TTN: Role players step up in win

http://temple-news.com/sports/2013/03/02/role-players-step-up-in-win/

(March 2, 2013)
Will Cummings and Jake O’Brien were crucial in the men’s basketball team’s 76–70 win against Rhode Island.

For nearly 30 minutes, Xavier Munford had the Owls backed up against the wall.

But on a bizarre sequence, senior guard Khalif Wyatt coughed up the ball and was called for a foul. A few seconds later Munford, Rhode Island’s junior guard and the second leading scorer in the Atlantic 10 Conference, was whistled for a technical.

“Maybe Munford thought they called a block on him,” Wyatt said. “I’m not sure but Munford got a technical foul and it was a big play in the game actually.”

Temple (21–8, 9–5 in the A-10) was clinging to a 52–51 lead off a dunk by sophomore guard Will Cummings when the whistle blew with 12 minutes, 27 seconds left in the game.

Wyatt connected on both freebies and the Owls never relinquished the lead after that. Temple extend their lead to 11, then allowed the Rams to tie it up at 64–64 with over six minutes to go. But the momentum had already shifted with Munford having to sit on the bench in foul trouble for critical stretches.

Temple went on to win their third straight A-10 match, 76–70, and keep pace with the top of the conference.

“We made a good run in the second half and we thought we had pretty good control of the game, but they’ve got some good players and Munford made some big shots,” Wyatt said. “And they got back in the game.”

“I’ve said, while we have been inconsistent we have also been very resilient,” coach Fran Dunphy said. “I do enjoy the resiliency of this particular group.”

The game was nothing short of a shootout in the opening half as both teams shot at least 50 percent from the field. And from long range both squads exchanged blows. The Rams went seven-of-12 from down town and the Owls matched them blow for blow, connecting on six of their 12 three-point attempts.

“We weren’t really happy with our defense in the first half but they made some tough shots,” Wyatt said. “They were shooting it really good in the first half and we did a good job making shots, staying with them, staying with them.”

“I don’t know where the misses were but I didn’t see many of them,” Dunphy said. “Then I looked at our stat and we were a couple percentage points ahead of them. I didn’t see that either.”

Normally a catalyst of the Owls three-point game, graduate senior forward Jake O’Brien made just two of six from beyond the arc as he played center for sophomore Anthony Lee, who was out with a hip pointer.

“Jake has really helped us immeasurably throughout the year,” Dunphy said. “He goes for 10 rebounds today, too. I can’t say that’s his forte.”

“It’ll be a day-to-day thing,” Dunphy said of Lee’s injury. “I’m hoping he’ll be ready to go Wednesday but there’s no assurances of that.”

Despite the offensive outburst Temple started out slow, and went into the half trailing 37–36. The Rams opened up a five-point lead to start the second, but Temple chipped away thanks to the duo of Wyatt and Cummings.

Battling with Munford, who shot 12-of-23 for 30 points, Wyatt and Cummings tagged teamed throughout the game to create a change of pace that turned out to be the deciding factor.

Wyatt finished with 24 points, but Cummings’s hustle at critical points in the second half created loose ball scenarios for the Owls or added extra possessions Dunphy said. Cummings finished with a career high 15 points and added four steals as well.

“That’s what he can do,” Dunphy said. “He’s certainly our fastest guy and maybe our best athlete in all honesty.”

“Just seeing openings and taking advantage of it and not thinking twice about it,” Cummings said. “Just reacting when an opening comes open. Just playing basketball how I learned to play basketball when I was younger.”

O’Brien recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Senior forward Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson added a game-high 13 rebounds and five assists as well despite his six points.

The two were largely responsible for Temple’s dominance in the second half in rebounds. The Owls out-rebounded the Rams 29–14 in the second half.

“They both held down the paint for us today,” Wyatt said. “I think they did a pretty good job.”

Temple now sits tied for fourth with Butler in the A-10 and is looking to grab a first-round bye in the tournament come March 14.

After two games in three days the Owls will take Sunday off before returning to practice the next day. Their next game is Wednesday when they head to New York to take on Fordham. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.

TTN: Adams: Even with A-10 postseason berth, success not likely

http://temple-news.com/sports/2013/02/26/adams-even-with-a-10-postseason-berth-success-not-likely/

(February 26, 2013)
The women’s basketball team has an uphill climb to the A-10 tournament.

Coach Tonya Cardoza is still optimistic.

“I really think that we’re a better team than our record shows and how well we’ve played,” Cardoza said after the Owls were squashed by Dayton, 67–47. “I think we’ve had situations where we don’t know how to win.”

The Owls are in the midst of their worst season since 2002-03, the last time they didn’t make the NCAA tournament or the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. At 12–15 (5–7 Atlantic 10 Conference) they’ve guaranteed a losing record for the first time since that same season.

