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COLLEGE: Steve Donahue Bests Longtime Friend Fran Dunphy in Final Big 5 Clash

By Rich Flanagan, 01/20/19, 1:30AM EST

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The University of Pennsylvania Quakers clinch Big 5 Title after defeating the Temple Owls 77-70.

PHILADELPHIA – For his first 10 years as a coach at the Division 1 level, Steve Donahue sat behind or next to Fran Dunphy

Donahue was hired as an assistant on Dunphy’s staff at the University of Pennsylvania and immediately got a taste of success. The Quakers won six Ivy League titles in his 10-year stint under Dunphy. To think that three years prior to joining Penn, Donahue was helping current Lafayette head coach Fran O’Hanlon win a Philadelphia Catholic League championship at Monsignor Bonner in 1988 just adds to the narrative of this local connection.

Temple vs. Penn Game Highlights:

Even with two years of coaching experience under Hall-of-Fame coach Herb Magee at Philadelphia University, Donahue was not a household name but learning from an architype like Dunphy was more than he could’ve asked for.

“I did a couple years as an assistant and Herb Magee paid me zero as I worked there for two years.  

“Never do you feel that this could be a reality and I was really fortunate to be hooked on a guy like Fran. It’s not about being a great coach, which he is, but as someone who really respected someone who going to work hard and do a great job,” Donahue said.

On Saturday, Donahue stood across from his mentor for the final time as his Quakers put on a dominant performance in a 77-70 victory over Dunphy’s Temple Owls to claim at least a share of the Big 5 title for the first time since 2001. Additionally, it Penn’s first win against the Owls since 2007. Penn (11-6) was led by 6-foot-8 junior forward AJ Brodeur, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Germantown Academy alum Devon Goodman, who had 15 points, four assists and two steals.

This game was less about the outcome and more about how these two coaches had come full circle as Dunphy draws closer to his final game as a head coach. The Owls (14-4) are putting together a fantastic season and it could be a lengthy year for Dunphy’s team but for one evening, Donahue immerse himself in the nostalgia he receives having played his former colleague and tutor for once more.

“I was there for 10 years and that’s a long time in this business,” Donahue said. “Every spring I used to think about that I’m going to have to go work for someone else and the thought of that [was strange] because I had never worked for anybody else.”

When he was at Penn, Donahue thought he was the one learning all the intricacies of the game but, Dunphy was being taught more about the sport in that time than he could’ve imagined. 

“I’m very proud of Steve,” Dunphy said. “I say it all the time: when I coached with him I learned a lot. He’s a terrific person and coach. I’m not surprised by the success they’re having. That will only continue for as long as he’s coaching.”

Cornell was Donahue’s first shot at being a head coach in 2000. He took much of what Dunphy had taught him and after a few seasons he was the one claiming Ivy League championships, as he did with his first in 2007. That began a string of three straight league crowns and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. As fate would have it, 2009 was a special season for the Big Red but it brought Donahue and Dunphy face to face on the basketball court for the first time in the Big Dance. 

The Big Red pulled off the first-round upset against an Owls team which boasted Lavoy Allen, Temple’s all-time leading rebounder (1,147) and eventual draft choice by the Philadelphia 76ers. They also had veterans like Ryan BrooksJuan Fernandez and Ramon Moore. On paper, it initially looked like a mismatch but after the game many began to take notice of Donahue’s prowess as a head coach, one that would lead his team to the Sweet 16.

Dunphy has had his fair share of talented and deep teams while coaching on Broad Street but Donahue felt that the one he took down in 2009 could’ve possibly been Dunphy’s best and it has stuck with him that he was the one who dealt them their season-ending loss.

“After we had that game, which was the highlight of my career, I was very emotional,” Donahue said. “Like my wife told me, I was really torn because it was probably his best team at the time and I knew it. I knew we were going to be hard to beat. I knew what he puts into it and what goes into this business. Here it is with his best team. It was a terrible feeling for a while but the beauty of Dunph is that it never effected our relationship. What he has accomplished stands for itself.”

Post-game press conference with Penn head coach Steve Donahue & players AJ Brodeur (middle) and Kuba Mijakowski (right) -- Donahue gives final remarks on playing against Fran Dunphy 4:55:

Post-game interviews with Temple seniors Ernest Alflakpui (left) and Shizz Alston Jr. (right):

Post-game press conference with Temple head coach Fran Dunphy:

Post-game press conference with Temple head coach Fran Dunphy: (continued)

The two longtime coaches and friends would not meet again until 2015, Donahue’s first season at the helm of the Quakers. Dunphy got the best of his protégé with a four-point triumph but it began a slew of four straight seasons the two would face off in the Big 5. 

Having overseen that program for 17 years, Dunphy is happy it’s in the hands of someone as capable and knowledgeable as Donahue.

“I have phenomenal respect for the program and the university,” Dunphy said. “Steve is a close friend and done a terrific job in his fourth year now at Penn. He will continue to do so because of what a great coach he is. I’m very proud of him and that program.”

Despite a career night from Archbishop Carroll alum Ernest Alflakpui (21 points, 15 rebounds and 14 points from Shizz Alston Jr. (Haverford School), Temple struggled to find consistency against Penn, shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and only holding a lead for a total of 19 seconds. Donahue’s Quakers led by as many as 13 and drilled 12 three-pointers. After the final buzzer, they exchanged pleasantries, shook hands and smiled at one another for one, last time as opposing coaches.

Donahue is thankful this will be his final time going against his mentor because the teacher has had the student’s number for a while now.

“In terms of coaching against him, I’m not going to miss this,” Donahue said. “I don’t like going against him. I think this is the second time I’ve beaten him. He’s hammered me about 17-18 times.”