Coaches: No severance packages

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According to a university official, the nine coaches departing as a result of the recently announced sports cuts were all signed to one-year contracts.

The athletics department is not commenting on financial specifics involved in those deals. Third-year baseball coach Ryan Wheeler said that, to his knowledge, none of the departing staff will receive severance packages. Gavin White, who has been with the university for 34 seasons as head coach for men’s crew, said he will not receive a package. White said he is signed to a one-year deal like the other coaches.

The official said that the exception to the one-year contracts are for the revenue sports at Temple, basketball and football.

Crew coach Gavin White | JACOB COLON TTN

Gavin White has been with the university for 34 years as head crew coach.| JACOB COLON TTN

Schuylkill Navy responds to cuts

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Margaret Meigs of the Schuylkill Navy has penned an open letter on Temple’s recent cuts to the sports department that included the men’s crew and women’s rowing teams:

We are shocked and saddened by Temple University’s decision to drop rowing from its sports programs. Temple men’s and women’s crew have an illustrious competitive history with the men winning an unprecedented 20 championship titles at the Dad Vail Regatta here on the Schuylkill.

We stand in support of Coach Gavin White and Coach Rebecca Grzybowski and, especially, the student athletes whose very last season may suddenly and unexpectedly be upon them.

Announced in 2012, Temple’s initiative to build a new boathouse on the east bank of the Schuylkill and, as part of the proposal, to fund a substantial portion of the renovation of the Canoe House, was a hopeful and welcome sign to the rowing community that Temple’s program continued to be a strong one.

The Schuylkill Navy supports all efforts to work with the University to reconsider this decision and to ensure that Temple boats continue their presence on the Schuylkill and rowing venues everywhere. 

Owls return home to face Hawks

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Temple (3-3) will face St. Joe’s (4-2) on Wednesday night in the Liacouras Center at 8 p.m.

This season marks the first time in 67 years that the Hawks and Owls are competing in difference conferences. In the most recent meeting between the two teams back in February, St. Joe’s beat Temple 70-69. The Owls are 46-18 all time in home games against the Hawks.

Temple is coming off a pair of consecutive wins at the Charleston Classic, as senior guard Dalton Pepper set new career highs in points in both games – 22 points against Georgia and 24 points against UAB.

Noble leaves team

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Defensive line coach Brandon Noble has left the team due to personal reasons, head coach Matt Rhule announced in a press conference Monday.

This was Noble’s first season with the Owls, after previously serving as a defensive line coach at Coastal Carolina University and West Chester University. Noble was a former teammate of Rhule’s at Penn State.

Dayan leaving Temple

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Sophomore May Dayan will leave the team and return to her hometown of Ashdod Israel, athletic communications announced Friday. The sophomore said personal reasons ultimately led to her departure.

The 5-foot-7 guard hasn’t played in Temple’s four games this season after seeing action in 30 contests a season ago with six starts and 1.7 points-per-game as a freshman.

“After a year-and-a-half at Temple University and due to personal issues, I have to return to Israel,” Dayan said to Owlsports.com. “I would like to thank all the people that helped me along the way, my coaches, my academic advisor, compliance, and especially my teammates. I would also like to thank Temple University for giving me this great opportunity. Temple was my home for the last year-and-a-half and will always have a special place in my heart. I wish the Owls good luck and know they will have a great season.”

Dayan joins a growing list of absentees for the Owls this season, as would-be sophomore Sally Kabengano didn’t return this season after a productive freshman year. Junior guard Rateska Brown and sophomore forward Jacquilyn Jackson also were key contributors to the team a year ago, and have both been sidelined due to indefinite suspensions.

Tennis stays busy off the court with volunteering

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Although the men’s and women’s tennis teams are not playing on the court, they found a way to team up off the court.

This past Saturday the Owls partnered up with SquashSmarts, a non-profit academic and athletic mentoring program, which is geared towards helping children attain success. Temple volunteered in helping fifth – 12th grade students in different ways including academics/enrichment, squash/fitness, or general service.

