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Bond set to bring Temple back to defensive prominence

10/16/2014, 3:15pm EDT

By Andrew Koob

Andrew Koob (@AndrewKoob)
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Temple used to thrive on making the defensive play, putting a stranglehold on the opposing offense and its scoring output.

The Owls let go of that strong grip, especially last year, allowing opponents to score 78.9 points per game, 330th in the country.

With the season opener against American less than a month away, the focus has shifted back to suffocating defense.

And it all starts with Jaylen Bond, the Plymouth-Whitemarsh grad who has returned home.

After spending his freshman season at Texas, Bond transferred to North Broad Street and sat out the past year. Now the junior gets his chance to not only hit the floor, but also become the defensive leader that the Owls so desperately need.

“I’m really anxious,” Bond said. “It was tough sitting out last year but we have a good team this year and I’m really looking forward to it. The first week during the offseason, all we focused on was defense. We know that’s what we have to focus on to be the best team we can be.”

Bond’s introduction to the cherry and white could not have come at a better time. The Owls lack experience in the frontcourt after Anthony Lee graduated and decided to transfer to Ohio State for his last year of eligibility. Junior Devontae Watson is talented but still raw and Obi Enechionyia, though impressive in the early going, is still only a freshman.

That puts most of the defensive burden on the player head coach Fran Dunphy calls the most versatile on the team.

“We’ve talked about it a lot, he can guard basically ‘1’ through ‘5’,” Dunphy said. “Probably ‘1’ through ‘4’ but he’s going to get stuck on a five man once in awhile. He’s a very good defensive player and I think he needs to be great for us on defense. Not good, but great. And I think he has that in him.”

Because of that versatility, Dunphy plans on using Bond at both forward positions. It makes acclimating the junior into a specific role that much more difficult, but once he starts to prepare like the leader of the team on a consistent basis it will all come together for Bond.

“He’s got the toughest assignments because he has to know both positions out there,” Dunphy said. “He’s made some really good strides. I think his outside jump shooting is better, although he did not have a great day at it today. We talked about it after practice; I think his preparation has to be better. He has to fade to certain spots, he has to be shot-ready, but I think his mechanics have been pretty good so far.”

Along with fellow transfers Jesse Morgan (Massachusetts) and Devin Coleman (Clemson), Bond will be looked upon to not only add depth to a team that was down to nine eligible players for most of the season, but also to add an intensity that seemed to be missing a year ago.

“Those three guys, obviously they’re chomping at the bit to play,” Dunphy said. “All three of them have worked hard and done the job of paying attention to every detail, not only on the court but off the court as well.”

“It helps us a lot,” Bond said of bringing in three players from three different leagues. “We get to see different styles of play, different things we can bring to our team this year to help us be the best team that we can.”

In talks with each other, Bond and Dunphy go back and forth about NBA players that Bond should model his game after. The one that pops up the most, San Antonio Spurs forward and NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, has Bond excited about his role in the upcoming season.

“I talk to coach Dunphy a lot about players he wants me to model so that’s certainly one of the players that I could fit that role,” Bond said. “He just won the [NBA Finals] MVP, so that’s a big honor.”

Last year, Leonard averaged 12.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg, shooting 52.2 percent overall and 37.9 percent from 3-point range for the Spurs in his third year in the NBA. The 6-7 forward also averaged 1.8 steals per game and nearly one block per contest.

Though obviously the NBA isn’t the AAC, those are certainly solid numbers for Bond to shoot for, well above the 3.1 ppg and 4.1 rpg he averaged in his two years at Texas. No longer a role player, Bond is ready for that starting and starring role–and that year out only helped him get there.

“He wants me to play all-around defense, offense, guarding the best player. I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I [saw] the things that I could help my teammates [with], so it was good that I could have that year to sit out, so I can help this year.”