Author Archives: Joey Cranney

Volleyball loses first game of season

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With the first set, spike and dig, the 2012 season was under way this afternoon for the Owls’ volleyball team at the South Carolina Gamecock invitational.

South Carolina handed the Owls their first loss of the season in easy fashion. Temple lost in straight sets 25-14, 25-15, 25-18.

Junior Gabriella Matautia led the attack for Temple with 10 kills, while sophomore Tiffany Connatser added 23 assists in the losing effort. Senior Chelsea Tupuola led the team with 12 digs.

The Owls will have another shot at notching their first win later today at 5:30 against East Tennessee State.

-Brandon Stoneburg

Tennis upgrades on both sides

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Temple’s men’s and women’s tennis teams are both looking to improve upon last season, but have different outlooks heading into this upcoming year.

The men’s team finished 9-10 overall last year, but 4-2 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Their season was capped off by a disappointing loss to George Washington in the A-10 tournament.

Coach Steve Mauro considers his men’s squad to be in a rebuilding stage. They are faced with a critical setback of losing four starters from last year, but are also welcoming some new athletes who they hope will contribute.

“It’s a different process,” Mauro said. “We’re in a rebuilding stage. We’re bringing in a bunch of good players, we just don’t know how they’ll do on the college level. We’re hoping for the best.”

Of those returning, sophomore Kristian Marquart is the only one to post a record over .500, finishing 9-7 in singles play. With three years left to improve, the 6 foot, 2 inch athlete provides a valuable young spark for the Owls.

The women’s team (14-11, 6-1 A-10) proves to be in a better position to make a championship run than the men’s team. They suffered a painful 4-3 loss in the A-10 title match last year to Massachusetts, but with six of eight players returning and a few new promising ones being added, they appear to be in an ideal position to make a title run.

“We expect to finish [No.] 1 or 2 in our conference,” Mauro said. “With those returning players and the addition of three solid players, we should be in the hunt for the A-10 title.”

Sophomore Maame Ama Osi stood out for the lady Owls last year, recording an impressive 19-9 record in singles play. This year, along with four juniors who Mauro hopes will step into leadership roles, she will attempt to lead her squad over the hump of the A-10 championship.

-Mark McHugh

Training Camp Day 6: Filling in the holes

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Coach Steve Addazio and defensive players, junior linebacker Blaze Caponegro, senior defensive back Justin Gildea and junior defensive back Zamel Johnson, spoke about the team’s ongoing concerns with depth at football training camp day 6, the first day of two-a-day practices.

When asked about his biggest concern with his team, Addazio didn’t hesitate to talk about the importance of keeping the offensive line healthy, which returns one starter in senior right tackle Martin Wallace.

“A couple of guys get dinged up, a couple of starters are out, and all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Oh man,'” Addazio said. “Depth up front is a huge concern with me.”

Addazio said junior left guard Jeff Whittingham and sophomore right guard Jaimen Newman, both projected starters, are out with minor injuries, adding more injury into the mix with an offensive line that struggled to stay healthy throughout last season.

“Nothing serious, but just enough to throw you some curveballs,” Addazio said. “But that’s camp. That’s going to happen. It’s nothing serious, that’s good, but it takes your execution out.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the concern isn’t so much with injury as it is with replacing six starters from last year who are no longer with the team.

Caponegro is the lone returning starter to the linebacking corps that loses the team’s leading tackler, Stephen Johnson, and defensive captain Tahir Whitehead, who was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.

“I don’t think there’s enough you can say about [Whitehead],” Caponegro said. “He was a leader on and off the field. He always had energy and was giving it to everybody else.”

Caponegro said he and fellow linebackers, redshirt freshman Nate D. Smith, junior Olaniyi Adewole and senior Ahkeem Smith, are “working together as a group to get better everyday.”

“We have a lot of young guys out here proving themselves, which is really key heading into the fall and the Big East with some tough competition,” he said.

