The Temple News

THE TEMPLE NEWS

A HISTORIC ELECTION

Voters can cast ballots in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races on Nov. 8.

Read more on Pages 3-4.

temple-news.com @thetemplenews VOL 101 // ISSUE 6 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2022

BASKETBALL PREVIEW Read more on Pages 19-27.

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The Temple News

THE TEMPLE NEWS A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.

Lawrence Ukenye Editor-in-Chief Julia Merola Print Managing Editor Fallon Roth Digital Managing Editor Megan Phillips Chief Print Copy Editor Kayla Maguire Chief Digital Copy Editor Devon Russell Assistant News Editor Justin Roig Assistant News Editor Shriya Gohel Assistant News Editor Sarah Frasca Opinion Editor Molly Fiske Assistant Opinion Editor Duay Augustine Assistant Features Editor Sara Ayesha-Shakir Assistant Features Editor Nick Gangewere Sports Editor Javon Edmonds Assistant Sports Editor Samuel O’Neal Assistant Sports Editor Maggie Fitzgerald Director of Audience Engagement Emily Lewis Public Engagement Coordinator Taylor Hargraves Audience Engagement Editor Sara Wexler Audience Engagement Editor Chris Duong Sports Social Media Manager Earl Kufen Photo Editor Erika Monn Photo Editor Nicole Aquino Multimedia Editor Nate Pullano Multimedia Editor Joelle Pacheco Print Design Editor Allyson Tharp Graphic Design Editor Isabella Medina Web Editor Rachel Townsend Data Editor Olivia Hall Podcast Editor Rose Mastrangelo Advertising Manager Matthew Eaton Advertising Manager Kurt Nolasco Business Manager

The Temple News is an editorially independent weekly publication serving the Temple University community.

Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News.

Adjacent commentary is reflective of their authors, not The Temple News.

The Editorial Board is made up of The Temple News’ Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Digital Managing Editor, Chief Copy Editors, and Opinion Editors. The views expressed in editorials only reflect those of the Board, and not of the entire Temple News staff.

THE TEMPLE NEWS DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY POLITICAL CANDIDATES.

ON THE COVER (Top left) Attorney General Josh Shapiro speaks at The Liacouras Center on Aug. 5.

(Bottom left) Lt. Gov. John Fetterman speaks at The Liacouras Center on Aug. 5.

MOLLY FISKE / THE TEMPLE NEWS COURTESY / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Contacts Visit us online at temple-news.com News Desk 215.204.7419 Email section staff news@temple-news.com letters@temple-news.com features@temple-news.com sports@temple-news.com The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122

CORRECTIONS On Oct. 25, 2022, an article on Page 6 titled “General election Philadelphia ballot measures” inaccurately reported the numerical order of the November 2022 Philadelphia ballot measure questions.

Follow us @TheTempleNews

Accuracy is our business, so when a mistake is made, we’ll correct it as soon as possible. Anyone with inquiries about content in this newspaper can contact Editor-in-Chief Lawrence Ukenye at editor@temple-news.com.

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 3

ELECTION DAY

Where Oz and Fetterman stand on public safety Fetterman would support gun control laws, while Oz would protect the second amendment.

By MOLLY FISKE Assistant Opinion Editor

A

s of Nov. 7, 2022, there have been more than 2,000 gunshot victims, roughly 420 of whom were killed, according to the Philadelphia Office of the Controller’s gun violence dashboard.

Gun control and public safety are key issues to the midterm elections on Nov. 8. Both Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman (D) and television-doctor Mehmet Oz (R) are running for the open Pennsylvania United States Senate seat with differing perspectives on gun control and public safety.

Gun reform would make going out in North Philadelphia a lot safer and improve the sense of security in the community, said Ashlei Arthurton, a junior biology major.

“It would definitely make me and probably others feel safer about going out especially, if it’s late at night, or if someone has a late-night class,” Arthurton said. “It would be a feeling of security.”

Here’s what each candidate’s proposals could mean for the future of Pennsylvania’s public safety laws.

John Fetterman (D) Fetterman has been chairman of the Board of Pardons since 2019, the board has recommended more inmates for clemency and release than in past years, according to the BOP. People who didn’t commit murder and had clean records while in prison should be released, Fetterman argued.

One of Fetterman’s campaign goals is to eliminate mandatory life sentences for people convicted of second-degree murder. Pennsylvania is one of eight states that has a mandatory life sentence without parole for second-degree murder convictions.

“In the long run we need to make sure that guns are not everywhere, and that people use guns safely, and you know that’s really at the end of the day,” said Jason Gravel, a criminal justice pro-

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

fessor. “In the short term these guns are out there, and if we’re not going to remove them, they’re not going to go away.”

In May, Fetterman tweeted that Democrats must unite to end the filibuster and pass common sense gun control laws, prohibiting the possession of firearms that are undetectable by airport-level detection and background checking every gun sale or transfer.

“There definitely needs to be more control in certain areas,” said Natalie Knox, a sophomore English major from Pequea, Pennsylvania. “I’m from a very redneck place, so I definitely feel that my area could use better reform.”

Mehmet Oz (R) If elected, Oz will work to protect second amendment rights, according to

Oz’s campaign website.

Oz opposes anti-gun measures like red flag laws, which permit police to petition a court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person they believe is dangerous. Oz opposes other gun control laws like gun buybacks, a program to purchase privately-owned firearms to reduce the number of guns sold illegally.

He believes the legalization of drugs increases gun violence, and mental health issues are exacerbating gun violence. Oz believes that Congress should allocate a large amount of public funding to support school vouchers to keep more students engaged.

“What I’m seeing all over Pennsylvania is kids who weren’t in school for a year or two floundering, losing their grounding and then becoming willing to

play with guns and use guns in ways that none of us would have ever accepted,” Oz said at the Safer Streets Forum at the New Birth Baptist Church in Pittsburgh.

Oz supports community policing, a system in which police and the local community work together to combat crime. Oz believes communities should trust their local police officers and should be familiar to the community, according to Oz’s Plan to Fight for Black Communities. molly.fiske@temple.edu

NEWS

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The Temple News

ELECTION DAY

How the next PA governor could affect abortion Shapiro wants to protect abortion rights while Mastriano wants to restrict them.

BY SARAH FRASCA Opinion Editor Abortion is a high-stakes issue in the 2022 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial race.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) vowed to protect abortion access, while state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33) wants to restrict the procedure.

“The ability to veto or to sign into law abortion restrictions makes the governor’s race relevant to the abortion question,” said Rachel Rebouché, the dean of the Beasley School of Law. In Pennsylvania, providers can perform abortions up to about 24 weeks into pregnancy, but most procedures happen before about 12 weeks.

When the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Pennsylvania wasn’t impacted because the state didn’t have trigger laws that would cause abortion restrictions to take immediate effect. However, abortion rights aren’t codified into state law, the next governor could make significant changes in legislation.

“If there’s enough support for an abortion restriction, which there probably is, then legislators could propose a bill, and if it passed the Pennsylvania legislature that could go to the governor’s desk as soon as there’s support from the legislature to pass the restriction,” Rebouché said.

The Pennsylvania legislature requires a majority vote in favor of legislation before it’s approved or vetoed by the governor. Republicans currently occupy 28 of 50 Senate seats and 113 of the 203 House seats, controlling Pennsylvania’s General Assembly, and have attempted to restrict abortion access at various times. Current Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed every attempt to do so, Billy Penn reported.

More than 32,000 people in Pennsylvania received abortions in 2020, and approximately 41 percent were performed in Philadelphia County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Health.

