Category: Temple

During Temple’s season opener against Delaware State on Nov. 5, a new face got the action going instantly — Gavin Griffiths.

The 6-foot-7 former Nebraska guard soared to the hoop from a lob by forward Babatunde Durodola, slamming it home for Temple’s first points. He ended his Owls debut with 16 points and had another dunk, earning him the nickname “LeBron Frames” on social media.

“We ran through that play a lot of times in practice,” Griffiths said. “So yeah, it was something we worked on at shootaround today. I knew it was coming.”

Griffiths, a junior, is having a career resurgence after injuries spoiled his single season with the Huskers. This is his third program — he spent the 2023-24 season at Rutgers — and he has become one of Temple’s best players, averaging 13.2 points per contest.

“He’s rebounded at a high rate right now and we can throw some lobs, which is fun,” said coach Adam Fisher. “His personality is great. I just told him, ‘Don’t get caught up in all the memes.’ He’s been a great addition. He’s so coachable. He’s come from amazing coaches.”

Griffiths joined Temple after spending one season at Nebraska, but his college career began at fellow Big 10 school Rutgers. He played one season under coach Steve Pikiell and scored a career-high 25 points in his second collegiate game against Boston University.

The additions of future NBA lottery picks Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey prompted the four-star recruit — and top 50 high school prospect out of Kingswood Oxford School in Connecticut — to enter his name into the transfer portal. He played in 16 games for the Cornhuskers before entering the transfer portal again.

Fisher, who was an assistant coach at Penn State when Griffiths was coming out of high school, tried recruiting him to the Nittany Lions. Penn State assistant coach Mike Farrelly was Griffiths’ lead recruiter, but Fisher remembers meeting the guard’s family, and the two formed a relationship from there.

“Gavin’s a young man that I’ve known for a long time,” Fisher said. “Mike Farrelly was the point person on the recruitment there and then coach Shrewsbury and I went and saw him and visited with his family. So we had a relationship and had seen him for three years prior. Great athlete, can make shots, comes from an amazing family. His mom and dad are just great people.”

Griffiths had a better sense of what he was looking for since it was his second time in the transfer portal. He already had a relationship with Fisher, so most of his time was spent watching the Owls’ film. He then visited Temple’s campus, which led to his commitment on April 25.

While he has given Temple a boost from three-point range, he worked to improve his game during the offseason. He developed to become a complete player and earned a spot in the Owls’ rotation. He’s started all four Temple games.

“I’ve just been trying to work on my game in the offseason to make sure my shot feels good,” Griffiths said. “Play my role in terms of, if that’s knocking down a three, being able to do that and step in and shoot it confidently.”

He’s reached double digits in each of the Owls’ four games, and when his shots are falling, it has put Temple in an offensive groove. He also knocked down three consecutive three-pointers in the last three minutes against Boston College on Nov. 15, which gave Temple a fighting chance — despite falling 76-71.

He did the same thing against Hofstra on Wednesday. Griffiths finished with 11 points, including nine second-half points, all of which came in three-pointers to help the Owls escape the Pride.

“I like that we scored,” Griffiths said. “And I like that [I] helped us get a little bit of energy, and I think that let us get some stops. So yeah, I think it was a good play.”

For Fisher, Griffiths’ impact has reminded the coach of the player he recruited in high school.

“I think it’s something that you just got to build with your players,” Fisher said. “We’re going to give you the freedom and you’re going to make mistakes. We all do. … Every team in the country is going to have practice. What are you doing besides that to separate yourself? And he does all that extra work.”

When K.C. Keeler was hired by Temple last Dec. 1, there was one question swirling in wide receiver Kajiya Hollawayne’s mind: Should he leave?

In fact, he’d pondered that thought since former coach Stan Drayton was fired. He wouldn’t have been the first, as nearly 20 players entered the transfer portal after Drayton’s dismissal.

However, this wasn’t Hollawayne’s first experience with a coaching change.

