Temple University Athletics
Men’s Basketball Alumni Spotlight: Mark Tyndale
7.21.23 | Men's Basketball
Temple men's basketball great Mark Tyndale is currently in his third season on the coaching staff of the Portland Trailblazers after spending the previous three years on the Toronto Raptors' staff.
One of the top all-around players in Temple history, Tyndale played his two seasons under Hall of Fame coach John Chaney and his final two under the direction of Fran Dunphy. He ended his four-year career (2004-08) ranked in the Top 10 in many career statistical categories and is currently ninth in scoring (1,729 points), second in free throws made (475), and eighth in steals (201). He is also one of only five Owls to average double figures for four full seasons.
Following his Temple career, the all-Atlantic 10 Conference and all-Big 5 selection played professionally for 10 seasons, both overseas as well as in the NBA Development League.
Talk about your time at Temple. You were recruited and coached by Naismith Hall of Famer John Chaney. Talk about your time with Coach.
"I learned how to be a young adult. It was my first time being away from home, even though I lived only 15 minutes away from campus. Just being alone, being on my own, and learning how to manage my time is what stands out to me the most.
As for my time with Coach Chaney, I just loved the discipline of waking up at 5:30 in the morning for practice. Then getting to class. We did not have a curfew but knowing that you had to do that same routine the next day, you had to go to sleep at night. You had to be disciplined. You had to commit to education and basketball. That was all I had, and John Chaney was great. He laid down a great foundation. To this day I still wake up at that time."
Any favorite Coach Chaney memories you would like to share?
"I just saw Rick Brunson and Coach Thibs (Tom Thibodeau) at a breakfast place. Coach Thibs called me to the table and said, 'Who do you think Coach Chaney cussed out more, you or Rick?' I said, 'I know it was Rick because I did whatever Coach told me to do.' Thibs just started laughing and Rick was shaking his head yes.
For Coach Chaney, I played as hard as I could play, and I did whatever he told me. I looked him in his eyes and when he yelled and cussed at me, I just grabbed him by his head and kissed him on his cheek and ran away. He just always played me, always respected me, and always did everything I asked from him, and I did everything he asked of me."
And then you played for Fran Dunphy. How was the transition in your final two years?
"Coach Dunph was great. He knew who I was. He knew how Philadelphia Basketball was played. He was a great coach before he came to Temple. Once he came in, he changed stuff up a little bit, offensively and defensively. We started playing man (defense). It was a great adjustment.
Temple could not have had a better replacement for Coach Chaney. He was a very disciplined guy, a very principled guy. He was all about the right things. I loved playing for him. It was a great transition."
Following your Temple career, you embarked on a 10-year professional career that included multiple stops overseas before returning home to play in the NBA D/G Leagues. How challenging was that journey for you?
"It was challenging. My first job was with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia. That was a tough adjustment. I was driving on the other side of the road. The game was so much more physical. It was a great adjustment for me, and I accepted that challenge. The following year I played for the (NBA G League) Iowa Energy and that is where I met Nick Nurse, who would turn out to be the guy who would get me into the NBA. It is crazy how things work.
The following year I went to camp with the Milwaukee Bucks. I made it all the way until the first game of the regular season before I was released. Then I played another season with Nick Nurse before going overseas to Germany, Israel, Ukraine, and Sweden. I had a hell of a journey, but I learned things and took something out of all those places."
Then you joined the Toronto Raptors staff and now are part of the Portland Trailblazers staff. How has the transition been?
"It was an adjustment because I never had a (real) job. Obviously, I was a professional basketball player, but now I am in a work setting. I have to be at work before the players get there. I work with the guys, get on town hall meetings. I now have an office, a desk, and stuff like that. It was an adjustment for me.
I handled it well and it was good because my first stop was with Toronto, and I had a familiarity with some of the guys. I played for coach Nick Nurse. I played for (assistant coach) Nate Bjorkgren. I grew up with Kyle Lowry. So, the adjustment was easy, but the grind of the day-to-day activities, doing the same thing day in and day out, with no days off as even the days off guys wanted to come in and get work in was hard. I was a young coach and I had to be available. It was tough but it sped up my growth."
Where do you see yourself in the future?
"I want to be a head coach at some point. I started off in player development/as an assistant coach, but I also learned how to do video editing. Now I am a full-time assistant coach. I was always doing assistant coach work, but now it is my full-time job. I was with Toronto for three seasons and now I am going into my third season with Portland Trailblazers. We just finished up our Summer League, but we had a bunch of injuries (this year) and last year we won the Summer League. Now I am looking forward to coaching these guys. I was able to coach a Top 75 (NBA Anniversary Team) player in Damian Lillard and I have a great relationship with him. I am just looking forward to working with our staff and our new guys during this coming season."
What advice would you give to our current members of the team?
"Philadelphia is a Blue-Collar city. All the basketball fans of the city of Philadelphia and the Temple alumni want is for you to play hard and to play with passion. That is why I still get a lot of love to this day, because of the way I played. I would love to see these young guys take this to another level. These guys are so skilled and so smart. I hope they take that skill and elevate it with their passion and how hard they compete and get to the NCAAs."