Ninety percent of Temple students support abortion in all circumstances, according to a September poll by The Temple News.

Seven percent of students are semi-supportive of abortion in certain circumstances and three percent don’t support abortion in any circumstance.

Cameron Wehr, a sophomore marketing major, is disappointed that abortion rights could potentially be taken away if Mastriano is elected.

“People shouldn’t have to go to other states to get abortions,” Wehr said.

“Women should feel protected.”

Here’s how Shapiro and Mastriano would handle abortions in Pennsylvania: Josh Shapiro (D) If elected governor, Shapiro, a longtime abortion rights advocate, would continue Wolf’s pattern of vetoing bills that threaten abortion rights in Pennsyl-

vania, he said.

In 2005, Shapiro was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 153rd District and campaigned for abortion rights, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. In 2017, he became Pennsylvania’s attorney general and received an endorsement from Planned Parenthood.

During his time as representative, he cosponsored House Bill 288, an unsuccessful bill that would ensure emergency contraceptives to rape victims in hospitals and voted against two anti-abortion rights bills. As attorney general, he sued the Trump administration for restricting Title X family planning.

Doug Mastriano (R) Mastriano ran for State Senate in Pennsylvania’s 33rd District in 2018 with an anti-abortion platform after three decades serving in the U.S. Army.

If elected governor, he plans to sign an-

ti-abortion legislation into Pennsylvania law and end state funding for Planned Parenthood.

He introduced the Heartbeat Bill when elected in 2019, a bill that would ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat could be detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. He has voted in favor of two bills that would impose abortion restrictions, House Bill 321 and Senate Bill 857, that passed through the General Assembly and were vetoed by Gov. Wolf.

In June, Mastriano considered abortion rights issues in the gubernatorial race a “distraction” from issues regarding the economy, he said. However, he has since referred to his pro-life position as the most important issue in the election.

“There is no greater issue in our generation than a right to life,” Mastriano said in a campaign video. sarah.frasca@temple.edu @sarahhfrasca

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 5

CAMPUS

What students need to know if TUGSA strikes

The union’s two-week strike authorization vote will end this week after negotiations.

BY JUSTIN ROIG Assistant News Editor The Temple University Graduates Students’ Association has been holding a strike authorization vote since Oct. 27. If a majority of people vote in favor by the end of this week, union leadership will call a strike.

A strike would mean all TA’s and RA’s would stop holding classes, grading assignments and performing research.

A strike for RA’s could look different due to Direct Academic Benefit, a receipt of academic credit or the use of research provided as a part of a master’s project, thesis or doctoral dissertation, according to their website.

TUGSA has been negotiating with Temple following the expiration of their contract on Feb. 15.

The organization has advocated for more than five days of parental leave, remission of tuition which partially waives tuition for university employees. The union also advocated for the remission of international fees, a fee which international students pay on their tuition, investment in classroom improvements and an increase in wages, according to their website.

TUGSA wants their annual pay to increase to $32,000 after using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator to determine Philadelphia’s livable wage.

Temple has offered to raise wages by two percent in the first year of the contract and 1.75 percent in the years following the signing of the contract, said Sharon Boyle, the vice president of human resources.

A wage increase is a matter of having enough money to live in Philadelphia, said Matt Ford, a TUGSA staff organizer.

Temple has not considered negotiating on other union demands like parental or bereavement leave, Boyle said.

The university doesn’t want to change anything except increasing wages.

ThTh

JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS The Temple University Graduate Students’ Association employees have been advocating for a livable wage.

“It’s a lot of things that aren’t even applicable to full-time employees, they’ve asked us to triple the amount of bereavement leave beyond what full-time employees have,” Boyle said.

“They’ve asked us to double the bookstore discount, they’ve asked us to pay for their commute to Temple in terms of free SEPTA passes, free bike passes, free parking, things that aren’t applicable to Temple and all of that has a cost.”

If TUGSA votes to authorize a strike it will not immediately take into effect, according to TUGSA’s website. After the expiration of the voting period, votes will be counted to determine whether the decision gained the majority’s favor.

TUGSA union members who participate in the strike will lose significant benefits, including healthcare, tuition remission, stipend and healthcare ben-

efits, wrote Stephen Orbanek, a university spokesperson, in an email to The Temple News.

Employees will receive benefits again when they return to work, Boyle said.

“We know that TUGSA has threatened to withhold grades,” Boyle added. “I want students to be assured that the university has secure systems and will plan for continuation of education so that would not be a concern.”

With TUGSA being the only graduate student’s union in Pennsylvania recognized by the National Labor Relations Act, and a lack of clear decisions regarding the strike due to voting still being held until the end of the week, there is no definite picture of how the strike will be structured.

“So, what we will do if the strike

happens is it would be like any other strike, you know, it would be a cessation of work,” Ford said.

With the voting window closing this week for TUGSA’s strike authorization vote, the union will continue to discuss what further actions to take. The union and administration will continue to negotiate until a mutual agreement on a new contract is reached.

Justin.roig@temple.edu

OPINION

The Temple News

EDITORIAL

PAGE 7

POLITICS

Vote in today’s midterms

Remain civically engaged

Today, Philadelphians will head to the polls to vote for Pennsylvania’s governor and the open United States Senate seat, among other elections that will determine the future of the state and country.

The governor and Senate candidates have significantly different political approaches to critical issues like abortion rights, public safety and inflation and would hold powerful positions that could change federal and state legislation. Temple students registered to vote in Pennsylvania must vote in the critical election today.

The Editorial Board urges all Temple University students to go out and vote to make their voices heard.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) is running against state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33) in the gubernatorial race, and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) is running against Mehmet Oz (R) in the U.S. Senate race.

Pennsylvania’s governor can sign bills into law or veto them, including ones that could restrict access to abortion.

An overwhelming majority of Temple students support abortion in all circumstances, according to a September poll by The Temple News.

A student urges their peers to voters feel empowered to take action and see maintain civic engagement between their efforts achieve positive change, it can have lasting impacts, according to Tufts Cenelection seasons.

The Senate race could determine party control in the U.S. Senate, which is currently split 5050. Fetterman could create a Democratic majority in the body while Oz could make a Republican one.

Who’s elected could potentially sway the outcome of major decisions, like codifying Roe v. Wade into law, on a federal level.

Although nearly 5,000 people signed a petition to cancel classes in celebration of civic engagement on Election Day, Temple decided against giving students and employees the day off.

Despite the university’s decision, the Editorial Board encourages students who did not submit a mail-in ballot to prioritize voting in person instead of attending class because key issues are at stake in this election. Additionally, professors and instructors should grant students an excused absence today if they need to vote in person.

Students can prepare for the election by reviewing The Temple News’ 2022 Voter Guide for more information on how to vote, polling locations, candidates and issues on the ballot. Extensive information is also available in the state’s election guide, and My Vote My Way, the Philadelphia City Commissioners’ election guide.

Y

oung people have a massive role to play in the decisions that shape the country. Encouraging young voters to be civically engaged can increase voter turnout in upcoming elecMOLLY FISKE tions.

Assistant Opinion Editor Although Election Day is incredibly important for civic engagement and making a contribution to local and national politics, it’s important year-round as well. Students should stay civically engaged by volunteering for politicians and staying up to date on politics by following reliable media outlets like Associated Press.

Students like Lydia Freeby, a senior art therapy major, stays civically engaged by going to protests like the Women’s March and posting news articles on her Instagram stories.

“There’s so many issues that are going to impact our lives, particularly women or people of color or people in the LGBTQ community,” Freeby said. “So anything that I can do to feed into those communities and help build them I’ll be happy to do it.”

