play, my dad, my mom, my grandmom, aunts, uncles, a couple of friends, is just really special.”

In his five-plus minutes on the court, Christmas hit a 3-pointer, grabbed a defensive rebound and stole a pass intended for the New Jersey Nets’ Chris Douglas-Roberts.

Though Jordan removed him from the game with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter, the coach credited Christmas, fellow guard Willie Green and forward Jason Kapono with jump-starting the Sixers’ comeback in their 93-92 NBA preseason win. Christmas’ 3-pointer with 10:40 remaining in the fourth quarter got the Sixers to within 11 points at 71-60.

“Dionte Christmas, along with Willie Green and Jason Kapono, were the unsung heroes who started the comeback and got it going,” Jordan said. “That group got it going, and then in the end, our stars made the shots.”

“For me to hit that big shot, the pass from Willie Green was great, but for me to hit that shot and start that little run that we had, felt so good,” Christmas added. “[Coach Jordan] mentioned that in the locker room, and that just made my day. For coach Jordan to say that I was one of the reasons why we won that game felt good. If God blesses me enough to get a contract, that’s something that they’re going to get out of me every night. I play hard, and I know my role here, and that’s to play defense and come in and make shots.”

Christmas said he knew the Sixers would invite him to training camp after he finished playing for the Los Angeles Clippers in the Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 2.6 points in five games. The Sixers watched him play up close and in person before that, though, as their entry in the Orlando Pro Summer League. There, Christmas averaged 9.3 points and two rebounds in four games.

“Immediately after the Las Vegas League, my agent got a call saying they were interested,” Christmas said. “In fact, I had gotten a phone call from [76ers’ General Manager] Ed Stefanski the day of the NBA draft [June 25], like five minutes after the draft went off. He personally called my cell phone to say that they might have interest in me. I was hoping they would call me, and they did.

“Today, when I got out there, everybody, Lou [Williams], Elton [Brand], Andre [Iguodala], Willie [Green], just said, ‘Get out there and do what you do – make shots. Don’t try to think too much, just play basketball,’” Christmas added.

In his only other preseason appearance, Christmas played almost nine minutes and missed all three of his shot attempts. He did connect on three-of-four free-throw attempts, corral two rebounds and tally an assist against the Toronto Raptors.

The Sixers open the regular season Oct. 28 at the Orlando Magic. By then, they must condense their roster to 15 players, 12 of whom can be active for any individual game.

“I don’t even know when I find out if I make the roster,” Christmas said. “That’s a good question. I don’t know. I’m just playing it by ear. I’m looking on nba.com to see who’s getting released. Some of those guys are my friends. We went through similar situations in June. Every day I come in, and I’m still here for another day. I talked to Mark [Tyndale] after he was released, and he just told me to stay in there. He said I’m one of the last Temple players left and that everyone’s rooting for me. I’ll get in there any way I can. I just need to get my foot in that door.”

Jennifer Reardon can be reached at jennifer.reardon@temple.edu.

Christmas goes undrafted

Dionte Christmas waited, but his name wasn’t one of the 60 that were called at tonight’s NBA draft in New York City.

The senior guard, who averaged 19.5 points per game on his way to a record third consecutive Atlantic Ten Conference scoring title, spent the night at his home in Philadelphia with 30 of his closest friends and family members.

“I wasn’t expecting my name to be called,” Christmas said. “I thought if I heard it in the first round or even later that it would be a blessing. I think it’s worse for my family, though. They wanted to hear my name now.”

Christmas said his agent, Andre Buck, already knows of a few teams – the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies – that are interested in him.

“Hopefully by tomorrow, I’ll be signed and picked up by a team,” he said. “I don’t have any preferences, I just want to be on a team and in the NBA.”

Former Temple Owls Lynn Greer and Mardy Collins and current Temple men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy texted Christmas after the draft and told him to “keep his head up.”

“My dad was real upset,” Christmas said. “But I told him I’ve been the underdog my whole career. It’s going to motivate me in the proper way. I can’t go nowhere but up.”

Christmas on track for NBA

Three years ago, Dionte Christmas was your typical freshman spectator gawking wide-eyed at the coverage of the 2006 NBA draft.

