Temple men's basketball 2025-26 Season Preview: Projected starting lineup, impact players and rotation explored

The Temple Owls are starting fresh in the 2025-26 NCAA season. Coach Adam Fisher added eight players to his lineup through the transfer portal after the Owls finished the 2024 season with a 17-15 record. Let's get into the Owls' outlook for the upcoming season.

Temple Season Preview

The Temple Owls experienced a mass exodus of players following the 2024-25 season. Key players Jamal Mashburn Jr, Steve Settle III, Matteo Picarelli and Shane Dezonie have all graduated, while Elijah Gray, Dillion Battie, Zion Stanford, Jameel Brown and Quante Berry opted to transfer to other schools.

Adam Fisher went to work this offseason to replace those players, signing AJ Smith, Jamai Felt, CJ Hines, Spencer Mahoney, Jordan Mason, Derrian Ford, Masiah Gilyard and Gavin Griffiths through the transfer portal. The Owls also added incoming freshmen Ayuba Bryant and Cam Wallace to their roster.

Starters

Guard: Derrian Ford

Arkansas State guard Derrian Ford (#3) shoots from the baseline over Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (12) at Coleman Coliseum (Credits: IMAGN)

Derrian Ford joined the Owls after spending two seasons with Arkansas State. He played 34 games in his final year with the Red Wolves, 14 of which were starts. Ford averaged 8.0 points and 3.4 boards in the 2024-25 NCAA campaign.

Ford impressed in his last two games for Arkansas State in the NIT, averaging 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in the first two rounds against Saint Louis and North Texas. He is expected to be one of Fisher's key backcourt players this coming season.

Guard: AJ Smith

AJ Smith dazzled in his junior year with Charleston, averaging 11.5 points, 3.1 boards and 0.9 dimes through 30 games in the 2024-25 season. Adam Fisher convinced Smith to use his final year of eligibility with Temple and fill the Owls' backcourt void.

Smith will enter his senior year with 992 career points. He played his first two seasons at The Citadel before transferring to Charleston ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Forward: Aiden Tobiason

Aiden Tobiason (#25) shoots against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at FedExForum. (Credits: IMAGN)

Aiden Tobiason is one of the few players from the 2024-25 roster who will return to Temple next season. He quickly gained the trust of coach Adam Fisher, making 22 starts in his freshman year. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists through 27 games last season.

Forward: Gavin Griffiths

Gavin Griffiths moved to Temple after spending just one season at Nebraska. Griffiths' transfer to the Cornhuskers from Rutgers didn't pan out, averaging just 2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds through 16 games in the 2024-25 campaign. He missed chunks of the previous season due to various injuries.

Griffiths' outside shooting will be a valuable weapon for Fisher, especially with Picarelli and Brown now both gone. The backcourt duo helped the Owls finish second in the AAC in three-point shooting percentage, with Temple knocking down 36.2% of its attempts from beyond the arc last season. Griffiths shot 28.2% from deep in his freshman year with Rutgers.

Center: Jamai Felt

Temple strengthened its frontcourt for the 2025-26 season, adding big man Jamai Felt through the transfer portal. He posted solid numbers in his freshman year at Bowling Green, averaging 5.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.

What makes Felt such a valuable addition to Temple is his defensive play. He led the Mid-American Conference in blocked shots during the 2024-25 season, swatting away 46 attempts. Felt's performances in his first year in the collegiate ranks were recognized as he was named a member of the MAC All-Freshman Team.

Rotation Players

Adam Fisher bolstered his frontcourt with the arrival of Spencer Mahoney. He spent just one season at California before transferring to Temple, averaging 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds through 27 games in his freshman year.

Other transferees who will be relied upon off the bench are CJ Hines, Jordan Mason and Masiah Gilyard. Incoming freshmen Cam Wallace and Ayuba Bryant will also be given opportunities to contribute next season.

Impact Players

The onus is on Aiden Tobiason to carry the scoring load for Temple in the 2025-26 season. He already showed what he is capable of in his freshman year, becoming a regular starter for Fisher in the 2024-25 campaign.

Fisher also added impact players through the transfer portal, signing AJ Smith, Derrian Ford and big man Jamai Felt to provide support to Tobiason in his second season with the Owls.