2020–21 Temple Owls men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by second-year head coach Aaron McKie, play their home games at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 5–11, 4–10 in AAC Play to finish in 9th place. They lost in the first round of the AAC tournament to South Florida.

2020–21 Temple Owls men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record5–11 (4–10 AAC)
Head coach
Associate head coachMonté Ross
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Clark
  • Jimmy Fenerty
Home arenaLiacouras Center
Seasons
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Wichita State 11 2   .846 16 6   .727
No. 6 Houston 14 3   .824 28 4   .875
Memphis 11 4   .733 20 8   .714
SMU 7 4   .636 11 6   .647
Cincinnati 8 6   .571 12 11   .522
UCF 8 10   .444 11 12   .478
Tulsa 7 9   .438 11 12   .478
South Florida 4 10   .286 9 13   .409
Temple 4 10   .286 5 11   .313
Tulane 4 12   .250 10 13   .435
East Carolina 2 10   .167 8 11   .421
2021 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Owls finished the 2019–20 season 14–17, 6–12 in AAC play to finish in tenth place. They entered as the No. 10 seed in the AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Alani Moore 0 G 5'10" 170 Senior Washington, D.C. Graduated
Quinton Rose 1 G 6'8" 195 Senior Rochester, New York Graduated
Monty Scott 2 G 6'5" 185 RS Junior Union, New Jersey Graduate transferred to Portland State[1]
Josh Pierre-Louis 3 G 6'3" 180 Freshman Plainfield, New Jersey Transferred to UC Santa Barbara[2]
Nate Pierre-Louis 15 G 6'4" 170 Junior Plainfield, New Jersey Play professionally[3]
Justyn Hamilton 21 F 6'10" 190 Junior Charlotte, North Carolina Transferred to Kent State[4]
Anto Keshgegian 32 G 6'3" 185 Senior Media, Pennsylvania Walk–on; graduated
Damion Moore 44 C 6'11" 255 Senior Vaughn, Mississippi Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Khalif Battle G 6'5" 175 Sophomore Edison, New Jersey Transferred from Butler. Battle was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.[5] Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[6]
Sage Tolbert F 6'8" 210 Junior Richmond, Texas Transferred from Southeast Missouri State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Tolbert will have to sit out the 2020–21 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[7]
Brendan Barry G 6'2" 180 Graduate Student Fair Haven, New Jersey Transferred from Dartmouth after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[8]
Colin Daly G 6'4" 185 Senior Havertown, Pennsylvania Walk–on; transferred from West Chester.[9]

2020 recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jahlil White
#64 SF
Wildwood, New Jersey Wildwood Catholic High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 19, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 76
Quincy Ademokoya
#75 SF
Dacula, Georgia Dacula High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oct 12, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: NR
Nick Jourdain
PF
Wayne, New Jersey Covenant College Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 18, 2020 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Jeremiah Williams
#77 SF
Chicago, Illinois Simeon Career Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Apr 22, 2020 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 93
  • 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:

  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2021 recruiting class

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College recruiting information (2021)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Brandon Sanders
C
Miami, FL South Miami High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jul 13, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: NR
Hysier Miller
PG
Philadelphia, PA Neumann Goretti High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 7, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 78
Zach Hicks
PF
Cherry Hill, NJ Camden Catholic High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 4, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 80
  • 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:

Preseason

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AAC preseason media poll

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On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[10]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 99 (2)
2 Memphis 90 (2)
3 SMU 80
4 Cincinnati 77
5 South Florida 61
6 Tulsa 50
7 Wichita State 44
8 UCF 37
9 East Carolina 34
10 Temple 18
11 Tulane 15

Roster

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2020–21 Temple Owls men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Khalif Battle 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Trenton Catholic Academy
Butler
Edison, New Jersey
G 1 Damian Dunn 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Fr Meadowcreek High School Kinston, North Carolina
F 2 Jahlil White 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Wildwood Catholic High School Wildwood, New Jersey
F 3 Sage Tolbert III   6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Combine Academy
Southeast Missouri State
New Orleans, Louisiana
F 4 J. P. Moorman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Greensboro Day School Greensboro, North Carolina
F 10 Jake Forrester 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Westtown School
Indiana
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
F 11 Nick Jourdain 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Covenant College Prep Wayne, New Jersey
G 13 Tai Strickland 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS So St. Petersburg High School
Wisconsin
Tampa, Florida
F 14 Arashma Parks 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS So The Phelps School North Royalton, Ohio
G 15 Brendan Barry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Rumson-Fair High School
Dartmouth
Fair Haven, New Jersey
G 21 Colin Daly (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Archbishop Carroll High School
West Chester
Havertown, Pennsylvania
F 22 De'Vondre Perry 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Baltimore Polytechnic Baltimore, Maryland
G 23 Quincy Ademokoya 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Dacula High School Dacula, Georgia
F 24 Tim Waddington (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Central Bucks High School South Warrington, Pennsylvania
G 25 Jeremiah Williams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Simeon Career Academy Chicago, Illinois
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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COVID-19 impact

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Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Owls' schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.

