The Temple Owls hoped to have junior forward Scootie Randall back in the lineup after their Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament in late November. Then they hoped to have him back by the beginning of the new calendar year, aiming for a return against Buffalo or Delaware so as to prepare for Duke on January 4th. Now it seems like they could be looking toward the fall, and not spring, of 2012 before they see Randall back on the floor.
Earlier this week, Shawn Pastor of OwlsDaily reported that Scootie "will redshirt due to his knee injury" and that there would be "more details in the coming days." The report came not long before Temple coach Fran Dunphy told PhilaHoops.com that neither Randall nor senior center Michael Eric had progressed as well as he would have hoped in their respective attempts at rehabilitation.
The university has yet to release anything official on Randall's status, though, if Pastor's report is correct, an announcement could be coming rather quickly, as the team is set to host Buffalo this evening and then head to Delaware to face the Blue Hens on Friday. The Owls A10 schedule tips-off January 7th when they take on the Dayton Flyers.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Should Randall receive the medical red shirt, he would enter next season as part of a well-stocked Temple backcourt featuring the returning Khalif Wyatt, T.J. DiLeo, Aaron Brown and Will Cummings alongside incoming freshman Quenton DeCosey and junior-transfer Dalton Pepper. In the event the redshirt option is not exercised, Scootie will play out the remainder of his eligibility on a sadly shortened schedule.
As for his teammates, they return home this evening after splitting a two-game road trip—losing to Texas before downing Rice—shortly before the Christmas break. They wrap up their contractually-obligated MAC schedule this evening when they host the Buffalo Bulls at 7 p.m. Though Buffalo has won the last two meetings between the sides in 2006 and 2008, Temple has not lost on its home floor since January 2, 2010.
We'll see you post-game.