Following an improbable run to the American Athletic Conference championship last season, the transfer portal gashed Temple’s roster. Guards Hysier Miller, Jordan Riley and Jahlil White departed to other programs, leaving the Owls with important holes to fill.
Head coach Adam Fisher responded by jumping into the portal himself and completely retooled his roster. Fisher replenished the backcourt with talented guards and beefed up the frontcourt with a pair of big men. He then hit the recruiting trail, reeling in three freshmen to form the highest-rated recruiting class in the AAC.
“I’m really pleased [with the guys we brought in],” Fisher said. “Our staff did a great job of piecing together what we were looking for in our team. Now it’s putting it all together and making sure that it flows well with our team.”
Here’s a look at the new faces Temple brought in as they prepare for year two under Fisher.
JAMAL MASHBURN JR
Fisher’s biggest catch in the portal is Mashburn Jr., who joined Temple after three seasons with New Mexico. Mashburn averaged 18 points per game in his first season and 19 in his second with the Lobos before battling injuries last season and averaging 14 points per game.
Mashburn earned all-conference honors in all three seasons with New Mexico and had plenty of suitors after entering the transfer portal. He fielded offers from other high-level programs like Kentucky before choosing Temple, he said.
Bringing in Mashburn gives Fisher the reliable go-to scorer the Owls desperately lacked last season. The expectations for Mashburn are sky-high, with the guard being named preseason first-team all-AAC.
“I’m just trying to lock in and read the game and be a vocal leader,” Mashburn said. “Rather than just being a leader with my play, leading vocally and being able to communicate the game.”
LYNN GREER III
Greer III, the son of all-time Temple great Lynn Greer, joins Temple after two seasons at Big Five rival Saint Joseph’s. Greer III is expected to form a backcourt tandem with Mashburn Jr. after averaging double figures in his two seasons at St. Joes.
The Owls will be without Greer III for the first nine games of the season after he was suspended for an incident that happened while he was at Saint Joseph’s, The Temple News reported.
Greer III is a natural ball handler and facilitator who can run an offense with ease. He averaged nearly four assists per game last season and is expected to take over the facilitator role that Miller left. The Owls ranked just 13th in the AAC in assists and assists per game last season and Greer III should help improve that number.
JAMEEL BROWN
Brown, the final piece of Fisher’s revamped backcourt, joins the Owls after two seasons at Penn State. Brown has been on Temple’s radar for a while, but Penn State recruited him out of high school and then he finally joined the Owls after entering the transfer portal at the end of last season. Fisher coached the Philadelphia native during Brown’s freshman year with the Nittany Lions.
Brown is known as a prolific three-point shooter but struggled to find a role at Penn State. The guard only played 10 minutes per game with the Nittany Lions and shot just 31 percent from three. However, 29 of Brown’s 37 field goals were from three-point range. Brown will provide a three-point spark off the bench for a team that ranked 12th in the AAC in three-point percentage last season.
“I can make plays but I can also do things off the ball,” Brown said. “I can do a lot of things off the ball, being solid defensively, being in the gaps and passing lanes and getting steals and just being another local leader out there.”
ELIJAH GRAY
The Owls severely lacked frontcourt depth last season. Standing at 6-foot 5-inches, Sam Hofman was their de facto center. He performed admirably, but there was no depth behind him. Looking to improve the frontcourt, Fisher added Gray from Fordham to take Hofman’s spot.
Gray spent two seasons at Fordham and averaged eight points with three rebounds per game last season. Now at Temple, Gray is expected to step into Hofman’s former role as an undersized center who can space the floor and knock down an occasional three.
THE FRESHMEN
Three-star forward Dillon Battie joins the Owls from Lancaster, Texas, where he was the 5A player of the year as a senior. Four-star forward Babatunde Durodola reclassified to join Temple for this season. The Canada native averaged 14 points per game at DME Academy.
Guard Aiden Tobiason averaged 18 points per game as a senior and was named Delaware State Player of the Year. He provides another option in a deep backcourt for the Owls.
Be the first to comment