Temple set to face La Salle in Wednesday doubleheader at Palestra
Their game will be followed by a contest between St. Joseph’s and Penn.
Big 5 doubleheaders will return to the Palestra on Wednesday as Temple (3-4) and La Salle (3-3) travel south of their respective home courts to face off at the hallowed arena at 6 p.m. They will be followed by St. Joseph’s and Penn.
The Owls aim to improve to 2-0 in Big 5 play and extend their winning streak over La Salle to four games.
Looking at Temple
The Owls are moving on from last week’s 0-2 performance at the Empire Classic in Brooklyn and looking to make the best of their remaining nonconference schedule. Sophomore guards Khalif Battle and Hysier Miller will lead the Owls in that effort.
Battle averages 18.7 points per game on 43.8% shooting, picking up where he left off in last year’s injury-shortened season. Miller has been promoted to starting point guard, averaging 8.6 points and leading the Owls with 5.4 assists per game. Miller had the best game of his career in a win Sunday against Drexel as he finished with 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting and seven assists.
The status of Temple frontcourt players Jahlil White and Jamille Reynolds is unknown. White has missed Temple’s last two games with a knee injury, and Reynolds is questionable after leaving Sunday’s game with an upper leg injury.
“I think [Reynolds] is going to be OK,” said Temple coach Aaron McKie. “You’ve got to see what happens overnight. … [White] had a few things that were going on.”
» READ MORE: Fran Dunphy cements his status as Mr. Big 5
Looking at La Salle
La Salle is powered by the backcourt of Khalil Brantley and Josh Nickelberry. They are averaging a combined 30 points. Nickelberry leads the Explorers from beyond the arc, shooting 39.1% from three.
In the frontcourt are seniors Hassan and Fousseyni Drame. The twins, who transferred from St. Peter’s after its first Elite Eight appearance last season, combine to average 21 points and 11 rebounds.
» READ MORE: La Salle celebrates a win in its home opener behind Khalil Brantley’s 22-point performance
These two have a history
The Owls own a 79-42 all-time record against the Explorers. Temple has won 32 of the last 40 meetings between the teams and won last year’s matchup, 73-57.
Student vs. teacher
Wednesday will be the first time Fran Dunphy coaches against Temple since leaving the school. Dunphy took over for John Chaney at Temple in 2006 and coached the Owls until 2019, when he handed over the keys to McKie. Dunphy then served as the school’s interim athletic director from 2020-21.
Dunphy returned to his alma mater in April, weeks after La Salle fired coach Ashley Howard. He is the only person in history to serve as head coach at three Big 5 schools (La Salle, Penn, and Temple), having won four coach of the year awards and 12 regular-season conference championships in his career.
“These next couple of days will present many memories,” Dunphy said. “Going back to the Palestra again, coaching and playing against two programs that I did coach in the past. But once the ball goes up, I’ll just be thinking about my own La Salle guys.”
On Wednesday night, Dunphy aims to pick up a win against McKie, his former assistant, for his first Big 5 victory as head coach of the Explorers.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” McKie said. “A guy that got me involved in the college game. Now I’m coaching here, he’s at La Salle, and I get the opportunity to compete against him and coach against him. It should be fun.”