South Florida Bulls Basketball

1.) Syracuse (6-0):

The Orange beat No. 6 North Carolina, and No. 12 California by impressive margins giving them the top spot this week.

2.) Villanova (6-0):

They beat the No. 18 Dayton team 71-65, but barely got by George Mason 69-68 keeping them from the top spot so far.

3.) West Virginia (5-0):

The 76 Classic Champions got a win over an impressive Portland team this week.

4.) Connecticut (4-1):

The Huskies lost against Duke 68-59, but showed they have talent to compete for a Big East crown.

5.) Cincinnati (4-1):

The Bearcats already have a quality win over No. 21 Maryland, 69-57.

6.) Louisville (4-1):

This team has some work to do before they’ll be among the Big East elite.

7.) Georgetown (4-0):

The 46-45 performance against Temple scares me from putting them any higher right now.

8.) Marquette (6-1):

They upset No. 15 Michigan 79-65 and lost to Florida State 57-56, don’t under estimate this team.

9.) Pittsburgh (5-1):

The Panthers lost to Texas 62-78.  They need to be more competitive if they’re going to have a chance in the Big East this year.

10.) South Florida (6-1):

This team will pull some upsets in Big East play this year.

11.) Notre Dame (6-1):

The weak schedule so far hasn’t been helped with a loss to Northwestern.

12.) St. Johns (5-0):

The Red Storm will get a chance to prove itself at Duke on Dec. 5.

13.) Seton Hall (4-0):

The Pirates key win on the year is a 89-79 victory at Cornell.

14.) DePaul (4-1):

The Blue Demons needed overtime to squeak by Detroit 68-66 this week.

15.) Providence (4-2):

The Friars already have two losses on the season, and when conference play starts, expect plenty more.

16.) Rutgers (3-2):

The Gators beat them by 15 this week showing Rutgers fans it’s going to be a long season for the Scarlet Knights.

The Bulls are looking like a real Big East team this year both with its scoring and defense. Augustus Gilchrist had a career high of 27 points and seven rebounds, while leading the Bulls to a 78-58 win over instate rival FAU.

Dominique Jones has had inconstant shooting all season and they was evident in his 4-13 performance. His 11 points came mostly from penetrating lay-ups, but his most impressive stat was his 10 assists. Most of these assist game in the form of dishes to Gilchrist who slammed them home.

USF shot 49 percent from the field and 47 percent from behind the arc. These types of performances will translate into win against Big East opponents, but the defensive pressure has got to stay the same. Gilchrist had three blocks and the Owls committed 10 turnovers as USF stymied the Owl offense in the paint.

The bench chipped in 10 of USF’s 78 points, but more importantly was responsible for some key rebounds and steals in the second half sealing the win for the Bulls. 

Once again, Stan Heath opened up the bench allowing for 11 of the 15 bulls players to see valuable action. This use of depth will keep USF fresh in the second half of games and gives Heath a chance to see what his future team will look like.

Gilchrist’s production so far this season should earn him All Big East honors if it continues through the rest of the season.  He’s currently averaging 20 points and seven rebounds a game, while leading the Bulls to a 6-1 record.

USF faces Hampton (0-5) on Wednesday at 7:00pm. This mismatch should allow for USF to once again get its benched involved, as the Bulls should come into this game heavily favored. USF will have two more home games after this before starting a set of road games and then a grueling start to conference play.

The South Florida Bulls finally put a complete game together after their struggles in the past two games. Led by Dominique Jones’ 28 points, the Bulls jumped all over UNC-Wilmington in the second half.

The Bulls (4-1) had a 37-32 led at half, but with the combined effort of Jones and Augustus Gilchrist’s 14 second-half points the Bulls pulled away to win 74-66.

The Bulls defense caused 18 Seahawk turnovers, most of which were from Dominique Jones’ impressive six steals.

Jarrid Famous chipped in 13 points, and has had a very impressive pair of games in the back half of the Charleston Classic. He has scored in double figures both times and is averaging 15 points and six rebounds during that stretch.

