Heading into the 2024-25 Temple Basketball season, Quante Berry’s role in the lineup was up in the air. The Providence transfer averaged just 10 minutes for the Owls in his first season last year and the offseason cast even more doubt on his playing time.
Temple hit the transfer portal to acquire more back court depth, hauling in impact players like Jamal Mashburn Jr., Lynn Greer III and Jameel Brown. The trio also joined returners Zion Stanford and Shane Dezonie, further clogging the depth at the guard position in head coach Adam Fisher’s lineup.
However, when Fisher traveled to Dallas for the annual American Athletic Conference media day, Berry was among the players he raved about most.
Berry didn’t take long to show why he earned Fisher’s praise. Despite a slow start to begin the season, he quickly found his footing following an 18-point performance against La Salle on Nov. 30. Since then, Berry has found his way through a crowded guard room and become one of Temple’s best players this season.
“I think [Quante] Berry has made some really big steps,” Fisher said. “Everyone knows that when you’re in our program, you have to fight for everything. This year’s team is deeper and the practices are competitive. I think [Berry] knew [he’d] have to come in and fight. He’s hungry, that’s for sure.”
After transferring to Temple during Fisher’s first year, expectations weren’t too high for Berry. He redshirted his freshman year at Providence under then-head coach Ed Cooley and went to North Broad looking for a fresh start. However, before the season even started he had surgery that left him watching the Owls’ summer practices from the sidelines while the brand-new roster was able to gel. The result was just 2.6 points per contest and only entering games in clean-up time.
Greer was expected to be one of the Owls’ starting guards but was suspended for the first nine games for an incident that occurred at his previous school. The situation caused Fisher to turn to Berry to take his role and he immediately impressed the staff and his teammates with his abilities.
“I think it was 30 practices before our first game that really established everybody in their roles and what they could bring to the team,” Berry said. “So I think those couple practices with my teammates just showed me what I could do.”
Berry started in the Owls’ season opener against Sacred Heart on Nov. 4 and he has kept the role since then. While Mashburn has been the team’s offensive engine, Berry has become the spark plug of the offense. Through the team’s first 18 games, he’s averaging 9.8 points per game and most have come in critical points for Temple.
Most of Berry’s buckets come in bunches when the Owls find themselves in a squeeze and in desperate need of a spark. Against Buffalo on Dec. 29, Berry became the main catalyst for the offense that needed a boost. He rattled off 13 second-half points to keep the Bulls in the rearview mirror in a 20-point victory.
“[Quante is] a big part of our team,” Mashburn said. “I’m always in his ear about something, because I see the potential in him and how good he can really be. He’s great and he’s going to continue to be great.”
Berry’s efforts have also transitioned to the defensive end of the court. Fisher has emphasized improving on defense all season and the guard has quickly turned into one of the better perimeter defenders on the roster.
Berry has effectively come up with steals against players he has guarded all season, earning the praise of Fisher in the process. He leads Temple in steals with 1.4 per game. The extra possessions have helped Temple flip the switch on the offensive end and pushed them to a 12-6 record.
Berry’s emergence also speaks to his commitment to Fisher and the program. Despite his role being unknown in the offseason, his decision to stay at Temple has paid dividends for a team looking to make noise in March.
“How many guys are staying [at their school] now?” Fisher said. “If you do a stat, I’d love to see a project on guys that stay in a program with all this transfer portal and people moving around. [Berry] stayed. He continued to know our system, so now you’re not learning concepts. You’re just working on your game. He did an amazing job.”
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