Temple's Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson hangs on to his handle

His name has always been Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson.

It was just that the Chester Upland School District unofficially dropped the hyphen for school purposes. And what soft-spoken first-grader wants to make a big deal over having his last name shortened?

"Since that's where it started, I just used Jefferson," he said.

Years later, when he became recognized as Temple's undersized do-everything power forward, he confused some people by changing his name from "Jefferson" to "Hollis-Jefferson" on the back on his jersey.

It wasn't confusing to him. It made perfect sense because it was an appropriate tribute to his mother, Rylanda Hollis.

"All the love she showed, she deserved some kind of recognition or representation out there," Hollis-Jefferson said. "And putting Hollis on there, pretty much did that."

Hollis-Jefferson, 20, is the oldest of Hollis' two children. Her other son, Rondae, 17, who uses only Jefferson as his last name, is a 6-foot-7 standout junior combo guard at Chester High, where Hollis-Jefferson played.

"I have [four] other brothers and [two] sisters out there from my father," Hollis-Jefferson said of his father, Ross Jefferson.

But it was the Hollis family that steered Hollis-Jefferson into sports. First came football and then, with a push from his grandfather Carl Hollis, Rahlir got into basketball in the fourth grade.

"A lot of people were like, 'Oh, my God. He's big for nothing. What is he doing out there?' " Rylanda Hollis said. "And once he caught on . . ."

Hollis-Jefferson excelled, and his mother was there through it all. She was a fixture when he struggled in the Chester biddy league games. And when there's not a conflict with Rondae's games at Chester, Rylanda Hollis attends his Temple games.

"She is my world," Hollis-Jefferson said. "She did a lot for me and my little brother. Everything I do, I just try to thank her for what she does."

But changing the name on the back of his jersey means more than telling Hollis he loves her for the trillionth time.

"I'm honored," said Hollis, who cried when she first saw the jersey. "He didn't have to that. I never pushed for it.

"I wasn't rude [when people just called him Jefferson], because I know what I do. And I know what I named him."

Now, everyone seated in the family section at Temple home games knows it. That's because after he makes a great play, his family members yell: "Hollis!"

And it has been a frequent yell since this is Hollis-Jefferson's best season as an Owl. He averages 9.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best 61.5 percent from the field. The solid defender is also second on the team with 22 steals.

Hollis-Jefferson had a career-best 19 points in Temple's 76-70 victory over La Salle on Jan. 18 at the Liacouras Center.

But, as a selfless player, he excels at the little things that don't show on a stat sheet. And his sacrifices aren't limited to basketball. In the summer, Hollis-Jefferson volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club of Chester.

"He is just really a good human being," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "Obviously, you want all of your guys to be successful. But when it happens for him, you are almost doubly proud of him."

Dunphy is far from alone when it comes to being proud of Hollis-Jefferson.

"He inspires me in every way," said Rondae, the nation's 19th-best college prospect in the Class of 2013, according to Rivals.com. Because of Hollis-Jefferson, Rondae said he's strongly considering Temple.

"I just look up to him more than anything," Rondae Jefferson said. "I wake up, and I got to know what he's doing. I just got to hear from him. In some way, I tell myself every day, 'I want to be like this.' "

When: Saturday at 4 p.m., Liacouras Center

TV/Radio: TCN/WPHT-AM 1210; WIP-AM 610

Records: St. Joe's, 13-8, 3-3 Atlantic Ten;

Temple, 14-5, 3-2.

Coaches: St. Joe's, Phil Martelli (17th season, 313-217); Temple, Fran Dunphy (sixth season, 124-62).

Series: Temple leads, 86-66. The Owls have won nine consecutive games over the Hawks.

Three things to watch

Can Micheal Eric provide another spark off the bench? Temple's 6-foot-11 center, who was playing in his second game back from a fractured right kneecap, finished with six points, nine rebounds, and three blocked shots in 17 minutes against Charlotte on Wednesday.

Who will win the guards matchup? Temple has arguably the best three-guard tandem in the Atlantic Ten in Khalif Wyatt, Ramone Moore, and Juan Fernandez. However, the Hawks' Carl Jones and Langston Galloway are also standouts.

Can St. Joe's duplicate Wednesday's performance? The Hawks ended a three-game skid with an impressive 77-63 victory over conference power Dayton. Fifty of St. Joe's points came after intermission.