The bench continues to be of concern as the production is lacking. But with the starters scoring like they are it’s serviceable for now.

Toarlyn Fitzpatrick had three points and six rebounds while Mike Mercer had four points and four rebounds in their 22 minutes apiece off the bench.

USF’s three-point shooting woes continued as they went a dismal 1-of-12, with Jones making the lone three for the Bulls. They shot 51 percent from the field including the season low three-point percentage.

The post play has carried the shooting percentage and scoring throughout the first part of the season, as the perimeter shooting has been inconsistent at best.

UNC Wilmington had three starters in double digits, and played tough in the first half. Their lack of discipline killed any chances of rallying in the second half, both with fouls and turnovers.

Both John Fields and Chad Tomko had 17 for the Seahawks, and were assisted by Will Ohuaregbe’s 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Bulls should be able to take this momentum into their next game against Kent State (3-1) on Wednesday. Kent State is a perennial MAC Champion contender and will provide an up-tempo challenge for USF.

This game starts a five-game home stretch that the Bulls need to take advantage of if they have any hope for postseason play.

USF lost a heart breaker last night against South Carolina 69-66. South Carolina went 21-30 from the line and pulled out a close win in another tough fought game.

USF had a 35-29 lead at half, but just could not close the deal as they were outscored 40-31 in the second half.

Augustus Gilchrist once again led the Bulls with 19 points, setting aside off court NCAA violation rumors. Gilchrist was named in a pending NCAA investigation about his transfer from Maryland.

Dominique Jones had another impressive performance, putting in 17 points and nine boards.  Jarrid Famous was the only other Bull who scored in double figures, as he finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

USF’s 16 turnovers gave the Gamecocks all the breathing room they needed in the second half. USF has the talent to win these games, but they have to play controlled and confident. Both of these traits have been absent at times this season and that was certainty the case last night.

The Bulls guards must step up and create perimeter shots to lessen the pressure on Gilchrist and Famous. If the shots are falling down, teams will have to respect guard Dominique Jones' shooting ability, allowing him to penetrate and dish it out to the big men.

The USF bench is also an area of concern considering the lack of scoring support the starters get. Toarlyn Fitzpatrick led the reserves with four points and two rebounds. Head Coach Stan Heath knows he'll need more contributions from his bench if the Bulls want to be competitive in the Big East this year.

USF gets a shot at redemption in the Charleston Classic when they play UNC Wilmington (1-3) on Sunday at 3:30pm. The Bulls need to regain the momentum they had coming into this game after a shocking upset of the Virginia Cavaliers earlier in the week.

The USF men’s basketball program is currently under investigation by the University and possibly the NCAA in the upcoming future. Reports surfaced that Maryland Transfer, Augustus Gilchrist, the Bulls star center was tampered with during the transfer process.

Evidence reportedly reveals Terrelle Woody, a strength and conditioning assistant, driving Gilchrist on personal trips. It’s been stated he was used as his personal valet, which included two separate trips to Orlando for Magic games during the NBA Finals. The NCAA allows for occasional local transportation. Tampa is an hour from Orlando and does not fit into that definition.

Terrelle Woody is also accused of helping out at USF practices in the off-season. The Tampa Tribune reports on several occasions, seeing Woody, assistant coach Jeremy Cox and Stan Heath with nine players in the Sun Dome in August having an “open gym.”

This is a direct violation of NCAA rules, as this type of activity cannot resume until September 15. Woody was supposedly brought onto the USF staff to guarantee that Gilchrist would sign with the Bulls in 2008.

Woody was also present in the Bulls locker room before games, at halftime, and during post game conversations. Both former players and assistant coaches have verified his presence on the team long before being and official member.

Stan Heath is denying any possible violations that may have occurred according to the report on FanHouse.com where it was originally posted along with allegations of a possible theft between former and current USF players.

