Temple in running for 2 top basketball recruits

Temple basketball's dream recruiting class hit a snag when Jalen Brunson, the son of a former Temple star, flew into Philadelphia on Sept. 4 but did not stop on North Broad Street. He was here to visit Villanova and committed to the Wildcats six days later.

The Owls missed out on one of the nation's highest-rated high school point guards, but they have a chance to rebound with a good consolation prize. Fran Dunphy's staff hosted the Haverford School's Levan Alston and Archbishop Carroll's Ernest Aflakpui on a joint visit earlier this month. Both list the Owls among their final choices.

Alston, also the son of a former Temple player, will make his decision on Sept. 30. Aflakpui will wait until October.

Alston is considering Penn State, Temple, and Virginia Commonwealth. A source said the 6-foot-4 guard is leaning toward the Owls. But that could change with a visit to Penn State scheduled just a few days before his announcement. Nittany Lions coach Pat Chambers is from Newtown Square and has had success in drawing local recruits to Penn State.

Alston excelled this summer on the AAU circuit with Team Final, the city's Nike-sponsored team. He averaged 14 points a game and earned invitations to the nation's top basketball camps. Last season with Haverford, Alston averaged 16 points a game.

Aflakpui, a 6-9 center from Ghana, lives with a host family in Collegeville. The host family's son attends Temple and a daughter attends St. Joseph's - the two schools that seem to be recruiting him the hardest.

"Even within their own family there's a division," Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk said.

Romanczuk said Aflakpui will visit Virginia Commonwealth this weekend and Rhode Island next weekend. Those schools, along with Temple and St. Joseph's, are his top choices. He also could visit St. Louis, which stopped by Carroll last week and is the most recent school to recruit him.

Aflakpui averaged 11 points last season. His coach said he is a hardworking player who cares about "the little things that don't necessarily show up on stat sheets."

"He's a very talented kid that has honed his skills and gotten a lot better over these last couple of years," Romanczuk said. "I think in college he's just going to take off, because he'll have more time to work on his game. He'll get with good college strength-and-conditioning coaches and good college coaches."

Upshur in demand. Naseir Upshur, a junior tight end from Imhotep Charter, received a scholarship offer Wednesday night from Nebraska. The 6-foot-3, 233-pounder has 27 offers, including ones from Arizona State, Michigan State, Penn State, and Temple.