Temple Owls men's basketball

History

The Temple Owls became the first National Invitation Tournament (NIT) champions in 1938, one year before the inception of the NCAA tournament. The NIT was broadly recognized as a national championship-caliber tournament for a number of years, beginning with the 1938 national championship won by Temple. Additionally, the Owls were retroactively recognized by the Helms Athletic Foundation as the national champion for the 1937–38 season and were listed as the top team of that season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Neither the Helms nor Premo-Porretta designations are recognized by the NCAA as official national championships, despite the NCAA referencing Helms's historical findings. Temple again won the NIT championship in 1969.

During the 1950s, the Temple basketball team made two NCAA Final Four appearances in (1956, 1958) under head coach Harry Litwack. Litwack was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame after concluding a 21-year coaching career that included 373 wins.

Head Coach John Chaney, also a Hall of Famer, won a total of 741 career games (312 losses) and took Temple to the NCAA tournament 17 times in 24 seasons with the Owls. His teams won the Atlantic 10 regular season championship eight times, while winning the A-10 Tournament six times. His 1987–88 Owls team entered the NCAA tournament ranked No. 1 in the country, but lost in the Elite Eight to Duke. Chaney reached the Elite Eight on five occasions and was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1988. On March 13, 2006, Chaney retired from coaching.

On April 10, 2006, Penn head coach and La Salle alumnus Fran Dunphy was named the new head coach. Dunphy had coached the Quakers for 17 straight seasons prior to the move. After struggling his first year, the Owls won the A-10 tournament for three consecutive years in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The Owls received bids to the NCAA Tournament for six straight years under Dunphy (2008–2013). However, the Owls only won a game in the Tournament twice during that time period. Since Temple joined the American Athletic Conference in 2013, the Owls have struggled, making the NCAA Tournament only in 2016 and 2019.

After the 2018 season it was announced that former Owls standout and then-assistant coach Aaron McKie would take over for Dunphy in 2019.

Players Mark Macon, Juan Ignacio Sanchez, Eddie Jones, Lavoy Allen, Aaron McKie, Tim Perry and Mardy Collins are just a few who have gone on to play in the NBA.

Rivalries

As a member of the Big 5, the five large colleges in Philadelphia, the Owls have long-standing rivalries with Villanova, Penn, Saint Joseph's, and La Salle. The Owls are tied with Villanova for the most Big 5 titles to date, with 27. However, while tied in overall titles, Villanova has more outright titles not shared by any other tying team. The Owls have not won an outright Big 5 title since the 2000–01 season. The Owls won their most recent Big 5 title in 2022–23, going 3–1 in Big 5 play and splitting the title with Villanova. During Big 5 games, the Temple student section unfurls long banners about the opposing team, which has been a Big 5 trademark for Temple.

Other rivals include UMass, UConn, and Cincinnati. Temple was in the American Athletic Conference with UConn and Cincinnati until their departures in 2020 and 2023, respectively. When Temple was in the A-10, head coach John Chaney had a personal rivalry with UMass head coach John Calipari.

Awards and honors

Retired numbers

Main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers

National Awards

All Americans

• Mike Bloom – 1938
• Bill Mlkvy – 1951
• Guy Rodgers – 1957, 1958
• Bill Kennedy – 1960
• Terrence Stansbury – 1984
• Nate Blackwell – 1987
• Mark Macon – 1988
• Pepe Sanchez – 2000

National Coach of the Year

• John Chaney – 1987, 1988

Conference awards

[[Atlantic 10 Conference|Atlantic 10 Conference (1982–2013)]]

• Atlantic 10 Player of the Year

  • Terrence Stansbury – 1983–84
  • Granger Hall – 1984–85
  • Nate Blackwell – 1986–87
  • Tim Perry – 1987–88
  • Mark Macon – 1988–89
  • Aaron McKie – 1992–93
  • Eddie Jones – 1993–94
  • Marc Jackson – 1996–97
  • Pepe Sanchez – 1999–00
  • Khalif Wyatt – 2012–13

• Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year

  • Quincy Wadley – 1998–99
  • Lynn Greer – 1999–00
  • Brian Polk – 2001–02
  • Ramone Moore – 2009–10
  • Khalif Wyatt – 2010–11

• Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player

  • Dionte Christmas – 2006–07
  • Scootie Randall – 2010–11

• Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year

  • John Chaney – 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1999–00
  • Fran Dunphy – 2009–10, 2011–12

[[American Athletic Conference|American Athletic Conference (2013–Present)]]

• American Athletic Conference Most Improved Player

  • Nate Pierre-Louis – 2019

• American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year

  • Fran Dunphy – 2015, 2016

[[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]]

• Harry Litwack – 1976
• John Chaney – 2001
• Guy Rodgers – 2014

Owls in pro basketball

NBA drafted players

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Owls have appeared in the NCAA tournament 33 times. Their combined record is 33–33.

NIT results

The Owls have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 19 times. Their combined record is 23–17. They are two time NIT champions (1938, 1969).

References

References

1. Avery, Leslie. (March 17, 1938). "Temple Captures National Mythical Court Title by Conquering Colorado". The Democrat and Leader.
2. Wilson, Dave. (March 29, 1938). "Temple's National Champions Honored Again at Banquet — City Fetes Temple, National Champion". [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]].
3. (2009). "ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game". ESPN Books.
4. (2006-03-13). "Temple coach Chaney retires".
5. [https://owlsports.com/news/2014/8/8/MBB_0808144324 Naismith Hall of Fame Welcomes Guy Rodgers] at owlsports.com, 8 Aug 2014
6. [https://owlsports.com/news/2012/12/4/MBB_1204123734 Temple To Retire Men's Basketball Great Hal Lear's Jersey] at owlsports.com, 12 Apr 2012
7. [https://www.inquirer.com/philly/sports/colleges/temple/20160215_Mark_of_greatness__Looking_back_at_Temple_s_1991_NCAA_Tournament_team.html Mark of greatness! Looking back at Temple's 1991] at Inquirer.com, 14 Feb 2016
8. [https://www.si.com/college/2020/03/03/bill-mlkvy-temple-ncaa-record-consecutive-points This Future Dentist Once Dropped 54 Straight. Then He Was Lost to Time] by JOHN WALTERSMAR at SI.com – Mar 3, 2020
9. "(PDF)".
10. "List of Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Winners".
11. (12 March 2019). "Defensive Player, Sixth Man, Most Improved and Sportsmanship Award Announced".
12. (10 March 2016). "Temple's Fran Dunphy named AAC Coach of the Year".
13. "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees".
14. "Draft Finder".