2011–12 Temple Owls men's basketball team

The 2011–12 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at the Liacouras Center, which has a capacity of 10,206; as well as one game each at the Palestra and Wells Fargo Center. They are in their 30th season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. In their previous season, Temple compiled a record of 26–8 and reached the NCAA Tournament. The team returned four starters from the previous season, but lost power forward Lavoy Allen to graduation. He is replaced by incoming recruit Will Cummings and transfer Dalton Pepper. Anthony Lee will be eligible after red shirting last year.

2011–12 Temple Owls men's basketball
A-10 Regular Season Champions
NCAA Tournament, Second Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
2011–12 record24–8 (13–3 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaLiacouras Center
2011–12 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Temple13–3 .813  24–8  .750
Saint Louis12–4 .750  26–8  .765
Xavier10–6 .625  23–13  .639
St. Bonaventure†10–6 .625  20–12  .625
UMass9–7 .563  26–11  .703
La Salle9–7 .563  21–13  .618
Dayton9–7 .563  20–13  .606
Saint Joseph's9–7 .563  20–14  .588
Duquesne7–9 .438  16–15  .516
Richmond7–9 .438  16–16  .500
Charlotte5–11 .313  13–17  .433
George Washington5–11 .313  10–21  .323
Rhode Island4–12 .250  7–24  .226
Fordham3–13 .188  10–19  .345
† 2012 Atlantic 10 Tournament winner
As of March 13, 2012; Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason
Temple played their home games at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia

In 2011–12, the Temple Owls men's basketball team were in their 30th season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.[1] Since 1997, the team has played their home games at the Liacouras Center, which has a capacity of 10,206.[2] In the previous season, the Owls went 14–2 in Atlantic 10 play, earning a two seed in the 2011 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament, where they lost in the semifinals to Richmond.[3][4] The team earned an at-large bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament as a seven seed, and defeated Penn State in the round of 64 on a last-second shot by guard Juan Fernandez. The win snapped coach Fran Dunphy's 11-game losing streak in the NCAA Tournament, the longest on record.[5] Temple's season ended with a double overtime loss to San Diego State in the round of 32 as the Owls compiled a record of 26–8.[6]

Temple lost starting power forward Lavoy Allen to graduation. As a senior, Allen placed third on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 8.6 rebounds per game. He was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team honoree and a two-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection. He finished his career as the school's all-time leading rebounder with 1,147 boards and ranks 24th on the career scoring list with 1,421 points.[7] In the 2011 NBA Draft, Allen was selected with the 50th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers.[8] Reserve center Dutch Gaitley also graduated.[9] After redshirting the 2010–11 season with foot injuries, forward Craig Williams transferred to Texas Christian University and was eligible to compete immediately.[10]

Temple assistant Matt Langel accepted the Colgate head coaching job on April 28, 2011.[11] Langel had coached at Temple since Fran Dunphy was hired in 2006.[12] Langel was responsible for recruiting Juan Fernandez to Temple, once driving ten hours in a compact car to find him.[13] He was replaced by Boston University assistant Dwayne Killings. Killings served as assistant director of basketball operations at Temple from 2006 to 2009. In his only season at Boston University, Killings helped the team win the 2011 America East Men's Basketball Tournament and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.[14]

On October 13, 2011. Temple was predicted to finish second in the Atlantic 10 behind Xavier and received four first-place votes. Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez were Preseason First Team All-Conference selections, Scootie Randall was a Preseason Third Team All-Conference selection, and Anthony Lee was a Preseason All-Rookie Team selection.[15] Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports named Temple Owls the second best team in the Atlantic 10 and highlighted the development of Michael Eric and Anthony Lee as factors for a successful season.[16]

Incoming signees

The sole member of the Owls' 2011 recruiting class was Will Cummings, a point guard from Jacksonville, Florida who committed on September 4, 2010.[17] He averaged 18.1 points, 8.1 assists, 4.0 steals per game as a senior at Providence School, in addition to carrying a 4.0 grade point average. The Jacksonville Times-Union named him the high school boys basketball player of the year.[18] Cummings drew attention from Stanford, Miami (Fl.), and Boston College, but chose Temple because of their winning tradition.[19]

In addition to Temple's recruiting class, the Owls signed transfer Dalton Pepper from West Virginia. Due to NCAA rules, he will be forced to sit out the 2011–12 season as a redshirt and will have two years of eligibility remaining. In his career at Pennsbury High School, Pepper scored a school-record 2,207 points, grabbed 962 rebounds, and garnered 2009 Pennsylvania Big School Player of the Year recognition from the Associated Press. In 62 games with the Mountaineers, Pepper averaged 3.5 points and 10.1 minutes per game and helped West Virginia reach the 2010 Final Four.[20]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Will Cummings
PG		 Jacksonville, Florida Providence School (FL) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sep 4, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Temple 2011 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  • "2011 Temple Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.

