Temple University Athletics
The Liacouras Center: 15 Years of Memories
12.12.12 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -- Player names and numbers have changed. Championship banners have been hoisted up to the rafters. The rooms within added, renovated, dedicated.
The court at its center has been assembled, disassembled and reassembled thousands of times since the Liacouras Center's inauguration 15 years ago.
But no matter how frequently the structure of the building formerly known as “the Apollo of Temple” has been altered, the winning culture that the Liacouras Center has housed for the past 15 seasons is inexorable.
It began with a win over No. 17 Fresno State on Dec. 9, 1997 when Temple, ranked 20th in the AP poll, notched a 76-61 win -- the team's first of many in its new digs.
Since then, 3,542,052 fans have filtered through the venue's doors wanting to catch a glimpse at the night's action.
One hundred and 55 times, they've been fortunate enough to partake in a Temple victory, including a record-setting 25 consecutive wins starting in January 2010 two years later.
Tonight's 72-61 victory over the Towson Tigers added a 156th tally to the venue's win column, and continued to foster Temple's tradition of success at the Liacouras Center.
But the venue itself is but a hollow shell without the performances of the student-athletes it showcases night after night, many of whom took a moment to reflect on their favorite homecourt memories.
For senior guard Khalif Wyatt, it was squaring off against No.3 Villanova nearly three years ago to the day.
“Villanova was a top three team my freshman year. They came in here and Juan [Fernandez] had an amazing game -- scoring 33 points,” he said. “We stormed the court [after winning 75-65]. It was my best experience here.”
Storming the court is a popular memory among the veterans, a number of whom have laid witness to numerous court-rushing moments after slaying Top 10 teams on their home hardwood.
It took senior swingman Scootie Randall a few seconds to make his decision.
“We beat No. 8 Tennessee [in 2008] and No. 10 Georgetown [in 2010],” he explained, waffling between the two.
After weighing the options, he chose the victory over No. 10 Georgetown as his favorite Liacouras Center memory.
“We rushed the court afterwards, and I ended up in the T at center court. It was a lot of fun,” Randall explained.
Interestingly enough, no two Owls on the current roster mentioned the same favorite moments -- a true testament to the diversity of experiences the Liacouras Center has hosted in his 15 years.
There was, however, one common thread sewing together the patchwork of memories: the impact of a supportive home crowd.
“You never want to let them down,” said Wyatt. “They come out here to support us game-in and game-out. It makes you want to come out here and feed off of that energy.”
The crowd factored heavily into sophomore Will Cummings's favorite Liacouras Center experience.
“During the 'I Believe' chant last year when we beat Xavier, everyone was wearing white and waving rally towels. That was the best chant I've ever seen,” he said.
“Definitely my favorite memory.”
That's what Anthony Lee said, echoing Cummings, about his game-winning put-back against Buffalo last season.
“It did a lot for me so I was definitely able to cherish that moment inside of the Liacouras Center with the fans,” Lee said.
15 years.
15 seasons.
Dozens of student-athletes.
Hundreds of games battled out in front of millions of fans.
This is the Liacouras Center by the numbers.
But numbers aren't an adequate substitute for the cameras inside one's mind that capture the perhaps trillions of memorable moments that have happened within.
You've heard some of theirs.
What's yours?
Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com Coulmnist
