# 2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Fran Dunphy and played their home games at the Liacouras Center. The Owls are members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 29–6, 14–2 in A-10 play to claim a share of the regular season championship. They won the 2010 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament for the third consecutive year to receive the conferences automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They received a 5 seed in the East Region where they were upset in the first round by 12 seed Cornell.

## Preseason

The team is set to play their home games at Liacouras Center, which has a capacity of 10,206. They are in their 28th season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Coming back from their 2008–09 season, they compiled a record of 22–12 and won the Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament for the second consecutive year.
However, Temple lost star player Dionte Christmas to graduation, whom Blue Ribbon Yearbook said that, if "anything good that happened to the Owls last year, Christmas had a hand in it." He led Temple in three statistics: points per game (19.5), three-pointers completed (107), and total steals (51); he finished second in two more: rebounds per game (5.5) and assists (28). In addition, he was an honorable mention All-American and scored 2,000 points over his college basketball career. Also graduating were two other starters: 7–0 center Sergio Olmos, who was selected as an All-A10 Tournament player, and point guard Semaj Inge.
Temple's schedule was announced on September 3, 2009, consisting of a school record-tying 31 games in the regular season. The out-of-conference portion, adopted on July 21, was regarded as one of the toughest in college hoops. The highlights of it include: Georgetown and Siena, which began the season ranked; Virginia Tech, a competitor in the Atlantic Coast Conference; Penn State, who won the 2009 National Invitation Tournament; and Villanova and Kansas, two top 10 teams.
Due to these factors, Temple was picked to finish fifth in the conference by the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll, tied with Duquesne. Lavoy Allen was the only team member selected on the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team. The Blue Ribbon Yearbook gave the backcourt a grade of B, the frontcourt a B, the bench/depth a C+, and the intangibles a B+. They commented that "the Owls have had a way the last couple years of surprising people," and that while Temple "might still surprise some people, but don't expect it to be with an NCAA Tournament berth."

### Recruiting
#### Incoming signees

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Rahlir Jefferson SF | Chester, Pennsylvania | Chester (PA) | 6 ft 5.5 in (1.97 m) | 192.5 lb (87.3 kg) | Sep 19, 2008 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Khalif Wyatt SG | Norristown, Pennsylvania | Norristown (PA) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 18, 2008 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Temple 2009 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 3, 2010. "2009 Temple Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved January 3, 2010. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 3, 2010. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 3, 2010. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 3, 2010. ||||||

#### 2010–11 team recruits

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Anthony Lee F/C | Orlando, Florida | Eustis HS (FL) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Sep 26, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Aaron Brown SF | Newark, New Jersey | St. Benedict's Prep (NJ) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Nov 2, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Jimmy McDonnell PF | Jackson, New Jersey | Jackson Memorial HS (NJ) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 8, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Temple 2010 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010. "2010 Temple Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010. "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 17, 2010. ||||||

## Roster
### Players

| # | Name | Height | Weight (lbs.) | Position | Class | Hometown | Hometown | High School |
| 1 | Khalif Wyatt | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 210 pounds (95 kg) | G | Fr. | Norristown, Pennsylvania | U.S. | Norristown HS |
| 2 | Ryan Brooks | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 200 pounds (91 kg) | G | Sr. | Narberth, Pennsylvania | U.S. | Lower Merion HS |
| 4 | Juan Fernandez | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 pounds (82 kg) | G | So. | Río Tercero, Córdoba | Argentina | Dr. Alexis Carrel HS |
| 10 | Luis Guzman | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 200 pounds (91 kg) | G | Sr. | New York City | U.S. | Paramus Catholic HS |
| 11 | T. J. DiLeo | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 pounds (88 kg) | G | Fr. | Cinnaminson, New Jersey | U.S. | Cinnaminson HS |
| 15 | Carmel Bouchman | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 pounds (98 kg) | F | Fr. | Tel Aviv | Israel | Irani Tet HS |
| 21 | Rafael DeLeon | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 pounds (91 kg) | F | Sr. | District Heights, Maryland | U.S. | Bishop McNamara HS |
| 23 | Ramone Moore | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 pounds (82 kg) | G | So. | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | U.S. | South Philadelphia HS |
| 24 | Lavoy Allen | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 pounds (102 kg) | F | Jr. | Morrisville, Pennsylvania | U.S. | Pennsbury HS |
| 30 | Craig Williams | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 240 pounds (110 kg) | F | Jr. | Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands | U.S. | St. Croix Central HS |
| 31 | Jake Godino | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 170 pounds (77 kg) | G | So. | Chester, Pennsylvania | U.S. | Delaware County Christian School |
| 32 | Rahlir Jefferson | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 pounds (91 kg) | F | Fr. | Chester, Pennsylvania | U.S. | Chester HS |
| 33 | Scootie Randall | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 205 pounds (93 kg) | F | So. | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | U.S. | Communications Tech HS |
| 45 | Chris Clarke | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 pounds (91 kg) | F | So. | Orchard Lake, Michigan | U.S. | St. Mary's Prep |
| 50 | Micheal Eric | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 240 pounds (110 kg) | F/C | So. | Lagos | Nigeria | Church Farm School |