If college students aren’t civically engaged, our democracy is not truly representative and is not reaching its full potential, according to Tufts Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

“We want our students to raise their voices and think about the challenges facing us, and how much of the burden of it will fall on you and your generation if we do not start solving some things,” said Steve Newman, an English professor and a Philadelphia poll worker.

Newman is the majority inspector of his polling division in Northwest Philadelphia.

He manages the polling place, monitors the number of voters who cast ballots and ensures that the results are delivered to the county election office at the end of the day.

Youth engagement can improve social-emotional well-being, and when young

ter for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

Nasif Khan, a junior political science major, volunteers with the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance, an activist group working to foster community engagement in politics.

“I feel like local politicians, they really have a stake in their communities, and they’re connected to the people that they’re fighting for,” Khan said.

The City of Philadelphia provides volunteer opportunities for individuals to volunteer for candidates on its website, including canvassing, phone banking and attending meetings with local volunteers and party candidates.

Registering to be a poll worker can be impactful because students can contribute to efficient voting experiences for everyone. Philadelphia workers earn between $180 to $205 for the day, BillyPenn reported.

Volunteering is important, but staying up-to-date and aware of local politics is another way to remain civically engaged.

The Civic Engagement Academy, located in the Philadelphia Municipal Services Building at North 15th and Arch Streets, is a free training program that offers workshops on course subjects like “Government 101”, “Volunteer Management” and “Community Meeting Management,” according to the Office of the Mayor. Students can register for the various workshops on its website.

Advocating for community values and needs by reaching out to elected officials is another impactful way to remain civically engaged. Students can write letters and emails, but calling is the best way to directly speak with elected leaders. Anyone can locate their elected officials’ phone numbers and mailing addresses by utilizing the usa.gov website.

Midterm elections are incredibly important, but channeling the same passion and excitement about civic engagement should continue throughout the year with local and national political involvement. molly.fiske@temple.edu

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OPINION

The Temple News

STUDENT LIFE

Students, take advantage of free basketball tickets A student argues that attending free Temple basketball games can be a worthwhile experience.

Temple Men’s Basketball currently has the fifth most wins of any basketball program in the country, ranking behind national powerhouses like Duke SAMUEL O’NEAL University, the UniAssistant Sports versity of Kentucky, Editor the University of Kansas and the University of North Carolina. At all of these schools, students are not offered free student section tickets and are required to pay to enter basketball games.

While extremely high-demand causes other high profile basketball schools to charge students, Temple University’s home games are free. When students attend basketball games at Temple, they get the chance to watch a historic program play for no cost. This is a unique opportunity not available at any other colleges of Temple’s magnitude in the NCAA. “For both men’s and women’s basketball, there’s a lot of buzz this season,” said Katie Colbridge Ganzelli, Temple’s marketing coordinator for on-campus initiatives. “Going to games is a bonding experience because you can meet people and create memories and once you graduate, you are going to remember those memories that you make forever.”

Students should take advantage of Temple’s free student section tickets for all home basketball games during the 2022-23 season. Not only will the team benefit from an energetic home crowd, but sitting in the student section gives students the opportunity to socialize with each other.

Temple also has planned promotions, giveaways and other student engagement activities during games throughout the season that will be announced in the coming weeks.

For each game, students can get their free first-come-first-serve tickets using their OwlCard at the student en-

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

trance of the Liacouras Center on 15th and Montgomery Streets.

Temple’s sports games are an experience that students, even non-basketball fans, will remember post-graduation. The student section offers a sense of community and even without understanding basketball, attending games can still be an opportunity to rally behind Temple and show school pride.

“Even though I’m not the biggest basketball fan, I can’t wait to be at the games and in a college sports environment,” said Carlos Adame Montelongo, a freshman undeclared major. “You see college games on TV all the time so I’m excited to experience it in person with my friends.”

Temple has a real opportunity to return to March Madness for the first time since 2019, and re-establishing a strong home-court advantage might be just what the team needs to help reach the tournament.

This year, the team is fielding their most competitive roster under four-year head coach Aaron McKie and more students should come out to support the team, said Robert McFarland, a senior finance major.

“It is something you should obviously take advantage of,” McFarland said.

“You get to sit in the student section and can be courtside if you want to be and it’s so intimate because you get to be right next to the players.”

Having a strong home crowd can create a hostile environment for opposing teams to play in which gives Temple the upper hand in games at the Liacouras Center.

“I think we should draw a larger crowd, and I don’t know why we don’t,” said Alex Wadsworth, a senior business management major. “Especially being in Philadelphia where we supposedly have some of the best fans, it surprises me that we don’t get behind the basketball team

as much and show out a little bit better.”

For freshmen who are not yet involved in campus life, going to games can be a good way to get to know other students and the community. At any college sporting event, you can start conversations with people sitting around you, allowing you to make new friends while enjoying the game.

The men’s team opened their season against Wagner College at the Liacouras Center last night at 7 p.m.. The women’s team will face Georgetown University on Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. in their home opener. Students should attend Temple basketball games to get the most out of their college experience. samuel.oneal@temple.edu @samueloneal43

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

THE ESSAYIST

Scouting for food and recognizing my privileges A student describes how a food drive inspired him to participate in community service.

BY JOSEPH LAWLER For The Temple News Every year, I volunteer with my Boy Scouts troop for their annual food drive, Scouting for Food, for two weekends in November.

The first weekend, my brothers and I go around our neighborhood and the surrounding area, handing out plastic bags for people to put their donations in. We pick up those donations the following weekend, which is when the real work starts.

The parking lot of the church where our troop meets becomes a controlled chaos of sorting all the donations from 8 a.m. past noon. The donations arrive by the trunk load, are checked for expiration, then sorted by their contents into piles. We repackage the final items in plastic bags and drive them to our local food bank to be distributed to community members.

I always love seeing how this event brings people together. My friends, classmates and neighbors from the community came out to make sure the food drive was a success.

Seeing everyone coming together and working to make an impact is a big reason that I volunteer with the food drive every year, but it isn’t the only reason. I also come back because it reminds me of my privilege.

Since I was a child, my parents worked to instill a healthy sense of humility in me to make sure I realized the advantages I had. They made sure I understood that not everyone has the privileges we enjoyed, like three warm meals per day and a roof over our heads at night.

They encouraged me to donate my clothes when I outgrew them, reminding me, “Someone could need these.”

When I complained about not liking the food we’d have for dinner, I was told, “Not everyone has the luxury of complaining about this.”

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

These words meant something to me, but I wasn’t able to fully grasp what they were trying to teach me. However, when I saw the boxes full of canned vegetables and the bags filled with boxes of pasta and cereal at the food drive, I realized people needed these donations more than I understood.

I was 12 years old when my troop brought the items to the food bank for the first time. The shelves were always bare and empty, but I felt pride and appreciation when I saw those shelves overflowing with donations after we finished.

Seeing all the donations spread throughout the food bank makes me realize that I’m not solving hunger in my

community, but I’m giving food to the people that need it and making a difference. I’m connecting with my community to help people in our area that need it and becoming closer with my troop and my family through our actions.

I commit to helping with the food drive every year because of its special impact on my life. It has helped me to be more aware of my own privileges and has led me to live my life differently. I’m more aware of the ways I’m more fortunate than others, and I work hard to give back when I can.

Volunteering at and donating to local food shelters is something everyone should do if they can. It’s especially impactful during the holiday season when

so much focus is on feasting which leads to lots of wastefulness.