“I don’t even think [anybody’s] thinking that far into the postseason right now,” sophomore guard Tyonna Williams said. “All we want to do is make it to our conference [tournament], and then we’ll just go forth from there.”

The team has reiterated that it’s only focusing on the final two games, against Butler and Fordham. But the question remains, if this squad makes the A-10 tournament, what sort of chance do the Owls honestly have?

If you ask the players, they’ll say they think they can surprise people.

“To be honest I think, in this conference and these coaches, I don’t think any one of us takes anyone for granted, especially not this year,” Cardoza said. “We know that any given night if you don’t play your ‘A’ game there’s a good chance that you can lose.”

“We know that that’s what we’re capable of doing,” Williams said. “We know that [defense is] our strong point.”

This topic has been beaten to death but the reality is this Owls squad isn’t the same as in years past. For the entirety of Cardoza’s tenure here she’s had her team in position to take the A-10 crown.

Under no circumstances can they be considered a contender this year.

Yes, when they’re up against the best of the best they play like one of the top teams in the conference. They took down then No. 3 Syracuse in the first month of the season for goodness’ sake.

But they’ve also slumped below the level of the competition they’ve faced, dropping games to teams like Virginia Commonwealth University (10–17, 3–9 A-10). If the Owls had won that game on Jan. 16, they’d have a spot in the A-10 tournament locked up already and this column would never have been written.

They’re consistently inconsistent.

So if the season were to end today, how would Temple fare in the postseason? If the Owls make the A-10 Tournament they will have to take on either Butler, George Washington, Richmond, Xavier, Saint Louis or La Salle. VCU is currently on the outside looking in and Duquesne still has a shot at a bye.

Right now the Owls are the ninth seed thanks to their loss at the hands of the Flyers. Since the top four teams – currently Dayton, Charlotte, Fordham and St. Joseph’s University – get a bye, the Owls would face Richmond (15–13, 5–7 A-10).

They knocked off the Spiders 61–48 at home a few weeks ago. So that’s a winnable game.

But then they’d face St. Joe’s in the quarterfinals, and seeing as the Hawks have home-court advantage with the tournament at Hagan Arena, that’s a long shot. Yes, they played St. Joe’s well the last time around, taking them to overtime, but I don’t see the Hawks dropping a playoff match at home to a bitter rival.

But let’s just say for some reason the Owls get past the second round. Then they’d likely face reigning A-10 champion Dayton or Charlotte. Both teams are far superior than Temple and Dayton is simply on a whole other level compared to the rest of the conference. In a winner-takes-all game I just can’t see either team folding to the Owls. Both are far more talented and experienced

Obviously the team’s mindset won’t be that it’s going to lose. Even though the Owls have collapsed at various points this season, Cardoza won’t let this squad go down without a fight in the postseason.

“This program has dominated this conference for the past three or four years, so we definitely don’t want to be that squad that lets everybody down,” Williams said.

“As long as we [play good defense] we will upset some people if we get to the A-10’s,” Williams added. “We will make a run.”

That’s great confidence but the odds are against them.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520. 

PN.com: Brewerytown: His Dream Becomes a Coffee Cafe

http://philadelphianeighborhoods.com/2013/05/07/brewerytown-his-dream-percolates-into-coffee-cafe/

(May 7, 2013)

Owner J. Roger Powe III and his employees talk shop one month after iMunch opened.

For roughly three decades J. Roger Powe III had an itch.

After spending almost 20 years in broadcasting and marketing  Powe wanted to return to the restaurant business, an arena he once worked in long ago.

But the ideal opportunity never presented itself until he joined the Brewerytown Community Development Corp. four years ago. A woman came to the CDC proposing to build a coffee shop on 31st and Baltz streets but after several years she abandoned the plan due to financial issues.

So in 2008 Powe made a push to purchase the property and build his own cafe. But, the economy had other ideas.

“If you remember anything about the summer of 2008 the financial industry imploded and here I was out trying to seek financing for a commercial mortgage, renovation,” Powe said. “And folks looked at me like I was the green, one-eyed monster when I came in banks looking for money.”

In 2011 he was finally able to gather the finances for the property and thus moving his idea for a cafe to an establishment – iMunch. The name of Powe’s business is a play on words of sorts, combining the idea of consumption in “Munch” and various interpretations of the letter “I.”

“The mission here is about the bridge, bridging of the old with the new to create that kind of culture,” Powe said. “Innovation, an I-word. Ingenuity, an I-word. Intellectualism, an I-word.”

The exterior of iMunch also needed a facelift. (Photo courtesy of J. Roger Powe III)

Powe purchased the property for $180,000 and immediately set out putting together a plan to renovate a space that would fit various needs. He envisioned a space for people to eat healthy, organic foods. He also wanted to see a place where people could gather as a community and also provide a meeting area for groups or business people to eat and talk.

“One of the things through working with the CDC we always were talking about, ‘Where can we go have a quick meeting and have food at the same time?’ without being at a restaurant and imposing at the same time,” Powe said.

