SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- There were no Temple players to instruct, no officials to berate, no frustrations because of a poor pass or a missed defensive assignment in the matchup zone.

Instead, for one of the few times in his career, the attention was on John Chaney and he couldn't deflect any of it. The gruff voice was just as toned down, but there were no soapbox moments, no issues he wanted to discuss.

Chaney, with Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and former NBA all-star Moses Malone, were in town to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday. Chaney, like his Hall classmates, couldn't be more humbled.

	Reaching the Hall of Fame wasn't a goal of John Chaney, just a reward for his contributions to the game.

"You feel small at a time when you should feel very, very big about this," said the 69-year old Chaney. "I can remember not being paid to coach. I can remember getting my first check at Temple and putting it away. You don't plan to go to the Hall of Fame. You go to work every day and try to do the best job you can. This is something I never figured would happen to me."

Chaney said his family and close friends were making a fuss around his house about his pending induction. He said he didn't until he got to Springfield and "recognized that this wasn't a mistake. It'll be many years before I get over this."

Chaney's induction into the Hall of Fame proves that winning a national championship, let alone getting to the Final Four, isn't a requirement. His induction is a testament to his longevity in the game, his perseverance through a changing game and his ability to mold a program like Temple and make it a national player year in and year out.

"John was like I was," said Texas Tech coach and Hall of Fame member Bob Knight, who was a presenter for Krzyzewski. "You played and you coached and maybe you didn't think about anything else. John's story in coaching is one of the great ones: The public league in Philadelphia, Cheyney State and Temple. The inner city kids he has affected might not have had a chance to do anything without John. John should be one of the most respected coaches that's ever been in the game because of where he's been and what he's done."

And what he keeps doing.

Chaney coached the Owls to the Elite Eight last March, losing to Michigan State in the South Regional in Atlanta. Chaney got a three-year contract extension and the legendary coach, who turns 70 in January, isn't using the Hall of Fame induction as a precursor to retirement.

The Owls are one of the favorites in the Atlantic 10 with St. Joseph's and Xavier. The Owls should be a preseason top 25 team, one that includes the return of all-league players Lynn Greer at point guard and center Kevin Lyde.

	“	I know why Mike (Krzyzewski) is here. He has a right to be here after beating me all those years. I don't know why I'm here. ”
		— John Chaney Temple head coach

"As long as my health stays well and the kids continue to challenge me then I'll stay around," Chaney said. "I haven't anticipated leaving yet. But when changes happen for us old guys, we get pissed off. I can't stand the idea of so many changes, like the 5/8 rule (of limiting scholarships to five newcomers a season, no more than eight in two). That's something that could drive me out of here."

Chaney is known for his passion for the game as much as he is for his practice regimen, which starts at daily at 6 a.m. during the season. He is a teacher, coach and trusted friend to his former players and a mentor to his former assistants. The loyalty to Chaney runs deep among NBA players like Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie, and the former players who never made it to the NBA.

"I'm hoping this means a lot to other coaches," said Chaney, who added he expects Arizona coach Lute Olson, Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian and Sixers coach Larry Brown to follow him in the next few years. "My hero and one of my mentors, Harry Litwack, didn't win a title but he got to the Hall of Fame. That makes me real proud that the two of us are from Temple. We're just a little school with a sound philosophy on how to deal with students. I know why Mike (Krzyzewski) is here. He has a right to be here after beating me all those years. I don't know why I'm here."

Everyone else does. He took an urban school that wasn't on the national radar screen and resurrected the program to the point where Temple is now Chaney, and Chaney is Temple.

He hasn't made the Final Four, but he's not done yet. He got to the Hall of Fame when he didn't think he would ever be on their invitation list. No one is about to say he can't get to the Final Four before he's through, either.

But if he doesn't, he's reached the pinnacle of his coaching career with an honor that was justly deserved.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.