His primary recruiter at UCLA, quarterbacks coach Dana Bible, retired before his first practice as a freshman in 2021. Hollawayne bounced between programs, including Grambling State and Riverside Community College, but left for greener pastures. This time, he decided he wanted to stick out the challenge at Temple.

“I just thought it’s time to stop running from the struggles that I have got going,” Hollawayne said. “Every school I’ve been at has had coaching changes. So I was like, ‘Let me stop running and see the other side, see how the grass is on this side.’ So when I stayed, I just knew to put my head down and grind, because a lot of times, coaching staff that come in, it’s not better for us. It’s like whoever comes in has a better hand on things like that, so I was just thinking about trying to get on their radar.”

The redshirt senior climbed Temple’s depth chart amid the offseason departures. Hollawayne talked to Keeler and new offensive coordinator Tyler Walker, who knew they could mold the receiver into the Owls’ system. The result: Hollawayne is the team’s best receiver this season. He leads the Owls (5-5, 3-3 American Conference) with 445 receiving yards and six touchdowns entering Saturday’s matchup against Tulane (8-2, 5-1) at Lincoln Financial Field (3:45 p.m., ESPNU).

“It’s been a steady process since January,” Walker said. “He’s come a long way. And he’s definitely earned a reputation as a guy that we can throw the football to in critical moments, and we feel confident that he’s going to go get the football.”

Before arriving at Temple, Hollawayne was a three-star quarterback out of San Jacinto (Calif.) High School, where he was ranked 34th in the state. He committed to UCLA under then-coach Chip Kelly, who also coached the Eagles from 2013 to 2015 and now is the Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator, but only lasted a season at UCLA.

He spent the 2021 season backing up Bruins starter Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Hollawayne, then 18, didn’t want to wait on the sidelines for another year. So he left.

He landed at Grambling State, which then was coached by Hue Jackson, but another setback occurred. Hollawayne suffered a severe strain on his rotator cuff that dated back to pitching while he was in high school. If he were to continue playing quarterback, he would need to have surgery.

Not wanting to lose another year of eligibility, Hollawayne asked his coach how he could get on the field, which led to a position switch from quarterback to wide receiver.

“It was kind of easy, because growing up, everybody played wideout,” Hollawayne said. “The hard part was learning how to block and stuff like that. There’s little things to block that you can get beat on.”

At Grambling State, he bonded with Tyron Carrier, the wide receivers coach. Even after Hollawayne left for Riverside Community College, they remained in touch. Eventually Carrier was hired at Temple and recruited Hollawayne.

While Hollawayne followed suit, he didn’t hit the ground running. He was behind wide receivers Dante Wright, Ashton Allen, John Adams, and Antonio Jones on the depth chart. While he finished with 120 receiving yards in 2024, Hollawayne used the opportunity to learn behind those older receivers.

“I was behind Dante in the slot, and he was a great player, just paying attention to him, seeing how he works the game, how he plays the game,” Hollawayne said. “Also just working because I haven’t been playing wide receiver for a long time. I’m looking at different wide receivers in our group, seeing what I can take from their game, put into my game. Also looking online and seeing what you can do better, like hand work.”

He also formed a connection with quarterback Evan Simon, who transferred to Temple from Rutgers that offseason.

When Hollawayne transferred to Temple from Riverside, he didn’t have a dorm room for the first month. Jones, who was roommates with Simon, asked if Hollawayne could crash on their couch. Simon obliged, and, before long, they were tossing passes together.

“[Antonio] is like, ‘Is it cool if Kajiya Hollawayne lives with us for a little bit?’ Absolutely,” Simon said. “Then next thing, we’re throwing on our own, him and I. We’d be out here throwing after whatever. He’d wait out there for me to get the gate because he couldn’t get in.”

Simon and Hollawayne’s extra work has paid off this season.

