Maybe Temple's basketball program is not so different from Penn's after all.
Just about a month after Quakers starting guard David Whitehurst was dismissed from Penn for academic reasons, new Owls coach Fran Dunphy will have to deal with the ineligibility of two returning starters - senior center Wayne Marshall and junior guard Mark Tyndale.
According to Dunphy, who has yet to run an official practice with his new team since leaving Penn in April, the duo is ineligible because of academic issues and can return in late December after the fall semester is over.
Marshall started 17 games last year, averaging 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 21.9 minutes, while Tyndale started all 32 Owls games and averaged 10.9 points and netted a team-high 5.1 rebounds in 36.4 minutes.
With the graduation of All-American guard Mardy Collins, it would seem like the absence of Marshall and Tyndale would be devastating.
But at a second glance, Dunphy and the Owls may be able to get through this semester without too much damage.
Temple's fall semester ends on Dec. 16. Before that, the Owls only play seven games, including one on the 16th.
The Owls' first seven opponents had a combined record of 128-94 last season, and only one, Kent State, made the NCAA Tournament.
So while they may need some time to get caught up, if Tyndale and Marshall are reinstated after the fall, the Owls should be able to overcome their early-season absence.
Another factor that may aid the Owls is that Dunphy is new to the program, and therefore has no loyalties to players and is not entirely familiar with Temple's roster.
"Everybody's position is basically up in the air," Dunphy said.
Until practice begins next month, Dunphy does not know who he will rely on and use in his rotation, and so for him, it is almost as if he never lost players - he just never had them.
However, Dunphy did acknowledge that the two players definitely were part of his plans, saying that their ineligibility is "certainly something we'll have to make adjustments for."
Sophomore center Anthony Ivory, who started six games before getting injured last season, and sophomore center Sergio Olmos, who played in 21 games while starting nine, are the other returning centers at Dunphy's disposal. Junior guard DaShone Kirkendoll is the only returning backcourt reserve who saw significant playing time last season.
But despite the early adversity, the ever-stoic Dunphy is not dwelling upon his team's problems.
"It's the way of the world, and we have to adjust to these kinds of issues," he said.
Still, Dunphy knows that he needs his players back, so he said he will try to make sure they complete the requirements to be reinstated mid-season.
"They're part of our family and part of our team and we need to support them," he said.
Dunphy gets his first chance to show that his team can cope without Marshall and Tyndale in the opener on Nov. 21 at Kent State.