He celebrated as his fellow Temple teammate Mardy Collins was selected by the New York Knicks with the No. 29 pick, knowing full well that he could one day be in a similar position. Sure enough, with the 2009 draft approaching on June 25, Christmas is slated to be a late first-round, early second-round pick.
“At that time, it was so far away. It was a big dream to me because I was a freshman,” the senior guard said. “But now, it’s really starting to come true, and I’m getting closer and closer every day to that dream. It’s crazy.”

Christmas, who won the Atlantic Ten Conference scoring title for three consecutive years, has been brushing up on his skills for the next level. Aside from occasional team practices, Christmas is staying in shape with cardio workouts and a lifting regimen.

He is also getting valuable information passed down from NBA friends Collins, Hakim Warrick and John Salmons.

“When you go [to the NBA], you have to be as focused as possible and just be in the best shape you can because the workouts are tough as far as conditioning,” Christmas said. “You got to be in as good as shape as anybody there.”

Christmas admits that one adjustment he’ll have to make is on the defensive side of the ball. However, he credits coaches John Chaney and Fran Dunphy with providing priceless lessons through four years of wearing No. 22.

“I was coached by two of the best coaches I think of all time,” Christmas said. “Coach Chaney is one of the best guard coaches of all time. I learned a bulk of things from him. I definitely learned a lot from coach Dunphy as far as the mental aspect. He’s very high on that.”

The 6-foot-5-inch scoring specialist has signed with agent Andre Buck, who also represents Collins and former Owls Dustin Salisbery and Mark Tyndale. Buck has been in contact with numerous teams that he said are interested in his client. Christmas does not have a favorite team pinned down but is prepared to pack his bags and relocate.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out,” Christmas said. “I’m willing to go to any team. I don’t care. Whether that’s the Lakers or Toronto Raptors, I don’t care.”

Christmas couldn’t help but ponder what teammates could be dishing him the ball at least 82 games per season.

“I would love to play with a point guard like Chris Paul or Jason Kidd or Deron Williams, one of those guys, and just sit in the corner,” Christmas said. “I watch a lot of guys like Rasual Butler and Kyle Korver. Those guys have great point guards, [and] they just sit in the corner and get a lot of open shots.”

Christmas is willing to accept whatever role he may get with a future NBA team. He said he believes his energy and leadership abilities make him a significant asset.

“I just want to come in to any team and contribute any way I can, whether that’s sitting in a corner knocking down threes or getting in the game and guarding the best player night in and night out,” Christmas said.

At Temple, Christmas finished fourth all-time in scoring with 2,043 points and first all time in made 3-pointers with 319. Plenty of accomplishments line his résumé on North Broad Street, but one goal still remains – to graduate.

Next week, Christmas plans to complete his degree in African-American studies and become an official alumnus. Then, a little more than a month later, he will soak in the sights and sounds of draft day from a much better vantage point than in 2006 – Madison Square Garden in New York.

Anthony Stipa can be reached at anthonystipa@temple.edu.

Looking Back

And like that, another year is complete at Temple.

There were highs, lows, good moments, bad moments and everything in between. With finals looming and the sweet release of summer right behind them, let’s take a look back at all that was from the 2008-2009 season.

AUGUST
The students filed into the dorms and back onto campus as the football team opened its season with a 35-7 win over Army in West Point, N.Y. It was the first time since 2002 that the Owls won their opening game.

The field hockey team also began its season with two 5-0 wins over Lehigh and Bryant. In addition, Eric Mobley was named coach of the track and field teams.

SEPTEMBER
It was a rough month for the football team.

The Owls lost back-to-back heartbreakers to Connecticut (in overtime) and Buffalo (on a Hail Mary). The next week against Penn State, they lost DiMichele to an injury. The following week, they lost the Homecoming game to Western Michigan, 7-3.

Meanwhile, the women’s soccer team also struggled, finishing the month at 2-5-2. The men’s soccer team finished the month with an average 4-3-1 record, but the best was yet to come for coach David MacWilliams’ team.

The men’s cross-country team had one of its best showings with a second-place finish in the Monmouth Cross Country Kickoff. The field hockey team lost six games in a row to end the month with a 4-6 record, while the volleyball team went 8-6 over the month, including a 3-0 mark in the Atlantic Ten Conference.

