Post by elp525 on May 19, 2011 5:09:58 GMT -5
05/19/2011
Chip Fontanazza
After ending the season with a strong performance in the NCAA Tournament, it seemed like guard Dalton Pepper was going to be a solid player on next year’s Mountaineer basketball team. Now, the 6-foot-5 junior-to-be is transferring from WVU and many reports indicate his destination is going to be Temple, although nothing official has been released.
But the rumors aren’t a surprise to many people in Philadelphia.
John Di Carlo is the editor for Owlscoop.com and has covered the Temple Owls basketball team for over ten years. Owlscoop.com reported Pepper will transfer to Temple and Di Carlo says it’s a logical choice for the former Mountaineer.
"I was hearing that every time he would come home he would really give transferring to Temple a serious consideration, but when he would go down there he would workout well and say ‘maybe I should stay’ or ‘maybe I’m going to have a chance to play,’’’ said Di Carlo. “There was a lot of speculation about it.”
Pepper is originally from the Philadelphia area and went to Pennsbury High School. During his senior year, he was recruited heavily by Temple head coach Fran Dunphy.
But the connections don’t end there.
Owl’s shooting guard Khalif Wyatt is a good friend of Pepper’s and the two often played against one another in high school. When Di Carlo spoke to Wyatt about Pepper, Wyatt thought his high school rival would stay in Morgantown.
“A few weeks ago I talk to Kalif and I said ‘so what are you hearing about your buddy?’ and he said ‘last time I talked to him he said he was staying’ and that kind of gives you an idea of how back and forth he was,” said Di Carlo.
And it was just one week ago that Pepper’s transfer rumors began to heat up. Again.
“As of this time last week it started to pick up some steam, but I was also hearing from a couple sources that Bob [Huggins] and Billy [Hahn] were trying to get him to stay, but I heard his dad’s health was becoming a concern,” explained Di Carlo.
If Pepper decides to transfer to Temple, he will have to sit out next season because of NCAA transfer rules. Pepper should be a great pickup for the Owls because of the attrition from guards Juan Fernandez and Ramone Moore, who graduate after next season.
“I think he will fit in well for a couple of reasons,” explains Di Carlo. “I think he’s got a pretty good skill set and I think he’s a really good basketball player. He was playing behind some good guys his freshman year and there weren’t a lot of minutes for him.
“He fills an immediate need for them and they are going to have as many as five or six scholarships to give for the 2012-13 class,” continued Di Carlo. “Dalton is now one less guard they have to get.”
Di Carlo adds that Pepper and Dunphy have a good relationship and he feels Pepper will have a bright future in the city of brotherly love.
“There may be times when he struggles with his confidence and I think Fran will help him out with that,” said Di Carlo. “I think he’ll get a lot out of him and just seeing Dalton play when he was in high school I think it’s a great pickup for Temple.”
Chip Fontanazza
After ending the season with a strong performance in the NCAA Tournament, it seemed like guard Dalton Pepper was going to be a solid player on next year’s Mountaineer basketball team. Now, the 6-foot-5 junior-to-be is transferring from WVU and many reports indicate his destination is going to be Temple, although nothing official has been released.
But the rumors aren’t a surprise to many people in Philadelphia.
John Di Carlo is the editor for Owlscoop.com and has covered the Temple Owls basketball team for over ten years. Owlscoop.com reported Pepper will transfer to Temple and Di Carlo says it’s a logical choice for the former Mountaineer.
"I was hearing that every time he would come home he would really give transferring to Temple a serious consideration, but when he would go down there he would workout well and say ‘maybe I should stay’ or ‘maybe I’m going to have a chance to play,’’’ said Di Carlo. “There was a lot of speculation about it.”
Pepper is originally from the Philadelphia area and went to Pennsbury High School. During his senior year, he was recruited heavily by Temple head coach Fran Dunphy.
But the connections don’t end there.
Owl’s shooting guard Khalif Wyatt is a good friend of Pepper’s and the two often played against one another in high school. When Di Carlo spoke to Wyatt about Pepper, Wyatt thought his high school rival would stay in Morgantown.
“A few weeks ago I talk to Kalif and I said ‘so what are you hearing about your buddy?’ and he said ‘last time I talked to him he said he was staying’ and that kind of gives you an idea of how back and forth he was,” said Di Carlo.
And it was just one week ago that Pepper’s transfer rumors began to heat up. Again.
“As of this time last week it started to pick up some steam, but I was also hearing from a couple sources that Bob [Huggins] and Billy [Hahn] were trying to get him to stay, but I heard his dad’s health was becoming a concern,” explained Di Carlo.
If Pepper decides to transfer to Temple, he will have to sit out next season because of NCAA transfer rules. Pepper should be a great pickup for the Owls because of the attrition from guards Juan Fernandez and Ramone Moore, who graduate after next season.
“I think he will fit in well for a couple of reasons,” explains Di Carlo. “I think he’s got a pretty good skill set and I think he’s a really good basketball player. He was playing behind some good guys his freshman year and there weren’t a lot of minutes for him.
“He fills an immediate need for them and they are going to have as many as five or six scholarships to give for the 2012-13 class,” continued Di Carlo. “Dalton is now one less guard they have to get.”
Di Carlo adds that Pepper and Dunphy have a good relationship and he feels Pepper will have a bright future in the city of brotherly love.
“There may be times when he struggles with his confidence and I think Fran will help him out with that,” said Di Carlo. “I think he’ll get a lot out of him and just seeing Dalton play when he was in high school I think it’s a great pickup for Temple.”
