Author Archives: Michael Guise

Matthews named All-American honorable mention

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Brandon Matthews was named an honorable mention Division I PING All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Thursday.

“It’s a great feeling to know that you are among the country’s best,” Matthews said. “Getting this means more than you can imagine.  It’s always nice to see your hard work, time and effort pay off in these kind of ways.”

Matthews is coming off of a junior season where he placed in the top-10 in 11 of his 12 tournaments.  His 70.9 stroke average for a season was a new school record and his three-consecutive wins during the year was a new program record.  He also tied Temple’s record for career wins with eight.

Matthews is in the middle of a summer of individual amateur tournaments before returning to Temple in the fall for his senior season.

Cummings signs with Houston Rockets

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Per a university athletic spokesperson, Will Cummings has agreed to terms on a free agent contract with the Houston Rockets.

The Jacksonville, Florida native, who was not selected during the NBA Draft on Thursday cannot sign with the Rockets until July 1, which is the official beginning on NBA free agency.

The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 14.8 points per game and 4.2 assists last season while leading the Owls to a 26-11 record.

After missing the 2015 NCAA Basketball Tournament, Cummings and the Owls were selected as the No. 1 overall seed for the National Invitational Tournament, where they were eliminated by the University of Miami 60-57 in the semifinals.

Cummings, who was a first-team all American Athletic Conference selection last season, became the 50th member of Temple’s 1,000-point club — the eighth player to reach the milestone under coach Fran Dunphy — in a win over South Florida in February.

Volleyball announces fall schedule

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Temple’s 2015 schedule is collection of tough conference and non-conference games, giving the Owls a chance to compete with some of the top programs in the country.

Coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said the Owls will be playing the most competitive schedule since his arrival four years ago, in an attempt to raise their Rating Percentage Index.

“We wanted an even stronger non-conference schedule than we did last year,” Ganesharatnam said. “Hopefully it will prepare ourselves for conference play.”

The Owls open up their season with the Temple Invitational on Aug. 28 and 29. Temple will host the University of Oregon, the United States Naval Academy and St. John’s University.

Oregon finished 12th in NCAA RPI in the 2014 season, while advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

A week later, Temple travels to New Jersey to take on Seton Hall University, Hofstra University and the University of Notre Dame. Hofstra and Seton Hall both earned bids in the NCAA tournament last season.

Temple will host the Cherry and White Challenge on Sept. 11 and 12, where they will play Duquesne University, the University of Montana and Binghamton University. The following week, Temple competes in the Big 5 Tournament with LaSalle University, the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova University.

Ganesharatnam said the Owls’ non-conference play will help them prepare to compete in the American Athletic Conference, which Ganesharatnam said is one of the top conferences in the country.

“The conference itself will be much tougher this year than this last year because many of the top teams got stronger this year,” Ganesharatnam said. “RPI wise, the conference is the sixth strongest conference in the country.”

Although The American was competitive in 2014, only Central Florida advanced to the NCAA tournament, losing in the first round.

Temple will host 10 of 20 conference matches. After missing an NCAA tournament bid by a slim margin, Ganesharatnam said the Owls need to make the most of their conference play,

“A lot of programs and a lot of teams are going to be after us,” Ganesharatnam said. “It is a new situation for us, so that is something.”

Former football player Adrian Robinson dies Saturday

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Update No. 2:

Statement from coach Matt Rhule:

“The Temple football program lost a friend, a brother, and a wonderful young man today. Adrian Robinson was one of the greatest competitors I ever had the pleasure of coaching and I know he was an even better teammate. I first met Adrian as an 18 year old high school senior. I was so proud to see him back at Temple this spring finishing his degree and being a loving father to his new daughter.  He will always be a part of me and will always be a part of this program. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the Robinson family – his parents Terry and Adrian Sr., brother Averee and sister Aija, and his daughter Avery Marie.”
Statement from Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin Clark:
”The entire Temple University community is mourning the tragic passing of one of our former all-time great football players, Adrian Robinson. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this incredibly tough time.”

UPDATE: Robinson’s agency, Symmetry, confirmed the news on Sunday morning on Facebook

“It deeply saddens all of us to share with you that Adrian Robinson Jr. passed away last night at the age of 25. Adrian was a beloved father, son, brother, friend and teammate. We ask that you please respect his family’s privacy during this difficult time, and especially keep his daughter Avery Marie in your prayers. Thank you for all of your support and consideration.”

According to a report from Owlscoop.com, former football player Adrian Robinson died Saturday night at the age of 25.

The former defensive end was a 2011 team captain who appeared in every game during his collegiate career.

During his final year as an Owl in 2011, Robinson accumulated 52 total tackles and a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss as the Owls went 9-4, including a 37-15 win over the University of Wyoming in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

Robinson’s brother, Averee Robinson, is a junior defensive lineman with 20 career tackles and 2.5 sacks. He also has 2.5 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries.

Robinson, who started 38 career games and was a 2011 and 2009 first-team All-MAC honoree, totaled 156 career tackles, 24 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss. He was also named 2009 MAC Defensive MVP by Sporting News.

