Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Mike McAtee
Temple Seniors Have Winning Attitude
3.10.13 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -- Every day for the past six months, Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, Jake O'Brien, T.J. DiLeo, Khalif Wyatt and Scootie Randall filtered through the weight room nestled inside the Pearson McGonigle complex before or after the day's practice session to focus on strength and conditioning.
Despite whatever physiological advice they gleaned from their daily sessions, the five seniors found within that room a different type of wisdom.
As each man stood before the weight room's mirrored walls, his reflection appeared alongside a quote from the legendary NBA coach, Pat Riley.
“There's always the motivation of wanting to win. Everybody has that. But a champion needs, in his attitude, a motivation above and beyond winning.”
On the morning of the final home game of their collegiate careers, Hollis-Jefferson, O'Brien, DiLeo, Wyatt and Randall chased after that motivation.
And two hours after they began the game against the No. 19/21 Virginia Commonwealth University Rams by scoring seven unanswered points, they captured it, escaping the afternoon tilt with an 84-76 win.
“It was fun to see everyone out there with one common goal,” said Wyatt of the team's starting five seniors. “We've had an up-and-down year all year and I think as of late we just came together and we're playing for one another.”
The team's recent trend of unselfish play, stingier defense and improved ball movement helped buoy the Owls past their midseason struggles: today's win extended the team's streak to seven straight, en route to finishing the regular season with a 23-8 overall record.
Wyatt summed it up best when he told reporters after the game, “We've got some veteran guys who've played in a lot of games and been in a lot of different situations, faced a lot of adversity.”
The true definition of adversity is so fluid and ever-evolving, much like the framework of this year's squad.
The Owls' 16-point deficit midway through the first half would definitely qualify -- but that's just a mere microcosm of the trials that this core group of seniors have faced throughout their time in Cherry and White.
For Randall, adversity is being sidelined for 20 months with a knee injury.
For Wyatt, maybe it's the reminder of his freshman season where he was only granted a handful of minutes on the court.
The ankle injury that ended his freshman season and forced him to redshirt might be DiLeo's.
O'Brien battled through multiple surgeries on his foot prior to finding a home on North Broad Street this season.
And Hollis-Jefferson, in large part battered and bruised, struggled to find his rhythm early this season.
Adversity from the pressure of team struggles began to accumulate after tough losses to St. Bonaventure and Duquesne, but these seniors weren't ready to give up this fight.
Not after all they'd endured to this point.
“We were inconsistent throughout a number of games throughout the season but I also think we've been resilient,” said Dunphy of the team's midseason woes. “When we've gone down, we've been able to pick ourselves back up.”
Though it's hard to point to any one defining moment as the point at which this Temple team backed away from the precipice, certainly a seismic shift in attitude occurred seven games ago, at home against Duquesne.
The gut-wrenching suspense of five consecutive games decided by one point united them -- that sting of defeat so breathtakingly close, taunting them and stitching them together by their shared unwillingness to accept defeat.
The core five became united under one motivation above and beyond merely winning, just as Pat Riley would have imagined.
They wanted to do this for each other -- to eventually, at the end of whatever scrum lies ahead, look their teammates in the eye and know that they left behind everything they possibly could.
To give themselves and the rest of their teammates a taste of that post-season play -- an elixir so tantalizingly indulgent it's hard to resist a sip.
And finally, these five seniors wanted to feel confident in what they leave behind.
They wanted to believe that, when their younger teammates stand in front of that very same mirror next season, they see not only a reflection of themselves next to that quotation, but the winning legacy that a champions' attitude can create.
by Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
Despite whatever physiological advice they gleaned from their daily sessions, the five seniors found within that room a different type of wisdom.
As each man stood before the weight room's mirrored walls, his reflection appeared alongside a quote from the legendary NBA coach, Pat Riley.
“There's always the motivation of wanting to win. Everybody has that. But a champion needs, in his attitude, a motivation above and beyond winning.”
On the morning of the final home game of their collegiate careers, Hollis-Jefferson, O'Brien, DiLeo, Wyatt and Randall chased after that motivation.
And two hours after they began the game against the No. 19/21 Virginia Commonwealth University Rams by scoring seven unanswered points, they captured it, escaping the afternoon tilt with an 84-76 win.
“It was fun to see everyone out there with one common goal,” said Wyatt of the team's starting five seniors. “We've had an up-and-down year all year and I think as of late we just came together and we're playing for one another.”
The team's recent trend of unselfish play, stingier defense and improved ball movement helped buoy the Owls past their midseason struggles: today's win extended the team's streak to seven straight, en route to finishing the regular season with a 23-8 overall record.
Wyatt summed it up best when he told reporters after the game, “We've got some veteran guys who've played in a lot of games and been in a lot of different situations, faced a lot of adversity.”
The true definition of adversity is so fluid and ever-evolving, much like the framework of this year's squad.
The Owls' 16-point deficit midway through the first half would definitely qualify -- but that's just a mere microcosm of the trials that this core group of seniors have faced throughout their time in Cherry and White.
For Randall, adversity is being sidelined for 20 months with a knee injury.
For Wyatt, maybe it's the reminder of his freshman season where he was only granted a handful of minutes on the court.
The ankle injury that ended his freshman season and forced him to redshirt might be DiLeo's.
O'Brien battled through multiple surgeries on his foot prior to finding a home on North Broad Street this season.
And Hollis-Jefferson, in large part battered and bruised, struggled to find his rhythm early this season.
Adversity from the pressure of team struggles began to accumulate after tough losses to St. Bonaventure and Duquesne, but these seniors weren't ready to give up this fight.
Not after all they'd endured to this point.
“We were inconsistent throughout a number of games throughout the season but I also think we've been resilient,” said Dunphy of the team's midseason woes. “When we've gone down, we've been able to pick ourselves back up.”
Though it's hard to point to any one defining moment as the point at which this Temple team backed away from the precipice, certainly a seismic shift in attitude occurred seven games ago, at home against Duquesne.
The gut-wrenching suspense of five consecutive games decided by one point united them -- that sting of defeat so breathtakingly close, taunting them and stitching them together by their shared unwillingness to accept defeat.
The core five became united under one motivation above and beyond merely winning, just as Pat Riley would have imagined.
They wanted to do this for each other -- to eventually, at the end of whatever scrum lies ahead, look their teammates in the eye and know that they left behind everything they possibly could.
To give themselves and the rest of their teammates a taste of that post-season play -- an elixir so tantalizingly indulgent it's hard to resist a sip.
And finally, these five seniors wanted to feel confident in what they leave behind.
They wanted to believe that, when their younger teammates stand in front of that very same mirror next season, they see not only a reflection of themselves next to that quotation, but the winning legacy that a champions' attitude can create.
by Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
Ep. 10: Temple Homecoming Preview; Volleyball Assistant Coach Taylor Davenport
Tuesday, October 07
Ep. 9: Head Women's Soccer Coach Chris Shaw
Friday, October 03
Ep. 8: Temple Athletics Weekly Recap; Women's Cross Country Runner Amelia Sabatino
Tuesday, September 30
Ep. 7: Temple Field Hockey Alumna Cherifa Howarth
Friday, September 26
