City of Basketball Love

Aron Minkoff (@AronMinkoff)
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After only playing just two minutes in Temple’s last contest, a season-low, freshman Trey Lowe knew he had something to prove.

That’s just what he did.

On the statsheet, it may not look like much, the first-year wing finished with nine points and one rebound en route to the Owls’ 78-63 win on Saturday afternoon.

But it was his energy and spark that really proved to be the difference maker for the Owls. This is what his role has become, and Lowe relishes it.

“Coming in and giving my team a lot of energy and just working my hardest until the next dead ball,” Lowe said of his role. “I’m always looking to make the easy plays any time. So just giving my teammates and team anything, any time of encouragement, anything to keep them moving forward.”

Lowe has been a quick learner thus far this season, and immediately factored into the Owls strategy, averaging 15.3 mpg in the team’s first nine games, despite not playing in that game against Saint Joseph’s.

“He is looking really good, he is still working on stuff, like any freshman, really active, he gave us some great minutes tonight,” senior wing Quenton DeCosey said. “He can score the ball, the only thing he probably just has to work on is defense a little bit, but he is a really talented player.”

This is not the first time that Lowe has been criticized for his defense, it is something that he needs to work on.

Ironically enough, it was a sequence of plays including a key steal on defense for Lowe that helped swing the game in Temple’s favor.

The Owls were trailing 24-23 with 4:16 remaining in the first half, and to that point there was not much of any separation between the two teams. Lowe nailed a corner three and quickly stole the inbounds pass, which he finished off with a dunk to bring the previously quiet Temple crowd to their feet.

Temple led the rest of the way through and Lowe’s energy and long arms that clogged the passing lanes are a main reason why. There is a frame in which Lowe can work within to improve on the defensive end.

“Trey caused some havoc out there, which he can do, he just has to improve on the defensive end, keeping people in front of him,” Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "He is better now than he was a month ago, and he will better in another month. He is valuable, he is so long, he can make some plays, he can create havoc in there so we need him.”

Lowe played 16 minutes in Saturday’s contest and matched his season-high in steals with two. When out there, he has consistently proved his value defensively, all that is missing from his game is a better effort on the defensive side of things.

“We have to really take it personally if someone gets by you,” Dunphy said. “I don’t think there are any key secrets here, body balance, anticipation, those kind-of things. Really desire and toughness.”

Overall, through the first ten games, Lowe has shown flashes of his potential already, whether it is his high-flying dunking ability, which earned him a spot on Sportscenter’s top-ten recently, or his keen ability to hit the big shot, as he did in Temple’s comeback bid against Utah.

For any freshman, the adjustment can sometimes be tough, but it seemingly has not been for Lowe. He will face some big tests in conference play, especially when the Owls open up the AAC schedule with 23rd ranked Cincinnati. Nonetheless, the first 10 games have been key for Lowe in proving himself.

“I would give myself a B-plus right now,” Lowe said. “I am just getting comfortable with the game, and playing with bigger, stronger and faster people.”