Growing up, the food drive was just another activity I participated in. Now I realize it’s so much more than that, it’s an opportunity for me to give back to my community. joseph.lawler@temple.edu

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

My desire for academic validation controlled me A student describes how she confused her self-worth with her academic performance.

BY MARIE SCHMIDT For The Temple News Academic validation was a tool that helped me feel like I had more control of how I viewed myself. I thought the confidence and self-fulfillment after getting a good grade motivated me to put my best foot forward. I was enthusiastic to receive positive feedback from a teacher or parent about my schoolwork.

However, the consequences of obsessively maintaining good grades eventually outweighed the benefits.

I relied heavily on my grades to validate my work ethic in my sophomore year of high school. I wanted someone, or something, to indicate I was good enough.

It felt like it was the only aspect of my life I could control because I didn’t have power over other things, like boys not liking me. I could control how long I sat at my desk studying, the number of times I proofread and how long I read my textbook.

The validation I pursued wasn’t enough for me because I set such high expectations for myself. If I got a B+ rather than an A, I kicked myself for not being good enough. There was a heaviness I carried throughout high school as constant thoughts of “your best isn’t good enough,” and “you’re not that smart after all” spun circles in my mind.

My academic anxiety skyrocketed.

I couldn’t take a single test without my leg bobbing, my palms sweating and my heart beating rapidly. The idea of getting a low grade was unnerving because I thought the grade reflected my self-worth. I began to assume the hard work I was putting in wasn’t enough and must’ve meant I was a failure.

Having negative thoughts about myself hurt my self-image and I found receiving positive feedback on my schoolwork made me feel horrible inside. I had no clue how to deal with the emotional pain the thoughts were causing me.

During the beginning of my junior

CAL NGUYEN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

year of high school, I avoided my uncomfortable feelings by doing everything I could to not take them seriously and focus on schoolwork. I was convinced that criticizing myself couldn’t be a bad thing because it was my motivator, but I began thinking in extremes. I was either successful and smart or a failure and dumb.

By the end of junior year, we transitioned to online classes as the COVID-19 pandemic began which caused negative feelings to uncontrollably bubble up to the surface. I stayed up all night to rework assignments because I needed every detail to be perfect. I wasn’t giving myself breaks when studying because I thought they would distract me from my current task.

The disparaging thoughts in my head were getting louder, I started having panic attacks when I thought too negatively about my schoolwork. While studying my geometry notes at my desk one afternoon, my heart rate increased,

tears spilled from my eyes and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

It was my first panic attack, and the physical sensations made me realize these thoughts were not normal. I neglected my mental health for the sake of getting a good grade, something had to change.

I began taking care of myself by prioritizing sleep again and ensuring I was giving myself breaks during homework. I also taught myself to rewire my thinking by noticing unkind thoughts and then making them more positive. I’d change a negative thought pattern from, “You’re just not good enough at this,” to, “I’m only human and I’m trying to show up in the best way I can.”

Now in my sophomore year at Temple University, I’m less pessimistic about my schoolwork because I use mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy as guides for more positive thinking. My grades still make me feel accomplished

because I know I worked hard for them, but they no longer dictate how I see myself.

I was able to find validation by acknowledging my successes, while also being kind to myself when it came to my mistakes. I now know my grades are not always indications of how smart I am. My relationship with my grades is healthier now because I feel validated just knowing I can survive moments of low self-esteem.

I’ve found no amount of confidence after receiving a good grade is worth overworking myself. When I finally made the choice to take breaks from my work when it felt overwhelming and start practicing self-compassion, my mental health thanked me for it. marie.cox-schmidt@temple.edu

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 11

ALUMNI

CLA alumna produces environmental podcast Kate Coffin and Jenn Asplundh discuss environmental issues in season three of “Kindred.”

BY DUAY AUGUSTINE AND SARA AYESHA-SHAKIR For The Temple News

K

ate Coffin spent much of her childhood outdoors and in nature. She had a profound love for animals and the world around her. As time passed, and she began to recognize the neglect of the Earth and the disconnect that people had from it, she felt she needed to help.

In 2020, Coffin, a 1998 anthropology alumna, began working on “Kindred,” a podcast dedicated to connecting with animals and the environment, with the first episode airing in May 2021. Each episode features an interview from an expert on the topic and aims to highlight the connection between humans and the ecosystems we live in.

Coffin’s love of nature first manifested in her dog collar business Otis and Roo, which she founded in 2008, to use her designs and create connections between people and their pets. She needed to reach a broader audience during the pandemic, so she then decided to create a podcast.

Coffin signed her sister Jenn Asplundh as co-host, and friend Kat Gatti as the producer, who had worked on social media for Coffin’s dog collar business, Otis and Roo. On Oct.11, “Kindred” rolled out the first episode of their third season, titled “Man’s Other Best Friend,” which discusses cats and their relationships with humans. Episodes are released bi-monthly on all major podcast platforms, like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

“We offer a platform where we get super smart people that can tell us how we can understand the ecosystems that we live in every day and how then, can we support that, the natural world better and then at the same time, learn how the natural world is only here to support us and without each other, we don’t, we

COURTESY / KINDRED PODCAST

not only don’t survive, we don’t thrive,” Coffin said.

Asplundh was reluctant when Coffin asked her to co-host “Kindred” because she was working three part-time jobs at the time, but Coffin reassured Asplundh that her work would be minimal, she said.

Today, Asplundh enjoys her role in the podcast because of the people they get to interview and have conversations about connecting with nature.

“Overall, every conversation and interview we have is always something I look forward to, I feel like a kid in a candy store,” Asplundh said.

Adjusting to the demands of the podcast has been challenging for the sisters because they do not have scientific or podcasting backgrounds. Coffin needed to learn the interview process and Asplundh needed to adjust to more sci-

ence-heavy conversations; they both feel the challenges make the podcast more rewarding.

So far this season, “Kindred” has featured a lineup of notable individuals in the environmental field, like Kristyn Vitale, an assistant professor of animal health and behavior at Unity College, and May Berenbaum, a National Medal of Science award winner.

“Kindred” has gained traction in the environmental science community since its first season and the team has had more success getting more high-profile guests to appear on the show, Gatti said.

“I think now that we’re getting some traction and people can see what we’ve been doing last year, we’re getting people who want to talk to us now, we rarely ever get a ‘no’ when I reach out to people as guests,” Gatti said.

Coffin looks forward to continuing to work with experienced members of the natural and environmental science fields.

“There’s just some really amazing human beings that have inspired me tremendously that we’ve been able to interview and so just more of, yeah, looking forward to just being able to do more of that and to continue to place value in these conversations,” Coffin said. duay.augustine@temple.edu tun32984@temple.edu

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EARL KUFEN / THE TEMPLE NEWS A volunteer constructs a winter shelter for Project MEOW on Saturday, Nov. 6.

WARM HOMES FOR STRAY CATS Project MEOW participants build ucated on how to help stray cats during shelters for cats at the Clark Park the winter.

Project MEOW created winter shelFarmers Market.

BY EARL KUFEN Photo Editor

O

n Saturday, golden leaves fell to the ground at Clark Park during the farmer’s market.

Residents of West Philadelphia walked the vendor tables and the produce stands to find Project MEOW’s building project.

Project MEOW’s volunteers came together at the Clark Park Farmers Market at 43rd Street and Baltimore Avenue to build winter shelters for cats. People who attended and participated were ed-

ters for stray cats to stay warm during the winter months. Volunteers donated mylar insulation, straw and rubber tubs to Project MEOW to build winter shelters.

