USF BB Team Preview (Blue Ribbon) - Long read but optimistic/encouraging

[TBBull717]

COACH AND PROGRAM

You wouldn't expect USF coach Stan Heath to be all that optimistic, because his Bulls enter this season without last year's top scorer and eventual first-round NBA draft choice Dominique Jones, who left the Tampa campus a year early.

Jones, who averaged 21.4 points, was the centerpiece of the Bulls attack throughout the Big East season and had some truly spectacular games.

In the win over Georgetown, he scored 29. He put up 37 to lead USF past Pittsburgh, and Providence had no answer for him in a 109-105 Bulls win that featured 46 from Jones. Had Jones returned for the 2010-11 season, Heath believes USF would have been "a top 20 team." That's probably accurate, given Jones' substantial skills. (He also averaged 6.1 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.7 spg.)

But even without Jones, Heath is singing a happy song. He looks at his roster and sees a deeper, more talented team from alpha to omega. He can't wait to turn his husky front line loose and believes he has some extraordinary defensive stoppers. In other words, while it would have been nice to see what could happen with Jones, Heath wishes his former charge well in the NBA (he was drafted 25th overall by Memphis and traded to Dallas) and can't wait for the season to commence.

"The sky is still blue," Heath said. "We have great depth and the most athletic team I've had. We have a strong interior and good pieces on the perimeter. We'll miss Jones, and the sky would have been the limit if he had been here. But I still like what we have.

"Our issue won't be talent. It will be experience and how we handle the league's tough venues."

PLAYERS

Heath will miss Jones, but he's delighted 6-10 junior Augustus Gilchrist (13.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg) has returned. Gilchrist had a blazing start last season and topped 20 points in three of the Bulls' first seven games. But a high ankle sprain forced him to miss 15 games and paved the way for Jones' emergence. Gilchrist is the rare big man who can step out and shoot the long ball (.481, 13-of-27 3PT) but is also quite comfortable banging around in the lane.

USF Bulls

Last Season 20-13 (.606)

Conference Record 9-9 (t-9th)

Starters Lost/Returning 3/2

Coach Stan Heath (Eastern Michigan '88)

Record At School 41-54 (3 years)

Career Record 153-141 (9 years)

RPI Last 5 years 237-188-182-190-83

"He's a monster," Heath said. "He's my best shooter, and he's a terrific post player. He's a difficult guy for teams to match up against."

Gilchrist returned for the final 10 games of last season and did score 21 in the Bulls' second win over Providence, but by that time, it was Jones' team. This season, Gilchrist has the chance to shine. "He's a first-round draft choice," Heath said.

The rest of the USF front line is pretty stout, too, beginning with 6-11 senior Jarrid Famous (10.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg, .527 FG). Famous is not as versatile as Gilchrist, but he brings a needed dimension to the Bulls with his ability to hit the boards and score down low.

Sophomore Toarlyn Fitzpatrick (4.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg) is a 6-8 sophomore who can defend, score some and rebound. He won't get a lot of notoriety this year, because of his more accomplished teammates, but don't be surprised if he's averaging close to a double-double by the time he's a senior.

"He does a little bit of everything," Heath said. "He has a perfect four-man body, but he wants to be a three man. He can make the outside shot and put it on the floor. When we play teams who want to go smaller, he gives us a good matchup to play against their forwards on the perimeter."

The final frontcourt piece is a newcomer whom USF fans are excited to see. Although the rotation up front is crowded with some holdovers, he will provide immediate assistance. Ron Anderson (Kansas State/McCallie School [Tenn.]/Upper Marlboro, Md.) is a 6-8, 255-pound junior with a Big East body and the ability to score from a variety of spots.

"He's a capable player on the block, but he can step away and put it on the floor and drive," Heath said. "He likes playing in the low post, and he's effective there. He can also create for others with his passing. He gives us another guy who can get double-figure points."

The Bulls have a lot of backcourt pieces, but it will be interesting to see which of three candidates emerges at the point. Because there are plenty of scoring options on the roster, Heath isn't looking for Chris Paul, but he does need someone who will run the team and not make mistakes. "The job is not that complicated," Heath said. "You have to play some defense and pass the ball."

The early leader is 6-1 junior Anthony Crater (3.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.7 apg), the only Bull to see time at the point last year. Crater did not show much shooting accuracy, but Heath thinks he can put pressure on defenses.

"He has great speed, an extra gear," Heath said. "His defensive ability is high. As he gains a little more experience and learns how to use his speed, he'll be more valuable. He's a pass-first guard, but he's got to make the open shot."

LaVonte Dority (Edwin G. Foreman HS/Chicago) is a 6-1 freshman who makes good decisions with the ball, is excellent in transition and can hit the pull-up jumper. Heath likes his strength and toughness and believes those two attributes will allow the coach to play him, despite his lack of experience.

Junior Shedrick Haynes (Lackawanna [Pa.] College/Palmetto HS/Sarasota, Fla.) has experience, but the 6-0 combo is not a pure point. Still, on a team that lacks a reliable returnee, he may well be the one who sees the most time at the point. He averaged 18.5 points, piled up 105 rebounds and had 71 assists last year while making 42 percent of his three-point tries.

