Temple and Tulane tip off at the Liacouras Center on Sunday. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
January 19, 2025
PHILADELPHIA – On Sunday afternoon at the Liacouras Center, a magician entertained children following Temple’s game against Tulane.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. provided the opening act for the adults in the room, putting forth a magical performance to lead the Owls to an 80-77 victory.
On one trick, Mashburn cooly drained long jumpers. On another, he hit from midrange. He wowed everyone with athletic drives and deftly skilled finishes. He surprised defenders with stepbacks, pullups, layups, and more.
He unveiled one move after another, made one shot after another that left you asking, “Wow, how did he do that?”
Indeed, Mashburn put on an entertaining show through skill, art, and the unknown secrets that magicians simply do not reveal, scoring 32 points while making 12 of 16 field goals, 3 of 5 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws.
“I had fun, for sure,” Mashburn said. “It’s always fun playing the game you love. Just grateful for every day. I was just trying to take what the defense was giving me and letting it fly.”
Mashburn’s wizardry on Sunday, which followed his 21-point outing in the Owls’ 88-81 upset of No. 18 Memphis on Thursday, raised his season average to 21.3 points per contest. He gives the Owls a dependable scorer and so much more.
“He’s just a calming presence,” Owls coach Adam Fisher said. “He never gets too high. He never gets too low.”
Mashburn was steady and cool during the game’s most crucial moment. Tulane trimmed Temple’s 11-point lead to 78-75 with under a minute left and the ball in Mashburn’s hands. He thought about a three-pointer, then drove toward the basket before settling for a long two-point attempt.
It was a deceptive move for the defender, as the long two-pointer is considered the worst shot in basketball in today’s analytic world. But it’s a shot Mashburn does not have to dig too deep into his bag of tricks to pull out, and he drained the long jumper with 49.8 ticks left to put the Owls up five.
Voilà!
“My dad, when I was growing up, he didn’t let me shoot 3’s until I was a freshman in high school,” Mashburn said of his father, the former college and NBA standout. “I was just working on the midrange area and just perfecting that area. I don’t play by analytics. I play out there to win and have fun. That’s a shot that works for me, and I’m just going to keep taking it.”
Fisher has seen Mashburn practice the midrange jumper over and over, so he, for one, wasn’t surprised when the shot fell. But he was no less pleased.
“I think we allow him to play his game,” Fisher said. “He’s lethal in the midrange. He has the confidence. Take whatever you need to. He’s just fantastic. His leadership, his poise, his steady hand throughout the game.
“Great shot. Shoot it again. I think you have to allow your players to play to their strengths, especially in critical moments. That’s a huge strength of his. We let our guys do that, and we’re good with it. That shot, he works on it every single day. He has a whole routine, and that’s one of the shots. We’re good with it. You have to trust your players to play to their strengths.”
As well as Mashburn performed, every great magician needs a strong assistant. And Mashburn got plenty of help from Shane Dezonie (13 points), Steve Settle III (11 points), and Zion Stanford (11 points). The Owls weren’t sharp defensively, like against Memphis on Thursday, an understandable but not necessarily sustainable letdown after the big upset of the Tigers in front of a packed house. Still, there is a lot to like about how Temple is playing right now after improving to 12-6 overall and 4-1 in the American Athletic Conference.
“I like our togetherness,” Fisher said. “I think it’s really important. I think we’re getting better a lot of areas every game. There are some things we need to clean up after today’s matchup. I think what we’ve done a really good job of is preparing the guys for what they’re hopefully going to see and then trusting them.”
If there’s a downside, it’s the lack of depth at the moment for the Owls. Lynn Greer III remains sidelined after getting suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. Elijah Gray (hamstring) sat out after getting injured in the first half against Memphis. Aiden Tobiason went to the locker room clutching his left shoulder early in the second half on Sunday and did not return to the court.
Still, the upside appears high, especially with Mashburn starring in the show.
The Owls will learn more about themselves in a pair of Texas road games this week, beginning with a tough matchup at North Texas on Wednesday night. It will be fun to see what tricks Mashburn has up his sleeves next.
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.