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Goodbyes were bound to happen

Joe Rienzi, ColumnistIssue date: 3/25/08 Section: SportsPrintEmail Article Tools Page 1 of 2 next > March Madness was in full swing in Tampa last week. After four first-round bracket-busters, Tampa was dubbed "Upset City" by some clever members of the media.

Despite the madness surrounding the city, the USF basketball team has found itself on the outside of the postseason looking in for the third straight season.

The Bulls' inability to win Big East Conference games has had a benefit in one important area for the Bulls - the future. By missing the conference tournament, Bulls coach Stan Heath got a head start on recruiting for the upcoming season. Heath, who will be entering his second season with the Bulls, is busy doing what most second-year coaches do - bringing in "his players."

With only one scholarship available for next season, however, Heath was forced to let go of some players who had been on the roster. Now, sophomores Solomon Bozeman, Amadu Sakka and redshirt freshman Aaron Holmes are looking for new teams.

Finding a new team will be especially difficult for Holmes - who already lost a year of eligibility by transferring from Florida State to USF in January of 2007.

Bozeman -?who averaged 9.6 points and nearly 31 minutes per game under former Bulls' coach Robert McCullum - saw his production fall to just 5.2 points and 19 minutes per game this season.

Sakka was virtually a ghost during Big East play, averaging just 1.9 points in 18 Big East games.

It is tough for someone like Holmes to transfer again. Fans may be disappointed to see the departure of Bozeman, who has appeared in 60 games over two years at USF.

Heath, however, is doing exactly what a second-year coach is supposed to do - bringing in the players who fit his system.

Heath was hired because McCullum wasn't doing the job he was paid to do - win. One reason coaches can't win is because they are unable to recruit talented players capable of winning. To succeed in the Big East - a conference that sent eight teams to the NCAA tournament and one to the National Invitational Tournament - talented players are a must.

Continued...

http://media.www.usforacle.com/media/storage/paper880/news/2008/03/25/Sports/Goodbyes.Were.Bound.To.Happen-3281825.shtml

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