One of the top all-around players in Temple history, Tyndale played his two seasons under Hall of Fame coach John Chaney and his final two under the direction of Fran Dunphy. He ended his four-year career (2004-08) ranked in the Top 10 in many career statistical categories and is currently ninth in scoring (1,729 points), second in free throws made (475), and eighth in steals (201). He is also one of only five Owls to average double figures for four full seasons.
Following his Temple career, the all-Atlantic 10 Conference and all-Big 5 selection played professionally for 10 seasons, both overseas as well as in the NBA Development League.
Talk about your time at Temple. You were recruited and coached by Naismith Hall of Famer John Chaney. Talk about your time with Coach.
"I learned how to be a young adult. It was my first time being away from home, even though I lived only 15 minutes away from campus. Just being alone, being on my own, and learning how to manage my time is what stands out to me the most.
As for my time with Coach Chaney, I just loved the discipline of waking up at 5:30 in the morning for practice. Then getting to class. We did not have a curfew but knowing that you had to do that same routine the next day, you had to go to sleep at night. You had to be disciplined. You had to commit to education and basketball. That was all I had, and John Chaney was great. He laid down a great foundation. To this day I still wake up at that time."
Any favorite Coach Chaney memories you would like to share?
"I just saw Rick Brunson and Coach Thibs (Tom Thibodeau) at a breakfast place. Coach Thibs called me to the table and said, 'Who do you think Coach Chaney cussed out more, you or Rick?' I said, 'I know it was Rick because I did whatever Coach told me to do.' Thibs just started laughing and Rick was shaking his head yes.
For Coach Chaney, I played as hard as I could play, and I did whatever he told me. I looked him in his eyes and when he yelled and cussed at me, I just grabbed him by his head and kissed him on his cheek and ran away. He just always played me, always respected me, and always did everything I asked from him, and I did everything he asked of me."
And then you played for Fran Dunphy. How was the transition in your final two years?
"Coach Dunph was great. He knew who I was. He knew how Philadelphia Basketball was played. He was a great coach before he came to Temple. Once he came in, he changed stuff up a little bit, offensively and defensively. We started playing man (defense). It was a great adjustment.
Temple could not have had a better replacement for Coach Chaney. He was a very disciplined guy, a very principled guy. He was all about the right things. I loved playing for him. It was a great transition."
Following your Temple career, you embarked on a 10-year professional career that included multiple stops overseas before returning home to play in the NBA D/G Leagues. How challenging was that journey for you?
"It was challenging. My first job was with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia. That was a tough adjustment. I was driving on the other side of the road. The game was so much more physical. It was a great adjustment for me, and I accepted that challenge. The following year I played for the (NBA G League) Iowa Energy and that is where I met Nick Nurse, who would turn out to be the guy who would get me into the NBA. It is crazy how things work.
The following year I went to camp with the Milwaukee Bucks. I made it all the way until the first game of the regular season before I was released. Then I played another season with Nick Nurse before going overseas to Germany, Israel, Ukraine, and Sweden. I had a hell of a journey, but I learned things and took something out of all those places."
Then you joined the Toronto Raptors staff and now are part of the Portland Trailblazers staff. How has the transition been?
"It was an adjustment because I never had a (real) job. Obviously, I was a professional basketball player, but now I am in a work setting. I have to be at work before the players get there. I work with the guys, get on town hall meetings. I now have an office, a desk, and stuff like that. It was an adjustment for me.
I handled it well and it was good because my first stop was with Toronto, and I had a familiarity with some of the guys. I played for coach Nick Nurse. I played for (assistant coach) Nate Bjorkgren. I grew up with Kyle Lowry. So, the adjustment was easy, but the grind of the day-to-day activities, doing the same thing day in and day out, with no days off as even the days off guys wanted to come in and get work in was hard. I was a young coach and I had to be available. It was tough but it sped up my growth."
Where do you see yourself in the future?
"I want to be a head coach at some point. I started off in player development/as an assistant coach, but I also learned how to do video editing. Now I am a full-time assistant coach. I was always doing assistant coach work, but now it is my full-time job. I was with Toronto for three seasons and now I am going into my third season with Portland Trailblazers. We just finished up our Summer League, but we had a bunch of injuries (this year) and last year we won the Summer League. Now I am looking forward to coaching these guys. I was able to coach a Top 75 (NBA Anniversary Team) player in Damian Lillard and I have a great relationship with him. I am just looking forward to working with our staff and our new guys during this coming season."
What advice would you give to our current members of the team?
"Philadelphia is a Blue-Collar city. All the basketball fans of the city of Philadelphia and the Temple alumni want is for you to play hard and to play with passion. That is why I still get a lot of love to this day, because of the way I played. I would love to see these young guys take this to another level. These guys are so skilled and so smart. I hope they take that skill and elevate it with their passion and how hard they compete and get to the NCAAs."
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