Also, men’s tennis coach Steve Mauro took on the task of coaching the women’s tennis team.

OCTOBER
The football team went on the road to beat Miami (Ohio), 28-10, and took down Ohio, 14-10, as DiMichele returned to the lineup. In between, the Owls lost to Central Michigan, 24-10.

The golf team followed up its stellar showing at the St. Bonaventure Invitational by winning the Big 5 Championship.

The field hockey team began A-10 play with three straight wins. However, the Owls followed those up with three straight losses to end the month at 3-2 in conference and 7-11 overall.

The men’s soccer team went 4-1-2. Six of those games came in A-10 play to lay the grounds for a playoff bid. The women’s soccer team beat Richmond, 1-0, to nab its lone victory in a dreadful 1-6-1 month. The volleyball team lost four straight A-10 games to begin its late season slide.

NOVEMBER
The football team blew a 27-7 fourth-quarter lead to Navy and lost in overtime. The Owls followed that up with a defenseless 41-38 loss to Kent State to take them out of postseason contention.

Though, the Owls did end their season with a pair of victories over Eastern Michigan and Akron, finishing 5-7 — the most wins for the program since 1990.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams opened their seasons, with the men slumping out of the gate with a 3-2 mark and the women going 3-1.

The field hockey team lost in the A-10 semifinals for the fifth straight year, though this time it was a crushing overtime defeat.

The 2-0-1 finish to the regular season put the men’s soccer team into the A-10 Tournament as the No. 2 seed. But, the Owls fell to Dayton, 2-1, to end their season. The women’s soccer team closed its season with with a 4-11-4 record. The volleyball team went 1-3 to end the regular season and lost to Xavier, 3-2, in the playoffs.

DECEMBER
After a home-opening loss to Miami (Ohio), senior guard Dionte Christmas hit for 35 points in an upset win over then-No. 7 Tennessee. The Owls also went on the road to beat Penn State. However, three straight losses to end the month left coach Fran Dunphy’s squad at 5-6 overall.

The women’s basketball team, led by first-year coach Tonya Cardoza, fell to Rutgers, Florida State and Villanova and beat Toledo, Tulane, Ball State and Dartmouth. The Owls stood at 7-4 overall.

JANUARY
The men’s basketball team won seven of nine games to begin the season at 4-2 in A-10 play. The Owls dominated the likes of La Salle and Richmond but lost to a lesser team in Massachusetts and were frustratingly inconsistent against Rhode Island. During that stretch, former coach John Chaney and Dr. Ray Moyer were inducted into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame.

The women’s basketball team fell big to Duke but began the year at 4-2 in conference with key wins versus Dayton and St. Joe’s.

FEBRUARY
After losing to powerhouse Xavier, the men’s basketball team rattled off five wins in a row, including back-to-back road victories against St. Joe’s and Duquesne. The wins put the Owls in the bubble talk for the NCAA Tournament, but that chatter ended after two straight losses to La Salle at home and at Dayton. At the end of the month, the Owls stood at 17-11 overall and 9-5 in the A-10.

The women’s basketball team lost big at UMass, but that was it. Massive wins against Charlotte and then-No. 13 Xavier sent the Owls to the top of the conference. They finished the month 19-8 and 10-3 in the A-10.

The fencing team won the NIWFA Championships and got 12 players selected for the NCAA Regionals, where nine advanced to the finals.

Meanwhile, the lacrosse team opened its season with a 16-9 defeat to Rutgers, and the softball team began its season with a 6-3 victory over Georgetown.

The baseball team started out at 2-2.

MARCH
The men’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year by once again winning the A-10 Tournament. Wins versus St. Joe’s, Xavier and Duquesne sent the Owls dancing to Miami as a No. 11 seed.

However, sixth-seeded Arizona State downed the Owls, 66-57, to end their season and the careers of Christmas, guard Semaj Inge and center Sergio Olmos. The Owls finished the year at 22-12 overall and 11-5 in the A-10.

The women’s basketball team also made the NCAA Tournament, earning an at-large bid. The Owls were seeded ninth against No. 8 Florida, and the Gators chomped down on the Owls, 70-57, in Storrs, Conn. The Owls finished the season 21-10 overall and 11-3 in the A-10.

