Owls enter the portal after head coach steps down

Six Temple players have entered the transfer portal, but some might return to North Philly.

BY JAVON EDMONDS Assistant Sports Editor

Aaron McKie, one of Temple’s greatest players and former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, stepped down as Temple’s head coach last week after four years at the helm.

As has become the norm in today’s collegiate athletics landscape, several Temple players have entered the transfer portal. Some could announce their entries at a later date. All players, except Khalif Battle, indicated they will talk to Temple’s new coaching staff before making a decision.

Below is an update on where each player stands:

Khalif Battle

Battle’s history at Temple will be remembered as a complicated one. The former four-star recruit from Trenton Catholic Academy in New Jersey chose Butler over several schools including Temple – a decision that didn’t work out for him.

He struggled to find a role with the Bulldogs as a true freshman, averaging three points and 11 minutes played per game.

Battle then transferred to Temple and immediately became an all-American Athletic Conference player. In his three years with the Owls, he averaged 18.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and shot 38.6 percent from three.

The 2022 preseason all-conference guard left the program after the Owls’ Feb. 16 loss to Wichita State. The game included Battle and McKie’s second public disagreement of the season, and Battle never returned to the team.

When on the floor, Battle was Temple’s most talented scorer. However, he wasn’t always easy to manage and ultimately altered the Owls’ “tournament-or-bust” season for the worst.

Considering Battle’s initial reasoning for committing to Temple, the fall- out between him and McKie is shocking.

“When I found out that coach Aaron McKie got the head coaching job, it was basically a no-brainer,” Battle said. “I’m comfortable with him and he’s been a pro for a long time, so he knows what it’s like to be at the NBA level. That’s the ultimate goal.”

The New Jersey native has already generated significant interest in the portal, including from Big 5 rival Villanova and AAC rivals Memphis and Central Florida. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Damian Dunn

Like Battle, Dunn enters the portal as a four-year player with two years of eligibility remaining.

Dunn has been the Owls’ leading scorer in their games without Battle for the last three seasons, and entered Tem- ple’s 1,000-points club in the Owls’ Feb. 22 overtime loss at Cincinnati.

He is the only Owl to receive conference honors in each of the last three years. Dunn was a third-team AllAAC selection this year, a second-team All-AAC selection last season and an all-freshman team selection in 2020-21.

The guard was McKie’s first recruit as a head coach and became a father in December. Combining those factors with the Power Five interest that he’s gained since last year, the third-team All-AAC guard is most likely out.

In high school, Dunn played for Stackhouse Elite, the AAU program run by former NBA All-Star and current Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse.

Dunn and Stackhouse are both from Kinston, North Carolina, and attended Kinston High School before transferring out of state for their senior sea- sons. Stackhouse transferred to Oak Hill in Virginia, and Dunn transferred to Meadowcreek High School in Georgia.

While in Georgia, he joined Stackhouse Elite, which was located in nearby Atlanta and played on the Adidas circuit.

With Stackhouse still at the helm and the Commodores being on the brink of making the 2023 NCAA Tournament, fans can expect Vanderbilt to be interested in Dunn if he meets the school’s rigorous academic requirements.

Nick Jourdain

Jourdain projects as an athletic, rim-protecting center in a slightly less-competitive conference, similar to Jake Forrester transferring to Saint Louis at the end of last season.

He embraced the role of Temple’s small-ball center last season, carving out significant minutes for himself.