the time February rolled around, Temple’s 2023-24 season looked like a lost cause. The Owls were in the midst of their longest losing streak in 50 years and they entered the American Athletic Conference tournament as one of the worst-seeded teams.
However, the Owls found a miraculous second gear in the tournament and marched their way to an AAC championship appearance where they fell short to UAB.
Head coach Adam Fisher now enters his second season with new expectations. Temple has a revamped roster with sights set on winning its first AAC championship in program history and getting its first NCAA Tournament invite since 2019.
The Owls are entering the season with a retooled core but were still picked to finish sixth in the AAC Preseason Poll.
“You gotta believe early,” Fisher said. “I think our team last year believed, we went through a tough stretch, but we kept believing and kept believing, and we gotta get that belief a little bit earlier.”
With expectations at the highest in quite some time, here is what you need to know for Temple’s 2024-25 season.
GUARD DEPTH
Temple’s offense primarily ran through its backcourt last season, with former guard Hysier Miller serving as the team’s main scoring option, something he struggled with as an inconsistent shooter for much of the season. The Owls looked to fix that during the offseason when Miller and guard Jordan Riley went portaling — and they seemingly upgraded.
Transfer guards Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Lynn Greer III join the backcourt and will likely be the team’s main guard duo, but fans have to wait until mid-December to see the duo in action after Greer was suspended for the first nine games for an incident that occurred during his time at St. Joseph’s, The Temple News reported.
However, the Owls have the depth to overcome the loss.
Guards Shane Dezonie, Zion Stanford and Matteo Picarelli return as players who had significant roles last season. Picarelli and transfer guard Jameel Brown are expected to provide a three-point spark off the bench.
“I’m a big believer of the more talent you have, the better,” Picarelli said. “We brought in three really talented guys that can really help us win. We have one goal in mind, which is to win a championship and go to the NCAA tournament.”
