By Ben Sullivan
Temple hoops coach Fran Dunphy has had a busy off-season.
The Owls stepped up a weight class last season to the American Athletic Conference from the Atlantic 10, and to compete with programs like SMU, UConn, Cincinnati, and Memphis, Temple must increase its talent level. It appears the Owls are ready to do just that.
According to a report in the Inquirer, Dunphy will hire former NBA and Owls point guard Rick Brunson as an assistant. The kicker: Brunson’s son Jalen is arguably the top point guard in the Class of 2015 and a consensus top 25 player nationally. He plays at Chicago’s Stevenson High and is rated by ESPN as the nation’s No. 1 point guard in the class of 2015.
Hiring the elder Brunson could help ensure Temple has a replacement for senior floor general Will Cummings (16.8 points, 4.8 assists last season) a year from now at the most important position on the floor.
The younger Brunson would be good enough to start for the Owls immediately and would give Temple another strong piece to go with Quenton DeCosey, Daniel Dingle, Texas transfer Jaylen Bond and incoming freshman power forward Obi Enechionyia.
