City of Basketball Love

By Justin Procope (@1Procope)
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There’s something about the Big 5 that brings out the best in Temple’s Zion Stanford.

The last time we saw the 6-foot-6 sophomore guard play in this competition, he was slashing his way to 19 points in the Big 5 Championship Game against Saint Joseph’s. While the streamers that fell that night were not for the Cherry and White, Stanford showed what he could do on a big stage. 

“For me against Philadelphia teams, teams that recruited me to me going against them it’s things like that,” said Stanford when asked why these Big 5 games are so special. “Being able to play at home with my family watching me, friends watching me, I just, keep that in mind every time I play in a big game like this and try to give them my all.”

He gave it his all Tuesday night, showcasing his microwave scoring ability from the opening tip, rattling off the team’s first 10 points on his way to a 19-point first half before finishing with a career-high 23 in Temple’s 69-61 win against Drexel. Breakaway slams, contested threes, up-and-under threes, everything was on display from the talented West Catholic product, who set the tone for the Owls in front of an eager Liacourous crowd. 

“I’ll be honest, I’ve been really hard on Stanford,” said head coach Adam Fisher. “So I’m really proud of him, I thought he set the tone tonight. 

Stanford cooled off in the second half with only four points in the period but stayed aggressive and provided a key assist down the stretch to Babatunde Durodola to put the game out of reach. Durodola is one of many new faces donning the cherry and white this season, including New Mexico transfer Jamal Mashburn Jr, who has enjoyed a scorching start to the season. 

The graduate student came into the night averaging 25.5 points per game over his first two with his new team and poured in another 20 Tuesday night on 5-of-13 shooting (9-10 FT), trailing only Stanford in scoring for the game. No other player scored more than seven. 

“It’s good to have new talent on our team, new talent coming in and gelling immediately, being able to watch those transfer grow and showcase and put on for temple, it's definitely a good thing to have them here,” said Stanford. 

The win marked Temple’s first Big 5 of the year and moved them to 3-0 on the year. A win against La Salle at the end of the month would send them back to the championship game on December 7th at the Wells Fargo Center. It’s easy to look ahead, but for now, Stanford and the Owls will take it game by game. 

“I know we got a couple of games before La Salle, so our next games are our main focus,” said Stanford. 

Cole Hargrove led the way for the Drexel with 15 points and 12 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. His impact on both ends of the floor has eased any concerns that might have existed after Amari Williams’ transfer to Kentucky and losing their starting center Garfield Turner for the season to injury. 

Adding to the scoring for Drexel was junior guard Kobe Magee, who finished with 17. The 6-foot-6 guard has taken a leap in his third season, raising his points averages from 6.3 to almost 20 points per game, albeit in just three games. 

The sweet-shooting Magee and the bruising Hargrove will be major contributors for the Dragons, who went 13-1 at home last season and whose third-round upset over Villanova became one of the biggest stories to emerge out of last year’s competition if they want to continue to make noise in the city. 

“We’re going to compete and we’re going to expect to win,” said head coach Zach Spiker. “The days of getting pats on the back like ‘hey, you played hard’, that’s not where our program is or what we’re about. We’re not going to accept that and be comfortable”.

The Dragons will have the chance to respond immediately, as their next game will be another Big 5 contest against La Salle at home. Meanwhile, Temple begins the first four-game road trip that will test this new group’s resolve against Boston College this Friday.

“I think that's what good teams do,” said Fisher. “You have to go in nonconference play away from home and play good teams and take care of your games at home.”

“We're trying to build our teams so that we can play beautiful games in March,” he added. 

As the stakes get higher, Fisher will need this version of Stanford more often. The potential has always been obvious to anyone who’s watched him, but turning that potential into regular production is where Fisher has seen huge strides and it could be the difference between a championship or another championship heartbreak. 

“We have full trust in Zion,” head coach Adam Fisher said. “It’s what you saw tonight, he’s done it in postseason play, competitions, tournaments, and he did it here tonight. So he’s earned that, he knows that it’s just consistency and he’s been taking really big steps in that department.”