Dustin Salisbery fondly remembers taking his official visit to Temple.
The 6-foot-5 guard from Lancaster’s J.P. McCaskey High School didn’t intend to put his pen to paper but had a “what are you waiting for?” type moment when legendary coach John Chaney was ready to officially make him an Owl.
Chaney passed away at the age of 89 this past Friday. The former Temple head coach was always on about something with Salisbery, cursing him out and constantly yelling at him. While he didn’t understand it at the time, Salisbery grew to learn that Chaney saw something special in him and wanted him to reach his potential.
Across his four years at Temple (2003-07), Salisbery recorded 1,276 points in 83 career starts. Salisbery averaged 10.9 points per game during his time on North Broad Street. And while Chaney significantly impacted his collegiate and professional career, Salisbery’s best season for the Owls came with former Temple head coach Fran Dunphy at the helm. During Dunphy’s first season in 2006-07, Salisbery averaged 16.4 points per game, seeing an average of 33.1 minutes of court time.
The former Temple guard had a cup of coffee in the NBA Summer League with the Sixers and Clippers while spending time in training camp with the Knicks, Celtics and Lakers. Most recently, Salisbery spent the 2017 season with the Sixers’ G-league affiliate, the Delaware 87ers (now known as the Blue Coats). He’s also played professional basketball all across the globe from France to Iceland to Saudi Arabia.
Those opportunities were granted to him because of Chaney, he said.
Here are some excerpts from OwlScoop.com’s exclusive interview with Salisbery.
Salisbery on some of his memories with Chaney:
“I would probably say my first time coming down for an official visit. I came down for my official visit with my parents and I didn’t have any intentions of actually signing that day. I just wanted to visit, see what was going on, and he asked me, ‘Did I like the school, did I like the program?’ and I told him I liked it and he said ‘OK, well I’m just going to get the paperwork now then.’ I just kind of looked at my parents, they asked me if this is what and I wanted to do, then I just signed to Temple that day. It was cool though.”
Salisbery on what comes to mind when he thinks of Chaney:
“Just seeing it now, like I always knew, but just seeing everything on ESPN and everyone talking, he impacted a lot of people with the type of person he was. I learned over the years that, everyone knows that Coach Chaney cusses a lot. His delivery might be a little harsh for some, but once you just actually listen to the message, he really, really had a passion for what he did. He really cared about all of his players and everyone who he came in contact with, just the people in the Liacouras Center and back then in McGonigle [Hall], he had a love for them.”
Salisbery on Chaney’s legacy:
“Just being someone who cared about what he was actually doing outside of basketball. He wanted to teach all of his players to be great young men off the court and like I said, his messages sometimes, he would cuss and everything, but once you got past that and listened to what he was saying, he really just wanted everyone to become great young men. Focus on education, take care of their families, and just be good people off the court.”
Salisbery on when he last spoke with Chaney:
“I talked to Coach about what I would say three months ago. I just thought about him, I picked up the phone and called him. I called him just to see how he was doing. I could tell in his voice that he was sounding a little weak and everything like that, but I’m glad I got that phone call. He just told me he loved me, take care of my kids and things like that.”
Salisbery on the biggest lesson he can take away from Chaney:
“Basketball-wise, he taught us a lot. When I was younger, it was hard for me to really listen to him because like I said he was yelling. But as I got older and got past all the yelling and stuff, there were so many different things. I can’t really pinpoint one thing. He was just trying to teach you how to become a better person, not just a basketball player. I think that was the biggest thing, just trying to teach his players how to become better people, not just on the basketball court.”
Salisbery on Chaney’s impact on him and his family:
“He gave me the opportunity to play Division I basketball, that’s the first thing. I had an offer from Rider and an offer from Clemson came after I was officially committed to Temple. But up until that point, I only had two offers, from Rider and Temple. He gave me a chance to play at a great Division I school. And playing at a Division I school, that led to me playing professional basketball, getting multiple NBA opportunities, and just kind of setting up my life in the basketball world. It all came from the opportunity, just from him wanting me to be down there at Temple University.”
Salisbery on playing for a legend in Chaney:
“I definitely knew I was playing for a legend. I don’t want to say I didn’t take it for granted, but while playing for him, I was around him every day for three years. It kind of becomes that’s just ‘Coach’ to me, I know who he is, but to the outside world, he was big. After I left school, I definitely knew I was playing for, but when you’re around someone every day, that just kind of goes out the window, that’s like your family.”
Salisbery on his favorite Chaney anecdote:
“From the outside looking in, all you do is you see him cussing and the stuff you see on TV. But he’ll cuss out his players, then the next minute, he’ll want you in his office, he’ll have food for you and talk to you. It was kind of like night and day, like ‘Coach, you just cussed me out,’ but you’re right back in the office and he’s like ‘Hey, do you need anything?’
"As a kid, it was kind of confusing. He left in ‘06 and then it was probably ‘09 when I really realized he really really cared about me, my teammates and everything that he did. That’s why over the years, I always made sure I called him, just to check upon him. I really appreciated all the life lessons and at the time like I said when you’re a young kid and he yelled at me almost every day.”
“On my team, in my four years, I probably got yelled at the most because I just felt like he knew that I was one of the key players on the team and in order for us to win, I had to be on my A-game. And when I wasn’t, he was trying to get everything out of me. As a kid, you were just like ‘Well, why does he keep yelling at me?’ But, you know what they say, once people stop talking to you, is when they stop caring and one thing that he never did, is he never gave up on me. And, despite all of the times, I got yelled at, I never gave up on him. We never gave up on each other, which is what’s most important to me.”
Front page photo by Howard Smith, USA Today Sports