Meanwhile, Howell and fellow junior Melissa Parker were named honorable mention All-Americans, as the fencing team finished in eighth place at the NCAA Championships.

The women’s gymnastics team finished in third place at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships, but the real story was sophomore Katie Canning, who captured the beam championship and later qualified for the NCAA Regionals.

The lacrosse team lost all eight games in this month, falling to 0-9. The softball team snapped its long losing streak with a 4-3 victory against Wagner.

And finally, seven straight losses didn’t affect the baseball team, as it began A-10 play with three-game sweeps of Duquesne and La Salle.

APRIL
Canning took home the gold in All-Around and Vault in the USAG Championships.

The golf team finished its season with a fourth-place showing in the A-10 Championship. Also, the men’s gymnastics team failed to win its fourth ECAC title in a row, finishing in fourth place in the Championship.

The women’s tennis team fell to Richmond in the A-10 finals, 4-0. The men’s tennis team came in sixth place in the A-10 Tournament.

The lacrosse team finally won a game, beating Richmond, 12-6. The Owls finished the season with a 4-12 record. The softball team rebounded to stand 6-6 in the A-10.

The baseball team stumbled after taking two of three games against UMass, losing twice to St. Joe’s and two out of three times to both Charlotte and Xavier. They stood in third place the A-10 standings.
Finally, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected defensive tackle Terrance Knighton with the 72nd overall pick of the NFL draft.

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

Torch is now in Brooks’ hands

MIAMI – Nobody in the Owls’ locker room was particularly happy.

They sat there eating, looking at magazines, finishing interviews, staring blankly at the wall, killing time until the bus would take them to the charter for a return flight to Philadelphia.

Just a few minutes earlier, Arizona State had eliminated the men’s basketball team from the NCAA Tournament with a 66-57 victory Friday afternoon. The Owls couldn’t contain senior forward Jeff Pendergraph or junior guard Derek Glasser, who both hit for 22 points in the sixth-seeded Sun Devils’ win over the 11th-seeded Owls.

Senior guard Dionte Christmas was the lone Owl to light up the scoreboard, as he notched a game-high 29 points and hit on five 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Lavoy Allen added his 14th double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, but they were the only two in double figures.

The rest of the box score was highlighted by lows: senior guard Semaj Inge’s 0-for-10 effort, junior guard Ryan Brooks’ 3-for-10 day from the field and 1-for-5 day from beyond the arc, freshman guard Juan Fernandez’s two fouls in less than two minutes in the first half and just six minutes of playing time overall.

Still, Temple (22-11) hung with Arizona State, fighting back from a 13-point first-half deficit to get within three. When the Sun Devils added to the lead, the Owls once again chipped away, getting back to within one or two possessions late in the second half.

But, Christmas missed a 3-pointer. Allen missed a jump shot. Brooks missed a trey. There was no foul call on a missed Sun Devil free throw. Christmas was whistled for a questionable travel. Just as quickly as it all started back in October, the clock hit zero at the American Airlines Arena, and a dejected group of Owls wandered aimlessly into the tunnel.

“We had our moments. We had our looks,” coach Fran Dunphy said. “[But], we did not take advantage of them as we needed to in a game of this magnitude on this stage.”

The Owls held the Pacific-10 Conference’s leading scorer, sophomore guard James Harden, without a field goal until the 4:04 mark of the second half when he sunk a 3-pointer at the top of the key to push Arizona State’s lead to seven.

“If you would have told us that James Harden would have ended up with nine points and I would have had 20 points and we lost the game, I would have thought you were crazy,” Christmas said. “[But] I thought Ryan Brooks did a tremendous job on him throughout the game.”

With Harden locked down, it was Glasser’s four first-half treys and the Sun Devils’ more than 50 percent shooting from the field that did the Owls in.

“That’s what makes them a good team, they’re more than just James Harden,” Christmas said.

And as Arizona State moved on to lose to third-seeded Syracuse in the second round Sunday afternoon, the Owls began to think about next season.

“We’ll gather next week,” Dunphy said. “Thank [the seniors] for their great careers, and then the rest of us will move on to try to get back here again, which is not an easy task.”