“We just took a look at the space and my budget and said, ‘How do we design a space that fulfills all these ideas and vision?’” Powe added.

He hired two architects to redesign the property, providing a small kitchen, the cafe area and a lounge and meeting room on the second floor that can be reached via a spiral staircase.

Powe declined to provide specifics but said that he spent a lot of money on the renovation of the property. In all, the cost of the building, licenses and zoning, renovations and equipping the space to serve as a cafe put him well over his original budget, he said. Zoning requirements delayed the process, resulting in the official opening April 6.

The next step for Powe was to find a capable chef to manage iMunch. He turned to Craigslist.

Nicquan Church, who has been in the restaurant business for 15 years in numerous capacities, was looking for a new job that would grant him more time with his two children, especially his younger daughter. He applied for the position along with several other candidates.

1233 N. 31st St. had to be redesigned to accommodate a cafe. (Photo courtosy of J. Roger Powe III)

“When I met the owner he had a vision and he had a dream that he wanted to materialize and I felt as though I could help him out,” Church said. “Given my experience and given our opportunity, it felt like a perfect fit.”

Powell agreed. “I was thinking in another direction,” he said. “But it seemed to work. He had good chemistry.”

Church worked at Melrose Diner several years ago, eventually becoming their first minority manager and had spent time at several Steven Star restaurants as well as Marathon Grill.

Church’s immediate contribution was to push the menu away from a primarily vegan collection to a balance of vegan, healthy alternatives and more common cafe foods.

He also didn’t want to flood Brewerytown with another cafe like all the others in the area. Church wanted something that stood out. He said he likes the cafe being located across the street from the new Bottom Dollar grocery store because it’s “off the beaten path” and the proximity can provide some cross traffic.

“It seems like no matter what part of the city you go to you see a lot of the same style restaurants jumbled into each other,” Church said. “I noticed that there were areas we could cater to the customer that they weren’t.”

But Church, with all his experience as a chef, didn’t know how to make smoothies or other cafe essentials. So after hiring the rest of the staff Church shared YouTube videos so everyone could learn the same techniques.

“There’s many avenues to learn in this day in age.” Church said.

Chef and manager, Nicquan Church has been in the restaurant business for 15 years.

Since iMunch opened, there  have been some menu changes and other tweaks like those associated with any new venture. Church is still figuring out if he wants it to open at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. every day.

Powe said he wants to see how things settle in over the first six to 12 months and he wants to open new branches in the city if iMunch maintains its early success.

“And that’s a process and as we get through that we think we’re moving forward towards a template,” Powe said. “And then we will copy that template.”

TTN: Revenue sports 'unsure' of new conference

http://temple-news.com/sports/2013/04/30/revenue-sports-unsure-of-new-conference/

(April 30, 2013)
Basketball misses out on Big East, football pledges to be “great” in The American.

The American Athletic Conference is devoid of the basketball schools that Temple was hoping to compete against next season. | TIMOTHY VALSHTEIN / TTN FILE PHOTO

The American: Operating Expenses for 2011–2012 Reporting Year

With the promise of the Big East Conference, Temple’s revenue sports were looking forward to aligning themselves in 2014 with a conference that has a historic basketball tradition and a collection of prestigious football schools.

Instead, the Owls will enter a conference this year with vague geographic boundaries, an absence of precedent and no logo.

“Give me the name of it again?” redshirt-junior quarterback Connor Reilly asked in an interview.

“I actually just learned the name of the conference right before this interview,” sophomore guard Will Cummings said.

“SMU is in it right?” redshirt-sophomore forward Anthony Lee asked.

It’s called the American Athletic Conference. The conference split in half and lost its name when the Catholic 7 decided to dissociate and form its own basketball conference that didn’t field football teams.

The American will lose 12 schools and add four programs in some capacity by the end of 2015. With three schools that were a part of the original Big East slated to remain in The American come 2015, men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy used the word “unsure-edness” to describe the landscape of the conference.

“The logos, the branding, those things will all come together,” football coach Matt Rhule said. “In four or five years we will be saying ‘The American’ like it’s nothing…But for right now the only thing I need from the conference is a schedule.”

competition

The schedule that Rhule alluded to differs across the board for the revenue wsports. While the football team will play five conference opponents in 2013 that it faced last year, the men’s and women’s basketball teams won’t have the luxury of familiarity.

The men’s basketball team holds a 51–41 all-time record against the nine conference basketball opponents in 2013, while the women’s squad boasts a 14–36 record against them. When Louisville and Rutgers leave the conference and East Carolina, Tulane and Tulsa are added after the 2013 season, Temple’s familiarity will decrease significantly.

While Temple must adjust to new faces, the coaches and players said it shouldn’t affect performance or game-planning.

