After being picked to finish ninth in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll last season, Temple stunned its opponents by finishing with 20 wins and an appearance in the AAC tournament semifinals.
The second year with head coach Diane Richardson at the helm was better than anyone could have imagined and no one predicted the Owls’ success.
The sudden turnaround can be attributed to what Richardson calls her “equal opportunity offense.” During her first year at Temple, Richardson was limited to just eight players for much of the season, which restricted her ability to run the offense she wanted. With a full roster last season, she was able to run her ideal offense and it was the driving force behind the Owls’ impressive season.
“It worked well last year because that’s what we expect,” Richardson said. “That’s what we work on, everybody being able to score, whether it’s on the perimeter or inside, the expectation is that everybody will score.”
Most teams rely on one or two players to score. In Richardson’s unorthodox “equal opportunity offense” every player on the floor is encouraged to shoot and score. There is no “primary scorer,” which makes it difficult for defenses to get stops.
The equal opportunity offense showed it can be beneficial for Temple in the 2023 season, but the Owls face more roster changes entering the 2024 campaign. Key cogs from the offense last year are gone and new faces will have to step up on offense. The blend of returners and new faces should make the offense even better in 2024.
Richardson was forced to lean heavily on former guard Aleah Nelson in her first season at Temple and she could not get her ideal system in place. The following offseason allowed Richardson to focus on acquiring players who fit her system. Once the season rolled around, her equal opportunity offense was on full display.
In the Owls’ season opener last year against Delaware State, they racked up 109 points with eight players getting in double-figures. That performance was just a glimpse of what Richardson’s offense strategy was capable of.
The offense continued to impress as the season went on and was clearly the driving factor behind the team’s success. In any game, a different player could lead the offense — exactly what Richardson wanted. Her rotation typically went eight deep last season and all eight players had games where they had the hot hand.
Temple averaged 70 points per game at the end of the season, finishing fourth in the AAC and averaging the most points per game since 2016-17. Seven players in the rotation averaged nearly eight points per game, a testament to the balance Richardson’s offense style provided.
The equal opportunity offense still worked despite Nelson struggling with efficiency throughout the 2023 season. Nelson shot just 35% from the field and had 11 games where she scored less than 10 points. If she was held under 10 points in 2022, that spelled doom for Temple. Richardson’s offense allowed Nelson to struggle and the Owls could still find success because every player on the team could take and make a shot.
Temple went 7-4 in games where Nelson scored less than 10 points. When Nelson struggled, seven other players were available to step up and fill the gaps, making it nearly impossible for a defense to neutralize the Owls offense.
Guards Demi Washington and Tiarra East were two of the players who stepped up when Nelson struggled and helped keep the offense running. East led the Owls in scoring with 13 points per game and Washington averaged just under 10 points per game. East became the go-to player in crunch time for Temple and scored in double figures each of the final 10 games.
Nelson and Washington graduated after the season, but East is back to help run the offense alongside guards Tristen Taylor and Tarriyonna Gary. The difference in the offense will be in the frontcourt. Forwards Anissa Rivera and Amaya Oliver will provide more versatility for the Owls and open up even more offensive opportunities.
“I do expect [the offense] to work to the same degree,” Gary said. “This year we have post players who can not only just guard in the post, but defend guards as well. So the defensive end will lead to offense which will help us be fast in transition.”
The equal opportunity offense is an unconventional style of offense, but it has worked for Richardson and Temple. It was the driving force behind the success of 2023, not allowing defenses to hone in on one or two players. Now in 2024, look for the Owls offense to be even better than last season.
Be the first to comment