The thanking will certainly start with Christmas, who finished his Temple career as the single-season record holder for made 3-pointers with 107 and with 2,043 points all-time — which is good enough for fourth all-time.

While the NBA appears to be next, right now, he’s just putting everything into perspective.

“It was great,” Christmas said of his time at Temple. “[I had] a lot of great memories, especially under coach Dunphy. It’s been a fun time while I was here, two A-10 Championships, two [NCAA] Tournament appearances, there’s not too many people who can say they did that. I think I had a wonderful career here.”

Inge, who went through some ups and downs throughout his time at Temple, decided to appreciate what he had accomplished.

“I’m glad that my career ended in the NCAA Tournament, not just on a bad season,” he said.

The third departing senior, center Sergio Olmos, cried as he left the court and had difficulty putting his thoughts into words as his collegiate career came to an end.

“This is it. This is it for me,” Olmos added. “I just wanted to keep [playing] as long as I could.”
Brooks will be uttering those same types of thoughts next year, but now, that looks to be light-years away.

The junior guard will be the team captain next season, and he’s well aware that his responsibilities in leading the Owls begin right now.

“I thought about [being a captain] for a little bit, but I’m still thinking about this game,” Brooks said. “But when that time comes a week from now, I’m definitely going to be ready to step up and be a leader for this team.”

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

Kopp: Next step is success in Tournament

Cue the credits. The drama of the 2008-2009 men’s basketball season is over.

If you felt the sequel to the 2007-2008 season was an awful lot like the original, well, that’s because it was. The plot was nearly the same – a few big wins, a do-or-die Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament and an NCAA Tournament cameo.

With Temple’s 66-57 loss to Arizona State last Friday, the legacy was set for its lead performer, senior guard Dionte Christmas – two NCAA Tourneys, 2,043 points and too many bad holiday puns (Thankfully, there’s no basketball in July).

But more importantly, the legacies of sophomore forward Lavoy Allen, junior guard Ryan Brooks and freshman guard Juan Fernandez became more defined.

Aside from the senior-to-be Brooks, that core knows nothing but A-10 titles and Selection Sunday parties. And that, in itself, is what makes the 2008-2009 season so important.

The redevelopment of the Temple basketball program has reached a critical point. Just getting to the NCAA Tournament no longer marks progress. Now, only winning there does. That ultimatum is much different than this core group’s predecessors.

The careers of Mardy Collins, Antywane Robinson and Dustin Salisbery are defined by what never was – a trip to the Big Dance.

Mark Tyndale and Christmas brought the Owls back to college basketball’s Holy Land, providing a feel-good ending to their careers. But their careers also prompt some questions of what might have been.

Allen and Co. have the opportunity to leave a much-more remarkable mark on Temple’s basketball history.

Unlike their predecessors, who simply fought to get into March Madness, this group’s goal is winning games there. One just hopes they don’t take getting there for granted. When one hasn’t felt the sting of missing out that could be easy to do.

Make no mistake – this core owes a lot of its success to Tyndale, Christmas, Chris Clark, senior center Sergio Olmos and senior guard Semaj Inge. But several years from now, if this core adds two more NCAA berths and maybe a Sweet 16, Allen and Fernandez and others will be the names cherished.

They might not join Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie in Temple lore, but as coach Fran Dunphy’s initial recruits, they’d go down as the key players who kick-started a new era.

This group has great potential, but it must be noted that simply returning to the NCAA Tournament is no small task. And for as much as this group has proven itself, it still has a ways to go.

Allen is no longer a secondary star. He is now the Owls’ premier player. As Dunphy has noted all season long, Allen has the capabilities to dominate the A-10. For this team to take the next step – getting back to the NCAAs and winning a game – he has to decide he wants to be that player.

Ahmad Nivins made that decision for Saint Joseph’s this season, morphing himself from a third-team all-conference player to A-10 Player of the Year.

Brooks is no longer just a clutch shooter. He is the shooter.

But Brooks shouldn’t try to fill Christmas’ enormous shoes. He simply can’t. Christmas was too special. Rather, Brooks needs help from Craig Williams and others. Ramone Moore, anyone?

Fernandez will no longer be a learn-as-we-go point guard. He’ll have a half-season under his belt, but Inge won’t be around to spell him if he struggles.

