Brookover: Owls take high road after bad call
NEW YORK - The basketball season ended in a controversial instant for Temple early Friday evening and the way their players handled the painful conclusion to a 72-70 NCAA tournament loss to Iowa spoke volumes about how Fran Dunphy has coached his team off the basketball court as well as on it.
NEW YORK - The basketball season ended in a controversial instant for Temple early Friday evening and the way their players handled the painful conclusion to a 72-70 NCAA tournament loss to Iowa spoke volumes about how Fran Dunphy has coached his team off the basketball court as well as on it.
With the Owls tied in an overtime that took them two double-digit comebacks and three pressure-packed free throws to reach, Iowa point guard Mike Gesell pulled up for a short baseline jumper with just two seconds remaining at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
Temple's Josh Brown, who already had made the game's most extraordinary defensive play by running the length of the court for a blocked shot, stuck a hand in Gesell's face and forced an air ball that should have sent the game into a second overtime. Instead, Iowa's 7-foot-1 center Adam Woodbury pushed Temple's 6-8 sophomore Obi Enechionyia forward, creating the room he needed to put the errant shot into the basket as time expired.
The play triggered a celebration on the Hawkeyes bench and resigned disbelief from the Temple players on the court. Enechionyia looked around for a foul call, but he maintained his composure before quietly walking off with his teammates.
If the three-man officiating crew of Michael Stephens, Tim Nestor and Chris Beaver ever gets around to watching the replay of the final play, the refs will see that they whiffed on this one. It happens, but it does not make the conclusion any less difficult for the losing team.
What does not always happen in the world of sports is the classy reaction that Temple displayed despite being wronged by the missed no call. Dunphy did not run around like a raving maniac the way some more high-profile coaches have in the past and his players handled questions about the final play afterward with remarkable aplomb.
"The shot went up and I felt someone on my back and the ball was in the hoop," Enechionyia said inside the losing locker room.
The Temple forward was asked if he felt a push.
"I did, but I could have boxed out a little bit better," he said.
Earlier, seniors Jaylen Bond and Quenton DeCosey were asked for their view of the final seconds of their careers at Temple.
"You know, they just beat us to the ball," Bond said. "They were able to get an offensive rebound and the tip in won the game."
DeCosey, who sank three free throws near the end of regulation to force the overtime, used ditto marks: "Basically, what Jaylen said. Everybody was scrapping. They just beat us to the ball."
Dunphy, of course, was also asked if he thought Woodbury had pushed off before putting in the winning points and you knew he was going to take the high road.
"I have no idea, to be honest with you," he said. "I certainly couldn't see it from where I was sitting. We'll be watching it on film, but the reality is it doesn't matter."
That was the reality and the sting of it was visible on the faces and in the voices of Dunphy, Bond and DeCosey as they sat on an interview podium afterward.
"Uh, it's horrible, especially for the seniors because of the abruptness of the ending," Dunphy said. "I thought they all gave every ounce of effort they could. You just want more for them."
They actually gave more to Dunphy by the way they conducted themselves after the difficult defeat.
"It's hard," Bond said. "Any time you lose it's hard."
It is even harder when it is not just the end of a season, but the end of a career. Bond had transferred from Texas after his sophomore season and became the team's captain this season. He had 14 points, 15 rebounds and a blocked shot in his final collegiate game. It was a valiant effort, especially when you consider that he was giving away five inches inside to Woodbury and he was also asked to cover Iowa sharpshooter Jarrod Uthoff at times.
"It has been a great experience . . . just being part of this program," said Bond, a Philadelphia native. "It meant a lot for me and my family. I wouldn't change anything."
DeCosey came to Temple from North Jersey and was a starter in his final three seasons. He had endured a difficult shooting stretch heading into Friday's tournament game, but he responded with an outstanding final effort, scoring a game-high 26 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
The most memorable three points came after he was fouled on a three-point attempt with 2.1 seconds left. He swished the first two free throws before Iowa called timeout to make him think about the final one. Another swish and a game that appeared lost more than once was going to overtime.
"That's a tough chore and he stepped up and did it," Dunphy said.
It is even tougher to remain composed in a news conference almost immediately after a devastating defeat that has ended your college career. DeCosey, Bond and the rest of the Temple players did that as well as they played the game Friday in Brooklyn and that's an indication they have learned as much about life as they have about basketball while playing for Fran Dunphy.
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