    Roster
    # Name Height Weight (lbs.) Position Class Hometown High School
    1 Khalif Wyatt 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 pounds (95 kg) G Jr. Norristown, Pennsylvania U.S. Norristown HS
    2 Will Cummings 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 pounds (75 kg) G Fr. Jacksonville, Florida U.S. Providence School
    3 Anthony Lee 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 pounds (93 kg) F/C Fr. Orlando, Florida U.S. West Oaks Academy
    4 Juan Fernandez 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 pounds (82 kg) G Sr. Río Tercero, Córdoba Argentina Dr. Alexis Carrel HS
    10 Ramone Moore 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 pounds (82 kg) G Sr. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S. South Philadelphia HS
    11 T. J. DiLeo 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 pounds (88 kg) G Jr. Cinnaminson, New Jersey U.S. Cinnaminson HS
    15 Jimmy McDonnell 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 190 pounds (86 kg) F Fr. Jackson, New Jersey U.S. Jackson Memorial HS
    22 Aaron Brown 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 pounds (95 kg) G So. Newark, New Jersey U.S. St. Benedict's Prep
    25 Nick Pendergast 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 pounds (79 kg) F Fr. Bridgewater, Connecticut U.S. Kent School
    31 Jake Godino 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 pounds (77 kg) G Sr. Chester, Pennsylvania U.S. Delaware County Christian School
    32 Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 pounds (91 kg) F Jr. Chester, Pennsylvania U.S. Chester HS
    33 Scootie Randall 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 pounds (93 kg) F Sr. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S. Communications Tech HS
    50 Micheal Eric 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 pounds (110 kg) F/C Sr. Lagos Nigeria Church Farm School
    – Dalton Pepper 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 pounds (100 kg) G Jr. Levittown, Pennsylvania U.S. Pennsbury HS

    Schedule
    2011–12 game log
    November
    December
    January
    February
    March

    Season

    Preconference season

    Behind Juan Fernandez's 19 points, Temple began their season with a 73–67 overtime victory over Penn on November 14, 2011.[21]

    Rankings
    Main article: 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
    Ranking Movement
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16Wk 17Wk 18Final
    AP [22] 28 26 33
    Coaches[22] 29 28 33T

    Awards and honors
    Juan Fernandez
    • Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team[15]
    Ramone Moore
    • Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team[15]
    Scootie Randall
    • Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Third Team[15]
    Anthony Lee
    • Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team[15]

    References
    1. "Temple" (PDF). ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
    2. Kern, Mike (November 11, 2010). "Temple basketball at a glance". Philadelphia Daily News. Philly.com. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
    3. "2011 Atlantic 10 Tournament". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
    4. "Richmond beats 3-time defending A-10 champion Temple to advance to final". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. March 12, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
    5. "Juan Fernandez drains late jumper to lift Temple to third round". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. March 17, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
    6. "San Diego State needs two overtimes to put away Temple". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. March 19, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
    7. "Lavoy Allen Named Men's Basketball Most Valuable Player". Temple Owls. Temple University. April 6, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
    8. Cooney, Bob (June 24, 2011). "Sixers select Temple's Allen". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philly.com. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
    9. "Dutch Gaitley Added To Men's Basketball Roster". Temple Owls. Temple University. October 14, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
    10. "Temple power forward Craig Williams transfers to TCU". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philly.com. August 18, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
    11. "Matt Langel takes over at Colgate". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. April 28, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
    12. "2009–10 Men's Basketball Coaching Staff: Matt Langel Assistant Coach". Temple Owls. Temple University. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
    13. Weiss, Dick (December 31, 2009). "Temple's Juan Fernandez conjures memories of another Owls great from Argentina". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
    14. "Dwayne Killings Named Assistant Men's Basketball Coach". Temple Owls. Temple University. June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
    15. "Xavier Picked A-10 Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite". Atlantic 10 Conference. October 13, 2011. Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
    16. Goodman, Jeff (October 23, 2011). "Conference Countdown: No. 9 – Atlantic 10". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
    17. "Scout.com College Basketball Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Fox Sports. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
    18. Elliot, Jeff (April 16, 2011). "All-First Coast: Best to come for Providence's Will Cummings". Jacksonville Times-Union. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
    19. Pompey, Keith (November 28, 2010). "Temple recruit Will Cummings a true student-athlete". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philly.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
    20. "Dalton Pepper transferring to Temple". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. June 2, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
    21. "Temple 73, Penn 67". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
    22. "2011–12 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
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