Owls land new coach

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The Owls announced Monday that Roman Bussetti is set to become their new coach, replacing Ryan Frain — who resigned in April.

Bussetti, who is the general manager of the Owls’ home rink, Flyers Skate Zone, already has great knowledge about the program.

“He has seen our team play before,” defenseman and team president Patrick Hanrahan said. “He has coached for years on multiple teams. This is his first time coaching at college though. We know he knows the game and we look forward to putting him behind the bench next year.”

Bussetti played hockey with Council Rock High School from 1989 to 1991, where he won a Flyers Cup and a state championship. He went on to play collegiate hockey at the University of New Hampshire from 1991 to 1993 and West Chester University from 1993 to 1995.

After a two-year hiatus, Bussetti returned to hockey in 1997  as the coach at Upper Darby High School. He would later go on to coach at West Chester East High School from 1999 to 2006, Council Rock High School South from 2006 to 2008 and Archbishop Ryan High School from 2008 to 2011.

He was also an assistant coach for Blazers Youth Hockey, Team Comcast and the Philadelphia Junior Flyers.

A panel of Hanrahan, defenseman Jason Lombardi, alumnus Greg Malinowski, general manager Jerry Roberts and Campus Recreation unanimously agreed on Bussetti taking over the team. The factors were Bussetti’s experience, conduct, and his innovativeness toward some of the team’s past problems.

“I think it was just overall his knowledge,” Hanrahan said. “And where we felt like his commitment level would be there.”

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.

Temple Alum Harvey Pollack Died on Tuesday

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This past Tuesday, Naismith Hall of Fame basketball statistician and Temple alum Harvey Pollack died at the age of 93.

Pollack, who received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Temple in 1943, had been hospitalized since he suffered injuries in a car accident on New Year’s Day.

During his time as a student at Temple, Pollack worked as a manager for several Temple athletic teams including basketball. After graduation Pollack worked as Temple’s official football scorer until 2010. He was inducted into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.

Pollack is the only statistician inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame. His most impactful contribution to the sport may be the introduction of statistics such as minutes played, rebounds, steals, turnovers and blocked shots.

Field Hockey’s Challenging Schedule Released for Upcoming Season

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Temple’s 2015 season schedule will be headlined by six nationally-ranked teams, pitting them against some of the top talent the nation has to offer.

Trying to improve on a 14-7 season that saw them lose to eventual national champion the University of Connecticut in the Big East title game, the Owls will start the season on Aug. 28 in the annual Conference Cup tournament against the University of Maryland, the No. 2 team in last season’s final National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll.

Temple’s September schedule will see the team travel to Penn State University to play the Nittany Lions, who were No. 6 in last season’s final NFHCA poll, and on Sept. 20, the Owls will host Northwestern — No. 7 in last season’s final NFHCA poll.

The Owls will also face nationally-ranked Old Dominion University on Oct. 2 to kick off conference play and a rematch of last season’s Big East title game with UConn will take place seven days later on Oct. 9.

Temple’s regular season will end with a conference game at Villanova University on Halloween, one week before the four-team Big East tournament on Friday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 8 at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.

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.”

Men’s Crew looks to compete at IRA National Championship this weekend

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The men’s crew team is set to compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship this weekend on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey.

The Owls will enter two boats in this year’s competition after the Varsity Lightweight 4 and Varsity Heavyweight 4 both qualified.

The Varsity Lightweight 4 received an automatic bid into the event and the No. 1 seed in their race after winning the grand finals at the Dad Vail Regatta on May 9.

The Varsity Heavyweight 4, which placed sixth in the quarterfinals at the Dad Vail Regatta, did not receive an automatic bid and had to apply to compete at the IRA National Championship.

The boat was voted in by the IRA committee, but the Owls will use a different lineup at this weekend’s event from the one that competed for the team throughout the season.

After two weeks of competition to determine the fastest rowers, the new Owls competing for the Varsity Heavyweight 4 this weekend will be sophomore coxswain Dante Romeo, junior stroke man Tom Robbins, junior Charles Anderson in seat-3, freshman Collin McKinney in seat-2 and junior bowman Ryan Dartnell.

“We took the best guys out of the second Varsity 8 and all the guys out of the Varsity 8 and lump them altogether into one selection group and try to find the best four guys,” Perkins said.

At the IRA National Championship, Temple will face-off against qualifying crews from teams around the country, such as Drexel University, Yale University, Oklahoma City University, Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the 2014 IRA National Champions — the University of Washington.

Despite the Varsity Lightweight 4 boat’s success this season, White said it will not be easy for the team to secure a victory.

“Hopefully, the Lightweight can win but it is going to be tough,” White said.

The IRA begins Thursday, but the Varsity Heavyweight 4 does not begin competition until Friday. The Lightweight 4 begins competition on Saturday.

Danielle Nelson can be reached at danielle.nelson@temple.edu or on twitter @Dan_Nels.

Kraft promoted to Athletic Director

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President Theobald announced Monday that Pat Kraft, who currently serves as deputy director of athletics, will replace Kevin Clark as Athletic Director.

Clark was repositioned earlier Monday to the newly-created position of executive vice president and chief operations officer.

Kraft, who has worked as deputy director of athletics since 2013, was the sports administrator of the football team. Kraft was also responsible for oversight of  communications, marketing and other units in the department.

-Michael Guise

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.”