Rose Leads Owls’ NCAA Tournament Aspirations

PHILADELPHIA — The American Athletic Conference is entering a brave new world in men’s basketball, busting into the spotlight after a year in which only two teams were selected to the NCAA Tournament.

This year, the newest member of the conference, Wichita State, is ranked third in the Associate Press poll and has a legitimate shot to make the Final Four. Cincinnati has reached seven straight NCAA Tournaments and has its sights on an eighth, while SMU, Houston, Temple, UCF and Tulsa all have collected quality non-conference wins for their respective resumes.

There are no more easy victories in league play on the road and non- league games are suddenly attracting local and national attention.

When Temple hosted top-ranked Villanova this past week at the Liacouras Center in North Philadelphia, there was a loud, sellout crowd of 10,026 in attendance on a weekday night. The Owls didn’t win, losing to the hottest team in the country, 87-67.

But they came away with a huge silver lining.

Quinton Rose, a slender 6-7 sophomore guard went off for 27 points, shooting 9-for-12 and making 5-of-6 threes against the Wildcats, leaving a lasting impression on Villanova head coach Jay Wright.

“He’s is a real talent,” Wright said. “He has a killer instinct. I don’t know his numbers, but he will probably go for 30 to 35 points some nights because he is a killer and has the talent.”

Temple got down by 20 points midway through the first half and then Rose blossomed, making three consecutive three’s to get the Owls within seven before Villanova got recovered to go on a 9-0 run of its own. “In the first half, we got punched in the forehead and he stepped up and said, ‘Not so fast,’ and he got us back, really on his back,” Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. “He is getting better each game.”

The 21 NBA scouts who showed up to watch the game noticed. One even left suggesting Rose could go between “20 and 40” in the 2019 draft.

Rose had a simple explanation. “I knew guys were struggling and I knew I had to pick it up offensively,” he said.

Rose is typical of the self-improvement players like Semi Ojeleye and Sterling Brown of SMU, who were both NBA draft picks last year; 7-6 junior center Tacko Fall and A.J Davis of UCF; Cameron Reynolds of Tulane, undergo in The American.

Rose is from Rochester, N.Y., where he played for Bishop Kearney High and solidified his reputation playing for Jim Hart as a big point guard on the Albany City Rocks in the Nike EBYL.

Rose was a three-time All Greater Rochester selection who attracted attention from schools like Miami and SMU his senior year in high school when he averaged 23 points and 6 rebounds. He had a flair for the spectacular, dunking seven times in one game and blocked 10 shots in another and was a steal for Temple, choosing the Owls after Kearney participated in a Temple team camp the previous summer. Rose liked the fact Temple was close to home and an urban environment.

He has been on an upward trajectory ever since. Rose has been one of the few freshmen to play regularly for Dunphy. He averaged 10.3 points last year, made the conference all-rookie year and had a career high 26 points against Florida State in the Big Apple NIT at the Barclays’ Center. As a reward, he was invited to try out for USA Basketball’s U19 World Cup team last summer in Colorado Springs.

“Being out with all those great players definitely helped my confidence,” he said.

Rose has a spectacular tryout and made it to the Final 18. He was one of the final cuts. “It just added fuel to the fire,” he said. “I was upset at first, but I just took what I learned and have applied it to now to the season.”

Rose tends to be his best on the biggest stages. Back on Nov. 30, he scored 24 points on 10 of 13 shooting as Temple defeated South Carolina, 76-60, in the Garden. He has improved on his perimeter shooting but is still working on tightening up in handle in traffic and cutting down on turnovers to become a complete player.

But Temple is benefiting from his development. The Owls, who already has victories over Clemson, Auburn, Wisconsin and South Carolina, have aspirations of returning to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus. The Owls have one of the best three guard backcourts in the league with Rose, senior point guard/defensive specialist Josh Brown and 6-4 junior Shizz Alston and a potential rising star in 6-11 sophomore Damion Moore, who came off the bench to score 20 points against South Carolina.

As the young Owls improve, their NCAA Tournament hopes will depend on how well they play against the contenders in the rapidly-improving American.