The secret behind Temple’s strong start in men’s hoops? A deep bench that puts up points

After Temple’s offense largely operated through one player last season, basketball coach Adam Fisher made it a point to acquire a deep bag of scoring threats in the offseason.

He hit the transfer portal to bring in Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jameel Brown, and recruited freshmen Dillon Battie, Babatunde Durodola, and Aiden Tobiason to join the rotation. That decision is beginning to show results through four games.

In Temple’s 103-74 win against Monmouth on Nov. 8, 14 Owls players entered the game, and 11 put points on the scoreboard. Five of those players — guards Mashburn and Brown and forwards Battie, Durodola, and Steve Settle III — reached double figures.

The performance was a microcosm of Temple’s impressive 3-1 start to the season, following its improbable run to the American Athletic Conference championship game in March.

“We have multiple guys on this team that can go get 20 points,” Fisher said. “That’s a big thing for us, [and that] is our depth. That’s something we’re going to have to continue to use throughout this season.”

Through four games, Mashburn, who joined the team as a transfer from New Mexico, has been the heartbeat of this team. He scored 26 points in the Owls’ season opener against Sacred Heart on Nov. 4 and a team-high 25 against Monmouth. He didn’t have his most efficient performance in Temple’s Big 5 matchup against Drexel on Nov. 12 but still finished with 20 points.

“I’m always in attack mode,” Mashburn said. “I’m always ready to score, ready to pass, make a play, ready to play defense. I will do whatever I have to do to help the team win.”

Even when Mashburn got off to a slow start against the Dragons, his teammates stepped up. Sophomore guard Zion Stanford scored the game’s first points and finished with a career-high 23 points in the 69-61 win.

Stanford, who averaged just under 15 minutes per game last season as a freshman, has logged 25 per game so far this season. Settle, Durodola, Battie, and Brown have each looked like the team’s primary scorer at times throughout the first four games.

“Everybody’s got to realize, on this team, we talked about it, there’s so many guys that could go get 20,” Fisher said. “How can you impact winning if you’re not going to get 20? And I think that’s what we’re seeing, our group coming together. The versatility and how deep we are is showing.”

Temple’s offense largely ran through former guard Hysier Miller last season. He led the team in points and assists, and the offense visibility struggled when he wasn’t on the floor. When Miller had an off night, so did the team. He transferred to Virginia Tech during the offseason, which left Temple searching for a new offensive identity.

Temple finally found cohesion during its run in the American Athletic Conference tournament in March. The Owls won four games in as many days to reach the conference title game. That run signaled to Fisher that his team needed stronger depth from the top down to play like it did in the conference tournament for a complete season.

“I’m really pleased [with the players that were added],” Fisher said. “Our staff did a great job of piecing together what we were looking for in our team. Now it’s putting it all together and making sure that it flows well with our team over the course of the entire season.”

The Owls’ depth has been evident even without two of their projected starters in the lineup.

Guard Lynn Greer III, who transferred from St. Joseph’s in the offseason, has yet to appear in a game for Temple after being suspended for the first nine games for an incident that occurred with his previous team. Fordham transfer Elijah Gray, who was projected to be the Owls’ starting power forward entering the season, missed the first three games while in concussion protocol.

Gray debuted Friday in the Owls’ 72-69 loss to Boston College. He logged 19 minutes and scored 10 points, including a deep three-pointer that helped keep Temple in the game in the first half.

When Greer is back in the lineup and Gray is back to full speed, the Owls will have 12 players they feel comfortable giving important minutes. Returning guards Matteo Picarelli and Shane Dezonie, who had large roles last season, have played fewer minutes per game so far but have shown they are players Fisher feels comfortable putting on the floor.

“I’m a big believer of the more talent you have, the better,” Picarelli said. “We brought in 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.”

The Owls look to keep their momentum going in a trip to Uncasville, Conn., for the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off. First up, Florida State (3-1) on Friday (5 p.m., ESPN+), followed by a date with Massachusetts (1-3) on Saturday (5 p.m., ESPN+).