College Commitment: Trent Templeton (2021 David Douglas)
When it came to looking at college programs, Trent Templeton Trent Templeton 5'11" | CG David Douglas | 2021 State OR naturally started looking nearby. The high-motored 5-foot-11 combo guard from David Douglas started to think outside the box and found a program out-of-state that seemed intriguing. One thing led to another and after considering his options, Templeton decided that he’ll continue his basketball and academic career in the Midwest in the North Star State.
“I’m committed to Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Templeton said. “They gave me the most financial support and I wanted to try something different and be outside of Oregon. I visited out there in January and I liked the school and the community out there, everyone seems so tightly knit. Also, I wanted the city life and most of the D-III schools in the Pacific Northwest are in small towns. So I liked how it was near Minneapolis.”
Templeton noted that he did notice the cold weather when he visited, but it’s something that he could get used to. In addition to the locale and the campus, the basketball program seemed to be the right fit as well.
“The coach there reminds me of my high school coach,” Templeton said. “Most of their sets are similar to what I’m doing right now in high school. They play really simple basketball and it’s easy to understand and I like how the program is going in the future.”
Before making his decision, Templeton had also been talking to George Fox and Willamette. But the opportunity to not only explore new things in Minnesota was exciting and also knowing he was wanted by the coaching staff were key elements for him.
“Surprisingly, I’m the only out-of-state guy besides Wisconsin,” Templeton said. “Most of their players are local.”
A high-energy guy who makes plays on both ends of the floor, Templeton – who played club ball this off-season with Elite 24 and Oregon Prospects – noted that he’s continuing to work on his ability to get to the basket, his defensive IQ, and sharpening the fundamentals with the help of his trainer Beno Memory. With the improvement for college ball it should also translate to this upcoming season with David Douglas, a year that he’s certainly looking forward to.
“I think we’re going to be underdogs,” Templeton said. “Every year it’s like that as no one thinks of us as contenders. But I think we’re definitely a contender this year.”
Templeton currently ranks as the #35 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings.