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FRAN DUNPHY certainly has had easier days. The good news is, he'll never have to do it again, although there are a lot of people who watched it who probably wish they could replay this one over and over.
It was supposed to be about him, for all the obvious reasons. Instead, it turned into a memorable game, for all the right reasons. A Big 5 game. And his old team, Penn, spoiled his return home, 76-74, over his new team, Temple, on three free throws by senior Mark Zoller with 1.4 seconds to go. It really doesn't get much better.
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Was there ever any doubt?
"I was never more nervous in my entire life," Zoller said. "I knew my knees were shaking, but I had confidence in myself.
"It'll definitely be good talk down the road."
Did we mention that Penn trailed by 19 after 15 minutes? Or that the Quakers came from eight down in the closing 8:40?
Dunphy has coached more times at the Palestra than anyone. But never before from the visiting bench. For the last 17 seasons, he was the face of Penn basketball. Now he's coaching on North Broad Street. So it was an emotional night at his former house, all the way around.
He walked out onto the court with 3 minutes remaining until tipoff, after his Temple players and staff. There was genuine applause from all precincts. Dunph gave them smiles in return. And a bunch of waves. Then he did what he does best, which is coach his guys. Once the game started, he probably wasn't even that aware he was coaching it against guys he recruited.
Just in case, there were rollouts from the Penn student section to remind us. The first read: "Thank you, Fran Dunphy. 17 years, 310 wins, 10 Ivy League titles." Then they unfurled another side of the turf wars that are the City Series: "Man Law. Don't be a traitor. Miller . . . Good Call." Which, of course, was a show of support for Dunph's successor, Glen Miller, who was far from a bystander in the proceedings. You think maybe this one didn't mean a little something to him, too? Or his team, especially the three seniors who never had beaten the Owls?
For a while, it looked as if the streak would get to four. The Owls (7-11), who had lost six of their last seven, got a career-high 34 points from Dionte Christmas, including a 14-foot jumper from the right wing that put his team in front for the last time, by one, with time winding down. But the Quakers (11-6), who won their fifth straight, pushed it up quickly, as they often do. And Zoller was able to draw contact from Dion Dacons as he went up from the top of the key. Then he went to the line and made the biggest shots of his career.
The Quakers, coming off a one-point win at La Salle, trailed by eight at the half. They didn't take their first lead since the opening moments until 3 minutes to go, 68-66, on a layup by Brian Grandieri. The rest of the way was a blur.
Temple went back up, 70-68, on a layup by Dustin Salisbery at 2:20. Ibby Jaaber made one of two free throws 7 seconds later, to make it a one-point game. Grandieri converted a pair with 45 seconds showing to put Penn in front again. Then Christmas did likewise, at 34.8, and it was Temple by one. But Jaaber found Zoller for a layup off an inbounds pass at 22.8 to set up the final drama.
Christmas hadn't made a field goal in a little more than 16 minutes, but he buried one with a hand in his face. It just wasn't quite enough.
"I thought my guys showed poise and a lot of courage," Miller said. "They believed in our system, and each other, and they came back.
"We didn't talk about [the dynamics of the situation]. I've coached against [Dunphy] for 7, 8 years now. I knew it was a difficult night for him, coming into this building, against players he cares about. My heart goes out to him. But when the ball goes up, it's us against them. I'm very pleased with [the outcome]."
The Owls, who were in foul trouble throughout, also got 19 points from Mark Tyndale, who played the entire way before drawing his fifth personal with 45 seconds to go. But Salisbery could get only seven, on 11 shots, in 27 minutes.
The Quakers, who get Saint Joseph's at the Palestra on Saturday, got 21 from Jaaber, all in the final 24 minutes, 19 from Zoller and 16 from Grandieri.
Soon, the Quakers can go back to trying to win another Ivy title, and Temple can try to be a factor by the time the Atlantic 10 Tournament rolls around. But first, there was some reflection.
"It was a lot of fun," conceded Dunphy, who handled this thing about as well as can be expected, especially for a man who prefers that the focus be elsewhere. "I'm so proud of our guys . . . I'll root for [Penn]. I just wasn't rooting for them to play quite as well as they did tonight.
"Each game has a different personality. [Penn] dug deep, played hard. And maybe we got a little full of ourselves [after getting out to the big lead]. It works both ways. That's why college sports is special. It teaches you so many lessons. We're going through a rough stretch. But I think our time will come. This would have been a great one to get, especially how it played out.
"I like the game to come down to [the players]. I'm just a coach. A privileged, privileged guy. When you can be involved in something like this, this intense, going back and forth, it's a wonderful opportunity I'm blessed with. I cherish it."
He had the right perspective coming in. And he still had it after 40 draining minutes. Winning would have been great. But the competition was plenty stout. See you next season at the Liacouras Center. *
