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Five Questions - Temple University, Assistant Coach Matt Langel
By Chris DiSano | July 11, 2008
Recently, College Chalktalk caught up with Matt Langel, a member of Fran Dunphy’s staff at Temple. Matt coached along side Fran at Penn, and followed his former coach to the Owl program when he succeeded John Chaney.
College Chalktalk: What do you think of your incoming class? Can you comment on each newcomer?
Matt Langel: We are excited about our freshmen.
Andrew “Scootie” Randall had a terrific senior season, leading his Communication Tech High School team to the public league championship in Philadelphia. He is a tough kid who can do a lot of different things on the court. His versatility allows him to be effective inside as well as from the perimeter. He is also the type of player that does whatever is necessary to help his team win. In high school, it was scoring points; but he also excels at the intangibles of the game, like rebounding the basketball and passing.
TJ Dileo also had an outstanding senior season. He was named the South Jersey Athlete of the Year for his outstanding seasons in both soccer and basketball (2nd team All-New Jersey in both sports). Despite growing up in a basketball family (his father Tony works for the 76ers), TJ is a late bloomer. This past season was a breakout one for him, as he led Cinnaminson, his high school, to one of the best seasons in the school’s history, compiling a 25-4 record. He averaged almost 24 points per game, with a single-game high of 50. We believe his best basketball days are ahead of him and think his shooting and playmaking abilities will certainly help our team.
CCT: Lavoy Allen was featured as a Break-Out Candidate recently in an article written by CCT Contributor Ian Nolan. In your opinion, what does Lavoy need to do to take that next step?
ML: Lavoy has a chance to be a great player, a term I do not use loosely. He has a natural understanding of the game. While he hasn’t played basketball for as long as many his age, things still come easy to him. For a post player, he has a unique ability to see the entire court, and often makes good decisions that result in positive plays - as evidenced by his positive assist/turnover ratio and high shooting percentage. In order for Lavoy to “take the next step”, it is less his skills that need to improve and more his mentality. If he can play with the mindset of wanting to be great all the time, we believe the sky is the limit for Lavoy.
CCT: What are Fran Dunphy’s best attributes as a coach?
ML: When I finished playing for Coach Dunphy in 2000 and continued my career in Europe under a new coach, I realized a few of Coach Dunphy’s qualities that I had not noticed before. In our time here at Temple, I have realized that those qualities I noticed after the fact are his best attributes. Beyond being a great teacher of the game, Coach Dunphy always gets his teams to play their absolute hardest. I know this may sound simple, but it is rare. He also has a unique ability to create an environment for his teams to build their own identity, and to do so together, in a manner fitting their specific style. In my time around the game, I have never seen a coach do this with the success Coach Dunphy does.
CCT: With a solid nucleus returning for this season (Allen, Christmas, Brooks, Olmos); how do you manage the high expectations that will be placed on this team to return to the big dance?
ML: I think the returning players, having had a taste and experiencing what the NCAA Tournament is like, have been extremely focused on improving individually and collectively in the offseason. They know that, as defending A-10 champs, there will be a bullseye on their backs and understand this coming season will be more difficult than last. We believe that if we can keep them focused on being better today than they were yesterday, they will have a chance to meet, and perhaps exceed, their own expectations.
CCT: Have you spoken with Mark Tyndale recently? What are his plans?
ML: After a dozen individual workouts and not getting drafted, numerous teams have expressed an interest in having Mark play for their summer league squads. (Post- Interview, Mark signed to play with the Orlando Magic on their summer league squad. Statistics and information can be found here). He is working hard to prepare himself to take advantage of the opportunities in front of him. Mark has worked diligently to put himself in a position to achieve a life long dream, and we’re excited for his future as a professional basketball player.
(College Chalktalk would like to thank Matt for discussing the state of Owl hoops with us here during the offseason. We’ll continue to keep tabs on Temple and check-in with Matt again during the regular season.)
Topics: Five Questions |