### Coaches

| Name | Position | Year at Temple | Alma Mater (Year) |
| Fran Dunphy | Head coach | 4th | La Salle (1970) |
| Dave Duke | Assistant coach | 4th | Villanova (1974) |
| Matt Langel | Assistant coach | 4th | Pennsylvania (2000) |
| Shawn Trice | Assistant coach | 4th | Pennsylvania (1995) |
| Jeff Wilson | Director of Operations | 4th | Temple (2004) |
| Steve Spirro | Athletic Trainer | 6th | Temple (2002) |
| Dion Dacons | Coordinator of Student Development/Manager | 2nd | Temple (2007) |

## Schedule

2009–10 game log :
November
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
November 14
Delaware
W 76–56
Ryan Brooks – 23
Lavoy Allen – 15
Juan Fernandez – 5
Bob Carpenter Center, Newark, DE (3,080)
1–0
2
November 17
Georgetown (#19)
L 46–45
Allen – 12
Allen – 14
Luiz Guzman – 6
Verizon Center, Washington, DC (8,712)
1–1
3
November 21
Siena
W 73–69
Fernandez – 20
Allen – 7
Allen – 5
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (6,759)
2–1
4
November 24
Ball State
W 66–46
Brooks – 17
Allen – 9
Allen/Brooks – 7
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (3,597)
3–1
5
November 27
Virginia Tech
W 61–50
Allen – 18
Allen – 10
Fernandez – 6
Palestra, Philadelphia, PA (3,750)
4–1
6
November 28
St. John's
L 55–48
Ramone Moore – 10
Rahlir Jefferson – 12
Fernandez – 4
Palestra, Philadelphia, PA (3,469)
4–2 :
December
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
7
December 1
Western Michigan
W 76–70
Brooks – 17
Brooks – 10
Guzman – 6
University Arena in Read Fieldhouse, Kalamazoo, MI (3,086)
5–2
8
December 5
Penn State
W 45–42
Brooks – 19
Allen – 12
Fernandez – 4
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (7,012)
6–2
9
December 8
Miami (OH)
W 64–42
Allen – 15
Allen – 7
Allen/Fernandez – 4
John D. Millett Hall, Miami, OH (1,457)
7–2
10
December 13
Villanova (#3)
W 75–65
Fernandez – 33
Allen – 17
Guzman – 7
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (8,449)
8–2
11
December 19
Seton Hall
W 71–65
Brooks – 24
Allen – 12
Brooks – 3
Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (7,100)
9–2
12
December 28
Bowling Green
W 63–39
Brooks – 19
Allen – 13
Brooks – 6
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (3,900)
10–2
13
December 30
Northern Illinois
W 70–60
Fernandez – 26
Allen – 11
Brooks – 4
Convocation Center, DeKalb, IL (1,234)
11–2 :
January
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
14
January 2
Kansas (#1)
L 84–52
Brooks/Fernandez – 11
Guzman – 6
Allen/Brooks/Fernandez/Guzman – 2
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (10,206)
11–3
15
January 6
St. Joseph's
W 73–46
Allen – 20
Allen – 11
Craig Williams/Guzman/Moore – 3
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (6,103)
12–3 (1–0)
16
January 10
Rhode Island (#32)
W 68–64 (OT)
Fernandez – 18
Allen – 12
Fernandez – 4
Thomas M. Ryan Center, Kingston, RI (6,122)
13–3 (2–0)
17
January 13
Pennsylvania
W 60–45
Brooks – 15
Allen/Guzman – 6
Brooks/Fernandez – 3
Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (6,353)
14–3
18
January 16
Massachusetts
W 76–64
Brooks – 29
Allen – 14
Guzman – 7
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (4,263)
15–3 (3–0)
19
January 20
Xavier
W 77–72
Brooks – 22
Allen/Brooks – 7
Fernandez – 7
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (6,813)
16–3 (4–0)
20
January 23
Fordham
W 62–45
Fernandez – 13
Micheal Eric – 5
Brooks – 6
Rose Hill Gym, New York, NY (2,690)
17–3 (5–0)
21
January 27
Charlotte
L 74–64
Brooks – 20
Allen – 14
Fernandez – 6
Dale F. Halton Arena, Charlotte, NC (7,623)
17–4 (5–1)
22
January 30
La Salle
W 64–52
Moore – 14
Allen – 10
Allen/Guzman – 5
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (8,501)
18–4 (6–1) :
February
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
23
February 3
Duquesne
W 76–60
Moore – 15
Allen – 15
Guzman – 4
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (4,391)
19–4 (7–1)
24
February 6
Richmond
L 71–54
Allen/Moore – 17
Allen – 19
Guzman – 3
Robins Center, Richmond, VA (6,806)
19–5 (7–2)
25
February 13
Rhode Island
W 78–56
Eric – 19
Allen/Guzman – 7
Fernandez – 6
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (7,080)
20–5 (8–2)
26
February 17
St. Bonaventure
W 73–55
Moore – 18
Allen – 6
Fernandez – 5
Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure, NY (4,522)
21–5 (9–2)
27
February 20
St. Joseph's
W 75–67 (OT)
Moore – 24
Allen – 10
Guzman – 4
Hagan Arena, Philadelphia, PA (8,151)
22–5 (10–2)
28
February 24
Dayton
W 49–41
Moore – 13
Allen – 17
Guzman – 7
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (5,833)
23–5 (11–2)
29
February 28
La Salle
W 68–53
Fernandez – 23
Allen – 21
Guzman – 7
Tom Gola Arena, Philadelphia, PA (4,000)
24–5 (12–2) :
March
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
30
March 3
St. Louis
W 57–51
Allen – 18
Allen – 14
Guzman – 4
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO (7,984)
25–5 (13–2)
31
March 6
George Washington
W 70–57
Eric – 18
Eric – 6
Fernandez – 5
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (6,356)
26–5 (14–2)
32
March 12
St. Bonaventure
W 69–51
Fernandez – 17
Allen – 15
Fernandez – 7
Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ A-10 tournament quarterfinals
27–5
33
March 13
Rhode Island
W 57–44
Brooks – 16
Allen – 10
Fernandez – 6
Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ A-10 Tournament semifinals
28–5
34
March 14
Richmond
W 56–52
Fernandez – 18
Allen – 11
Allen – 3
Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ A-10 Tournament finals (7,882)
29–5
35
March 19
Cornell (12 Seed)
L 65–78
Fernandez/Brooks – 14
Allen – 5
Allen – 4
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL NCAA tournament First round (10,657)
29–6 :
2015–16 season schedule :