How well these players transition into their new roles will determine whether Temple gets a chance to prove itself in the NCAA Tournament again.

The fate of Allen and Co. is up in the air. But one thing is for sure – their careers won’t be judged in the same light as those of Tyndale and Christmas.

They’ve got to overcome their biggest struggle, which isn’t beating St. Joe’s or getting into the NCAA Tournament. They’ll be judged on whether they can win there.

John Kopp can be reached at john.kopp@temple.edu.

Owls fall to Arizona State in NCAAs

MIAMI—And just like that, it was over.

The men’s basketball team fell to Arizona State, 66-57, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at American Airlines Arena. The sixth-seeded Sun Devils never trailed in the contest and were fronted by junior guard Derek Glasser and senior forward Jeff Pendergraph, who both hit for 22 points.

Temple (22-12) was led by senior guard Dionte Christmas, as his 29 points and five 3-pointers were both game-highs.

The Owls were consistently down by two or three possessions for the second half, never being able to cut things to within three points outside one stretch from the 6:57 mark to the 4:45 mark. Christmas missed a 3-pointer and sophomore forward Lavoy Allen missed a jump shot in that stretch, as the Owls just couldn’t get that much-needed basket to turn the game in their favor.

“We had our moments. We had our looks,” coach Fran Dunphy said. “[But], we did not take advantage of them as we needed to in a game of this magnitude on this stage.”

The 11th-seeded Owls’ final field goal of the contest came at the 3:45 tick when junior guard Ryan Brooks dunked home an ally-oop pass from senior guard Semaj Inge which put the Owls down by five.

Brooks, who finished with seven points, had a chance to pull the Owls to within two points with 1:28 to go, but his corner 3-point attempt by the Temple bench couldn’t find the bottom of the net.

“It felt good, I thought it was good, but it hit the back iron and just popped up,” Brooks said. “It’s just really frustrating that…it didn’t go down.”

At the 45 second mark, the Owls were still down by five, but Christmas was whistled for a traveling violation.

A frustrated Christmas didn’t seem to agree with the call.

“The refs called it a walk…sometimes it comes down to that,” he said.

And sometimes it comes down to the bounce off the rim.

In Inge’s 0-10 effort, the Owls’ co-captain missed several layups and short jumpers that simply wouldn’t go down. He finished with two points and four assists in his final game in cherry and white.

“I felt like I had some good looks at the basket,” Inge said. “Some shots may have been forced, but I just couldn’t find a way to [hit baskets].”

Temple shot 37.3 percent from the field for the game and 35.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Brooks shot 3-10 from the field and 1-5 from 3-point land, while Inge shot 0-10 from the field.

“I thought we had a couple of really great looks,” Dunphy said. “The ball just did not go in the basket…it just didn’t happen for us. Some of that is us, some of that is Arizona State.”

Allen was the only other Owl in double figures, as he hit for 11 points and 10 rebounds—his 14th double-double of the season. Senior center Sergio Olmos added eight points and six rebounds, and was matched-up with Pendergraph for most of the day.

“I thought I did a good job, he got pretty much all of his points off passes,” Olmos said of his defense.

With the Sun Devils’ scoring coming mostly inside and on 3-pointers, it left little room for sophomore guard James Harden.

The Pacific-10 Conference’s leading scorer finished with nine points on 1-8 shooting. Six of his points came from the foul line.

“That’s what makes them a good team, they’re more than just James Harden,” Christmas said. “I thought Ryan Brooks did a tremendous job on him throughout the game.”

The Sun Devils went on a 15-3 run in the middle of the first half to push their lead to 13 before Dunphy signaled for timeout.

After the pep talk, the Owls responded with a 10-0 run to cut the lead to three. But, Glasser responded with two 3-pointers to close out the half, and Arizona State took a nine point lead into the locker room.

Glasser torched the Owls from beyond the arc, hitting four 3-pointers in five attempts in the first half. In all, the 6-foot-1-inch guard had 17 points at halftime.

But now, as the season is over, the focus will shift to wrapping up this year and beginning the plans for the 2009-2010 season.

“We’ll gather next week,” Dunphy said. “Thank [the seniors] for their great careers and then the rest of us will move on to try to get back here again, which is not an easy task.”