Jesus Verdejo and Gabby Belardo, former USF players, also had reported a theft of almost eight thousand dollars in personal merchandise taken from their campus apartment in April 2009. The two players filed a police report with the Hillsborough County Sheriff and indicated they felt current players: Dominique Jones, Anthony Crater, and Justin Leemow were to blame.

Stan Heath held a team meeting in order to try and reclaim the stolen belongings. Heath claims that no one on the team was involved in the burglary. He also has stated he conducted a search of the players rooms personally and didn’t come up with any of the stolen goods. The case is currently inactive according to Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts website.

Augusts Gilchrist helped the Bulls to their 3-0 start with 21 points and eight rebounds. It wasn’t pretty for Gilchrist who went just 3-9 from the field, but made up for it on the line going 15-16.

Dominique Jones had a double double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He was four assists shy of a triple double, and without his five turnovers could have made a serious run at it.

The Bulls out rebounded the Wildcats 39-26 and also had an advantage in the steal department with nine to Davidson’s three. Both teams played sloppy in the first half and finished with 16 turnovers a piece for the game. Davidson’s 23 personal fouls help USF capitalize and pull away getting more opportunities at the line than the Wildcats.

The USF bench once again failed to show up managing only six points and three rebounds. As the season progresses more and more will be expected from players like Justin Leemow and Toarlyn Fiztpatrick.

The Bulls shot 40 percent from the field, including a miserable 27 percent from three-point range. The only saving grace for USF was that Davidson shot 36 percent from the field with an even worse 26 percent from behind the arc.

Will Archambault led the Wildcats with 14 points and six rebounds. He also got help from Bryant Barr who chipped in 13 points and Steve Rossiter who added 10 points and six rebounds.

The Wildcats Bench was responsible for 19 of Davidson’s 58 points and nine of the teams 26 rebounds. Unfortunately for Davidson they also contributed to eight of the teams 16 turnovers.

USF (3-0) will continue to put their unbeaten streak on the line when they face Kent State (3-1) on Wednesday. The Bulls current progress is promising considering they should be favored in most of their remaining non-conference games.

The Bulls surprised even themselves tonight with a dominating performance against the Virginia Cavaliers. USF crashed the boards all night giving them a 33-20 rebound advantage over the Cavs.  Virginia didn’t have an answer to the stifling Bulls defense it faced, especially in the paint.

Virginia was the only ACC team to bring back all five of last year’s starters. It didn’t matter however, as Dominique Jones went off for 22 points and 7 rebounds. He was also named player of the game, the first of the season but surely not the last.

Augustus Gilchrist added 18 points and 8 rebounds; his counterpart in the post, Jarrid Famous had another solid game for the Bulls with 12 points and eight rebounds. Justin Leemow added some depth off the bench with nine points.

Sylven Landesberg was supposed to come into the Sun Dome and challenge Dominique Jones to see who was the best player on the court. Landesberg managed to shoot only 5-14 from the field with 14 points. He was the Cavs leading scorer and didn’t get much help from the rest of the team, as he was the only player in double figures. Mike Scott was the next closest with nine points and five rebounds.

Virginia shot 32 percent from the field, and a miserable 16 percent from behind the arc. USF trumped both of these, shooting 53 percent from the field and a remarkable 45 percent from three-point range. The Bulls managed to best Virginia in every statistical category on their way to victory including blocks, assists, and steals.

USF (2-0) got a quality win tonight against what should be a good Virginia team. USF’s next game is against Davidson (0-1) on November 19. Davidson was in a shootout in their opener with No. 10 Butler before falling late. USF will have to continue to improve on tonight’s game, but has shown it can compete with good teams already this season.

The Bulls started the season off right with a win, albeit an ugly one as they clawed their way to a 67-61 victory over SMU. Augustus Gilchrist led the way with 23 points and nine rebounds. He was assisted by Chris Howard’s 14 points and seven assists.

Dominique Jones, the team’s catalyst, struggled in his first game with only 13 points, six rebounds, and six assists. The Bulls will once again expect big things out of their star player this season. His shooting woes are usually directly correlated into sub par performances by USF offensively.