Robinson was a graduate of Harrisburg High School and was one of five Owls to appear in the 2008 Big 33 game, an all-star football game that featured the top high-school football players from Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native had five stints in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and most recently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014.

Michael Guise can be reached at michael.guise@temple.edu or on Twitter @Michael_Guise

Brandon Matthews tied for fifth after first day of NCAA Regionls

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Junior Brandon Matthews is tied for fifth place after shooting an even-par 70 on Thursday during the first day of competition at the NCAA Regionals in New Haven, Connecticut.

After scoring par on the first six holes, Matthews bogeyed three of the next five holes. The Dupont, Pennsylvania native then birdied three of the final seven holes to finish the day at even par.

“I feel really good because I’m hitting the ball really nice,” Matthews said. “I fine-tuned it yesterday and the swing felt really good.”

Matthews, who is tied with six other players at even par, is six shots behind the current leader —  South Florida sophomore Rigel Fernandes, who shot a six-under 64 on Thursday.

Matthews said he needs to improve on his short game in order to improve his score.

“Hopefully that just takes effect tomorrow,” Matthews said.  “We just want to see some more birdies roll in.  I’m in a good spot.”

Trio awarded season honors

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Junior Erica Covile, freshman Alliya Butts and senior Tyonna Williams each earned American Athletic Conference regular-season awards, the conference announced Wednesday.

Covile and Butts, who was also selected to the All-Freshman team, were named to the All-Conference third team, while Williams was the recipient of The American’s Sportsmanship Award. Each of the conference’s 11 coaches voted on the awards.

During the regular season, Covile averaged 11 points per game and a team-high eight rebounds per game, both of which were career-highs for the junior forward. After starting 26 games last season, the Detroit, Michigan native was one of three Owls to start in all 31 regular-season games and one of two players to log 900-plus minutes. The junior also totaled nine double-doubles after recording none through her first two seasons in a Temple uniform.

Along with her third-team honor, Butts was one of two unanimous selections for the All-Freshman team. The Edgewater Park, New Jersey native averaged a team-high 12 points and totaled a team-high 62 steals.

The freshman guard, who started 19 games this season, started the season coming off the bench and did not enter the starting lineup until Dec. 28, 2014 against the University of Memphis. After joining the starting lineup, Butts scored in double figures 14 times, including 11 straight games from Jan. 11 to Feb. 17.

Williams, the Owls’ lone senior, appeared in 124 games, starting in 95, and averaged eight points per game en route to her Sportsmanship Award. She ranks second all-time on Temple’s career 3-point list with 159. The Fort Washington, Maryland native also ranks fifth all-time in school history in career assists with 371.

For the season, she averaged a career-high 10 pointers per game.

The Owls will enter the Connecticut-hosted American Athletic Conference tournament this weekend as the fourth seed, and will play fifth-seeded East Carolina Saturday at noon.

Covile earns Player of the Week honor

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Erica Covile was named American Conference Player of the Week on Monday. With the selection, the junior forward became the program’s first American Player of the Week during the team’s tenure in the two-year-old conference.

The Detroit native, who averaged 22.5 points and 14 rebounds per game in wins against Southern Methodist and Cincinnati, has helped lead the Owls to a 3-0 start in conference play.

Against SMU, Covile scored a career-high 24 points while grabbing 13 rebounds. She followed up that performance with 21 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to extend her double-double streak to four games in a win over Cincinnati.

For the season, Covile is averaging 10.1 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. She also ranks second on the team with 20 steals.

The Owls (7-8) will return to action Monday at 7 p.m. when they take on Big 5 rival University of Pennsylvania at the Palestra.

Golf releases schedule

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The golf team’s schedule, released Monday, has the squad participating in six tournaments this fall.

The team first tees off on Sept. 22 at the Hartford Hawk Invitational in Hartford, CT. The team’s only local tournament is the Temple Invitational Oct. 11-12 in Hundington Valley, PA.

Last season at the Temple Invitational, the team finished fourth, which was its second-best finish all season. The team will conclude play for the fall at the Wendy’s Kiawah Classic in Charleston, South Carolina.

After two days, Matthews tied for sixth in conference championship

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After two days of competition, sophomore Brandon Matthews is tied for sixth overall at the 2014 American Athletic Conference Championships.

On the first day of competition Matthews shot a two-over 73, which placed him 13th overall out of 151 golfers. He started strong, as he was one among the top five golfers. But Matthews shot three over on his final four holes. He responded with a strong outing on Monday, shooting a one-under 70. He was one of seven golfers to break par on what was a windy day in Palm Harbor, Fla.

As a team, the Owls are currently in ninth place out of the 10-team field, 44 shots behind the leader – Central Florida. The event features a strong field, as five teams participating are currently ranked in the Top 50.

Junior Matt Teesdale is tied for 30th after shooting a three-over 74 on Sunday and a six-over 77 on Monday.  Senior Matt Crescenzo is tied for 42nd after posting a six-over 77 on Sunday and a 10-over 81 on Monday. Freshman Evan Notaro and junior Mike Amole are 49th and 50th overall, respectively.

The Owls tee off Tuesday at 8:20 am.