Game Notes: 30 Temple students, part of the Cherry Crusade group, bused down from campus to Miami and made themselves heard…The cheerleaders, pep band and mascot Hooter were also on hand…Sophomore forward Craig Williams played just three minutes while freshman guard Juan Fernandez played just six minutes…The Sun Devils missed six free throws in the second half to give the Owls a chance to stay in the game…Had the Owls won, they would have faced third-seeded Syracuse in the second round.

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

Front page photo: John Mehler, TTN.

Double the pleasure

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.—Players hugged.

Fans cheered.

Students rushed.

It happened.

Again.

The men’s basketball team won its second straight Atlantic Ten Conference Championship last weekend at Boardwalk Hall. The fourth-seeded Owls downed seventh-seeded Duquesne, 69-65, Saturday night to capture the title. Senior guard Dionte Christmas hit for 29 points and was named the championship’s Most Outstanding Performer for the second year in a row.

The Owls advance to the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed. They’ll face sixth-seeded Arizona State in the first round Friday afternoon in Miami.

The win over the Dukes set off another joyous scene on the court, as the celebration was on with the Owls headed to NCAA Tournament for the 28th time in school history. The victory also went as the Owls’ eighth A-10 Tournament title, and they became the first repeat champions since the 2000 and 2001 squads of legendary coach John Chaney.

Overall, it was a pretty successful weekend for Temple (22-11).

“It’s a privilege to represent our league in the NCAA Tournament,” coach Fran Dunphy said. “We feel very fortunate to have come to Atlantic City and won three games. It’s a great feeling for us. We’re honored.”

Taking home the title made the players feel the same way.

“[The championship] shows not only a lot about the team but just the program in general,” Christmas said. “I’m definitely happy that we got a chance to get back to the Tournament this year.”

“I can’t describe the feeling,” senior center Sergio Olmos added. “This is amazing, an amazing feeling. I couldn’t ask for anything [else]. I just feel great.”

After gaining a first-round bye with a 12-4 conference record, the Owls beat fifth-seeded and archrival Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinal, 79-65, Thursday afternoon. The next night, the Owls took down top seed and then-No. 19 Xavier, 55-53.

Due to the wins, the Owls had two players join Christmas on the All-Championship team in Olmos and junior guard Ryan Brooks. But, despite their contributions and the contributions of the other four players in the Owls’ rotation, the A-10 Tournament was very much the Christmas show.

Well, not to start.

The Owls’ co-captain struggled against St. Joe’s, hitting for just seven points while shooting an uncharacteristic 1-of-10 from the field. His first half against Xavier wasn’t a whole lot better, but late in the second half, with the game on the line, Christmas finally broke out of his shooting slump.

He hit not one, but two clutch 3-pointers to keep the Musketeers at bay. The first came with 1:50 to go and put the Owls up by four points. The second gave the Owls a five-point lead with 1:09 remaining.

Christmas even hit the game-icing free throw, which gave Temple a four-point cushion with just seven seconds left on the clock. He finished with 20 points in the contest.

“It was in my mind that my team needed a basket right now, and I’m a senior, I’m the leader of this team, I need to make this basket,” Christmas said. “Once I took one more dribble and [Xavier senior guard B.J. Raymond] backed up a little bit more, [the ball] was going up.”

There was no doubt in Dunphy’s mind, in Christmas’ mind, in anyone in the building’s mind, who was taking those shots for the Owls.

Christmas sinking the two treys certainly left his coach impressed.

“You need your best players to step up, and I thought Dionte did that late in the game,” Dunphy said.
That performance carried over into the first half of the A-10 final, as Christmas hit six 3-pointers before halftime. He finished 7-of-16 from beyond the arc, which was enough to tie an A-10 finals record and help the Owls tie an A-10 finals record with 11 treys.

Christmas even hit for 14 of Temple’s final 18 points of the first half, as he was simply on fire and rocked the largely Temple-supported Boardwalk Hall each time one of his 3-pointers found the bottom of the net.

“I thought every shot I shot today was going in,” Christmas said.

“He was spectacular in the first half,” Dunphy added. “It looked like everything was going to go in the basket that he shot.”

Christmas’ heroics helped the Owls reach the Tournament, and performing well there remained the Owls’ collecrtive goal.