The Bulls as a team shot 48 percent from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc. Their three point shooting struggled in their opening game as to be expected early in the season, however this must improve quickly when Big East play starts on December 30th.

Derek Williams led the Mustangs with 19 points, and was accompanied by Mouhammad Faye’s 12 points. They led the Bulls 32-29 after the first half and were looking to pull off the upset. The Mustang’s second half shooting woes doomed their chances of getting their first victory on the season. Shooting only 43 percent from the field and a dreadful 28 percent from behind the arc, the Mustangs were outscored 38-29 in the second half.

USF’s next game is on Monday versus the Virginia Cavaliers (1-0), in what should be another tough test for a young Bulls team. The non-conference schedule is especially important for this Bulls team that has been predicted to once again finish last in Big East play. Every win counts, especially the early ones, many of which will be winnable games for the Bulls.

USF showed poise in getting the victory tonight, but it will have to show drastic improvement as the season progresses in order to compete against their brutally difficult schedule.

The University of South Florida will once again try to gain some respect in the super-conference that is the Big East.

The Bulls finished last season a disappointing 9-22, managing just four conference victories. USF returns its top-scorer and team leader in Dominique Jones. They will once again rely on his shoulders to carry them through the season.

Projected Starters:

G Chris Howard, Sr., 7.7 pts/gm

G Dominique Jones, Jr., 18.1 pts/gm

G Mike Mercer, Sr., 8.5 pts/gm

F Alex Rivas, Sr., 4.2 pts/gm

F Augustus Gilchrist, So., 10.2 pts/gm

Reserves:

G Justin Leemow, So.

G BJ Daniels, So.

G Jordan Dumars, Fr.

F Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, Fr.

F Jarrid Famous, Jr.

The Bulls will run and gun with their abundance of guards, but will also look for Gilchrist in the paint.

Their schedule is as brutal as ever. It will be an uphill climb for USF the entire season. The nonconference schedule is relatively easy for the Bulls as they hope to rack up as many wins as possible before starting conference play on Dec. 30, when they visit No. 1 Louisville.

The University of South Florida doesn't exactly shout Men's basketball when you read those words does it?

Didn't think so. At least, not yet.

So what exactly can you expect out of the 2009 Big East team that finished 2008 as a bottom feeder?

Improvement.

In 2007, Stan Heath was hired as South Florida's newest men's basketball coach. He came in viewed as a "nice" guy, but some questioned his coaching efforts out on the floor. However, many looked past the excellent recruiting jobs he did at Arkansas and even the coaching efforts he gave there and his one year NCAA Tournament run at Kent State.

South Florida's hiring is about to pay off. Just by looking at the play of his players on the floor last year, especially that by junior Dominique Jones and true freshman Augustus Gilchrist coupled with the incoming recruits and transfers such as Anthony Crater and Jarrid Famous, this year's team should produce one of the best squads in USF history.

Famous who was also looking at Missouri and Pittsburgh chose South Florida and figures to be the headline for South Florida's recruiting class this offseason. A 6'11" center from Westchester Community College, Famous chose USF to have a great starting opportunity in the Big East and play alongside one of the Big East's top freshmen last year in Augustus Gilchrist who averaged 10.2 PPG and 4.4 RPG.

Crater, known as an explosive point guard transferred from Ohio State in January 2009 and will be eligible to play in January 2010, strengthen the point guard spot and allowing last year's point guard, Dominique Jones, to move to SG.

Obviously, no one expects this team to be a dominate powerhouse just because of a few good recruits this offseason, however they did show signs of sticking with teams last year and even upsetting high ranked Marquette down in Tampa last season.

Heath definitely has the ability to motivate a team, and a team with high motor, high upside players always is a good bet to win quite a bit of ball games with a good coach behind them.

While these recruits may not be of the noteworthy hype that the kids from Pitt, UCONN, and Syracuse are getting, USF is definitely a team that has a chance to rise in the upcoming season.

However, expecting USF not to improve on what they did on the floor last season is foolish to say the least.