The Owls also lose two out of their four starters in the secondary from last season in cornerback Kee-ayre Griffin and free safety Kevin Kroboth, who started a combined 25 games last year.

Johnson, who started nine games at cornerback last year, said that Addazio hasn’t given him the job of outright starter this year, and he likes it that way.

“Your spot is never set in stone, so you’re always battling, you’re always fighting and there’s always competition,” Johnson said. “Your job is just to keep getting better everyday.”

Addazio said that senior defensive back Vaughn Carraway is projected at free safety opposite Gildea, who started every game last year alongside Kroboth.

“[Carraway] looks really good,” Gildea said. “He fits really well into the position. He’s a tall guy and he’s very rangy so he can get across the field really well. If [Kroboth] wasn’t there, I could see him starting for us for a couple of years.”

“[Carraway] is looking really good out there,” Johnson said. “He’s making all kinds of plays. I’m definitely looking forward to playing with him.”

Sophomore Anthony Robey and senior Maurice Jones are also competing for spots in the secondary alongside Johnson at corner. Nate D. Smith and Adewole are projected starters at linebacker per Temple’s depth chart, last updated July 27.

Dunphy voted most underrated

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In a poll conducted by nearly 100 college basketball coaches, men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy was voted the most underrated coach in the country, CBS announced Tuesday morning.

Dunphy received 14 percent of the votes, beating out his peers, Randy Bennett of Saint Mary’s (9 percent), Rick Byrd of Belmont (7 percent), Bill Self of Kansas (7 percent) and Buzz Williams (7 percent), who finished second through fifth, respectively.

“I appreciate my peers thinking I have a clue about what I’m doing,” Dunphy told CBS. “We’re lucky to have the jobs we have.”

Dunphy has 444 career victories and 14 NCAA tournament appearances during his tenures at Penn and Temple. He has led the Owls to a tournament birth in each of his past five years with the team.

Training Camp Day 3: Tragedy and Toughness

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After the first weekend of Temple football training camp, in which players were limited to only helmets and shoulder pads and fundamental drills, coach Steve Addazio and players said they were excited for the opportunity to hit some people Monday morning at the first full-contact practice of training camp.

But following Sunday’s death of Garrett Reid, 29, son of Philadelphia Eagles’ coach Andy Reid and brother of Owls’ redshirt-freshman running back Spencer Reid and graduate assistant coach Britt Reid, with the heavy hits came heavy hearts.

“It’s been a really tough couple of days,” Addazio said. “Our hearts and prayers go out the Reid family. It’s such a tragic thing and your heart breaks for them. I don’t know what else to say.”

Addazio said Tuesday’s training camp session will be held in the afternoon so that players and coaches will have the opportunity to attend Reid’s funeral in the morning.

“Practice will be the last thing on my mind tomorrow morning,” Addazio said. “Practice and football pales in comparison to what we’re talking about here.”

As to how the Owls fared in the first day of full-contact practice, their coach would like to see some improvement as camp moves on.

“We were a little sloppy offensively out there, especially toward the end,” Addazio said. “It was the first day of contact practice, but you still have to find a way to be sharper, tougher and more tuned in. That didn’t happen today.”

Although Addazio made it clear that there is work to be done, getting back to a real practice atmosphere is a big step for his team.

“Everybody was happy to get going today,” Addazio said. “It’s hard with the non-contact stuff. You can’t hit anybody or hurt anybody, and guys aren’t wearing pads. It’s hard, once you get going with the shoulder pads on, it’s a lot easier to function and improve as a team.”

“We’re installing a lot right now and with the hitting it tends to get a little sloppy on the first day,” junior quarterback Chris Coyer said. “I feel good about where we’re going, but we still have to improve a little bit on everything. We’ll be all right.”

Coyer, who began playing regularly midway through last season, is now the starter at quarterback heading into a season for the first time. The unfamiliar role has given Coyer a new perspective heading into camp.

