Temple 2 Providence 0
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Fran Dunphy's Temple Owls won't be playing basketball in the Big East Conference until the fall of 2013. None-the-less, they are making their mark on the recruiting trail beating out Providence College for two players in recent weeks.
The latest recruit to choose Temple over PC is point guard Josh Brown. The 6'-3" St. Anthony product had originally committed to Temple but later decommitted opening up his recruitment for schools like PC, URI and Penn State.
“I’ll be a Temple Owl,” Brown said on SNY Monday. “I can’t wait to go down there and play in the backcourt with Quenton DeCosey, Will Cummings and Daniel Dingle. I also get a chance to be coached by one of the most underrated coaches, coach Fran Dunphy and his staff. And I’m going to be in Philly, a great place to be.”
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Brown thanked PC's Ed Cooley, URI's Dan Hurley and Penn State's Pat Chambers for recruiting him. He also thanked his high school coach - Dan Hurley - the father of URI's new head coach.
Brown's decision to join the Owls comes just a few weeks after Boston University transfer Jake O'Brien also chose Temple over PC. With the Terriers ineligible for their postseason tournament, he decided to transfer to another school. The 6'-8" big man averaged in double figures in his first three years with the Terriers before sitting out all of last year due to injury.
O'Brien would have filled an immediate hole for Cooley and the Friars who are in desperate need of depth up front. O'Brien is a face-up power forward who can step out and make jump shots.
Playing in the Atlantic Ten for many years, Temple has always been a national power under both John Chaney and Fran Dunphy. The Owls are considered to be one of the favorites to win the A-10 again this year which will be their last in the conference. Temple's football team will be joining the Big East this fall with all of the school's other athletic programs joining the conference in the fall of 2013.