Very quickly, Temple basketball has become the Jesse Morgan show.
The former Olney guard, who played his first three years at Massachusetts before his dismissal from the A-10 program took his career path from Amherst back to Philly, was given one final semester of eligibility by the NCAA just before the 2014-15 season after earning his undergraduate degree from Temple in the spring.
And after his first four games back, it?s clear he?s doing everything he can to make the most of this opportunity.
The 6-foot-5 guard leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and 3-point shooting (43.2 percent), providing a much-needed boost on that end of the floor while adding in four rebounds, 2.3 apg and 1.5 spg while seeing over 31 minutes of action every night.
With him and fellow newly-eligible Clemson transfer Devin Coleman in the lineup, the Owls have won four straight games, including knocking off No. 10 Kansas at home and defending national champion UConn on the road, to emerge as a team to watch in the American Athletic Conference.
?It?s a great feeling to get wins, just to have as many wins as we do right now, we have some confidence and we feel good about it,? Morgan said at practice on Friday as Temple prepared for an AAC matchup with Central Florida. ?[But] we just can?t get content with this and get better each day and focus in practice.?
While many expected Morgan to show some rust after not playing Division I basketball since January 2013, he?s looking so far like he?ll be in serious consideration for All-AAC honors by the end of the year. This past week, he was named both the Big 5 and AAC Player of the Week for dropping 17 points against Kansas and 15 against Delaware State.
He?s been bombing away from NBA 3-point range and connecting enough to stretch opposing defenses, and knows how to get to the line as well. He?s been great on the defensive end as well, bringing good size to the perimeter and a veteran?s savvy who understands what the Owls are trying to accomplish on that end of the floor.
The only people who aren?t surprised are his teammates.
?We saw him shoot like that in practice, so it?s not anything new for us, it?s just new for everybody that?s been watching now,? senior guard Will Cummings said. ?We knew what he was capable of. He was doing that at Umass, not as many people got to see him at UMass, but he?s just doing what he does. We just hope he keeps playing at this level and keeps helping us get wins.?
Of course, Temple is much more than a one-horse show.
Cummings is averaging 13.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.1 apg and 1.6 spg, and though his shooting numbers are still poor (32.2 percent overall, 21.7 percent from 3-point range), he?s clearly a much more effective point guard with Morgan and Coleman (6.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) in the lineup. And junior wing Quenton DeCosey (14.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg) now doesn?t see as much defensive pressure as he did before, and hasn?t needed to take double-digit shots since Morgan and Coleman?s return.
In the frontcourt, Texas transfer Jaylen Bond (6.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) has proven to be a force in the paint, while freshman Obi Enechionyia (4.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg) has given the Owls valuable minutes off the bench.
A more balanced Temple is a better Temple under Fran Dunphy, who led the Owls to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances before a 9-22 disaster of a season last year.
Though Temple already has more wins this year than all of last season, and any message board questioning about Dunphy?s coaching and recruiting ability?he?s bringing in a highly-touted class next year that includes three local prospects?have ceased, the Owls? coach won?t acknowledge that he?s feeling any better this season than last.
?I?m just grateful for the next opportunity we have to play and I?m not worried about how many wins we have, we?re worried about UCF on Sunday and that?s the only thing we can be worried about,? the longtime Penn and Temple head coach said. ?I know you hear that all the time from every coach you ever talk to, but that?s all coaches ever think about, is the next step along the way.?
The Owls? 10-4 (1-0) resume doesn?t have any terrible losses on it, with Duke, UNLV, St. Joe?s and Villanova the only squads to take down Temple so far. And all four of those losses came before the additions of Morgan and Coleman, which the NCAA tournament selection committee can weigh when looking at at-large bids in March.
It?s still a little early to really begin talking bids and bracketology, but considering Temple should be favored in their next four games, a 14-4 (5-0) record heading into a road matchup at Cincinnati on Jan. 17 would certainly have the conversation flowing.
Morgan has never played in March Madness, and he?s not shy about acknowledging it?s one of his biggest motivating factors over the final 17 regular-season games of his college career.
?It?s a big driving force,? he said after the Owls practiced for Sunday?s game against Central Florida. ?No matter where you?re at, you want to make the NCAA Tournament. Just have to stay focused and not worry about that, take one game at a time and see if it works out.?
The second year through the American Athletic Conference should be a little more comfortable for Temple and the rest of the programs who were around last season, though a few newcomers (Tulane, Tulsa, East Carolina) means that not every opponent will be somewhat familiar.
But both UConn and Central Florida were part of the AAC last year, and if the conference opener was any indication, the second time around is certainly easier than the first.
And this is the fourth meeting in the last calendar year between Temple and UCF, with the Owls emerging victorious on their home court in March but the Knights taking the home matchup exactly one year from this upcoming game and then the AAC tournament first round game down in Memphis that ended Temple?s season.
?We [did] definitely feel comfortable going into UConn, we already knew what kind of sets they were going to run and what kind of team makeup they had and what they like to do,? Cummings said. ?We?re really looking forward to just going through the conference this year with a different attitude.?