“I think some of it definitely was him trusting in his ability, and him seeing the results, and then him understanding that we have confidence in him to throw the ball in key moments,” Walker said. “Then when he makes those plays, it just builds confidence. I think a lot of it was that he always had the athletic ability, that was never an issue. It was just getting him to fine tune his ability and get him to do some things that naturally take some time, and he’s done a great job.”

For Hollawayne, his development on the field comes from his journey, which has had many twists and turns.

“I think that freshman year helped me a lot,” Hollawayne said. “I think if I would have played my freshman year, I wouldn’t be the man I am right now, because that actually humbled me a lot.”

Last summer, K.C. Keeler and his wife, Janice, began building a house in Wilmington. This would not have been notable if Keeler were coaching at an SEC dynasty or a Big 10 stalwart.

But he works for Temple, where head football coaches have long been transient.

The Owls have shuffled through 11, including interims, in 15 years. Some were fired because they weren’t winning; some were poached to fill higher-paying jobs.

One coach, Manny Diaz, stayed for 17 days before running off to the University of Miami. Another, Geoff Collins, led Temple to a 15-10 record, only to leave for Georgia Tech after two years.

Collins took over for Matt Rhule, who went 28-23 over four seasons before departing for Baylor. Rod Carey came next, and was fired after three seasons, during which he posted a 12-20 record.

Stan Drayton, who won only nine games in parts of three seasons, didn’t even make it to the end of the 2024 campaign.

This dynamic — being a smaller Division I program with fewer resources — has led Temple to a difficult balancing act. The school is established enough to hire good coaches but not always to keep them.

Keeler, whom the Owls hired on Dec. 1, appears to be different. He has an established track record of building winning programs, and the 66-year-old won’t likely use Temple as a stepping stone.

He’s deeply invested in the Owls and has genuine belief in his team’s ability. He also has local ties: The coach grew up in Emmaus, Lehigh County, 50 miles north of Philadelphia, and has a daughter and grandchildren who live in Delaware.

Which is why he built a home in the area. Keeler is the first Temple head coach since Bruce Arians in the mid-1980s to do so.

“It’s incredible what he’s done,” said senior quarterback Evan Simon, “and it’s only his first year. I wish I had a couple more with him.”

A winning legacy

Keeler’s first memory of Temple dates to the late 1970s, when he was a starting linebacker at the University of Delaware.

The Blue Hens were a strong team but consistently struggled against the Division I Owls. In 1978, they won 10 games but were soundly beaten by Temple, 38-7.

In 1979, when it won a Division II national championship, Delaware lost only one game. It was to Temple, at home, 31-14, on Sept. 22.

Keeler graduated in 1981, and was hired as an assistant coach at Amherst College in Massachusetts that year. Rowan added him to its staff in 1986 (when it was known as Glassboro State College) and named Keeler head coach in 1993.

Over nine seasons, he led the Profs to an 88-21-1 record, with seven Division III playoff appearances. Delaware brought him on as head coach in 2002 (succeeding Tubby Raymond after 36 seasons) and Keeler went 86-52 with the Blue Hens, reaching the Division I-AA national title game three times and winning a championship in 2003.

He joined Sam Houston State as head coach in 2014, and posted a 97-39 record through 11 seasons, making the FCS playoffs six times and winning a second national title in 2020.

Temple, meanwhile, notched only 11 winning seasons between 1981 and 2024. The Owls had suffered an especially tough stretch of late, failing to win more than three games in a season since 2019.

But for Keeler, the shine of those 1970s-era teams never wore off. He still saw a winner. So, when Temple approached him last year after firing Drayton, he took the opportunity.

Things got off to a slow start. Some players were worried that they wouldn’t be welcomed back.

Others were unsure of how they’d jell with Keeler and his staff.

The head coach held a team meeting in December, before his introductory news conference. He tried to tell a couple of jokes, to lighten the mood.

No one laughed. Keeler turned to his special teams coordinator, Brian Ginn.