Schedule

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
December 3, 2020*
7:00 p.m.
at No. 12 Villanova
Philadelphia Big 5
Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues[20] Finneran Pavilion 
Villanova, PA
December 12, 2020*
3:00 p.m., NBCSN
at Saint Joseph's
Philadelphia Big 5/Rivalry
Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[21] Hagan Arena 
Philadelphia, PA
December 19, 2020*
4:30 p.m., ESPN+
NJIT
Previously scheduled for Nov. 25
W 72–60  1–0
 18  Dunn   14  Perry   5  Dunn  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
December 22, 2020
8:00 p.m., ESPN+
at No. 6 Houston L 50–76  1–1
(0–1)
 12  Moorman II   8  Perry   4  Williams  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
December 30, 2020
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
SMU L 71–79  1–2
(0–2)
 17  Barry   12  Forrester   3  Moorman II  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 2, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPNU
Memphis Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[22] Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 11, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
at SMU L 68–79  1–3
(0–3)
 17  Dunn   8  Moorman II   5  Dunn  Moody Coliseum (1,417)
University Park, TX
January 14, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN+
UCF W 62–55  2–3
(1–3)
 20  Dunn   13  Moorman II   4  Williams  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 16, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Tulane W 65-57  3-3
(2-3)
 18  Dunn   10  Forrester   5  Williams  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
January 23, 2021
12:00 p.m., CBS
No. 8 Houston
Previously scheduled for Feb. 8
L 51–68  3–4
(2–4)
 15  Forrester   8  Forrester   6  Williams  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 26, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN+
Tulsa
Previously scheduled for Mar. 2
W 76–67  4–4
(3–4)
 22  Battle   11  Battle   8  Williams  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 31, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN+
Tulane L 64–81  4–5
(3–5)
 15  Forrester   11  Williams   9  Williams  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
February 4, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
Cincinnati L 60–63  4–6
(3–6)
 16  Dunn   7  Moorman II   3  Tied  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
February 7, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Wichita State L 67–70  4–7
(3–7)
 22  Dunn   7  Dunn   3  Tied  Charles Koch Arena (2,625)
Wichita, KS
February 11, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN+
East Carolina
Previously scheduled for Jan. 16
Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[23] Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
February 12, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Cincinnati
Previously scheduled for Jan. 20
L 69–71  4–8
(3–8)
 17  Barry   8  Perry   4  Williams  Liacouras Center (300)
Philadelphia, PA
February 13, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN+
at East Carolina Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[24] Williams Arena 
Greenville, NC
February 16, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Tulsa L 66–72  4–9
(3–9)
 21  Battle   7  Battle   4  Williams  Reynolds Center (100)
Tulsa, OK
February 21, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Memphis Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[25] FedEx Forum 
Memphis, TN
February 21, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
South Florida
Previously scheduled for Jan. 27
L 76–83  4–10
(3–10)
 32  Battle   10  Battle   5  Battle  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
February 24, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
at South Florida W 65–47  5–10
(4–10)
 22  Battle   6  Tied   4  Battle  Yuengling Center (471)
Tampa, FL
February 27, 2021
4:00 p.m., ESPNU
at UCF Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues[26] Addition Financial Arena 
Orlando, FL
March 6, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
Wichita State Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues[27] Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
AAC tournament
March 11, 2021
Noon, ESPNU
(9) vs. (8) South Florida
First Round
L 71–73  5–11
 18  Battle   11  Forrester   5  Battle  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Awards and honors

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American Athletic Conference honors

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All-AAC Awards

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  • Sportsmanship Award: J.P. Moorman II

All-AAC Third Team

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  • Khalif Battle

All-AAC Freshman Team

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  • Damian Dunn

Source[28]

References

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  1. ^ Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (May 2, 2020). "Temple transfer Monty Scott is headed to Portland State, per source. Eligible immediately with one year to play" (Tweet). Retrieved May 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Klan, Mike (April 10, 2020). "Reports have guard Josh Pierre-Louis transferring to UCSB". keyt.com. KEYT-TV. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Juliano, Joe (April 29, 2020). "Villanova's Saddiq Bey, St. Joseph's Ryan Daly, and Temple's Nate Pierre-Louis officially file for NBA draft early entry". inquirer.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  4. ^ "Kent State Gets Commitment From Transfer Justyn Hamilton". kentstatesports.com. Kent State Athletics. April 19, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "Khalif Battle's NCAA Waiver Approved; Owls Guard Immediately Eligible to Play". owlsports.com. Temple Athletics. November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  6. ^ Woods, David (March 21, 2020). "Freshman guard Khalif Battle to transfer from Butler". indystar.com. Indianapolis Star. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "Men's Basketball Announces Three Signings". owlsports.com. Temple University Athletics. April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  8. ^ "Graduate Transfer Brendan Barry Signs with Men's Basketball". owlsports.com. Temple University Athletics. November 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  9. ^ "Men's Basketball Adds Senior Transfer Colin Daly to Roster". owlsports.com. Temple University Athletics. November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Collinelli, Dante (November 23, 2020). "Owls' Nov. 29 men's basketball game canceled". temple-news.com. The Temple News. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  12. ^ "Temple, Butler men's basketball teams both on pause after positive coronavirus tests". ESPN. November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". January 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". January 26, 2021.
  15. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". February 10, 2021.
  16. ^ "Cincinnati-Temple Game Scheduled for Jan. 20 Postponed". January 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". February 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Pair of American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Games Postponed". theamerican.org. January 20, 2021.
  19. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. February 18, 2021.
  20. ^ "Temple, Butler men's basketball teams both on pause after positive coronavirus tests". November 26, 2020.
  21. ^ "Temple, Butler men's basketball teams both on pause after positive coronavirus tests". November 26, 2020.
  22. ^ "Pair of Men's Basketball Games Postponed". theamerican.org. December 31, 2020.
  23. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". February 10, 2021.
  24. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. February 10, 2021.
  25. ^ "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule". theamerican.org. February 16, 2021.
  26. ^ "Saturday's Temple-UCF Men's Basketball Game Cancelled". theamerican.org. February 27, 2021.
  27. ^ "The American Announces Changes to Final Weekend of Regular Season". theamerican.org. March 2, 2021.
  28. ^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.