02.19.26
by

Biggest difference between K.C. and Adam Fisher: Clayton Barnes

Imagine a football team of all punters.

Or all running backs.

Or at least a preponderance of one “type” of player.

That’s Temple basketball right now. I see a lot of guard types and very little in the area of post players and power forwards.

Not surprisingly, that program is floundering after three straight losses in a weak basketball league.

When Al Golden applied CPR to resuscitate Temple football from the dead in 2005, he brought with him a binder. The first chapter was his philosophy of building a team back in the days when college football was pure:

“I want to sign one player at each position ever year, including a punter and a kicker,” Al said. “If you do that every year, you get to develop the depth that you need.”

Looking at Temple basketball this year, I see a lot of one “type” of player and very little roster balance.

Obviously, the philosophy of past Temple football head coach Golden and current head coach K.C. Keeler is pretty much the same in the sense that each position needs depth and position integrity should be respected.

To me, the greatest basketball team ever was the 1967-68 Sixers. The primary reason why is because it had the best player at the most important position (center, Wilt Chamberlain) and prototype players at every other position (Luke Jackson, power forward; Chet Walker, finesse forward; Hal Greer, shooting guard and Wali Jones point guard).

The perfect team with perfect balance.

Where is the Wilt “type” on this Temple basketball team? Nowhere. Nor the Jackson type. Nor the Chet Walker type or the Greer type or Jones type.

Not asking for anyone near their ability but I am asking for someone at least capable of filling those types of roles.

It appears to be a collection of misfits and the fault of that belongs to the CEO.

That’s the difference between Temple football and Temple basketball.

A common theme on twitter or other social media platforms is Temple should direct football money into basketball. To me, that’s throwing good money after bad. I don’t have much hope for the future of Temple basketball unless it takes a Temple football leadership turn, but I have plenty of hope for Temple football and that’s where the good money should go.

Temple football apparently understands that each position requires a player with a different skill set than the position next to it or the position on the other side of the ball.

To me, Fisher is a good enough coach to win four straight games in an AAC tournament but not a good enough CEO to put a capable roster together.

Keeler is both a good enough coach to win and a great CEO because he understands he can’t do it alone. To me, that the biggest difference between the two not only is experience in the winning department, but a basic knowledge in this transfer portal era that help is needed in the area of building a balanced roster to win in the modern day AAC.

That’s where Temple football GM Clayton Barnes comes into the picture.

When Keeler was hired, his first quote was that “I wouldn’t have taken this job if Clayton Barnes didn’t agree to come with me” and that quote was telling. Keeler is an old school guy willing to adjust to new school approaches and Barnes, for the most part, has those answers on the football side. Surely, there is a basketball guy out there who knows how to put a college roster together.

On the basketball side, the sooner Fisher finds a “Barnes type” will determine his future at the school.

6 thoughts on “Biggest difference between K.C. and Adam Fisher: Clayton Barnes”

  1. Didn’t the 76ers have Billy C off the bench as well? And role players: Billy Melchionni, Larry Costello, Dave Gambee plus Matt Guokas Jr.

    Agree, possibly the best constructed team for that era. Game much faster now.

    And for the young folks, no 3-point shots. No zones. 3 for 2 on bonus free throws (“this is the penalty shot” from Zink).

    Reply

    • I was very young at the time but from my memory 7 guys played 44 of the 48 minutes. That was the five I mentioned, Billy Cunningham and Matty Goukas. If Billy, Costello and Gambee played more than 4 minutes a game, it was because the other guys were hurt. Also, Costello was the last NBA player with a two-hand set shot. Try that today and 75 percent of those get blocked.

      Reply

      • There was Gerry Ward as well, known as The Bumper. Teams had a hacker when there were fouls to give. Bumper played his role with finesse. No arms, all hips.

      • Watching Temple at Wichita State now. Implode the LC, move hoops back to McGonigle for a year or two, buy the buildings right up to Cecil B. Moore and build a 30K indoor football stadium at the LC and rename it The Apollo. Tell WAWA or Comcast we will take $500 million for naming rights if they want to change it. Give the football kids a real homefield advantage and the 12,500 students living on campus a real college experience.

  2. That would be super sweet. Temple should turn its urban campus into an asset, and real home field advantage.

    Fry is fighting to balance the budget. He should also fight to make Temple the most dynamic and beautiful urban campus in America. All sports played on campus.

    Reply

    • Plenty of ancillary benefits from such a move. 1) We haven’t had a crowd in that 10K arena that would even fill McGonigle so making the tickets harder to get would be a plus; 2) Basketball home court advantage; 3) No need to deal with the neighbors on the football end because we are replacing one already approved arena on the same spot with another one (why should they care whether we play hoops or football inside and that argument would stand up in any court in the country; 4) No need to close any city streets. 5) the tailgate football scene moves from Lot K to 10 parking lots that are otherwise empty on Saturdays; 6) alums are brought back to campus. 7) Temple football tickets are harder to come by and drive up season ticket sales; 8) Students get to roll out of beds on Saturday and head to the game. 9) Gameday experience creates lifelong allegiances and donors. 10) Greater opportunities for alumns and students to network and drive Temple talent to their businesses and get jobs for the students.

      Reply

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