“Boy, these guys are serious,” he said.

“Yeah,” Ginn responded. “They just went 3-9. I can see why they’re serious.”

A few hours later, Keeler told the media what he told his team: that there would be no rebuild. That he was here to win a bowl or a conference championship.

Simon, the senior quarterback, was standing in the back of the room, listening acutely.

“It was a little scary [at first],” he said. “I mean, this place hasn’t won more than three games since, who knows? I don’t even know.”

Over the next few days, Keeler held one-on-one meetings with all 114 players on Temple’s roster.

He asked what they liked — and disliked — about the program, and what changes they wanted to see.

The coach quickly showed a willingness to listen, even to seemingly mundane concerns. Many players lived off-campus and mentioned that they had to pay for a meal plan that they didn’t use.

Keeler talked to a few higher-ups, and was able to make a change, putting $500 worth of meal money back into players’ pockets. Temple now provides grab-and-go lunches and snacks, available outside the locker room.

The head coach continued to encourage his team to communicate, and gradually, the players began to feel more comfortable.

In February, Keeler got word that a former Temple defensive tackle, Demerick Morris, would be leaving Oklahoma State. He had transferred there in December 2024 but had a change of heart, and was eager to return to Philly.

Keeler wanted to bring him back, too, but decided to ask his defensive line coach, Cedric Calhoun, to check with rest of the linemen first.

They were not on board.

“Coach Calhoun goes, ‘They said, [expletive] no. There’s no way they’re taking him back,’” Keeler said. “And he was in a panic. I’m like, ‘It’s OK, let me handle this.’”

The three defensive linemen — Allan Haye, K.J. Miles, and Sekou Kromah — shuffled into Keeler’s office and sat shoulder-to-shoulder on his cherry-red couch.

Before Keeler explained his side, he made sure the players knew it was their decision.

Then, he asked for their perspective. They said that years ago, the four linemen had made a pact not to enter the transfer portal. To stay at Temple and “fix” the program.

When Morris left for Oklahoma State, Haye, Miles, and Kromah felt betrayed.

“[To them], it was ‘Demerick broke the pact,’” Keeler recounted. “‘Demerick took the money.’”

The head coach laid out the situation in more pragmatic terms. Temple needed to bring in another defensive tackle, regardless. Why not go with the familiar option?

“I know Demerick is a great player,” Keeler told them. “I can’t guarantee the [other] guy we’re going to bring in is going to be a great player.

“I know Demerick is a great person. The guy we bring in … I don’t know a lot about him. I know Demerick loves Philadelphia. He’s living here now. He’s from Chicago.”

The linemen changed their minds.

“Again, the key was, this is still your call,” Keeler said. “I am not going to overrule your decision.”

Poor push-ups and ‘terrible’ dance moves

When Simon showed up to practice last summer, he could tell things were going to be different.

At 66, Keeler was doing push-ups in the middle of the field. He was running sprints and stretching alongside his team.

He even took control of the stereo sometimes, playing the music of his adolescence: Bruce Springsteen, Bananarama, and, of course, KC and the Sunshine Band.

The quarterback compared it to being around your fun “uncle.”

“They’re the world’s worst push-ups,” Simon said. “But his energy, it lifts the program. You’re allowed to have fun at practice.”

Keeler strikes a balance. There are times when practice is not fun. The head coach has high standards and pushes his team hard.

But he also tries to foster human connection wherever he can, whether it’s sending a birthday text to a player, hosting team dinners, or organizing trivia nights at Temple’s Liacouras Center.

One of Keeler’s biggest assets is his humor. He isn’t afraid to laugh at himself.

On Oct. 4, in Temple’s fifth game of the season, the Owls trailed Texas-San Antonio, 14-3, at the half.

Keeler reamed his players out in the locker room. He told them that it was the first time he’d been embarrassed to be their coach.

“I said, ‘This the first time I’ve ever even thought this, in my 10 months here,’” Keeler recalled.

