Norristown alum Khalif Wyatt will cap a stellar senior season with Temple in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Temple photos of Wyatt provided courtesy of J&D Photography.
By Scott Huff
Temple University will once again take the big stage as Owls fly to Dayton Ohio for a second round NCAA tournament game on Friday against North Carolina State (TBS @ 1:40) – and the unquestioned star of the show for the Cherry and White is Norristown alum Khalif Wyatt.
“There was some question whether we would get in the (NCAA) tournament,” said Wyatt - the artistic senior guard with the infectious smile. “Coach Dunphy was talking about maybe the NIT, but I really thought we would get in. I think he just wanted us to be in suspense waiting for the committee to call our name. That’s the way coach can be.”
The relationship between the flamboyant Wyatt and the stoic veteran Owl head coach has been, well interesting, at times.
“We don’t have the typical coach-player relationship,” said Wyatt who played in just 10 games his freshman season and scored two points with one rebound. “Sometimes that involves some yelling at practice. All he wants for me, though, is to be the best player that I can be.”
Perhaps the most telling quote from Dunphy came after the Wyatt scored 20 points in the second half after being held scoreless in the first half in a win over Detroit.
“I’ve got teeth marks like you can’t believe on my tongue after four years of watching him play, but that’s Khalif,” said Dunphy in his postgame press conference. “He absolutely drives you insane. But you live with it because he does extraordinary things.”
The Wyatt resume for his senior season is indeed extraordinary.
# Atlantic 10 Player of the Year
# Atlantic 10 Player of the Week – four times
# Big Five Player of the Week – six times
# Selection to the 2012-2013 USBWA District II team
# Top scorer for Temple 20 times – 15 of the last 17 games
# 16th all-time leading scorer in Temple history
Wyatt enters the NC State game with some impressive 2012-2013 individual stats with a 19.8 points per game; 4.1 assists per game; 2.9 rebounds per game; 33.1 minutes per game; and a sparking .832 mark from the free throw line.
“I consider Khalif Wyatt one of the elite players in America,” said North Carolina State head coach Mark Gottfriend after learning of the NCAA tournament date with Temple.
“North Carolina State has a lot of good players, and some people felt that they underachieved a little this season,” said Wyatt of the 24-10 Wolfpack. “They are going to play the game hard and try to prove how good they really are. We are going to have to play well.”
Wyatt has without doubt saved his very best for the very best teams this season and under the watchful eye of a national television audience and against NCAA tournament caliber teams.
Wyatt stole the spotlight with an outrageous 33-point scoring effort as the Owls soared to an 83-79 victory over Syracuse on the legendary hardwood at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Wyatt was a perfect 15-for-15 on the free throw line as Temple handed the Orange its first loss of the season.
Wyatt excelled and scored 26 points as Temple competed well on the national stage but was defeated by powerful Kansas - at Kansas - 69-62. Kansas earned one of the four #1 seeds in the tournament.
And against the elite of the Atlantic-10, Wyatt scored 24 points as the Owls flew to a 64-54 win over St. Louis and followed with a terrific 30-point scoring performance in an 84-76 win over VCU.
“I play the game to have fun, and it’s fun playing in those big games,” said Wyatt. “My coaches and my teammates have trusted me all season, and we have done some good things. But our goal is to win the next game.”
The season, though, will end after the March Madness is all over. But the future for Wyatt after his collegiate playing days is still extremely bright.
“I will graduate in May with a social work degree,” said Wyatt. “But I still hope to being playing basketball somewhere next year. I love playing the game.”
And his enormous number fans love watching him play.
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