Temple coaching tree grows by one
North Broad Street will always be special to Mark Macon.
Long before the Liacouras Center was built, Macon was starring for Temple and leading them to 94 wins, three NCAA tournaments and a berth in the Elite Eight in 1991.
Macon’s career has taken many twists and turns since his days in Philadelphia, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t paying attention to the rebirth of Temple basketball.
“I check the Temple score every night,” said Macon, now serving as interim basketball coach at Binghamton University. “I think coach [Fran] Dunphy has done a tremendous job. It’s great to see them ranked and doing so well.”
Macon’s climb to a Division I head coach has been unique, almost bizarre.
He was hired as an assistant coach in 2007 under Kevin Broadus, and the Bearcats even advanced to the NCAA tournament last season for the first time in school history. But six players were kicked off the team for various reasons and Broadus was placed on paid leave.
With very little depth and walk-ons adorning much of the bench, Macon still has Binghamton (11-14) quite competitive.
“I’m a competitor in every way,” said Macon, who was picked eighth overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 1991 NBA Draft. “I think we have a chance to win every time we step on the court.”
Macon got that winning edge from former Temple coach John Chaney.
“Coach Chaney is the greatest,” Macon said. “He called me when I was named interim coach. He said to dig in and do what I think is best for the kids. Coach is always there for advice when I need him.”
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