This was the first time that some people, like Megan Marrapese, built winter shelters for cats.

“This is actually my first year building them, but it is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while because it’s a big need in the winter months,” said Marrapese, who is a board member at Project MEOW and volunteer recruiter.

“There are a lot of cats out there that are outdoors, whether it was someone just taking care of a stray cat or maybe there

is a cat colony.”

As attendees approached Project MEOW’s table, they were encouraged to get involved. Ashley Moore, who has been volunteering at Project MEOW for roughly six years now, provided step-bystep instructions for how people build winter shelters.

“We’re building insulated winter shelters for cats that can’t come inside, they’re either too feral or there’s no room for them, or they just don’t like being inside,” Moore said.

After Alex O’Slaherty and Emily Lubow Klobucher attended the farmers market, they found Project MEOW and decided to get involved; their love of cats motivated them to help the problem of overpopulation of stray cats in West Philadelphia.

“We’re definitely trying to be more active with supporting groups like this because it is something we just do naturally in our own time,” Lubow Klobucher said.

Project MEOW uses a method called “trap, neuter, return and manage” to help cats along with running an adoption program for indoor cats.

“It’s great to have programs like this that take care of the ones that are happily outdoor cats and don’t necessarily need extra care and if they don’t want extra care because some of them are feral,” Lubow Klobucher said. terry.kufen@temple.edu

WEST PHILADELPHIA

MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP EARL KUFEN / THE TEMPLE NEWS A volunteer for Project MEOW moves a finished shelter front.

Long-time volunteer Ashley Moore measures insulation for a winter shelter.

Volunteers Alex O’Slaherty and Emily Lubow Klobucher get help from Ashley Moore on how to build a shelter.

Materials for winter shelters donated by volunteers.

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FEATURES

PAGE 17

MUSIC

Sorority hosts concert for children in foster care Students and the local community members gathered for Battle of Xi Bands.

BY MOLLY FISKE Assistant Opinion Editor Just one short subway ride away from Temple University’s Main Campus, panhellenic sorority Alpha Xi Delta, hosted its first Battle of Xi Bands at Warehouse on Watts, located at North Watts and Cambridge Streets Saturday night.

Under the neon lights at W.O.W., sisters of AXID, concertgoers and community members rocked out to local bands to raise money for children in the foster care system. Bands like Mom Cheese, Wallace, Tonight!, Bread & Butter, Cadalay and Mars Counsel performed and competed for the most audience votes.

“It really seemed like everybody was very just engaged the entire time even though there’s a TV with the Phillies on so I really appreciated that,” said James Kull, the guitarist of Mars Counsel.

Concertgoers paid for a $15 ticket in advance or at the door, and could Venmo AXID $1 per vote for whatever band they wanted to win. The proceeds were donated to FosterClub and StandUp for Kids, peer support networks for children and youth in foster care. AXID is expected to raise more than $4,000 from the event and hopes to establish Battle of Xi Bands as their “signature event.”

For many of the sisters of AXID, establishing a “signature event” is important, as most sororities on Temple’s campus host an annual event to promote their organization, like Iris Icon event, previously known as “Deepher Dude.”

Each band featured at least one Temple student or alumni. The only band without at least one current or former Temple student was the Pennsylvania-based All Day Special, an indie rock band. All bands submitted an audition tape to AXID and members of the chapter’s philanthropy team, said Sophia Nicolosi, the vice president of philan-

COURTESY / ALPHA XI DELTA

thropy for AXID and a junior english and biology major.

The bands are unique in their own way. Mom Cheese describes their music as “cosmic punk funk,” while All Day Special define themselves as, “going to a diner and ordering the All Day Special, you get it all.”

Throughout the event, concertgoers could be seen moshing to the live music, buying drinks at W.O.W’s cash bar and purchasing event merchandise designed

by Philadelphia artist Ethan Carroll, a 2022 graphic and interactive design alumnus.

Alyssa Blandford, a junior horticulture major, came out to support Mom Cheese because she’s friends with the band members, but she was excited to see the lineup of other bands.

For many of the bands, this was their first time playing in a legitimate event space, instead of a house show near Main Campus.

“It’s just a little easier when you play somewhere like this, especially when the sound systems are nice,” said Charles Gromo, the bass player for Mom Cheese.

“The venue is nice and big, and you’re not like tripping over yourself while you’re playing.”

AXID’s 2021-22 philanthropy team passed down the idea for the event to the current team, said Margo Haas, a junior public relations major, and AXID’s internal philanthropy director. Once the idea was transferred to Haas and Nicolosi, they worked together throughout the summer to plan, what they hope to be, an annual event.

“The event is geared towards college students because we go to Temple and the house scene kind of revolves around Temple and college students, and people around that age,” Nicolosi said. “But our main focus, besides, like philanthropy, was to engage the community, especially.”

At the end of the night, Bread & Butter won the most votes. They received a $100 gift certificate to Russo Music, a family-owned, independent music shop based in Asbury Park and Hamilton, New Jersey.

Although they didn’t win, when asked about how their set went, Mom Cheese said, “we tore their faces off, wiped the floor with them and sewed them back on.” molly.fiske@temple.edu

PAGE 18

The Temple News

ALL IN GOOD FUN THANKSGIVING WORD SEARCH

TEMPLE BASKETBALL CROSSWORD

Find all the words hidden in the across, down, diagonally, and backwards.

TURKEY GRAVY PIE FOOTBALL DINNER

FAMILY PUMPKIN CRANBERRY CORNBREAD THANKFUL

DOWN:

1. Who is the men’s team’s head coach?

3. This transfer played his high school ball with Jahlil White.

4. Who is the women’s team’s head coach?

6. This coach is Temple basketball’s all-time leader in wins.

7. This men’s player played with Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas in high school.

ACROSS:

2. This men’s player averaged 21.4 ppg last season before getting injured.

5. This player led Northeastern in scoring last year.

8. This women’s transfer was 1st-team All-CAA in 2022.

9. Who is the all-time leading scorer in Temple’s women’s history?

10. Which women’s player had Temple’s first two tripledoubles?

PAGE 20

SPORTS

The Temple News

BASKETBALL PREVIEW

A story of recovery: Khalif Battle’s comeback

Temple Men’s Basketball’s Khalif Battle is returning after a seasonending foot injury.

BY NICK GANGEWERE Sports Editor

T

emple University redshirt-sophomore basketball guard Khalif Battle is one of the few faces on Main Campus that students and faculty alike can usually recognize. Whether in the Howard Gittis Student Center, Richie’s Cafe or the Liacouras Walk, not many students have the campus notoriety like Khalif Battle.

Battle has more than 15,000 followers on Instagram and was one of the first Temple athletes to release their own clothing line, his brand being “Battle Tested.” As he improved during his first two years with the Owls, he found himself in a position where he had the following to market himself instead of relying on outside help.

Battle suffered a broken fifth metatarsal on Dec. 1, 2021, which cost him the final three months of last season.

During the following months, his journey back onto the hardwood has been one big testament to the guard’s motivation to succeed. Battle has worked hard to fast track his recovery from the moment he went down, returning to the team a month sooner than expected.

THE START Sophomore Khalif Battle attended Trenton Catholic High School and hails from Hillside, New Jersey, an hour and a half drive from Temple. His brother, Tyus, played basketball at Syracuse University and is now a member of the Israeli Premier League. Basketball is the only sport that 6’5 Battle has known, originally committing to play at Butler University after being ranked as a top100 prospect coming out of high school, according to ESPN. Battle was in the midst of one of the best basketball seasons being played in

ERIKA MONN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Redshirt-sophomore guard Khalif Battle broke his fifth metatarsal in his left foot on Dec. 1, 2021.

the American Athletic Conference, let alone the country, at the beginning of the 2021-22 season.

