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City 6 Preview: Temple Owls Primer (MBB)

10/24/2022, 8:30am EDT
By Owen McCue

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)

(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2022-23 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 9. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season click here)

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2022-23 Temple Owls
Coach: Aaron McKie, fourth season (36-40, .474)
Last Year: 17-12 (10-7 AAC); lost in AAC first round (69-60 Tulane)


Aaron McKie (above, last November) has what should be his best Temple team yet. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

After consecutive losing campaigns to begin his tenure as the head man in North Philadelphia, Aaron McKie showed signs he has things back on the rise last season. Despite losing their leading scorer Khalif Battle seven games into last season, the Owls finished with their first winning record since 2018-19 and finished fourth place in the AAC before being upset in the first round of the conference tournament. With Battle back to full health and several key holdovers, Temple should push for its first tournament appearance since 2019 if it can do some damage in a challenging non-conference schedule.

Key Departures: G Taj Strickland (8.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg), PG Jeremiah Williams (9.5 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.5 rpg), F Sage Tolbert (3.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg), PF Jake Forrester (5.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg) 

Forrester (Saint Louis), Tolbert (San Jose State), Stickland (George Southern) and Williams (Iowa State) all transferred out of the program this offseason. When Battle went down last season, Williams was the team’s second-leading scorer and assist leader, while Strickland was fourth on the team in scoring. Forrester started 12 of the 15 games he played in last season but saw his role reduced in his third season on North Broad and Tolbert began the season in the starting lineup before coming off the bench. There’s certainly some talent in the group of transfers but plenty more returning (and incoming) to make it a non-issue.

New Faces: G/F Shane Dezonie (So. | Vanderbilt), PF Kur Jongkuch (Gr. | Northern Colorado), C Jamille Reynolds (So. | UCF), F Taj Thweatt (So. | West Virginia), G Deuce Roberts (Fr. | St. Michael the Archangel, Mo.)

Temple’s front court got a major boost with the additions of Reynolds and Jongkuch. Reynolds averaged 5.0 ppg and 2.9 rpg in 12.8 minutes per game last season at UCF and Jongkuch averaged 8.9 ppg and 8.6 rpg for Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference. They provide needed depth inside with the departure of Forrester. The statuses of Dezonie, a former Top 100 recruit from Hudson Catholic (N.J.) and Thweatt, a Wildwood Catholic (N.J.) product and former high school teammate of Jahlil White, are uncertain heading into the season. Roberts, the only freshman, is a 6-6 guard from Missouri who rounds out the list of newcomers.

Projected Starters: G Khalif Battle (21.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg), G Damian Dunn (14.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg), G/F Jahlil White (7.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg), F Zach Hicks (8.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg), F Jamille Reynolds


Damian Dunn (above) became Temple's leader after Battle's injury. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Dunn, White and Jourdain started alongside sophomore guard Hysier Miller at the end of last season. With Battle back, Miller likely slides to the bench though he should once again have a big role. Dunn stepped into the clear go-to role for the Owls when Battle went down and put together outings of 26, 27, 27 and 33 last season. Those two should form one of the best backcourt duos in The American this season.

White is a versatile player who fits well with a number of different lineup combinations on the floor. Hicks played a lot of minutes off the bench last season and the sharpshooter should be promoted to full-time starter this season as he is poised for a breakout sophomore campaign. The reports from players and coaches have been very high on both transfer big men Kur Jongkuch and Reynolds. Jongkuch seems most likely to start, but Reynolds should play an equally-large role off the bench, with the coaches likely to ride the hot hand from game to game.

Key Reserves: G Hysier Miller (4.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg), C Emmanuel Okpomo, F Kur Jongkuch, F Nick Jourdain (6.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

As previously noted, Miller ended the season as starter, getting the nod in eight games for the Owls this season. It will be tough to supplant Battle and/or Dunn but as the one true point guard on the team he should see time on the floor with one or both of them and still play a significant role after averaging 18.8 minutes per game last season. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him starting at PG either. The front court rotation is the biggest unknown with the additions of Reynolds and Jonkuch, who both have plenty of experience. Okpomo started two games and played in nine total last season after transferring from Wake Forest.


Khalif Battle (above) returns to Temple after missing most of the 2021-22 season due to injury. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

By the Numbers
(7): That’s the number of games redshirt-sophomore guard Khalif Battle played before suffering a season-ending foot injury last season. CoBL tabbed Battle as our City 6 Preseason Player of the Year after what he showed in seven games last season (21.4 ppg, .538 FG%, .488 3pt FG%). Battle’s scoring and shooting will be a great addition. Though he played in only seven games, his 21 3’s finished the season as the third-most on the Owls.

(22.5): Temple attempted 22.5 free throws per game last season, which ranked No. 8 in Division I. The Owls got 22.9 percent of their points from the foul line in 2022-23, which ranked sixth. That number could have been even higher if they shot it better when they got to the stripe, converting 67.9 percent of their attempts from the line — 300th in Division I. The departed Taj Strickland (52.2%) and Jeremiah Williams (42.2%) were of the Owls best at getting to the stripe last season, but Damian Dunn (45.7%), Jahlil White (47.1%) and Nick Jourdain (41.0%) are all good at getting to the line, so expect that to be a strength of the Owls again this season.

(10): Temple has 10 players with sophomore eligibility on the roster. With the amount of roster turnover in college basketball and some potential pro talent amongst that group, it is unlikely they all finish their careers together, but McKie should have a strong core to lean on through the next several seasons.

Keep an eye on…
Scoring Inside: Even when the Owls last advanced to the tourney in 2019 they didn’t have the best offensive numbers, but they shot an average 50.1 percent from two-point range (185th). Temple has dropped to 335th (44.7 percent), 332nd (43.8 percent) and 339th (44.7 percent) in the three seasons since. The Owls have quite a few threats on the perimeter, so if any of the additions in the frontcourt can help them produce more efficiently inside that could help.

Being ready from the start: Some of Temple’s best resume boosting opportunities in the non-conference come early in the season. After opening their season against Wagner, the Owls have Villanova, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, St. John’s and either Richmond or Syracuse within their first six games. As they work their star player back from injury and some newcomers into the rotation, it will be critical for the Owls to find a way to start strong.


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