Dancing With the Stars

Step aside Villanova.

Temple would like to reclaim its title as king of Philly hoops.

That’s right, the Owls are back and in a big way.

With Head Coach Fran Dunphy at the helm, Temple captured its second straight Atlantic Ten championship Saturday 69-64 against Duquesne to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The court at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, looked like a winning slot machine with fans pouring onto the hardwood as the final seconds slipped away to celebrate with their team.

Three, two, one…

With each passing second the Owls are just a little closer to the bigger picture.

As the players were engulfed by a sea of red senior guard Semaj Inge poked his head through his fresh A-10 champs t-shirt pausing momentarily to take it all in, “This shirt’s probably real cheap but it’s worth a whole lot man. A whole lot.”

Consider it your ticket to the Big Dance.

After six years on the absentee ballot, the Owls will soar into the 65-team field for the second straight year.

The Owls won’t find out whom or where they will play until selection Sunday. They will most likely receive and 11 or 12 seed which will match them up against a five or six seeded team.

Unlike last years one and done showing in Denver against Michigan State, Temple’s not blinded but the glitz and glory of a conference championship because this time around they want a national championship.

That’s the one thing fiery Hall of Fame coach John Chaney couldn’t bring to the university.

What Chaney did bring were key pieces in this years run including all three members of the A-10 All-Championship team- Dionte Christmas, Sergio Olmos and Ryan Brooks.

Although there may be a little Chaney left, this is Dunphy’s team and he has molded three time A-10 scoring champ and back-to-back tournament Most Outstanding Player Dionte “It’s Always” Christmas in Philadelphia, as the heart and soul of this program.

He can shoot, he can drive, he can read, test and pass right through defenses.

Oh yeah, he’s also NBA bound.

Despite an awful shooting slump the last month of the season the senior tied a championship game record with seven threes finishing with 29 points Saturday.

But besides his strength on the floor and his game changing abilities, the senior has developed a special bond with Dunphy that is evident when watching the two in practice, during a timeout or during the rare few minutes D-Chris is on the bench charging the batteries.

That bond is respect. Respect for each other and respect for the game.

That respect has transcended throughout the team creating a spark that has paid huge dividends on the court as far as the devolvement of the rest of the team.

While Christmas was throwing up coal late in the season and into the first game of the tournament against St. Joes, Temple is realizing that they can win even if Christmas isn't feeling seasonal.

Olmos, the once soft 7-footer known as “Almost” for his amazing ability to almost look like a center, has come into his own becoming a force in the paint over his last six games, muscling 12 points per game over his season average of 8.4 and increasing his boardage from 3.9 rpg to over six.

Junior Ryan Brooks is the Owls go to scorer when Christmas is off averaging over 10 points, most of those points coming in clutch moments of the game.

Dunphy’s additions in the athletic and mobile center Lavoy Allen, scorer Craig Williams and true freshman Juan Fernandez, who is a real life Ricky Bobby with his shake and bake moves down the court along with his excellent ability to find teammates for open shots, are the perfect twist to the old Chaney cocktail.

The pieces are all coming together quickly for the Owls and they couldn’t have picked a better time because like last year they will quickly realize they can’t just waltz through the Big Dance.

Until they put their dancing shoes on, the Owls will be flying high for what they hope is just the first recognition of a championship season.