“In past years for me, it’s been all about winning the starting job going into camp,” Coyer said. “Now I’m a lot more focused on improving myself and improving the team so that we can be as good as we can be for that first game.”

“Practice gets a little tougher every year and every day,” Coyer added. “I feel like I’m getting a little more accurate in my passes day by day, and I’m getting better with each day.”

While Coyer’s role has been clearly identified, sophomore Jalen Fitzpatrick, who could see time this year at running back and receiver, said he’ll be happy just to contribute however his coach wants him to.

“I just want to play and contribute to this team, and wherever [Addazio] puts me, I’m going to play there and do my best to contribute,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m still a young guy and I’m still learning.”

In the learning process, Fitzpatrick has looked at senior running back Matt Brown as a role model, and likens his playing style to that of Brown’s.

“I play with an edge and I learned that from [Brown],” Fitzpatrick said. “ He’s a huge competitor and has a big chip on his shoulder, and I try to play like that and have that same chip on my shoulder.”

“I’ve been competitive my whole life,” Brown said. “I grew up in a family with a tough mentality, and that kind of attitude rubs off.”

Brown, the featured back heading into the season, believes that players have to have a certain level of toughness when it comes to football.

“I’ve always had a tough mentality,” Brown said. “If I get hurt, I feel like it’s not right to leave your team because you’re hurting, unless you really can’t play. Other than that, suck it up and be a man, that’s football. This isn’t basketball or baseball, pain is a part of this game.”

“It wouldn’t be football if the pain wasn’t a part of the game,” Brown added. “I like the pain, it makes me feel like a man.”

-Drew Parent

Addazio calls off media post tragedy

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Football coach Steve Addazio canceled media availability after the second day of training camp Sunday morning following the passing of Garrett Reid, brother of Owls’ graduate assistant coach Britt Reid and redshirt-freshman running back Spencer Reid.

Garrett Reid, the 29-year-old son of Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Andy Reid, was found dead in his Lehigh University dorm room Sunday after a 911 call was placed at 7:20 a.m. The cause of death is under investigation.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Reid family,” Addazio said in a statement released following Sunday morning’s practice.

Spencer Reid redshirted last season at Temple after playing running back and linebacker at Harriton High School. Britt Reid is entering his third season as a coaching assistant at Temple.

Golf led by top recruits

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Golf coach Brian Quinn is excited.

His reason? The Owls are entering the 2012-13 season with a roster full of talent of a quality the program has never seen before.

“This is the best recruiting class in the history of Temple golf,” Quinn said.

The recruiting class is led by incoming freshman and 2010 Pennsylvania State Golf Champion Brandon Matthews from Pittston Area High School. Matthews has won junior tournaments across Pennsylvania and is figured to factor into the lineup immediately. Joining Matthews is fellow newcomer Mike Teesdale  a community college transfer that really has Quinn excited.

“[Teesdale] is a very good golfer,” Quinn said. “It is great that we are going to get three years of playing from him.”

The recruits aren’t the only thing that Quinn is excited about. He is returning two of his most important players from last season in sophomore Paul Carbone and senior Devin Bibeau.

“[Carbone] could be very good, he has a ton of potential. I’m expecting him to work harder and really improve a lot this season,” Quinn said.

Quinn sees Bibeau as the leader of the group, and he will be expected to carry load as not only the No. 1 player on the team, but the mentor to this young squad.

“[Bibeau] is the best player on our team right now,” Quinn said. “He needs to be a leader for the younger guys and play the best golf he could for us to be successful this season.”

The golf team will begin their season on Sept. 16 at The McLaughlin and they will finish their fall campaign on October 16 at the Barnabas Health Intercollegiate.

-Anthony Bellino

Volleyball adds international talent

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As part of an attempt to improve upon last season’s 8-20 overall record, second-year head coach Bakeer Ganes has brought in seven newcomers, four true freshmen and three transfers, to the 2012 Temple volleyball team.

