A different type of feel
Temple coach Fran Dunphy and several of his players made the trip to the Philadelphia Airport Marriott early Monday morning for the American Athletic Conference’s media day.
The Owls, for the third season in a row, were picked in a preseason poll by the league’s coaches to finish sixth in the league, and Temple did not have a player picked as part of the American’s first- or second-team all-conference lists.
It’s worth noting, of course, that Temple exceeded expectations last season where preseason polls are concerned. The Owls won the American’s regular season championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Iowa in the first round.
Temple will have to account for losing its leading scorer, rebounder and top shooter off the bench from last season’s team, in addition to being without promising sophomore guard Trey Lowe for the season (recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident) and senior point guard Josh Brown for part of the season (recovering from a left Achilles injury).
The group in attendance Monday, which also included Brown and senior forward Mark Williams, didn’t seem too concerned about being picked to finish in the middle of the pack. Rather, forward Obi Enechionyia, the team’s returning leading scorer, said he sees a lot of reason for optimism heading into the season.
"One difference I've seen this year is I think we just jell a lot better. It has me really looking forward to the season,” said Enechionyia, who averaged 11.0 points per game and shot 38.6 percent from 3-point range. “I don't know if it's the personalities or how we get along off the court, but it's just a different type of feel."
You can listen to Monday’s interviews with Dunphy, Enechionhia and senior forward Daniel Dingle here.