The team responded almost immediately. Temple scored 21 points in the third quarter and ended up winning the game, 27-21.

Afterward, the players started dancing in the locker room. Keeler joined in.

The coach received some tough feedback.

“A lot of comments like ‘I dance like an old white guy,’” he said. “Well, yeah, I am an old white guy. But, you know, winning is hard. So when you win? You celebrate.”

The post-win dance quickly became a team tradition, and Keeler began to get creative with which guys he’d single out.

On Oct. 18, in the final seconds of Temple’s victory over Charlotte, he looked to the sideline to find three of his players — Cam Stewart, Khalil Poteat, and Mausa Palu — dancing.

The coach had always instructed his team not to gloat in public. So, he decided to teach them a lesson.

When the players walked into the locker room, Keeler called them out.

“OK,” he said. “You guys want to dance? You’re leading the dance.”

General manager Clayton Barnes hit the music. The team gathered in a circle, as Stewart, Poteat, and Palu showed off their moves.

Then, Keeler showed off his.

“Terrible,” said Kromah.

“It’s like seeing your grandpa dancing,” said running back Jay Ducker. “‘OK, grandpa! OK!’”

“I think he’s got to start stretching before he does them,” said Simon.

On Oct. 25, after Temple’s fifth win of the season, against Tulsa, Keeler summoned offensive lineman Giakoby Hills.

It was Hills’ birthday.

“Giakoby, come on down!” Keeler said. “Birthday boy is going to lead the dance.”

This may seem like a silly custom, but for a team that couldn’t muster a laugh back in December, it’s progress.

And for players like Simon, it has made a difference. The quarterback is in the midst of a career season. He has 22 touchdowns with 1,847 passing yards and only one interception through 10 games.

He credits a lot to “Uncle” Keeler.

“He’s so easy to talk to,” Simon said. “And that’s important as a player. Not being nervous all the time. Because I’ve experienced that, where there’s tension, [and you’re] afraid to mess up. But he’s super easygoing.”

‘Not afraid to fail’

There are plenty of young players who have thrived under Keeler’s quirky coaching style.

But none as successful as Bengals quarterback and 18-year NFL veteran Joe Flacco, who played at Delaware in 2006 and 2007.

Keeler brought the same enthusiasm back then that he does now (with fewer dance moves, to which Flacco responded: “Thank God”).

When Flacco transferred from Pittsburgh to Delaware, he was a backup quarterback, sorely in need of a good spring.

He contemplated playing collegiate baseball, an idea the coach quickly put an end to. Keeler told his pupil that he needed to focus on football. He reiterated, time and time again, that Flacco would be drafted by an NFL team.

It was helpful for the young quarterback to hear.

“I was honestly happy,” Flacco said. “I thought I wanted to pursue [baseball], but deep down, I really didn’t. And he didn’t want me to do it. So, I was like, ‘Good, I don’t really want to do it.’”

After Flacco was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft, he met with his former coach.

Keeler asked him a question.

“I’m going to be talking to another team [someday], and they’re going to want to know,” he said, “what makes Joe Flacco great?”

The quarterback answered without hesitation.

“I’m not afraid to fail,” he responded.

Keeler might have this quality, too. He was not afraid to loudly proclaim that he wanted Temple to become bowl-eligible this season, and his team is close to meeting that threshold.

The Owls have lost their last two games, in part because of mounting injuries. Despite that setback, they sit at 5-5, the most wins since 2019.

Temple needs to win one of its remaining two games — Saturday against Tulane or Nov. 28 at North Texas — to qualify for a bowl game.

But regardless of what happens, Keeler won’t be afraid of the outcome. And if the Owls win, he certainly won’t be afraid to dance.

“[He has] a belief and ability to make [a program] bigger than what everybody thinks it is,” Flacco said of his former coach. “It’s not only that he says it, and preaches it, but he also gets you to believe it. And that’s huge.”