He was scoring with ease at every level, knocking down key crunch-time threes, working inside with a mix of dunks, lay-ups and floaters while also showing off a quality mid-range game.

While Temple was playing solid basketball as a team, Battle’s absence left a hole on the team as he led Temple in three-pointers made prior to injury.

Temple played La Salle University on Dec. 1 on their home floor in what should have been an easy game for the Owls due to La Salle’s 2-3 record, but the 73-57 scoreline and jump in the win column did not reflect the Owls’ key loss that game.

THE MOMENT Khalif entered the game leading the

conference in scoring, averaging 21.4 points per game. He left the game with his head down after stepping on the foot of La Salle junior guard Josh Nickelberry, yet he was still ready to continue Temple’s grind for a March Madness berth.

He returned to the game after the next TV timeout, too. He thought that maybe the injury was just a tweak, Battle said.

Once Battle met with athletic trainer A.J. Garcia and a nearby surgeon, Temple Athletics sent out a press release Dec. 2 announcing that Battle would miss the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot during the game.

“KB, he’s a hard worker, he just wants to go and get better whenever he can,” said head strength and conditioning coach Allen Son. “So it was kind of hard for him to wait after the surgery.

He really pushed through a lot of stuff.”

Along with the injury came the information from the doctor, followed by the sadness that overcomes anybody when they hear the worst possible news in a given scenario. His personal reaction mirrored that of the campus as a whole when the news broke – heartbreak.

Battle was growing as a fan-favorite with his play, so for Temple fans, this injury crushed many dreams the team had of reaching the elite level they wanted.

Students took to Instagram to send their prayers to Battle and as winter break approached, Temple basketball had lost some of its excitement.

When Battle left for the locker room, Liacouras Center was quieter than usual. It was the same sense of quietness Battle felt when he entered most rooms for the following few weeks.

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 21

BASKETBALL PREVIEW THE IMPACT The next time anyone saw Battle on campus, he wore a boot on his foot and his left knee resting on the pad of a scooter, being helped along by team manager Shea Avellino.

“He was very resilient throughout his recovery,” Avellino said. “If it was during practice or games I would push him around or get him crutches whenever he needed it. Whenever he wanted to get shots up I was always there to rebound for him. I was always there to get him back on his feet and trying to keep it positive, making his recovery as quick as possible.”

Battle was in the gym with his scooter, getting shots up with form instead of his typical dribble packages in the days following his surgery.

He was sad once the realization set in that his season was done, but he kept a driven outlook towards the prospects next season could hold.

Battle worked to maintain strength in his body while also keeping up with fundamental skills. He was able to get stronger and improved his shot at the same time.

“Just having a plan for his return was really important,” said assistant coach Chris Clark. “Our strength and conditioning coach Allen Son and athletic trainer A.J. Garcia, those two got together and got the plan in place.”

Battle found solace in the moment he felt the burst of pain in his toe because of his willingness to always continue working hard. He relives the planting of his foot on top of the defender’s and his will-power to continue the season as a force of motivation.

“I was heartbroken,” Battle said. “I felt like I hit rock bottom, I was probably at my second-lowest state in life. But it was just about being positive and being there for my teammates first.”

THE COMEBACK Battle did not make his entire recovery process public, but the glimpses seen by fans led to some quality clips, making more headlines than the injury itself.

Battle was seen on his scooter, shooting jumpers in an empty gym as seen in

ERIKA MONN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Battle is finally healthy and will be a key player for the Owls’ chase of a March Madness berth.

Twitter posts from Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Sam Cohn and retweeted by sports social media company Overtime.

Battle also posted shots from around the arena to his Snapchat story, and a confidence around his recovery grew from the public.

“Him keeping his mind right, keeping a positive attitude, it was awesome seeing him get his shots up and staying with his touch,” Avellino said. “He was always working hard, staying along with the process and not falling behind throughout it.”

His smile lit up the camera with a positive disposition, a stark contrast to the face of Battle seconds after he left the game on Dec. 1, one of pure agony.

During the course of seven months, Battle recovered from the toe injury and the clips became ones of him fully dunking with ease. He looked stronger, more mobile and quicker than before in videos of him doing windmills and reverse jams on social media.

His teammates are excited to share

the floor with him once again, too.

“I really feel like, with this being one of our last years, just talking every day about how to stay healthy,” said guard Damian Dunn, a preseason first team All-AAC redshirt-sophomore. “Just getting reacclimated to playing together again, to play a full season together is something we’ve been talking about for a long time.”

THE CONFIDENCE At the end of the 2021-22 season, Battle committed to the NBA Draft. He put his name in the pool of players ready to take the next step, but some fans expected him to return to Temple given his unfinished business with the program, and the desire for a desire for a trip to March Madness.

“I wanted to see if I could get some draft feedback and get some workouts,” Battle said. “I always had an intention to come back to school.”

Battle’s confidence allowed him to be the elite player he is. He wants the

ball in his hands with the game on the line, and he believes he has what it takes to reach the next level when the time is right, Battle said.

In his absence, players like Jourdain, Dunn and Jahlil White stepped up in big ways. And with an offseason focus of rekindling their already strong chemistry with Battle, along with the addition of Jamille Reynolds from the University of Central Florida and Shane Dezonie from Vanderbilt University, Temple can truly become a force to be reckoned with.

During the winter of the 2022-23 Temple basketball season, fans can expect Battle, a preseason second-team All Conference honoree, to be dialed in. He is confident that his recovery has made him an even better player.

“I’m ready to play,” Battle said. “We want to win as many games as possible.

I want to be the best player in the country.” nicholas.gangewere@temple.edu @nick_gang16

SPORTS

PAGE 22

The Temple News

BASKETBALL PREVIEW

lineup predictions NICK GANGEWERE SPORTS EDITOR

HYSIER MILLER

KHALIF BATTLE

DAMIAN DUNN

0

1

3

JAHLIL WHITE

2

JAMILLE REYNOLDS

4

SAMUEL O’NEAL SPORTS EDITOR

DAMIAN DUNN

1

KHALIF BATTLE

JAHLIL WHITE

ZACH HICKS

0

2

24

KHALIF BATTLE

JAHLIL WHITE

ZACH HICKS

0

2

JAMILLE REYNOLDS

4

JAVON EDMONDS SPORTS EDITOR

DAMIAN DUNN

1

24

JAMILLE REYNOLDS

4

SPORTS

The Temple News

PAGE 23

BASKETBALL PREVIEW NICK GANGEWERE

SAMUEL O'NEAL

SPORTS EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

KHALIF BATTLE

KHALIF BATTLE

JAVON EDMONDS SPORTS EDITOR

KHALIF BATTLE

Scoring Leader

JAMILLE REYNOLDS

JAMILLE REYNOLDS

KUR JONGKUCH

Rebound Leader

HYSIER MILLER

JAHLIL WHITE

JAHLIL WHITE

Assists Leader

Final game predictions

First round exit in NCAA TOURNAMENT

regular season Record predictions

21-10

First round exit in NCAA TOURNAMENT

20-11

REGIONAL QUARTERFINAL EXIT in NCAA TOURNAMENT

24-7

PAGE 24

SPORTS

The Temple News

BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Richardson brings energy and charisma to team Owls’ Women’s Basketball head coach Diane Richardson looks to make her team fast and fun.

