By the time February rolled around, Temple’s 2023-24 season looked like a lost cause. The Owls were in the midst of their longest losing streak in 50 years and they entered the American Athletic Conference tournament as one of the worst-seeded teams.
However, the Owls found a miraculous second gear in the tournament and marched their way to an AAC championship appearance where they fell short to UAB.
Head coach Adam Fisher now enters his second season with new expectations. Temple has a revamped roster with sights set on winning its first AAC championship in program history and getting its first NCAA Tournament invite since 2019.
The Owls are entering the season with a retooled core but were still picked to finish sixth in the AAC Preseason Poll.
“You gotta believe early,” Fisher said. “I think our team last year believed, we went through a tough stretch, but we kept believing and kept believing, and we gotta get that belief a little bit earlier.”
With expectations at the highest in quite some time, here is what you need to know for Temple’s 2024-25 season.
GUARD DEPTH
Temple’s offense primarily ran through its backcourt last season, with former guard Hysier Miller serving as the team’s main scoring option, something he struggled with as an inconsistent shooter for much of the season. The Owls looked to fix that during the offseason when Miller and guard Jordan Riley went portaling — and they seemingly upgraded.
Transfer guards Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Lynn Greer III join the backcourt and will likely be the team’s main guard duo, but fans have to wait until mid-December to see the duo in action after Greer was suspended for the first nine games for an incident that occurred during his time at St. Joseph’s, The Temple News reported.
However, the Owls have the depth to overcome the loss.
Guards Shane Dezonie, Zion Stanford and Matteo Picarelli return as players who had significant roles last season. Picarelli and transfer guard Jameel Brown are expected to provide a three-point spark off the bench.
“I’m a big believer of the more talent you have, the better,” Picarelli said. “We brought in three really talented guys that can really help us win. We have one goal in mind, which is to win a championship and go to the NCAA tournament.”
Dezonie and Stanford were tasked with coming on the court in relief of Riley and former guard Jahlil White last season and they will be relied on even more this year. Dezonie provided a spark for Temple toward the end of conference play last season and Stanford played a pivotal role in the Owls’ AAC tournament wins against UTSA and SMU in March.
FRONTCOURT SITUATION
Temple’s depth with its big men heading into 2024 isn’t as concrete as the backcourt. Fisher opted to play small ball last season, putting 6-foot, 5-inch Sam Hofman at center while forward Steve Settle III manned the post.
Hofman graduated in May which left the center position wide open for the taking.
Fordham transfer Elijah Gray fits Fisher’s vision and is expected to take the mantle. Tulsa transfer center Mohamed Keita is the tallest player on the team at 7 feet and 1 inch but he only averaged seven and a half minutes per game last season with the Golden Hurricane.
“Small ball is definitely something you’ll probably see,” Settle said. “Just because traditional centers can’t keep up with someone who’s like myself and [Gray] could play the five.”
The Owls also struggled to grab rebounds consistently last season. They gave up the most opponent rebounds and recorded the second-worst rebounding margin in the AAC. No player averaged more than six rebounds per game, something Temple will have to improve on to make a run in March.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Temple is in the midst of a rebuild under Fisher, and while they have improved on paper, there are still some learning curves the Owls must overcome.
Look for Fisher to mix and match the lineup early on in the season and see how his squad fares with different rotations. Freshman forward Dillon Battie could carve a role out for himself as the Owls look to utilize its small-ball lineup.
The Owls have the talent to compete with top teams in the AAC. Last year’s conference leaders USF and FAU were gutted by the transfer portal and Temple has a chance to take advantage of it. The Owls’ new roster and chemistry will be tested for the first time against Sacred Heart on Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. at The Liacouras Center.
“You got to put together a team like a puzzle,” Fisher said. ”You got to figure out ‘how do the puzzle pieces all come together?’”
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