The former Olney guard, who played his first three years at Massachusetts before his dismissal from the A-10 program took his career path from Amherst back to Philly, was given one final semester of eligibility by the NCAA just before the 2014-15 season after earning his undergraduate degree from Temple in the spring.
And after his first four games back, it?s clear he?s doing everything he can to make the most of this opportunity.
The 6-foot-5 guard leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and 3-point shooting (43.2 percent), providing a much-needed boost on that end of the floor while adding in four rebounds, 2.3 apg and 1.5 spg while seeing over 31 minutes of action every night.
With him and fellow newly-eligible Clemson transfer Devin Coleman in the lineup, the Owls have won four straight games, including knocking off No. 10 Kansas at home and defending national champion UConn on the road, to emerge as a team to watch in the American Athletic Conference.
?It?s a great feeling to get wins, just to have as many wins as we do right now, we have some confidence and we feel good about it,? Morgan said at practice on Friday as Temple prepared for an AAC matchup with Central Florida. ?[But] we just can?t get content with this and get better each day and focus in practice.?
While many expected Morgan to show some rust after not playing Division I basketball since January 2013, he?s looking so far like he?ll be in serious consideration for All-AAC honors by the end of the year. This past week, he was named both the Big 5 and AAC Player of the Week for dropping 17 points against Kansas and 15 against Delaware State.
He?s been bombing away from NBA 3-point range and connecting enough to stretch opposing defenses, and knows how to get to the line as well. He?s been great on the defensive end as well, bringing good size to the perimeter and a veteran?s savvy who understands what the Owls are trying to accomplish on that end of the floor.
The only people who aren?t surprised are his teammates.
?We saw him shoot like that in practice, so it?s not anything new for us, it?s just new for everybody that?s been watching now,? senior guard Will Cummings said. ?We knew what he was capable of. He was doing that at Umass, not as many people got to see him at UMass, but he?s just doing what he does. We just hope he keeps playing at this level and keeps helping us get wins.?
Of course, Temple is much more than a one-horse show.
Cummings is averaging 13.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.1 apg and 1.6 spg, and though his shooting numbers are still poor (32.2 percent overall, 21.7 percent from 3-point range), he?s clearly a much more effective point guard with Morgan and Coleman (6.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) in the lineup. And junior wing Quenton DeCosey (14.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg) now doesn?t see as much defensive pressure as he did before, and hasn?t needed to take double-digit shots since Morgan and Coleman?s return.
In the frontcourt, Texas transfer Jaylen Bond (6.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) has proven to be a force in the paint, while freshman Obi Enechionyia (4.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg) has given the Owls valuable minutes off the bench.
A more balanced Temple is a better Temple under Fran Dunphy, who led the Owls to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances before a 9-22 disaster of a season last year.
Though Temple already has more wins this year than all of last season, and any message board questioning about Dunphy?s coaching and recruiting ability?he?s bringing in a highly-touted class next year that includes three local prospects?have ceased, the Owls? coach won?t acknowledge that he?s feeling any better this season than last.
?I?m just grateful for the next opportunity we have to play and I?m not worried about how many wins we have, we?re worried about UCF on Sunday and that?s the only thing we can be worried about,? the longtime Penn and Temple head coach said. ?I know you hear that all the time from every coach you ever talk to, but that?s all coaches ever think about, is the next step along the way.?
The Owls? 10-4 (1-0) resume doesn?t have any terrible losses on it, with Duke, UNLV, St. Joe?s and Villanova the only squads to take down Temple so far. And all four of those losses came before the additions of Morgan and Coleman, which the NCAA tournament selection committee can weigh when looking at at-large bids in March.
It?s still a little early to really begin talking bids and bracketology, but considering Temple should be favored in their next four games, a 14-4 (5-0) record heading into a road matchup at Cincinnati on Jan. 17 would certainly have the conversation flowing.
Morgan has never played in March Madness, and he?s not shy about acknowledging it?s one of his biggest motivating factors over the final 17 regular-season games of his college career.
?It?s a big driving force,? he said after the Owls practiced for Sunday?s game against Central Florida. ?No matter where you?re at, you want to make the NCAA Tournament. Just have to stay focused and not worry about that, take one game at a time and see if it works out.?
The second year through the American Athletic Conference should be a little more comfortable for Temple and the rest of the programs who were around last season, though a few newcomers (Tulane, Tulsa, East Carolina) means that not every opponent will be somewhat familiar.
But both UConn and Central Florida were part of the AAC last year, and if the conference opener was any indication, the second time around is certainly easier than the first.
And this is the fourth meeting in the last calendar year between Temple and UCF, with the Owls emerging victorious on their home court in March but the Knights taking the home matchup exactly one year from this upcoming game and then the AAC tournament first round game down in Memphis that ended Temple?s season.
?We [did] definitely feel comfortable going into UConn, we already knew what kind of sets they were going to run and what kind of team makeup they had and what they like to do,? Cummings said. ?We?re really looking forward to just going through the conference this year with a different attitude.?
