With two seniors in their perimeter rotation for the 2015-16 season, Temple had some areas to target recruiting-wise in the Class of 2016. Having already received a verbal pledge from one guard in Quinton Rose, Temple landed its second commitment Sunday afternoon in the form of point guard Alani Moore. The 5-foot-10 Moore, a Washington, D.C. native who attends Friendship Collegiate Academy in Maryland, announced the news via Twitter.
Moore, rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, played for the DC Premier grassroots program this summer and also participated in the Under Armour All-American Camp. While Temple doesn’t lack for perimeter options heading into this season, they will be asking “non-traditional” options (most likely Josh Brown and Shawn Alston) to handle the responsibilities.
That approach may very well work out for Fran Dunphy and his staff, but it didn’t mask the need for a lead guard to run the show in the future. That’s where Moore’s commitment comes into play for a program looking to get back to making annual NCAA tournament appearances after missing out in each of the last two seasons. Moore’s court vision and quickness on the ball will help Temple offensively when he arrives on campus in 2016.
Temple will also lose two front court options in Jaylen Bond and Devontae Watson at the end of the 2015-16 season, so they’ll need to address this area in recruiting as well. The Owls have three scholarships available for 2016-17, so there’s definitely room to do just that.
Temple beat out Georgia Tech, Massachusetts and Seton Hall for Moore’s verbal pledge.