skip navigation

Dingle returns to form in Temple's win

03/26/2015, 1:00am EDT
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
--

It’s been a tough season for Temple redshirt sophomore Daniel Dingle.

The 6-foot-7 forward from New York City tore his meniscus 10 games into a 2013-14 season where he was averaging 6.7 ppg in just over 20 minutes per contest, though he really seemed to be hitting his stride after a slow first few games.

Instead of picking up where he left off upon his return this year, Dingle struggled through long stretches in starting the first 10 games of the season. Then, transfers Jesse Morgan and Devin Coleman became eligible before the Owls’ game against Delaware, and his minutes fell off a cliff.

He played 10 or more minutes in just one of the next eight games, going without a point in five of them.

Without trust in his knee, he tried to turn himself into a spot-up 3-point shooter–but during a 10-game stretch late in the season, he missed 14 consecutive 3-point attempts.

“I’ve been through ups and downs this year,” he acknowledged after Temple’s 77-59 win over Louisiana Tech in the NIT quarterfinals on Wednesday night. “Minutes-wise, mentally preparing myself every game, not knowing if I was going to play or not play, or how many minutes I was going to get.”

If he continues to play like he did against the Bulldogs, however, he won’t have to worry about those minutes for much longer.

Dingle looked like the player he was expected to be against LA Tech, playing perhaps the most aggressive game of his Temple career. In 20 impressive minutes, he finished with seven points, two assists and two blocks, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story.

He took his man off the dribble several times to get into the lane and draw contact, getting to the free throw line on a pair of occasions. On two other drives, he found fellow forwards Obi Enechionyia and Devontae Watson for a big pair of dunks that helped the Owls maintain their momentum in the second half.

“He’s as good a guy as we have in the program, great teammate,” Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. “Thrilled for him to do what he did tonight, he made a few really nice plays and passes.”

Dingle certainly looked like a new man out there on the court, but in some ways he looked like his old self. After wearing his hair a little longer for the majority of the season, he had it closely cropped against the Bulldogs, mirroring the look he had when he first arrived on campus.

“I think it was the haircut,” senior guard Will Cummings said. “That was my opinion, for him to get it cut.”

Dingle didn’t dismiss the idea.

“Maybe,” he said, “because I felt like freshman year again. I didn’t play a lot [then], but I felt as though I had all the right skills and tools.”

Though Dingle insisted at the beginning of the season that his knee had fully healed from the year before, he admits now that it really was only about “80 or 90 percent,” and it likely won’t be until next season that he’s really back to full strength.

“It still bothers me,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do this summer as far as getting in shape, getting stronger and getting my knee stronger, so this summer’s going to mean a lot.”

Even if he’s back to 100 percent next year, Dingle’s still going to have to keep impressing to keep playing minutes for Dunphy and the Owls, who return every piece of their frontcourt next year. Starting center Watson and power forward Jaylen Bond both return, as does Enechionyia, who’s another versatile forward who has shown some flashes of being a very good player maybe as soon as next fall.

With Dingle, the 6-7 Bond and 6-8 Enechionyia all capable of playing multiple positions up front, plus a freshman class that includes 6-9 big man Ernest Aflakpui (Archbishop Carroll), 6-6 wing Trey Lowe (Ewing HS) and lanky guard Levan “Shawn” Alston (Haverford School) joining the fray, Temple’s versatility is going to be a calling card next season.

“I think versatility and a lot of length,” Dingle said. “Trey Lowe, he brings length and then we can’t forget about Shawn Alston, he’s a lengthy guard at 6-3, and if Ernest [Aflakpui] gets healthy again, I’ve seen him play on the visits and I was quite impressed. It’s going to be a lot of competition in practice and it’s going to be more depth for the team.”


Recruiting News:

HS Coverage:

Tag(s): Home  Josh Verlin