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There is a small, vocal, emotional and largely irrational group of Temple basketball fans who do not appreciate what Fran Dunphy has done for the program and often make unrealistic comparisons between him and his predecessor, Hall of Fame coach John Chaney, who had a better NCAA tournament record.
Fortunately, no matter how loud, their cries will fall on deaf ears with the Temple administration. Dunphy is locked up until 2021 and he’s not going anywhere, nor should he. The Owls need to win their final two games to win the regular-season title after being picked to finish sixth in the league, so Dunphy should garner his second-straight AAC Coach of the Year Award. Here are five other reasons why success in March Madness is a terrible way to judge Dunphy.
5. He Coached In Ivy League
Credit: Getty Images5. He Coached In Ivy League
Detractors like to point out that Dunphy’s NCAA record is 3-15 but often fail to mention nine of those games were as the Ivy League representative. That league does not offer athletic scholarships, so to compare Dunphy to those that do is unfair.
4. He Did Not Shoot 0-For-12 Against Indiana
Credit: Getty Images4. He Did Not Shoot 0-For-12 Against Indiana
In 2013, Scootie Randall shot 0-for-12 in a 58-52 loss to No. 1-seeded Indiana in a second-round game. Most of them were open and relatively easy shots off well-designed screens by one of Temple’s best shooters that year. Dunphy did his job.
3. Luck Of The Draw
Credit: Getty Images3. Luck Of The Draw
The committee has not been kind to Dunphy. In 2009, the No. 11-seeded Owls fell, 66-57, to No. 6-seeded Arizona State and James Harden. There was no disgrace the next year losing to a Cornell team that beat No. 4 seed Wisconsin.
2. The NCAAs Are Just One Month
Credit: Getty Images2. The NCAAs Are Just One Month
Not only has Dunphy beaten seven top-10 teams in the last eight seasons, he made the NCAAs in six of his first seven seasons after Chaney finished up by taking the Owls to five-straight NITs.
1. College Landscape Has Changed
Credit: Getty Images1. College Landscape Has Changed
In 1988, when Temple was No. 1, the Owls paid players the exact same that North Carolina did, which was zero dollars. Due to cost of attendance and the BCS dominance of the NCAA, the Owls pay $2,500 per season, half of what the P5 and Big East pay.
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