BY NICK GANGEWERE Sports Editor When head coach Diane Richardson began coaching basketball, she left behind a renowned business career.

Richardson served as a founder and chief operating officer of American Security Operation, a Maryland-based banking company, before re-entering the sport she loved, having played for many years as a teenager. On April 5, Richardson was hired as Temple Women’s Basketball’s new head coach.

Richardson brings a newfound energy to a Temple program in need of an identity. Her goal is to utilize an up-tempo style of offense that instills confidence in her players.

“I’m big on building confidence,” Richardson said. “That confidence piece pretty much carries you. In all of the situations I’ve been in and all of the jobs I’ve had in coaching, it starts with relationship-building and confidence.”

Richardson was hired from Towson University just two weeks after former head coach Tonya Cardoza was fired.

Temple went 13-15 last season, and are projected to finish seventh this season.

Richardson was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic women’s track and field team and a 1979 Regional Champion in the 200-meter and 400-meter races. She’s now using that experience to fuel her goal of making Temple one of the fastest teams in the nation.

“We’re gonna be fast, we’re gonna play hard, and we’re gonna have fun,” Richardson said during Temple’s Cherry and White event on Oct. 25. “We’re probably the fastest team in the league.

We score pretty quickly, and then if you put the ball on the court, we’re gonna steal it from you and score again.”

Richardson came out dancing during her introduction on Cherry and White night, bringing all of the fans to their feet. Her fun attitude to the game has brought life back to the Owls.

ERIKA MONN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Owls’ Women’s Basketball coach Diane Richardson has brought a lively spirit to the team.

Players have seen the energy increase since coach Richardson took over, said graduate Jalynn Holmes.

“We have a lot of better energy this year,” Holmes said. “So far we’ve been picking each other up, getting better each day.”

Richardson is implementing an “equal opportunity offense,” meaning every player on the floor will have the chance to shoot the ball to create a variety of scoring opportunities. It also means that every new piece for the Owls will be involved from day one.

Before Richardson, Towson had only reached one postseason in the previous 49 years of the program’s existence. With her as head coach, Towson advanced to two postseason appearances during Richardson’s five years there.

Senior guard Aleah Nelson, senior forward Rayne Tucker and junior guard Tarriyonna Gary are all transfers from Towson who are already comfortable with Richardson’s active style of coaching. Her leadership style also leads to higher standards for three players who

reached 24 wins with Towson last season.

“The expectations are high being with coach Rich year three,” Nelson said.

“The expectations are to have a winning season and to win a championship.”

Last season, graduated forward Mia Davis was the focal point for almost all of Cardoza’s offensive sets. This season, Richardson plans for the team to have no primary scorer for the entirety of a game. The Owls also finished last in the AAC in three-point shooting percentage with 24 percent in 2021.

The resurgence of the team’s offense was noticeable in the Owls’ scrimmage against St. Thomas Aquinas on Nov. 1, especially with Richardson’s goal of the team shooting 46 percent from three this year.

“Rather than putting a goal on the board without having fluff to it, we like to have tangible things,” Richardson said. “That’s the skill development piece, that’s the piece where the players are getting better positioning, better footwork.”

Nov. 7 marked the beginning of her era at Temple, with the Owls’ 67-49 loss against No. 24 Princeton University.

They also face challenging opponents like the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and Tulane University this season, with each of these teams winning more than 20 games last season.

Richardson brings aspects of her business mindset to basketball by setting tangible goals while implementing team-focused strategies like she did while playing basketball growing up.

While former Olympian and former COO stick out on her resume, Richardson is prepared for her biggest challenge yet, she said.

“I’ve got big shoes to fill, but I’m excited about this opportunity,” Richardson said. “I’m excited for what Temple has, and what we can do together to bring this team winning again.”

Ethan Briddell contributed reporting. nicholas.gangewere@temple.edu @nick_gang16

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 25

BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Former high school teammates reunite at Temple

ERIKA MONN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Thweatt transferred to Temple University from Coastal Carolina University to play alongside longtime friend.

Temple Men’s Basketball players Taj Thweatt and Jahlil White will share the floor once again.

BY SAMUEL O’NEAL Assistant Sports Editor When Taj Thweatt moved to Jahlil White’s home state of New Jersey in third grade, the two instantly became best friends. Their friendship strengthened when Thweatt began playing organized basketball in eighth grade at Middle Township Middle School, and the two shared the floor together as high school teammates at Wildwood Catholic Academy.

When they graduated, White and Thweatt thought their days of playing together were finished after Thweatt committed to West Virginia University and White committed to Temple. Thweatt then transferred to Coastal Carolina University in February before reentering the transfer portal in May, leading to the possibility of he and White playing together again.

“Before he entered the transfer portal, we talked all day everyday,” White said. “When he hit the portal he called

me and said that he was actually considering coming to Temple.”

White immediately tried to convince head coach Aaron McKie and the rest of the coaching staff to bring the sophomore forward to Temple. Several weeks later, the Owls extended a scholarship offer to Thweatt and he became an Owl. “We are really excited to welcome Taj to our Temple basketball family,” said head coach Aaron McKie. “Taj is a very talented player and we initially recruited him out of high school when he was at Wildwood Catholic so he is going to make an immediate impact on our program.”

Thweatt was the more highly-regarded prospect between both players coming out of high school, earning offers from programs like the University of Florida, Penn State University and DePaul University, while receiving interest from the University of Miami, the University of Illinois and Seton Hall University.

White, on the other hand, received offers from mainly mid-major schools like Towson University, Bryant University and Drexel University. Temple was

ERIKA MONN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jahlil White last played with Thweatt at Wildwood Catholic Academy.

the only school that extended scholarship offers to both White and Thweatt, but Temple was not as high on Thweatt’s list as other schools at the time.

Despite getting less attention than his teammate, White never let Thweatt’s higher profile recruiting process bother him and was happy to end up at Temple, he said.

“Stuff like that, it just made me very happy for him,” White said. “I never feel any type of way about stuff like that and just seeing my teammates and friends achieve their goals and good things happening to them, it’s always a great feeling for me.”

When they were younger, Thweatt was always considered to be the more athletic of the two while White credited himself with being the smarter player, making them the perfect duo, he said.

At the college level, it has been White who has found more success, starting in 16 games and averaging 7.4 points and six rebounds per game while shooting more than 40 percent from the field last season for the Owls. Thweatt has averaged less than one point, playing in just 12 total games during his two seasons with the Mountaineers, but has

a new opportunity to showcase his talent with Temple.

When Thweatt first arrived at Temple in June, he already envisioned what it would be like to get back on the court with White. The two believe they have the opportunity to create something special this season as the Owls have their sights set on a return to the March Madness tournament for the first time since 2019.

“Our connection and our chemistry on the court is crazy,” Thweatt said. “I’m really looking forward to playing with [White] and being on the same court as him again.”

After an offseason of anxiously waiting to play with each other again, White and Thweatt finally reunited on the court in a matchup against Wagner College on Nov. 7.

“If this plays out how we all want it to play out, this is going to be a great thing,” White said. “Out of high school, I was very upset not being able to play with him no more, I really thought it was the end of us being together but we’re very excited.” samuel.oneal@temple.edu @samueloneal43

PAGE 26

SPORTS

The Temple News

BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Owls’ transfers help shape the team’s new roster

Temple Women’s Basketball brought in seven new transfers for the upcoming season.

BY SAMUEL O’NEAL Assistant Sports Editor Last season, the Owls’ offensive plan was simple — get the ball to former forward Mia Davis as often as possible.

