Anto Keshgegian Manages His Way Through Temple MBB Career

Anto Keshgegian didn't plan on playing varsity basketball at Temple originally.

He had played varsity basketball at one of the top programs in the country at St. Joseph's Prep. He had received offers to play basketball at NCAA Division III schools and eventually committed to play basketball at Eastern University, a Division III institution just outside Philadelphia. But once he decided to transfer, Keshgegian didn't cite basketball as one of his main reasons.

"I transferred from Eastern because I was looking for a better business school and the chance to be in the city," Keshgegian said. "I had played basketball at the Prep with Mark Hueber (currently the team's Video Coordinator) and he hooked me up with a team manager position. He told me to 'show up and do your job,' and I took that to heart."

Even as a team manager, Keshgegian didn't take much of an interest in playing on the varsity team. He was more concentrated on being able to balance his time out between being a manager and his Advertising major and General Business minor, Keshgegian added.

"I never thought that I would play," he said. "I just wanted to manage and get involved in the program. I would make sure that I was at every practice and worked hard. The coaches would throw me in randomly to play during drills."

Keshgegian fondly remembered the practice that "put the coaches on notice" and inspired him to sign up for the team.

"I was at a practice that was at like 6:30 in the morning," he said. "I was barely awake and hadn't stretched at all. One of the coaches told me to step into a drill. I was able to play well against the guys and hit a few shots. That impressed the coaches a bit and they knew that I could play. A few months later, they encouraged me to try out."

So, the kid who had grown up near Philadelphia was finally able to see and even play in Big 5 basketball up close. Keshgegian saw a few minutes of action this season against St. Joe's in a lopsided Temple win.

"It means a lot to play here because I had basically grown up watching all the Big 5 schools play," Keshgegian said. "I think about it all the time - I used to watch Temple all the time in the tournament. I used to meet the players who played for those teams and were like heroes to me. It also made it more special to play for Coach Dunphy, who I saw coach at Penn and then at Temple when I was growing up."

Dunphy, who played for one Big 5 team (La Salle) and coached two others (Penn and Temple), taught him basketball skills, but also how to be a better person, Keshgegian added.

"From Coach Dunph-- I learned a lot as a player, but I also learned a lot as a person," Keshgegian said. "I think he definitely made me understand that I need to be the best I can possibly be at my position or a certain skill. He just always reminded me to be the best person I can be. He wanted everyone to make sure that they were making someone's life better. He had a huge impact on us."

"I really enjoyed being there every day as a manager and having the opportunity to learn from Dunphy every day as a coach," he added.

Keshgegian was able to make a significant impact on his teammates during his time with the team, especially on junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis.

"It was especially rewarding to see Nate improve so much because I especially helped him develop with rebounding and working with him after practice every day," Keshgegian said. "There's a lot of trust between us now. I try to approach our friendship as if I'm an older brother, with maturity and trying to help him with any problem he may have. But, I also look at him as an older brother. We look out for each other, push each other, and help each other learn."

Keshgegian's actual older brother was the one who pushed him to try basketball in the first place. All of his siblings played basketball before him and his uncle was a basketball coach, so there was significant pressure for him to play, Keshgegian added.

"My oldest brother Avi was the most influential for me because he is four years older than I am," Keshgegian said. "I had watched him play sports growing up and learned from him developing as an athlete. Watching him made me want to get better and he used his experience to teach me."

He still talks with his family every day, with each of his siblings exchanging messages about how proud they are of him and how much they love him and love watching him play. But his brother was the one who taught him to love basketball, and he "wouldn't trade it for any other sport."

"In high school, I played a lot of different sports: basketball, crew, lacrosse, and football," Keshgegian said. "If I didn't play basketball, I probably would have played football, because I was a promising quarterback. But I never thought about it because I love basketball so much."

But even though he loved basketball so much, he still never considered playing at Temple once he had transferred from Eastern University.

First of five profiles on Temple's men's basketball seniors

Temple University Athletics

Anto Keshgegian Manages His Way Through Temple MBB Career

Players Mentioned

Anto Keshgegian

Nate Pierre-Louis

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