## Season
### Preconference season

The Owls kicked off their season on November 14, 2009 with a 76–56 win against the University of Delaware, sending the Fighting Blue Hens to their fourth straight loss as a home opener. On November 17, the Owls failed to capitalize on preseason No. 19 Georgetown Hoyas' sloppy play, as the Hoyas were victorious 45–46. The game featured more fouls (18) and turnovers (16) than completed baskets (15) for Georgetown, playing their home opener at the Verizon Center. Georgetown led 19–13 at halftime, but Temple managed to mount a comeback, as they led with 6 seconds left in regulation until Hoya Greg Monroe scored the winning 3-pointer. After the game, Temple's 68-game winning streak when opponents scored less than 50 points was crushed.
On November 21, Temple beat the Siena Saints, after overcoming a six-point deficit at the half to end the game at 73–69. As a result, the Owls began receiving votes in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings for the week of November 23. After an easy win against Ball State on November 24, the Owls next faced Virginia Tech in the semifinals of the Philly Hoop Group Classic. Temple overcame Malcolm Delaney's 32 points to defeat the Hokies 60–51 on November 27. Their 4–1 start was the Owls' best since 2000.
The team suffered their second loss of the season by the undefeated Red Storm of St. John's on November 28, in the championship game of the Philly Hoop Group Classic. Temple led 22–21 at the half, but the Red Storm went on a 14–2 run in the beginning of the second half from which the Owls could not recover, and St. John's won 55–48. This caused Temple to lose all support in the national rankings. The Owls rebounded with three consecutive wins: against Western Michigan, Penn State, and Miami (Ohio). The Penn State game was notable in that it was the second lowest scoring game in the 13-year history of the Liacouras Center. Ryan Brooks's 19 points, the only Owl scoring in double figures, helped lead Temple over the Nittany Lions 45–42 in the largely defensive matchup.
Temple entered the top 25 in national rankings for the first time since 2001.

### Postseason
## Rankings

Ranking Movement Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. :
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Final |
| AP | | | 47 | | | 30 | 21 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 12 | |
| Coaches | | | | | | 30 | 25 | 19 | 25 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 27 |
| ESPN.com Power Rankings | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 23 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 19 | N/A | |

## Awards & honors
### Lavoy Allen

* Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team
* November 30, 2009 Philadelphia Big Five Player of the Week
* November 30, 2009 Temple University Athlete of the Week
* December 14, 2009 Philadelphia Big Five Honor Roll
* January 11, 2010 Philadelphia Big Five Player of the Week
* January 11, 2010 Temple University Athlete of the Week

### Ryan Brooks

* November 16, 2009 Philadelphia Big Five Honor Roll
* December 7, 2009 Philadelphia Big Five Honor Roll
* December 21, 2009 Philadelphia Big Five Player of the Week
* December 21, 2009 Temple University Athlete of the Week
* January 4, 2010 Philadelphia Big Five Honor Roll

### Juan Fernandez

* December 14, 2009 Philadelphia Big Five Player of the Week
* December 14, 2009 Temple University Athlete of the Week
* December 20, 2009 A-10 Player of the Week
* January 6, 2010 Temple University Athlete of the Month