 
 “We are very excited about our incoming class,” Ganes said in a press release. “I think we have a good mix of true freshmen and transfers. They will provide us depth, experience and a very high skill set.”

 
Ganes will welcome freshmen Alyssa Drachslin, Sandra Sydlik, Alicia Wennberg and Regina Trabosh, juniors Annemarie Boehm and Paula Renteria, and senior Jingyu Zhang. The class has international experience as four of the student-athletes have experience playing in Germany, China and Norway.

 
Drachslin is a true freshman defensive specialist out of Southern California. She will play defense and libero for Temple after being the starting libero for her high school for three years and helping lead them to consecutive league titles. She was named to the first team all-league in both of her last two years at Riverside Poly High School.

 
Sydlik is a 5 foot, 10 inch setter from Berlin, Germany. She played in the highest amateur league in Germany and had a successful career with the Junior National Team.

 
Wennberg is another true freshman with an extensive international résumé. She’s an outside hitter from Stavanger, Norway and she started every game as a junior and senior for her high school. Wennberg brings valuable experience to North Philly after having a standout career with the U19 National Team, the National All-Star Team and the Junior National Team.

 
Trabosh is a 5 foot, 4 inch libero from Trooper, Pa. She was named to the first team all-league three times and first team all-area twice.

 
Boehm is a middle blocker transferring after spending two years at a Catholic University in Germany and time on the Junior National Team at the German Championships in 2005 and 2006.

 
Renteria will have two years of eligibility left after two years at West Virginia Wesleyan. Her value comes in her versatility as she can play both defense and outside hitter. She led WV Wesleyan in kills as a sophomore and was named second team all-conference.

 
Zhang, a Tianjin, China native, is a 5 foot, 10 inch outside hitter. She played the 2008 and 2009 seasons at Saint Petersburg College in Florida. While there, she was named to the NJCAA All-American First Team.

 
The volleyball team’s season opens on Aug. 24 at the University of South Carolina Invitational.
–Brandon Stoneburg

 

Addazio talks change at Big East Media Day

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With his team picked to finish last in the Big East conference, football coach Steve Addazio said that’s not what he’ll be focusing on this upcoming season during a press conference at Big East Media Day Tuesday morning.

“I don’t know where we’ll be in this pecking order at the end of the season. I have no idea,” Addazio said. “I do know this, we will show up. We’ll play really, really hard and we’ll represent the game the way it is supposed to be represented. That’s what I will promise you.”

Temple, coming off its first bowl victory since 1979, re-enters the Big East conference for football for the 2012 season after the team was asked to leave the conference in 2001 due to lack of competitiveness and poor attendance.

Despite the fact that the Owls were picked to finish last in the Big East Media Poll released Tuesday, Addazio said the team is more primed for success in the Big East this time around.

“It’s a new Temple,” Addazio said. “It doesn’t resemble anything where it was six or seven years ago.”

“We just completed a $10 million state-of-the-art football complex, a new $50 million basketball complex,” Addazio added. “There’s change everywhere.”

Following three non-conference games to begin the season, Big East play opens Oct. 6 at home against South Florida. The Owls will also have Big East home games against Rutgers, Cincinnati and Syracuse this year.

“Change can be a little uncomfortable sometimes, but change is exciting,” Addazio said. “It brings out the best in everyone. You have to embrace it.”

Temple comes up short in preseason poll

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According to the powers that be in the Big East, Temple has a long journey ahead to make some noise in its new conference. In the 2012 preseason media poll, the Owls recieved 41 points and were ranked last in the conference at eighth place.

Louisville recieved 24 of a possible 28 first place votes and is the overwhelming favorite to win the conference after tying for the title last year. The Owls will match up with the conference favorite in Kentucky on Nov. 3.

A school that Temple might be looking to extract some revenge on also placed highly in the conference. After knocking off the basketball team in the first round of the NCAA championship, the University of South Florida football team received the other four first place votes and sits at second in the poll. The Owls will look for a rematch on Oct. 16 at Lincoln Financial Field.