“Let’s [get] this win behind us, get to the Tournament and have a respectable performance there,” senior guard Semaj Inge said. “I don’t want to go down there, fight hard and lose again. I want to win.”

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

Marching into Miami

Temple is back where it belongs.

The men’s basketball team made the NCAA Tournament by winning the Atlantic Ten Conference Championship last weekend in Atlantic City, N.J.

It’s the second straight year the Owls have made the NCAA Tournament and the 28th time in school history. They are the No. 11 seed in the South region and will face No. 6 Arizona State Friday afternoon at approximately 2:45 p.m. in Miami. If the Owls win, they’ll face the winner of the No. 3 Syracuse/No. 14 Stephen F. Austin matchup in the second round Sunday at 12:10 p.m.

When Temple’s name was announced at the selection show party the university threw Sunday evening, it sent off a frenzy in the Fox-Gittis Room of the Liacouras Center.

Needless to say, the Owls were a happy bunch when they saw their name on the screen.

“You can’t even describe it. You have chills running down your spine,” said junior guard Ryan Brooks, who was named to the A-10 All-Championship team. “When you hear your name, it’s exciting for the program, your teammates, coaches, everybody. It’s thrilling.”

Perhaps the most animated reaction belonged to the most recognizable name in cherry and white: senior guard Dionte Christmas.

The team’s co-captain lit up the scoreboard for an A-10 leading 19.2 points per game this season. Christmas was also named the Most Outstanding Performer of the A-10 for the second straight season and was named to the All-Championship team.

“We heard our name, and everybody was overjoyed,” he said. “I just can’t wait until Friday.”

Christmas talked amongst fans, alumni, family and students, who lined up behind the Owls as they sat and watched the selection show on CBS. All the members of the team donned black Temple basketball polos, with Christmas front and center and leading the pack.

The 6-foot-6-inch guard got antsy and more talkative as the show dragged on, and when Temple’s name was finally announced (they were the last team to be called), there were plenty sighs of relief in the building.

“We knew our name was going to be called eventually, but it was definitely nerve-racking waiting,” Christmas said.

Coach Fran Dunphy wasn’t even in the room. He snuck off to watch the show elsewhere so his players could have the spotlight. Even with the privacy, the Owls’ levelheaded leader wasn’t concerned.

“There’s so many other things you can worry about,” Dunphy said.

Like Arizona State.

That Friday matchup with the Sun Devils will pit the Owls against sophomore guard James Harden, who led the Pacific-10 Conference in scoring with 20.8 points per game.

“I know James Harden is one of the best players in the country. I know [coach] Herb Sendek well,” Dunphy said. “[Arizona State] will be very well-prepared, and we’ll have our hands full.”

Last year, the Owls, seeded 12th, fell to fifth-seeded Michigan State in the first round, 72-61. To fare better this time around, the Owls will have to play more as a team, sophomore forward Lavoy Allen said.

“Everyone has to be in the flow of the offense,” said Allen, who recorded 13 double-doubles this season.”

“If everyone gets in the flow of the offense, it’ll free Dionte Christmas up and get him easier shots.”

That kind of team effort is something the Owls have generally given all season, despite the fact that Christmas scores at the pace that he does.

Still, the Owls know they’re playing in an NCAA Tournament game. And even with all the attention, pressure and sets of eyes on them, this is supposed to be fun.

“I’m excited,” Allen said. “I can’t wait to go down there and play Arizona State. It’s what we’ve been waiting for all year, to be in the NCAA Tournament.”

Judging from the scene at the Fox-Gittis Room, students and fans felt the same way.

“Our fan support is amazing,” Allen said. “Without them, I don’t know where we’d be. I don’t think we’d be A-10 Champs without them. They make Temple basketball.”

“It’s great. It’s great for Temple basketball,” Brooks said. “It’s great for the alumni, all the Temple supporters who’ve had our back all year. We’re going to go out there and represent this program to the fullest.”

But the players know it’s truly on them as they head into the NCAA Tournament. And even though they’re going to an attractive town like Miami, it’s not to check out the sights and sounds.

“Miami sounds good, but I’m not going out there for vacation,” Christmas said. “I’m going out there to put in some work. I’m going out there for business.”

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

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