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Coach: Guard Belardo commits to Bulls


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More drama:

Manic Monday: Belardo on, off, back on again for USF

Posted By Brett McMurphy at May 05, 2008 at 09:45 PM

Updated May 05, 2008 at 09:53 PM

Thankfully, University of South Florida men’s basketball coach Stan Heath shaves his head. Because if he didn’t he’d have plenty of grays sprouting on top.

In the span of about 12 hours Monday, Notre Dame PG Gaby Belardo had done the following, according to his high school and AAU coaches:

* In the morning, committed to USF then signed his letter of intent with USF (but it did not have his father’s signature so it wasn’t valid)

* In the afternoon, Belardo was undecided and was scheduling a visit to Hofstra this week.

* By early evening, Belardo was again fully committed and back on board with the Bulls.

Art Alvarez, Belardo’s AAU coach, said Belardo’s father, Jose, was sent the letter of intent and he will sign it Tuesday, officially making Belardo a Bull.

“He’s really, really excited to play with [uSF senior] Jesus [Verdejo],†said Alvarez, who coached Verdejo and Belardo on the Miami Tropics AAU team. “There were a bunch of schools in the mix, but it came down to the job [uSF coach] Stan Heath and his staff did recruiting him.â€Â

Alvarez said the 6-foot-2, 190 pound Belardo was also recruited by Hofstra, UCF, Florida International, Duquesne and Virginia Commonwealth.

In the morning, Belardo committed and signed with USF, Notre Dame Prep coach Ryan Hurd said.

“But we’re waiting for his father to sign it,†Hurd said. “His dad wants him to visit another school first, but Gaby is pretty adamant about where he wants to be.â€Â

However, Monday afternoon Alvarez said Belardo would visit Hofstra this week.

“He wants to talk with his family about some concerns,†Alrarez said Monday afternoon.

Monday night, though, Alvarez said Belardo was definitely headed to USF. I asked Alvarez why the mixed signals on whether Belardo was coming to USF?

“There were schools on the table that were pushing the envelope,†Alvarez said. “It came down to ‘did we want to visit another school or sign with South Florida.’

“But everything is ironed out, everything is a go. We’re very, very excited.â€Â

Hurd and Notre Dame Prep assistant Mike McMahon said Belardo will be a solid guard in the college ranks.

“He will be an asset to any program, the way he conducts himself on and off court,†McMahon said. “He is a tremendous shooter and a great team player. He’s totally committed to making sure the team reaches their goals before his own goals.â€Â

When Belardo’s letter-of-intent is official, he will join USF’s incoming recruiting class of PG Dwan McMillan, F Eladio Espinosa, C Gene Teague and Georgia transfer Mike Mercer. Junior college C Alex Rivas-Sanchez said he committed to USF, but said he still isn’t 100 percent sure he would sign with USF. If so, the Bulls will have six newcomers on scholarship.

http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/comments/manic-monday-belardo-on-off-back-on-again-for-usf/

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Guest BasketBull.

Graduated: Kentrell Gransberry

Transferred out: Orane Chin, Aaron Holmes, Amu Saaka, Solomon Bozeman.

Returning: G Jesus Verdejo, G Dominique Jones, PG Chris Howard, C B.J. Ajayi, PF Aris Williams

Joined team in January: Mike Mercer

Signed/committed for fall: PG Dwan McMillan, G Gaby Belardo, PF Eladio Espinosa, C Gene Teague, C Alex Rivas-Sanchez

Thanks, Greg.

Tentatively (until they all make it on campus for picture day), the signings look like this:

Teague & Rivas-Sanchez (for Gransberry)

Aris Williams & Espinosa (for Chin & Sakka) Williams didn't really play, so he's like a new roster spot.

Mercer, McMillan, and Belardo (for Holmes & Bozeman)

The talent equation (on paper): Unless we sign another center, I think that's a big drop. At forward, we may be better. I'll wait to see how Williams and Espinosa play. At guard, we'll have a huge upgrade, but Mercer will have to wait till late in the season to qualify.

Unless we add an exceptional talent or two this summer, I still see another brutal year in the Big East.

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Even if we were to add an exception talent, it could still be brutal.  half the league is predicted to be in the top 25! 

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Graduated: Kentrell Gransberry

Transferred out: Orane Chin, Aaron Holmes, Amu Saaka, Solomon Bozeman.

