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Temple and touted freshmen begin basketball practice

A little more than sixth months after Temple's 60-57 loss to Miami in an NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden, the Owls are ready to begin another season, one that comes with cautious optimism.

A little more than sixth months after Temple's 60-57 loss to Miami in an NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden, the Owls are ready to begin another season, one that comes with cautious optimism.

The Owls open the season on Nov. 13 against the University of North Carolina in a game at the U.S. Naval Academy. They begin their first day of practice on Friday.

Replacing all-American Athletic Conference point guard Will Cummings and shooting guard Jesse Morgan will be pivotal for the Owls.

Throughout offseason workouts, Temple coach Fran Dunphy has been pleased by his incoming freshmen. That group includes combination guard Levan Alston Jr. of the Haverford School, shooting guard Trey Lowe (Ewing, N.J.), center Ernest Aflakpui (Archbishop Carroll) and combination guard Ayan Nunez de Carvalho of Argentina.

"Our freshmen have done a good job and taken to college basketball very well," Dunphy said Thursday. "They are much more ready to be college basketball players than I thought they would be."

Temple returns three senior starters, 6-foot-5 swingman Quenton DeCosey (12.3 ppg.), 6-8 forward Jaylen Bond (7.6 ppg., 7.9 rpg.) and 6-11 center Devontae Watson (2.7 ppg., 3.2 rpg.)

Junior Josh Brown saw extensive time and could replace Cummings at the point, and 6-9 sophomore Obi Enechionyia showed as much improvement as any player. He ended his season with 17 points and eight rebounds in the NIT loss to Miami.

"He has come back with a terrific attitude and commitment level that you need to be one of the better players in the league and he is ready to take that next step," Dunphy said.

Temple will have two scrimmages this preseason, against West Virginia and Drexel. Soon after that, another season begins for a team that finished 26-11 and tied for third in the American Athletic Conference standings.