A shore thing: White and Thweatt connecting again at Temple

If Temple does advance to the NCAA Tournament in Aaron McKie's fourth year at the helm with the Owls, Jahlil White will almost certainly be a big reason for it.

The 6-foot-7, 205-pound sophomore guard is the Owls' best perimeter defender and was named the Big 5 Rookie of the Year last season after leading Temple in rebounding (6.0 rebounds per gam) and steals (33) while averaging 7.5 points per game.

A developing jump shot could make him more of an offensive threat, and White will now have the chance to do it all with one of his closest friends by his side.

White and Taj Thweatt were teammates at Wildwood Catholic High School, and the pair were third- and first-team all-state players respectively as seniors. And after two seasons at West Virginia and a brief stop at Coastal Carolina, Thweatt is at Temple with his friend.

“We talked about [playing together in college], but not as much as we should have,” White said this week during media availability at the team's Pearson-McGonigle Hall practice facility. “It was like a third option. But once he hit the portal again, it was one of my main priorities to get him here. We’ve talked every day, and it just kind of manifested itself."

White talked about his relationship with Thweatt and the development in his overall game in an interview you can listen to here.