“You’re not studying throughout, you’re preparing for a team three days before,” women’s basketball coach Tonya Cardoza said. “You want teams to adjust to you.”

“We will be preparing us,” Dunphy said. “We will be worrying about us until we get into playing the games and studying the opponents in the fall.”

While Rhule enjoys the luxury of his players being somewhat familiar with the style of play in the new conference, he is attempting to install a new system in his first year at the helm. The team is attempting to adjust to its third head coach, fourth offensive coordinator and third conference in four years.

“You want to be really good at what you do,” Rhule said. “College football is a game of matchups. You have to be great at what you do.”

Rhule described the conference changing in terms of its on-the-field performance as a positive in that each team had its own identity because they come from different conferences in different regions.

“The biggest thing you see in the conference is that there are all these different styles of teams,” Rhule said. “SMU is traditionally a run-and-shoot team, Houston is into the air-raid, Central Florida is going to ground and pound. Sometimes you look at conferences like the SEC and [the teams] all have the same style. You look at this conference and there are all these different styles of teams.”

While the philosophy could perhaps be applied on the court as well, it would be harder for the basketball teams to find the silver lining in the conference move.

Temple’s basketball teams had the most to lose when the Big East dissolved and The American was formed. Missing a chance to join the Big East – a conference that boasts rivalries and traditions few other leagues can match – wasn’t taken well at first by the players.

“I was watching TV and I was like, ‘So all the good teams left?’” Lee said. “Who’s going to be left for us?”

“Of course they moved some of the better teams out and they’re bringing in some teams that wouldn’t be up to that level of competition,” sophomore guard Tyonna Williams said. “But basketball is basketball.”

The women’s lone consolation in all the shuffling is the chance to play eight-time national champion Connecticut, coached by Geno Auriemma – Cardoza’s old mentor. Both basketball teams play each conference foe twice a year, which Cardoza said equals at least two nationally televised games for her squad.

“No one wants to play [Connecticut] twice,” Cardoza said. “You want to play them once and hope that you get lucky.”

“It gets to the point where teams like to just watch them warm up for a game,” Cardoza added.

Recruiting

Cardoza plans to use Connecticut to recruit better talent.

“So you know when you’re recruiting, you’re recruiting kids that you’re trying to upend [Connecticut],” Cardoza said. “So [recruits] have to be on par with what they’re trying to do, or at least a notch right below.”

Cardoza also said she’s focused more on selling the Temple name than The American brand. She hasn’t seen a change in recruiting interest with the loss of the Catholic 7, she said.

Dunphy noted that the move to the Big East opened doors in his own recruiting process.

“Initially, when we first heard we were going to the Big East, we got to more homes, got to be face-to-face with more players that we maybe haven’t gotten to be face-to-face with in the past,” Dunphy said. “As a result we were in there with a number of guys that we were close to getting.”

The drop-off of prestige in The American compared to the Big East could have played a role in Temple’s recent recruiting losses.

Rysheed Jordan was considering Temple and St. John’s before the conference realignment was announced. The Philadelphia native and Top 100 recruit ultimately chose St. John’s, a member of the Big East.

“It is going to take a little bit of time to get everybody’s radar up to [The American] being a very good basketball conference,” Dunphy said.

Rhule said that he hasn’t felt a negative shift in recruiting under The American name, partly because the football portion of the conference remained relatively constant and also that he pushes his coaches to recruit with more vigor and at a higher level.

“Going to The American hasn’t closed any doors,” Rhule said. “Kids are always going to take the conference as part of the recruiting process, but right now, based on how we are recruiting, I think we are recruiting at a level that we have never had before.”

Of the football program’s five committed recruits for the Class of 2014, players turned down offers from the Big Ten Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 Conference.

Facilities

While rumors about Temple’s plans to build a football stadium on campus appear to be more fantasy than reality, the Owls’ current venue, Lincoln Financial Field, stacks up well with the rest of the conference. With a capacity of 68,532, the stadium ranks second in The American next year and will lead the conference in 2014.

However, Temple’s attendance lacks.

In conference games last season, Temple filled 39 percent of its stadium, ranking them last in the conference. Temple’s average attendance of 26,580 was also worst in the conference. Four Big East teams drew more than 40,000 fans per game.

Despite home attendance lacking, the football team put a $9.7 million expansion on Edberg-Olson Hall in July 2012. Rhule said the practice facility not only helps with preparation and production, but recruiting as well.

“I haven’t seen what anybody else in the conference has, but I know what we have,” Rhule said. “And we have as nice of facilities as anyone else.”

Basketball also saw a complete practice facilities overhaul with the $59.8 million upgrade of McGonigle Hall completed last year.

But women’s basketball has struggled to fill the stands, ranking in the bottom half of the soon-to-be American, drawing an average of 941 people per game last season. The men, on the other hand, saw an average of 8,165 fans per game, third in the conference.

Cardoza expects her team, and the rest of the athletics department, to receive a boost from switching conferences.