SquashSmarts has two different locations in Philadelphia; the Lenfest Center (North Philadelphia) and Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center (West Philadelphia) where students attend practices three days each week focusing on SquashSmarts’ Five Pillars: (1) Academic Support, (2) Squash Instruction, (3) Fitness and Nutrition, (4) Personal Achievement, and (5) Leadership. Students also participate in competitive squash opportunities, community service projects, cultural outings, and special events.

Youtz, Doyle selected to All-Region Team

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The accolades keep coming in for junior forward Amber Youtz and senior defender Molly Doyle, as Youtz has been named to the Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-Region First Team and Doyle the second team.

Youtz led the way for the Owls, offensively, recording 16 goals and seven assists for 39 points. She also led the Big East in points and goals per game, with an average of 2.44 points per game that ranks second in the nation and a goal per game average that is fifth in the nation.

In her final season with the Owls, Doyle had a career year. She scored eight goals and three assists for 19 points and, as one of the team’s co-captains, led a defense that held opponents to 1.60 goals per game.

Both Youtz and Doyle were named to the Big East All-Tournament Team.

Youtz was also named to the Big East First Team and the Preseason All-Big East Team.

Doyle, meanwhile, was named to the Big East Second Team and was selected to play in the NFCHA Senior Game.

Youtz was named Big East Offensive Player of the Week two times this season and Doyle once to combine for three of four times the weekly award has been given to an Owl in 2013.

Williams, Fitzgerald earn weekly honors

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Temple’s starting backcourt of junior guard Tyonna Williams and freshman guard Feyonda Fitzgerald were both recognized in this week’s American Athletic Conference awards.

After recording 39 total points in victories against Delaware and Auburn, Williams was named to this week’s The American Honor Roll. The junior guard was also named Philadelphia Big 5 player of the week.

Fitzgerald, the late game hero against Auburn, was named this week’s The American Freshman of the Week. The freshman guard made four three point field goals against Auburn, including the go-ahead three in the closing seconds of Temple’s 78–74 win.

For both Williams and Fitzgerald, their best outings of the week were in a comeback victory against Auburn which saw both players recording career-highs. Williams’ 29 point outing was the best of her career, while Fitzgerald recorded a career-high 18 points.

Owls sign four players

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The Owls came away with four signees on signing day, the team announced Thursday.

Tanaya Atkinson, Khadijah Berger, Wendion Bibbins and Alliya Butts all signed their National Letters of Intent with the team on the first signing day, and will likely round out Temple’s 2014 recruiting class.

Atkinson is a 5-foot-9 guard from Hill Regional Career High School in New Haven, Conn. who averaged 20.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in her junior year last year en route to All-Southern Connecticut Conference and All-Connecticut High School Coaches Association honors.

Berger, a 5-foot-10 guard, posted 17.1 PPG as a junior for Hampton High School in Virginia last year and earned a 2013 USA Today honorable mention. Per Owlsports, she played AAU ball with Temple freshman guard Feyonda Fitzgerald.

Bibbins is a 6-foot-1 power forward who could help supplement the loss of redshirt-senior forward Natasha Thames next year. The Helgen Cox High School senior was a 2012 LSWA Class 4A Honorable Mention All-State selection.

Butts, a local kid from Holy Cross High School in Edgewater Park, N.J., stands at a mere 5-foot-4 at the point guard position.

The height disadvantage clearly is no problem, as the current high school senior led all of Burlington County with 25.2 PPG last season for Holy Cross and was named to the Elite 100 Watch List. She has Philadelphia ties, as she played her AAU ball with the Philadelphia Freedom.

Shipp named to honor rolls

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Senior guard Shi-Heria Shipp graced the floor during her Temple debut with a jump in her step Friday at La Salle, and it earned her a spot on the American Athletic Conference and Big 5 honor rolls for week one, it was announced Monday.

The George Washington transfer dropped a career-high 18 points in her Temple debut against the Explorers, and scored nine amid an Owls’ 19-0 run in the second half. Shipp also led Temple with an 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line, and swiped five steals en route to a 60-47 Owls win in the season opener.