Returning: G Jesus Verdejo, G Dominique Jones, PG Chris Howard, C B.J. Ajayi, PF Aris Williams

Joined team in January: Mike Mercer

Signed/committed for fall: PG Dwan McMillan, G Gaby Belardo, PF Eladio Espinosa, C Gene Teague, C Alex Rivas-Sanchez

Thanks, Greg.

Tentatively (until they all make it on campus for picture day), the signings look like this:

Teague & Rivas-Sanchez (for Gransberry)

Aris Williams & Espinosa (for Chin & Sakka) Williams didn't really play, so he's like a new roster spot.

Mercer, McMillan, and Belardo (for Holmes & Bozeman)

The talent equation (on paper): Unless we sign another center, I think that's a big drop. At forward, we may be better. I'll wait to see how Williams and Espinosa play. At guard, we'll have a huge upgrade, but Mercer will have to wait till late in the season to qualify.

Unless we add an exceptional talent or two this summer, I still see another brutal year in the Big East.

If you look at CSH's Arkansas teams he really did not "showcase" his centers. He runs a very athletic, running and pressing defense. Most really large centers pocess none of these skills. I think that he is just looking for a rebounding and "lane" defensive presence out of his centers. He needs a good hard working "do the dirty work" center, not a McDonald All-American type. Nice to have one but not the "end of the world" if you are built to be a wing oriented pressure team.

JMHO

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On that same note about not needing a mcdonald's all american, Stan Heath did recruit All Americans to Arkansas, some who didn't show up (jumped right to the NBA)... Al Jefferson is one name that comes to mind.  So if he could get one to come here, he would... but it isn't that easy.  We are USF... doesn't matter the coach... it is a tough sell for anyone.

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We are USF... doesn't matter the coach... it is a tough sell for anyone.

Perfectly evidenced by this kid Belardo. He's having a difficult time deciding between us and Hofstra??  :-\

His buddy from the Tropics just signed with ucf so maybe he'll finally sign here to be able to go against him next year...

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Anybody hear if this kid actually signed or not?

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Great sign to an already talented back court. We still need to fill Kentrell's shoes.

If Stan can than he really is the man.

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Anybody hear if this kid actually signed or not?

He signed it and then sent it to his dad who also signed it, according to Greg in his blog:

May 08, 2008

Belardo announcement should come soon

Where's the Gaby Belardo signing, you ask? I'd expect an announcement from USF on the 6-foot-3 combo guard from Puerto Rico either today or Friday, after speaking with him Wednesday night.

Belardo, finishing classes at Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts, said he had signed his national letter of intent after visiting USF last weekend, but the delay has been in getting a signature from his father, who lives in Puerto Rico. Belardo said his father had received the letter Tuesday night and sent it to USF on Wednesday, and once the paperwork is in, Stan Heath can announce the signing and comment on the fifth member of his incoming recruiting class.

As for any hemming and hawing Monday, Belardo said his AAU coach, Art Alvarez, and his father both wanted him to make a visit to Hofstra, as had been the plan before he flew to Tampa for his USF visit. They relented after Belardo insisted he didn't need to see any other schools to know where he should be.

"My dad was always there for me, my whole life, and my AAU coach has been there for me too, but I told them, 'I don't want to visit any more schools. I've found what I need," Belardo said. "I love the coaches at USF. I love the players. I feel very comfortable there."

And you can't underplay the role that senior guard Jesus Verdejo played in USF getting Belardo. Verdejo, also from Puerto Rico and from the Miami Tropics AAU program, has been "a role model" for Belardo for some time, and having him as his host, on the weekend Verdejo gets his college degree, was huge.

Ask Belardo if he's ready to face Big East competition, and he'll tell you he already has. In going to Notre Dame Prep, he found a roster loaded with Division I signees, including three other Big East recruits.

"It's a good opportunity for me to take my game to another level," Belardo said. "I feel like I've been playing against good players here."

You'll see Belardo's first name spelled as "Gabby" or "Gabi," but he said it's Gaby, short for Gabriel. He considers himself a combo guard, either a shooter who can pass or a point who can score. And he'll come in with solid academics, saying he earned a 1000 on the SAT and a 3.1 grade-point average. He hasn't talked with the other members of USF's recruiting class yet, but said he played against Hargrave Military this season and got to see power forward Eladio Espinosa, who signed with USF last fall. Belardo called him "a very ystrong player," impressed by the way he could run the floor for a player his size.

Posted by Greg Auman at 10:09:05 AM on May 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/

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