“I think because it’s new everyone will try and jump on board,” Cardoza said. “You sell [Connecticut] as much as you possibly can…All you want is an opportunity to put people in the stands.”

Through all the changes in the college landscape in recent seasons, one thing that was reiterated throughout was a need for consistency. Without it, the players, coaches and fans won’t have a finished product. That makes it impossible to determine where The American fits into the national landscape.

“We are now entering a period of stability,” Rhule said. “That’s what our players deserve and that’s what I am trying to bring to them and invest to them. This is a conference we are committed and invested in. I think we will look back on this conference in a couple of years and say what a great conference it is.”

Ibrahim Jacobs and Jake Adams can be reached at sports@temple-news.com.

TTN: For coaches, a ploy to sell a new brand

http://temple-news.com/sports/2013/04/30/for-coaches-a-ploy-to-sell-a-new-brand/

(April 30, 2013)
Without precedent, The American poses a question for non-revenue recruiting.

Not all college recruiting is created equal.

Temple’s move to the Big East Conference – and now the American Athletic Conference – was speculated to bolster a recruit’s interest in coming to Temple in most, if not all, sports. But for non-revenue sports, that isn’t necessarily the case.

“I think that’s a little bit of a misconception that people were jumping up and down and were now all of a sudden ready to come to Temple because of that move [to the Big East],” baseball coach Ryan Wheeler said. “I think it intrigued people and it certainly added to what we had to offer, but it wasn’t like all of a sudden a hundred new people were beating down my door trying to come to Temple.”

Temple’s initial transition to a power conference that contained the likes of Louisville, Georgetown and Notre Dame – all of which have strong programs across the board – was assumed to peak interest from possible recruits in most Temple sports. But now that the original Big East has folded, it’s hard to tell what kind of a draw The American will be to prospective student-athletes.

However, several coaches said that The American brand isn’t the be-all, end-all of their recruiting efforts.

“Recruiting wise, it really didn’t make that big of a change,” volleyball coach Bakeer Ganes said. “We’re recruiting those which are interested in [American Coastal Conference] schools, Big East schools and [The American] schools, so ever since I came to Temple we went after people who basically get recruited by BCS conferences.”

“We’ve been able to get in with some kids that we couldn’t get in with when we were in the [Atlantic 10 Conference],” softball coach Joe DiPietro said. “No one really knows the American Athletic Conference yet, so we’re really going to have to sell [the conference] with the schools that are in it.”

Lacrosse and field hockey will remain Big East affiliates because there aren’t enough teams for each conference to host the sport. When trying to recruit players to a team making a conference move, lacrosse coach Bonnie Rosen said it’s not only potential recruits that need convincing, but their parents, too.

“We hear dads say, ‘Oh, you’re going to the Big East?’ or, ‘Oh, you’re going to [The American],’” Rosen said. “A lot of the daughters, the recruits, they want to know, can they make a difference? Are we going to win? What kind of coaches are we? What kind of team do we have?”

With no precedent of competition in the newly-formed conference to draw from, there’s been questions as to whether Temple can reel in the caliber of players it may take to compete in The American.

Ganes said while he looks for a “certain type of player,” the height and athleticism of players that will make up The American is different from A-10 volleyball and something he’ll have to account for.

DiPietro said competition in The American will get him into different recruiting regions, which Ganes reiterated.

“Texas is a hotbed,” Ganes said. “I used to recruit  from Texas when I was [an assistant] at West Virginia. I haven’t done that here at Temple so much. But the addition of SMU, Houston and those teams, we’re going to be able to recruit more  from Texas just because we’re going to be down there at least once a year.”

Wheeler and tennis coach Steve Mauro admitted it may take more than one recruiting class to transform their programs into legitimate threats.

“I think we need to improve all the way around on the field in order to compete,” Wheeler said. “It’s going to take a little time for us to get the players I think we need in order to compete for a championship.”

“I think next year, once we’re in the conference, it’ll actually help recruiting,” Mauro said. “It’ll be a higher level of competition and hopefully I can bring in a person that wants to play that level of competition.”

Whether or not the Big East is more highly regarded than The American is a moot point. But with the Big East, players and coaches at least knew what they were getting into.

“I think once the Big East fell apart then it was sort of a state of confusion with everybody, including myself,” Wheeler said. “You didn’t know what was going to happen. The enthusiasm didn’t drop because they knew something was going to happen, but they didn’t know what. So they didn’t know whether to be excited or scared.”

Men’s soccer coach Dave MacWilliams said playing in the highest-level conference possible is what “a lot of kids look for.” He said in time The American can build the same reputation the Big East has, and top recruits will be more intrigued as a result.

“I think the Big East name carries tradition, whereas the American Athletic Conference we’re going to have to build a reputation and a tradition,” MacWilliams said.

