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JGX2
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Scores 33 points to lead Temple to an upset win over third-ranked Villanova:
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/79197522.html
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/79197522.html
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rikhardur2
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stuart2
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Temple's Juan Fernandez conjures memories of another Owls great from Argentina
Temple's Juan Fernandez conjures memories of another Owls great from Argentina
PHILADELPHIA - Ever since Temple's floppy haired guard Juan Fernandez arrived in the States from Argentina a year and a half ago, he seemed destined to draw comparisons to Pepe Sanchez.
Sanchez was an All-American point guard on John Chaney's last great Owls team, which reached the NCAA regional finals in 1999. He went on to play a major role on the Argentine national team, which won a gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics and set off a basketball explosion in that soccer-crazed South American country.
Fernandez is intent on following in his footsteps, starting at the point for Argentina's Under-18 team and scoring 18 points when his country defeated the United States in the World Championship qualifying tournament.
"Most young players in my country choose to play professionally in Europe before the U.S.," the 6-4 sophomore guard said. "We don't have the information to know how it's done here. I met Pepe when I was 15 years old and was lucky enough to have him talk to me about college basketball. My mom went to college in Connecticut for six months to learn English and she told me she wanted me to go somewhere where I could play basketball and study, too. I thought about Europe myself, but Pepe sold me on coming here.
"He told me his best years were here at Temple and he didn't even get a dollar to play."
Sanchez called Owls coach Fran Dunphy and personally recommended Fernandez - a good student who spoke English and inherited his exceptional basketball I.Q. from his father Gustavo, a former pro point guard in Argentina - as a potentially good fit.
Fernandez, who needed a semester to adjust from international rules, has been a perfect fit this season for an Atlantic 10 team that is ranked 18th in the nation, has knocked off previously unbeaten Big East clubs Seton Hall and Villanova and will get a chance to test itself against top-ranked Kansas at home Saturday on national TV.
Fernandez, who is averaging 13.3 points, is Temple's most dangerous three-point shooter, most creative passer and has fit right in with Dunphy's strangling man-to-man defensive philosophy. The balanced Owls have made up for the loss of high-scoring guard Dionte Christmas by limiting opposing teams to less than 54 points per game. Fernandez has already had one break-out game, giving the Owls instant credibility nationally when he poured in 33 points and made seven of nine three-pointers in the Owls' victory over Villanova, then ranked third, two weeks ago.
Fernandez wasn't always a basketball phenom. He started playing when he was 6 years old in Rio Tercero, a small town of 50,000 in a central province of the country. "When I was little I wasn't that interested in sports," he said. "I was a fat little kid. I was playing soccer. I was a goalie. But my father urged me to give it a try. And he was my coach in the house."
Dunphy, known as a resourceful recruiter, dispatched his assistant coach Matt Langel to Argentina to watch Fernandez play before the guard made his official visit to campus in September of 2008. Langel thought it would be only a short drive from the airport in Cordova. But right before he took off, Langel heard from his contact that Fernandez had been called up by the national team and was practicing 1,000 miles away. "I speak Spanish and was all set to get a taxi but they told me it would be $1,000," Langel said. "So I rented a car and drove for 91/2 hours. It was a long trip but it was worth it."
Fernandez has been driven to excel because he idolized Sanchez. He is also playing for his younger 16-year-old brother Gusty, who is paralyzed from the waist down, the result of a childhood accident. Gusty Fernandez has never let his handicap affect him. He plays wheelchair tennis, is ranked No. 3 in the world for his under-18 age bracket and is among the top 50 players overall. "He jumped off a chair and injured his spine," Fernandez said. "He's shown you can overcome any obstacle if you put your mind to it."
Meanwhile, Fernandez has been in constant contact with Sanchez. "I hope he comes back to watch me play before I graduate," he said. "I think it would be kinda good for him to know what I'm doing here."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...r_owl_great_from_argentina.html#ixzz0cLjLv0L4
Temple's Juan Fernandez conjures memories of another Owls great from Argentina
PHILADELPHIA - Ever since Temple's floppy haired guard Juan Fernandez arrived in the States from Argentina a year and a half ago, he seemed destined to draw comparisons to Pepe Sanchez.