Heath is excited about the athletic ability of his wings, especially 6-4 junior Jawanza Poland (Cowley [Kansas] College/Wichita East HS/Wichita, Kansas), who averaged 13.5 points and 3.6 rebounds last year. Poland is an excellent athlete who can lock down opposing scorers.

"He's not a 20-point guy, but he reminds me of [former Arkansas standout] Sonny Weems," Heath said. "He has fast-twitch muscles and plays way above the rim. He's explosive, and more importantly, he and [Hugh] Robertson are lock-down defenders."

Hugh Robertson (Tallahassee CC/Northeast HS/Macon, Ga.) is another JC import and should see immediate time. The 6-5 junior scored 11.6 points per game last year and averaged 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Like Poland, he's not going to score a pile, but he has the ability to contribute in many ways. When the Bulls played in Brazil in August, Robertson averaged 11 a game. "He also defended well," Heath said. "I put him on the other team's best perimeter player. He made some open shots, too."

A pair of sophomores fits into the backcourt picture. Heath thinks 6-4 Shaun Noriega (0.9 ppg, 0.2 rpg) will be the team's best long-range shooter, and he showed some promise in the Brazil games, scoring 14 a game.

"He's a lights-out shooter," Heath said. "We knew he could do that last year, but we had [Mike] Mercer to fill that role. Shaun has to improve his defense, and I think he's done that. Last year, he was horrible, and this year, he's tolerable."

Mike Burwell (1.2 ppg, 0.7 rpg) is 6-6 sophomore and has a similarly cavalier attitude toward defense. Because Burwell doesn't shoot as well as Noriega, it's harder for Heath to look past his shortcomings at the other end.

The final piece of the guard line has already been causing trouble for Heath. Or, rather, his mother has. "She's already complaining about his playing time," Heath said, laughing. He's talking about his wife, because 5-11 Jordan Heath (Tampa Prep/Tampa, Fla.) joins the team as a walk-on.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT: B-

BENCH/DEPTH: B

FRONTCOURT: B+

INTANGIBLES: B+

You will not hear a lot of talk about the Bulls leading up to the 2010-11 season, and that makes sense, because the loss of Jones has removed the one player whom most fans could identify on the roster. But when Heath talks about this outfit, he starts with Gilchrist and quickly moves on to the team's depth and the many pieces it has.

A run at the Big East title is most likely out of the question, but a second straight NIT bid is certainly a possibility. For a team that won a total of 33 games the three years before 2009-10, that's a good step.

The key in the backcourt is at the point, where Heath must find a combination he can use. Crater has experience, but his shot is shaky. Dority can shoot it and is strong, but he's young. And no one knows whether Haynes will look for himself first or his teammates. The point spot is the key to the team, because there is plenty of talent on the wings, particularly at the defensive end.

Gilchrist should be highly productive this year, and that's a great start inside. Add in Famous, Anderson and Fitzpatrick, and there are few Big East teams capable of matching up. If the guards can get the ball inside, USF will be quite formidable.

Heath has a positive outlook on this season because he is building something that will have some staying power. This year's crop of newcomers may be heavy on the JUCOs and transfers, but once the Bulls sustain some success, the youngsters will start to file in. He's right when he said the sky is blue, even though Jones is gone. It will be interesting to see how the Bulls respond when those Big East storm clouds roll in.

For the most comprehensive previews available on all 335 Division I teams, order the "Bible" of college basketball, the 2010-11 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-877-807-4857.

[Triple B]

Season tickets are in the mail .... to the several hundred who still have them.

[TBBull717]

Just finished reading the Depaul preview (after hearing about losing Shane Larkin to them).

"The reception Purnell has received so far has been positive, especially from the local high school community. Over the summer, DePaul sponsored a team camp, and 30 teams took part. "We had all the best players in Chicago here," Purnell said. "We must have had 10 top 50 guys playing."

For anyone in the know, does USF BB have something like this? I realize Chicago might foster better BB recruits than the bay area but perhaps with the completion on the new BB practice facility we can start hosting signature recruiting events.

[DELdaBull]

This is classic:

"his defense, and I think he's done that. Last year, he was horrible, and this year, he's tolerable."

Way to work Noriega

[Triple B]

Just finished reading the Depaul preview (after hearing about losing Shane Larkin to them).

"The reception Purnell has received so far has been positive, especially from the local high school community. Over the summer, DePaul sponsored a team camp, and 30 teams took part. "We had all the best players in Chicago here," Purnell said. "We must have had 10 top 50 guys playing."

For anyone in the know, does USF BB have something like this? I realize Chicago might foster better BB recruits than the bay area but perhaps with the completion on the new BB practice facility we can start hosting signature recruiting events.

Team Camp

June 12-14 (Fri.-Sun.)

Varsity/Junior Varsity Teams

Cost:  $495 per team/$925 for two teams*

*multiple teams must be from same school

http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=1425743

[Guest nybullsfan]

Could this be the first time the BB team has a better record than FB? I'm looking forward to the season.

[smazza]

be coaches poll

has usf 13th rank

[Vega]

What an excellent analysis by blue ribbon. Most things about the keys to the season have already been discussed on here. PG is the key, and have been hearing good things about LaVonte Dority and hopefully Crater can be an offensive threat. Haynes is a coaches dream because he listens and wants to get better. Can't wait til the tipoff of Bulls' basketball.