It’s unclear how well Temple will transition into a conference that poses new recruiting challenges, and just how much of an impact The American name will help to draw top talent.

“It kept us in more conversation with [the type of] players that we were already getting,” Wheeler said of the original Big East move. “But it has not changed [the type of players] that were coming to us before.”

Tyler Sablich and Jake Adams can be reached at sports@temple-news.com.

TTN: The American is a step up for baseball and softball

http://temple-news.com/sports/2013/04/30/the-american-is-a-step-up-for-baseball-and-softball/

(April 30, 2013)
Players and coaches speak to “significant” talent increase.

The American: Operating Expenses for 2011–2012 Reporting Year

When softball coach Joe DiPietro looks at the 2014 schedule, one thing stands out to him.

“The talent level is significant,” DiPietro said. “Obviously in this conference there’s going to be no games we look at where you think, ‘This is a win.’”

The same concept goes for coach Ryan Wheeler and the baseball team, who will be making the same transition into the American Athletic Conference next season.

“My initial reaction was good,” Wheeler said. “[The American] is a step up in competition and it’s going to be a great league. But then my excitement turned to apprehension with the type of talent is ahead of us, knowing that we have to get better.”

Initially, both teams were preparing to play in the Big East Conference beginning in 2014. While some players were initially upset at the news they would not be entering the Big East after the departure of the Catholic 7, others were not as affected with the change.

“Initially, it was kind of eye-opening,” sophomore shortstop Nick Lustrino said about entering the Big East. “You see all these Big East teams on television and playing in major tournaments. I just thought, ‘Wow I am now a part of this conference.’”

Lustrino admitted that it was difficult when he found out the Owls were not heading to the Big East. However, softball junior catcher Stephanie Pasquale was indifferent about the switch to The American.

“Personally I was really excited to go to the Big East and play all those really good teams,” she said. “And now it’s kind of like, ‘Whoop, now you’re playing whoever’s in [The American].’ It is what it is and there’s still some good teams left in this conference now.”

“Both conferences have beautiful stadiums and strong programs so it is very similar to the Big East, just with a different name,” Lustrino said. “The American does not take away from the prestige of playing in a great conference.”

The American will consist of nine baseball teams and eight softball teams in Spring 2014. Cincinnati and Southern Methodist do not have softball programs, and SMU doesn’t have a baseball program, either. By 2015, 10 baseball and nine softball teams will make up The American.

“On paper I guess we’d probably be maybe slightly under middle of the pack [in The American],” DiPietro said. “If there are eight teams, we would probably be, I would say, maybe fifth or sixth. Just on paper Louisville would have to be the best, then Houston, then South Florida, then maybe Central Florida, somewhere in that range. I don’t think we’re going to be in over our heads.”

The softball team will face the likes of No. 8 Louisville, No. 24 South Florida and Houston, all Division I powers. The baseball team’s toughest opponent on paper may be No. 24 Louisville, who currently dons a record of 30–9.

ABI REIMOLD / TTN

“It will be really good,” Wheeler said of The American. “Some of those programs in [The American] are Top 25 teams and some others are Top 50 and Top 75. The conference has some really good players and there is certainly a big commitment to baseball.”

Temple’s track record against these programs is far from stellar for both softball and baseball. Next season will also mark the first time both teams face Houston, Louisville and Memphis, while the baseball team has the opportunity to face Cincinatti for the first time. Softball has a combined record of 41–65 against the 2014 version of the conference, while baseball is 33–63-1. Neither team has a winning record against any of the current or future teams.

While Louisville is the only baseball team in The American that made the NCAA tournament last year, DiPietro thinks the softball team will benefit from a better RPI. He said if the conference has the same pull as the old Big East, they have a chance to make the tournament without winning the conference.

“I think we’ll be OK as we move forward because the standard has been set that just making the playoffs is not good enough, we want to get into the NCAA tournament,” DiPietro said.

“I think our program can only get better,” Lustrino said. “There are a lot top talent schools in The American; it will be interesting for sure to find out next season.”

John Murrow can be reached and Jake Adams can be reached at sports@temple-news.com.

TTN: Conference move eliminates small ball option

http://temple-news.com/sports/2013/04/30/conference-move-eliminates-small-ball-option/

(April 30, 2013)
Undersized Owls face an increase in competition.

Coach Bakeer Ganes. | TTN

The American: Operating Expenses for 2011–2012 Reporting Year

Elyse Burkert grew up in Richardson, Texas, less than 10 miles from Southern Methodist University.

It will be a welcomed treat for the junior outside hitter when her Owls travel to SMU as a part of volleyball competition in the American Athletic Conference next season, and again when Temple faces Houston, which is four hours away from her hometown.

“I’m so excited, it couldn’t have worked out better,” Burkert said. “It’s going to be great because I’ve been working really hard and been doing a lot of things up here, but it’s really great that I can share it with my family, my grandparents and my friends who are going to be able to come and watch.”

