Busting Brackets
Fansided

Temple Basketball: 2018-2019 season preview for the Owls

By Stu Luddecke

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 11: during the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 11: during the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 13: Quinton Rose #13 of the Temple Owls dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats at the Liacouras Center on December 13, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 13: Quinton Rose #13 of the Temple Owls dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats at the Liacouras Center on December 13, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Projected starters

The safest bets in terms of starters for the Owls this season are backcourt staples Shizz Alston and Quinton Rose. Alston is a 6’4” Senior point guard who will quarterback the offense and likely surpass his 13 point and 3 assist per game averages from last season in the process. Rose is a long (6’8”) and versatile guard who can score the ball from all three levels. He averaged 15 points per game last season, but he topped 20 points on 9 occasions. Don’t be shocked by any means if he ends up on the All-AAC first team at season’s end.

In terms of other starting slots, look for Dunphy to round out the backcourt/wing with sophomore Nate Pierre-Louis. Like the Owls as a whole, Pierre-Louis was extremely inconsistent last season and showed areas of weakness (15 assists to 20 turnovers, 58% from the free-throw line), but he displayed plenty of promise as well. He finished the season averaging 7.5 points and 3 rebounds per game and shot a respectable 33% from deep. With his 16.9 minutes per game poised for a drastic increase, he’s a breakout candidate to watch in the conference.

The frontcourt is undoubtedly the biggest area of weakness for the Owls, especially after the loss of Obi Enechionyia, their rock in the paint who averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds per game as a Senior. While his absence will definitely be noticeable down low, the Owls will have no shortage of depth left in his stead. It’s just a matter of which big men, if any, will be able to step up and become even close to as impactful as he was.

The most likely starter at the PF spot is Sophomore J.P. Moorman, who only saw 11 minutes per game as a freshman but made the most of them with his efficiency (4 rebounds and 3 points per game and a 42%/33%/76% shooting line). He could be the X-factor for the Owls with his jump shot and ability to space the floor. At Center, the job should be Ernest Aflakpui’s to start the year, and he’ll have a lot on his shoulders in terms of rebounding and interior defense. The 6’10” Ghanaian Senior proved himself to be an offensive asset, shooting 63% from the floor, but on a team that was abysmal at rebounding, he’ll be expected to grab a lot more boards than the 4 per game he had last year.