Sanchez was an All-American point guard on John Chaney's last great Owls team, which reached the NCAA regional finals in 1999. He went on to play a major role on the Argentine national team, which won a gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics and set off a basketball explosion in that soccer-crazed South American country.
Fernandez is intent on following in his footsteps, starting at the point for Argentina's Under-18 team and scoring 18 points when his country defeated the United States in the World Championship qualifying tournament.
"Most young players in my country choose to play professionally in Europe before the U.S.," the 6-4 sophomore guard said. "We don't have the information to know how it's done here. I met Pepe when I was 15 years old and was lucky enough to have him talk to me about college basketball. My mom went to college in Connecticut for six months to learn English and she told me she wanted me to go somewhere where I could play basketball and study, too. I thought about Europe myself, but Pepe sold me on coming here.
"He told me his best years were here at Temple and he didn't even get a dollar to play."
Sanchez called Owls coach Fran Dunphy and personally recommended Fernandez - a good student who spoke English and inherited his exceptional basketball I.Q. from his father Gustavo, a former pro point guard in Argentina - as a potentially good fit.
Fernandez, who needed a semester to adjust from international rules, has been a perfect fit this season for an Atlantic 10 team that is ranked 18th in the nation, has knocked off previously unbeaten Big East clubs Seton Hall and Villanova and will get a chance to test itself against top-ranked Kansas at home Saturday on national TV.
Fernandez, who is averaging 13.3 points, is Temple's most dangerous three-point shooter, most creative passer and has fit right in with Dunphy's strangling man-to-man defensive philosophy. The balanced Owls have made up for the loss of high-scoring guard Dionte Christmas by limiting opposing teams to less than 54 points per game. Fernandez has already had one break-out game, giving the Owls instant credibility nationally when he poured in 33 points and made seven of nine three-pointers in the Owls' victory over Villanova, then ranked third, two weeks ago.
Fernandez wasn't always a basketball phenom. He started playing when he was 6 years old in Rio Tercero, a small town of 50,000 in a central province of the country. "When I was little I wasn't that interested in sports," he said. "I was a fat little kid. I was playing soccer. I was a goalie. But my father urged me to give it a try. And he was my coach in the house."
Dunphy, known as a resourceful recruiter, dispatched his assistant coach Matt Langel to Argentina to watch Fernandez play before the guard made his official visit to campus in September of 2008. Langel thought it would be only a short drive from the airport in Cordova. But right before he took off, Langel heard from his contact that Fernandez had been called up by the national team and was practicing 1,000 miles away. "I speak Spanish and was all set to get a taxi but they told me it would be $1,000," Langel said. "So I rented a car and drove for 91/2 hours. It was a long trip but it was worth it."
Fernandez has been driven to excel because he idolized Sanchez. He is also playing for his younger 16-year-old brother Gusty, who is paralyzed from the waist down, the result of a childhood accident. Gusty Fernandez has never let his handicap affect him. He plays wheelchair tennis, is ranked No. 3 in the world for his under-18 age bracket and is among the top 50 players overall. "He jumped off a chair and injured his spine," Fernandez said. "He's shown you can overcome any obstacle if you put your mind to it."
Meanwhile, Fernandez has been in constant contact with Sanchez. "I hope he comes back to watch me play before I graduate," he said. "I think it would be kinda good for him to know what I'm doing here."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...r_owl_great_from_argentina.html#ixzz0cLjLv0L4
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Phantim3dx2
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great that he is there not only for sports but for a degree in journalism.
temple is a pretty good school also.
basketball topic his long range shot is weird, its..almost 2 handed?!
temple is a pretty good school also.
basketball topic his long range shot is weird, its..almost 2 handed?!
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rikhardur2
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rikhardur2
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