It couldn’t be better timing for Burkert, who will play her last season next fall.

But The American, responsible for bringing Burkert back to the Lone Star State, poses a whole new set of challenges for a team used to the Atlantic 10 Conference – a conference they dominated just a decade ago.

“It’s very competitive, it’s much more competitive than it was in the A-10,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “The A-10 basically had two top teams, Dayton and Xavier, and this new conference, [The American], has basically four or five top teams.”

Last season the Owls went up against several teams in the Top 100 in Ratings Percentage Index. No. 19 Dayton has made the NCAA tournament the past two seasons. Xavier and VCU were second and third in the A-10 in RPI, ranking No. 54 and No. 60, respectively.

The average RPI of Temple’s old opponents was 159. Next year’s conference foes have a collective RPI of 145. But that’s counting a No. 17 Louisville squad (RPI of 7) that has gone dancing the past two years, but leaves in 2014. After that, only Cincinnati (RPI 95) is in the Top 100 in RPI until Tulsa (RPI 49) joins in 2014.

And when Louisville and Rutgers (RPI 130) leave and Tulsa, Navy (RPI 271), Tulane (RPI 287) and East Carolina (RPI 316) join the fold by 2015 the conference’s RPI plummets to what would have been 190 this year.

The one advantage is the pull the old Big East had in the NCAA tournament. The A-10 sent Dayton as its lone representative the past two seasons, while Louisville, Marquette and Cincinnati have all made the tournament at least once in the past two years. If The American can keep the same clout, the Owls have better odds of making the dance, something junior outside hitter Gabriella Matautia said is the team’s goal next season.

“I think it’s going to be a huge challenge, but I think we’re up to it,” Burkert said. “For me and Gabby, it’s our last chance, so we’re going to have to leave everything out there.”

But the Owls must do this without a conference tournament. Despite having 10 teams heading into next season, the conference will simply have each team face each other twice and crown a champion based on the regular season.

“I hope we’re in the Top 5, but we could be in the bottom five because all the teams are good,” Burkert said. “You have a couple games that aren’t your best and you’re [right at the bottom].”

“So what we’ll have to do is we’ll have to learn how to adjust quicker within the game at some points than having to prepare more for some of the things we’re used to playing against,” Matautia said.

But a team that played “small ball” with success in the A-10 with a roster that had just three girls taller than 6 feet now faces a conference with more height and more physicality. The Owls are also without A-10 Libero of the Year Chelsea Tupuola, leaving a defense that was their strength with serious question marks.

“We do feel pretty good about our team and the recruits, but I think we’re still going to be the underdog in the conference,” Ganes said. “So basically our role hasn’t changed from last year. It’s just a different conference.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.

TTN: Softball bats come alive in 10-2 win

http://temple-news.com/sports/2013/04/28/softball-bats-come-alive-in-10-2-win/

(April 28, 2013)
Freshman right-hander Kelsey records 11th win of season in the Owls’ win against Rhode Island.

Back-to-back doubles to the wall put the Owls in an early hole, but it turns out it was nothing the team’s hitting couldn’t overcome.

Temple (24–22, 11–5 Atlantic 10 Conference) connected for 14 hits on day when freshman righthander Kelsey Dominik needed just five innings against Rhode Island (9–30, 2–11 A-10) to secure the series sweep.

It took a few innings for the bats to warm up, but it didn’t matter. Despite giving up two runs in the opening frame, Dominik settled down and recorded her 11th win of the season in a 10–2 offensive display for the Owls

After spending two weeks nearly absent the Temple bats woke up this weekend. One day after putting up nine runs in a come-from-behind ninth-inning victory the Owls put 10 across home and run-ruled a team coach Joe DiPietro said before the weekend they could afford to lose to.

The top four in the lineup combined to go 7-for12 with six runs, six runs batted in and two homers. In all the Owls matched their homerun output from Friday with five.

Temple played small ball to start, though, scoring freshman leftfielder Annie Marcopolus on a sacrifice fly by junior catcher Stephanie Pasquale in the bottom of the first to make it 2–1 Rams. A solo shot by junior third baseman Devynne Nelons tied it an inning later.

The Owls kept the runs coming in the third, en route to scoring in every inning until run-ruling Rhode Island. In the third Pasquale took a 2–1 pitch to right center for a two-run shot. She finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs, two runs scored and walking once. An inning later junior Sarah Prezioso hit a two-run dinger of her own to bring the score to 6–2.

Dominik continued to shut down the Rams in the top of the fifth and the offense made sure to end it a half inning later. Dominik helped her own cause with a leadoff homer on a 3–2 pitch. Two batters later senior designated player Kayla Cook—one day after going 3-for-4 with a game tying homerun in the bottom of the seventh—took a pitch over the leftfield fence.