Davis led the Owls in scoring during the last four seasons and scored 10 more points per game than the team’s second highest scorer, forward Alexa Williamson, during the 2021-22 season.

First-year head coach Diane Richardson will focus on creating what she calls an “equal-opportunity offense” that allows every player on the floor to be a scoring threat without Davis this year.

“We want everybody to score,” Richardson said. “It’s great that I came into a program where we’ve got scorers here already and we have brought some scorers in so with that mantra of being opportunity scorers, it will work well for us and we want everyone to be able to score the ball.”

The Owls used the transfer portal to create a well-rounded offense that will no longer rely on the efforts of one player, hoping it leads to a more balanced offense that can score from different spots on the floor.

Here is a look at four transfers the Owls brought in during the offseason that can make an immediate impact for Temple this season.

Aleah Nelson Nelson, a senior guard, spent her freshman year at the University of Cincinnati and the next two years at Towson University with Richardson. Last season, she was named to the All-CAA First Team, averaging 16.6 points per game and 5.3 assists per game.

Nelson is expected to open the season as one of the Owls’ starting guards and will be a top scoring option while also helping spread the ball to other players on the court.

“I’ve played in the [American Athletic Conference] my freshman year,”

EARL KUFEN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Senior guard Aleah Nelson transferred from Towson University and is expected to be a key offensive player for Temple Women’s Basketball.

Nelson said. “It’s nothing really new to me so it is gonna be fun to kind of see how much I have built up on my game but it should be good and I don’t think we should have a problem because we’re all talented.”

Tarriyonna Gary Gary, a junior wing, joined the Owls after playing under Richardson at Towson for two years. Gary will likely be the Owls’ starting small forward to open the season due to graduate guard Kendall Currence’s season-ending knee injury.

Gary averaged 8.2 points per game across 31 games at Towson last year, starting in 29. She also led the Tigers in three-point shooting. Last season, Temple struggled to consistently convert on three-point shots, shooting just 24 percent.

Gary could be paired on the floor with returning sophomore forward Caranda Perea – the Owls’ best three-point shooter last season – in the second unit to create a shooting-focused lineup. The Owls were last in the American Athletic

Conference in three-point scoring last season, and Gary will play a big part in helping the team improve in that area this year.

Denise Solis Solis, a senior forward, joined the Owls after spending the last three years at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and has the opportunity to enter the starting lineup for Temple. Solis averaged 9.2 points per game last season for the River Hawks.

Temple gave most of their playing time at the forward positions to Davis, Williamson and sophomore Kyra Wood last season. Solis will play a large part in replacing the production the team lost at the position after Wood and Williamson entered the transfer portal, and Davis graduated.

“We want to win a championship here and prove people wrong,” Solis said. “I love the coaching staff and the atmosphere here on campus and I feel like I can bring some experience because this is my fourth year in college.”

Rayne Tucker Tucker, a senior forward, spent her freshman and sophomore season at James Madison University before transferring to Towson, where she was coached by Richardson during her junior season.

Last season, Tucker averaged 6.2 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting more than 40 percent from the field across 27 games, starting in 18. Tucker will begin the season earning valuable minutes at the forward position and has the opportunity to be a member of the regular starting lineup.

The Owls ranked seventh out of 11 teams in defensive rebounding last year and Davis, Williamson and Wood, three of the team’s top four rebounders from the 2021-22 season, aren’t on the roster this year. Tucker will play a large role in helping Temple improve on the boards this season. samuel.oneal@temple.edu @samueloneal43

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 27

BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Reynolds can help Owls “March” into big dance After two years at UCF, Jamille Reynolds can make a big impact for the Owls this season.

BY JAVON EDMONDS Assistant Sports Editor When Temple Men’s Basketball played at the University of Central Florida on Jan. 5, there sat a six-foot 11-inch tall center on UCF’s bench. Although he wasn’t a starter, UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins thought the player had potential to play professional basketball someday.

That young man was Jamille Reynolds. The former three-star recruit from St. Petersburg, Florida, was skilled enough to be a key contributor for UCF if he could improve his conditioning.

“We called a couple of guys from UCF,” said sixth-year Temple assistant coach Jimmy Fenerty. “[Temple head coach Aaron McKie] talked to Johnny Dawkins and a couple of their assistants and they were like, ‘Yo, this kid’s a pro.

He has all the tools, he’s just gotta get in good shape.’”

Fenerty had followed Reynolds since his high school days with plans to offer the center a scholarship to Temple, but he knew personal circumstances were going to keep Reynolds in Florida.

Reynolds averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11 minutes per game in 45 games at UCF, prompting him to enter the transfer portal. When he entered the portal, Temple jumped at its second opportunity and ultimately beat out the University of South Carolina to land him.

“We thought freshman year, he was terrific,” Fenerty said. “Should’ve been an All-Freshman kid. We were sort of surprised when he didn’t play a lot with UCF last year.”

The 280-pounder has impressed Temple’s staff and his teammates since becoming an Owl. He’s displayed athleticism and scored from all three levels in practices, and competed in the threepoint shootout at Cherry and White Night.

Good centers normally commit to schools known for having great centers.

Temple isn’t one of those schools, so it

EARL KUFEN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Transfer student Jamille Reynolds impressed coaches and teammates this offseason.

hasn’t had a center with Reynolds’ talent in quite some time. It certainly hasn’t had one in Fenerty’s tenure at Temple according to him.

“I feel like he’s a generational talent,” said redshirt sophomore guard Damian Dunn. “We see him do stuff everyday in practice that I probably haven’t seen a big guy do ever in my life.”

Reynolds was well aware of Dunn and fellow preseason All-American Athletic Conference guard Khalif Battle while at UCF. He played Temple three times while at UCF, going 1-2 against the Owls. Averaging less than eight minutes per game against Temple, Reynolds was able to scout the team up close for about 96 minutes, allowing him to see how Temple’s perimeter players operate. While on the court, he saw Temple’s deficiency at the center position.

“It seemed like they got some really good guards, like, the best guards in the conference,” Reynolds said. “But they were missing that big piece, a big man in the paint. I feel like this was the best spot

for me.”

Adjusting to Temple hasn’t been hard for Reynolds as the welcoming nature of the Owls’ program have helped to make the Florida native feel at home in North Philadelphia.

“It’s been great,” Reynolds said. “My teammates, they love playing with me.

And my coaches, they gave me a bigger role than I did at my old school, so it’s a big adjustment.”

Since last season, McKie has emphasized that Temple did not have the interior he wanted, or needed, to be as good a team as possible. Former centers Jake Forrester and Arashma Parks weren’t up to par offensively, and Emmanuel Okpomo wasn’t in basketball shape for a good portion of the 2021-22 season.

The three combined to average 8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 2021-22. NCAA Tournament teams usually have one big man that averages those numbers by themselves.

“We feel like we got a guy in Jamille Reynolds who we can throw the ball in-

side to that hopefully can create some advantages for us,” McKie said. “He can play with his back to the basket. That’s something that we desperately needed on the offensive side.”

Temple has made it clear it’s tournament-or-bust this season. If that’s going to happen, Reynolds, along with University of Northern Colorado transfer Kur Jongkuch, must live up to the hype.

Reynolds helped Temple win two scrimmages against Georgetown University and Iona University, and he’ll need to carry that energy into the regular-season when the games actually count.

On a Temple team that feels it has what it takes to go dancing in March, Reynolds plans on contributing immediately.

“This is my third year now,” Reynolds said. “So I’m coming out of the gate firing.” javon.edmonds@temple.edu @javonedmonds45

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