Temple University Athletics
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TABBED AS PRESEASON FAVORITE FOR 2005-06 ATLANTIC 10 SEASON
11.3.05 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -
Two-time defending A-10 champion Temple, under the direction of sixth-year head coach Dawn Staley, received 11 of the 20 first place votes cast by the panel of coaches and media to repeat as league champion. The Owls, who are ranked in the preseason Top 25 for the first time in school history, return three starters from a team that finished 28-4 in 2004-05, including senior All-American Dupree (16.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg), the 2005 Atlantic 10 Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll ranked Temple #20 and the Women's Basketball News Service projected the Owls to begin right around where they left, in the #16 spot. Street & Smith's has ranked the Owls #19, while Lindy's Magazine has placed Temple in the #23 position. Temple finished last season ranked #15 in the AP Poll and #18 in ESPN/USA Today's voting and finished the season with a 25-game winning streak, which when broken, was the longest winning streak of any men's or women's team in the country.
Dupree also earned additional preseason accolades, with spots on the Street & Smith's, The Wooden Award and The State Farm Wade Trophy "Players To Watch" lists. She was also voted First Team All-America by the Women's Basketball News Service. Arguably one of the best players in Temple women's basketball history, Dupree led the Owls and was among the leaders in the A-10 in scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounding (9.1 rpg), blocks (65), steals (70) and field goal percentage (54%) last season. A 2004-05 Honorable Mention All-American, and the Big Five Player of the Year, Dupree was named to the A-10 and Big Five First Teams and became just the second player in Conference history to earn back-to-back Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament honors. She also had a league-leading 14 double-doubles on her way to scoring her 1,000th career point. Not an extremely vocal player, Dupree leads by example with her smooth style of play drawing comparisons to NBA star Tim Duncan.
Hairston returned after a solid rookie campaign of averaging 4.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game to be TU's third leading scorer with 12.5 ppg. She earned A-10 Player of the Week honors after tallying a career-high 31 points versus Xavier (1/30). She also ranked second on the team in steals to earn a spot on the A-10 All-Defensive Team.
The Owls will once again face tough competition in non-conference play, squaring off against three teams that are ranked in the Top 10 this season. Temple will play host to SEC powerhouses Tennessee, Georgia and Florida and travel to New Brunswick, N.J. for a rematch with Rutgers. 2005-06 play opens with a trip to Oregon where the Owls will take on Michigan and the winner of the University of Oregon and St. Francis game in the Women's Sports Foundation/University of Oregon Tournament, November 11-12.
Temple has been named the team to beat in the 2005-06 Atlantic 10 women's basketball race, according to a poll conducted by the Atlantic 10 head coaches and select media released at the A-10 men's and women's basketball media day on November 3 at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel in Philadelphia. Senior Candice Dupree and junior Kamesha Hairston were selected to the Conference's First Team and All-Defensive Team.