And with two outs Prezioso sealed the deal with a double that scored Marcopolus. Prezioso swung the bat well, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. Her infield partner, Nelons, was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

On the other side, no Rhode Island hitter recorded more than one hit. Only the two through five hitters made contact safely against Dominik.

Dominik was in control after her rough first inning. In the final four innings she retired 12 of the 14 batters she faced, only allowing one hit and hitting a batter. She went on to surrender four total hits—three of which came in the first—while striking out three and walking one.

The win gives the Owls a critical sweep against an A-10 opponent. With Massachusetts up in a double-header Sunday, the Owls got two key wins that keep them on the inside track for the A-10 Tournament.

Massachusetts and Temple will battle it out to hold onto the fifth spot in the standings. First pitch is set for noon.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.

TTN: Kastner walks off in softball win

http://temple-news.com/sports/2013/04/26/kastner-walks-off-in-softball-win/

(April 26, 2013)
Owls hit five homers and beat Rhode Island 9–7 in extra innings.

Julia Kastner just knew.

“I never thought we were going to lose once,” the sophomore rightfielder said. “I was just like, ‘Alright, well I guess this is the inning that we’re going to win now.’”

It took nine innings but Kastner and the Owls (23–22, 10–5 Atlantic 10 Conference) felt the time was right in the ninth to finish off conference foe Rhode Island (9–27, 2–10 A-10).

Kastner took the first pitch she saw after starting off 1-for-4 and shot it over the leftfield fence for a walk-off two-run homerun to win it 9–7 in dramatic fashion.

Temple needed not one, not two, but five long balls to put away the Rams in what turned out to be a slugfest.

But Kastner wasn’t the only one to come up clutch.

Trailing 7–5 after a disastrous four-run top of the sixth, the Owls were down to two outs left in the bottom of the seventh when senior designated player Kayla Cook stepped up to the plate. Coming in with a .178 average Cook needed to do something with a runner on to keep the game alive.

She took the first pitch she liked and launched the Owls’ fourth homer of the day.

“I was just looking for my pitch and she threw it, and it just went out,” Cook said. “It was a team effort, so it was nice for everyone to contribute.”

Cook had quite the day, going 3-for-5 with two runs batted in and a run scored. But none was bigger than the two-run shot that sent the game to extras.

“I only have two more weeks of my career so I’m just trying to give it my all,” Cook said.

“Kayla had a day,” coach Joe DiPietro said. “She hasn’t been playing a lot lately, she’s really, really struggled. I know as I was writing the lineup today I’m like, ‘You know what, she’s a senior. She’s been through a lot.’ I feel like I owe her.”

Both teams went down quietly in the first two frames, but a three-run blast by redshirt-senior shortstop Courtney Prendergast gave the rams a 3–0 lead in the third. The Owls answered right back with a solo shot from junior shortstop Sarah Prezioso and a two-run opposite field homer from freshman second baseman Leah Lucas a few batters later in the home half of the third.

But the Rams got another big inning in the sixth. The Owls suddenly lost awareness on defense, as junior catcher Stephanie Pasquale allowed a passed ball to advance a runner, bean a runner stealing second in the helmet that allowed a runner at third to score and the team wasn’t paying attention on another steal attempt at third. Then two bases-loaded singles gave the Rams a 7–3 lead.

Somehow sophomore Jessica Mahoney managed to get out of the inning with no more damage done.

The Owls got two runs back in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two-run shot by senior centerfielder Ali Robinson, and would tie it up an inning later thanks to Cook’s heroics.

The Owls main power threat, Pasquale, was silent all day, however. The four-hole hitter, and A-10 batting average leader, walked four times while grounding out once on what was clearly a third outside pitch in her third plate appearance. Rhode Island took no chances with her on a day where the rest of the offense had her back.

“I knew it from the first at-bat that she wasn’t going [to get pitched to],” DiPietro said. “She has to understand that people are going to pitch around her.”

But with the game tied heading into extras DiPietro had a decision to make. Mahoney had struggled all game. Despite going the distance entering the eighth inning she had given up eight hits, walked seven and struck out just two. But DiPietro decided to stick with her in the extra frames.

“I just felt it in the gut to stick with her,” DiPietro said. “I don’t know why. She had eight walks. I thought she was around the plate for the majority of them… I just had a gut feeling to leave her in.”

Putting in Cook and keeping Mahoney in paid off for the skipper as Mahoney had a few close calls in the eighth and ninth innings, but came out unscathed both times, just in time for Kastner’s walk-off.

“We only had five other hits,” DiPietro said of the five homers. “That was something we talked about in the locker room before the game, about getting good swings… But like I told them before the game in the locker room, that this time of year, it’s about winning. It was ugly, but it was a win.”

The win keeps the Owls in control of making the A-10 Tournament. With one more game to potentially beat up on the Rams—even though the first game proved tougher than expected—the Owls must next host Massachusetts, who went into the day slightly ahead of the Owls in the standings.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.