The idea “It’s not where you are; it’s where you’re going” is all about progress.
Thomas says he sees it in his team. And for the first time in front of their fans, the Wildcats showed that progress with a 72-37 rout of Austin Reagan on Tuesday night at Wildcat Gym for Thomas’ first victory at Temple.
The win also snapped Temple’s eight-game home-court losing streak.
The Wildcats (1-2) earned this one on defense, forcing 24 turnovers and holding the Raiders to just 12 baskets.
“We want to play just tough, hard-nosed defense, get after people and protect our house,” Thomas said. “I think the kids were really in tune to what our gameplan was. I thought they were active, they took charges, got loose balls, deflections. We’re still a work in progress. As a coach, you’re happy to see progress.”
Temple gave itself some breathing room at the end of the first quarter with an 8-0 run, keyed by junior Lache Seastrunk’s layup with 1:55 left.
The Wildcats kept the Raiders at bay the rest of the way, leading by as many as 29 points.
Seastrunk, in his second game of the season, used a combination of outside shots and off-the-dribble layups to score a game-high 19 points. His quick first step gives the Wildcats another dimension on the perimeter along with sharpshooter D.J. Wright, who scored 16 points.
“He’s a very explosive athlete,” Thomas said of Seastrunk. “Athletes like Lache, they’re rare.”
The Wildcats also had success getting the ball down low to forward Eric Valdez, who scored 15 points, including six in the fourth.
The offensive explosion, after two losses in which Temple struggled to score, was nice, but with Thomas, it comes back to defense.
Though the Raiders converted on nearly 50 percent of their field goal attempts, Thomas was quick to point out the number of players diving for loose balls and trying to tip passes.
It was that defense that helped Temple boost a 31-21 halftime lead into a third-quarter blowout.
The Raiders were held to just a free throw in the first five mintues of the third quarter. By the time Reagan scored its first field goal of the half, Temple already had a 22-point lead.
“Tonight, I think about 80 percent of the time, they did the things I’ve been telling them to do,” Thomas said. “You have to try to have perfect effort. They’re doing it.”
NOTE: The Temple boys basketball program will host a “Meet the Wildcats” event at 12:30 p.m. Friday in the foyer of Wildcat Gym.
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
