**** Vitale: Last season was a fluke

[Vega]

I'm surprised these comments are from **** Vitale. I know he is a fan of Heath's, wasn't at first but has grown to like him.

What happened to USF?

 

Not only did last year's USF team spoil us a bit, but I'm starting to think it might have been a bit of a fluke. That's a bit painful to say because last year's run was such a pleasant surprise and so fun to watch.

This isn't meant to disparage what Stan Heath's team did a season ago. The Bulls did go 12-6 in the Big East. They did pull off upsets of ranked teams such as Seton Hall and Louisville. And they did win a pair of NCAA Tournament games and nearly won a third. Those are all facts.

 

But I also think the Big East wasn't really the Big East as we have come to know it. USF built a resume by beating teams that weren't as good as their reputations. For example, the Bulls beat Pitt twice, they beat Villanova twice. Both had down seasons. When USF beat Seton Hall, the Hall was ranked 24th in the country, but it didn't even make the NCAA Tournament.

 

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/basketball/college/tom-jones-college-basketball-brings-many-possibilities/1273018

10 College Basketball Teams with Identity Issues

 

Stan Heath, the USF head coach since 2007, may be on the hot seat soon.

In his first five years in Tampa, the Bulls have posted sub-.500 records three times, with this season being a strong possibility to make that four in six years.

Heath may not be fully to blame. The USF program has struggled and the roller coaster ride doesn't seem like its coming to an end anytime soon.

Written by Doug Brodess

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1502537-10-college-basketball-teams-with-identity-issues/page/2

 

 

South Florida seemed to finally break through last season, when the Bulls made an NCAA tournament run and finished 12-6 in the Big East Conference (tied for fourth). Things have quickly worsened in Tampa this winter and you have to wonder if the 2012 tourney berth was more an aberration on Heath's resume than a sign that his program has turned a corner. 

 

The Bulls are currently last in the Big East with a 1-7 conference record. In Heath's first five seasons at USF, the program placed 14th or worse in the conference three times and appears to be on its way to a similar fate in 2013. 

USF has lost five of the last six road contests and still faces some of its  toughest conference tests. Heath's fate will ultimately be decided by how much stock school officials put in last season's success.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1508577-ncaa-basketball-coaching-hot-seat-whos-in-trouble-at-week-13/page/6

[SANJAY]

Stan will be on the hot seat? Ha. First 2 NCAA wins in school history and a big recruiting class coming in. The throttling they gave Cal in the playin game was incredible.

Is Stan perfect? No, but he's a pretty good coach who is building this from "the worst job in America" as Vitale once referred to it.

[Vega]

Stan will be on the hot seat? Ha. First 2 NCAA wins in school history and a big recruiting class coming in. The throttling they gave Cal in the playin game was incredible.

Is Stan perfect? No, but he's a pretty good coach who is building this from "the worst job in America" as Vitale once referred to it.

 

Stan shouldn't be fired after this season, no question about that.

 

I disagree with Stan being a pretty good coach. He's a pretty good defensive coach, but a terrible offensive coach. He's been that every since he's been a D1 Head Coach.

 

The 1st half against Cal and the 2nd half against Temple were the best USF looked all last season. Great performances all around.

 

The recruiting class needs more then what they have committed so far. Get Henry and Stevenson/Lewis then it's a big recruiting class. Clayton going down with that Achilles injury where he needed surgery scares me because he's 6-6 and his game was predicated on strength and explosiveness. I can see him redshirting and that would benefit both him and the program. Need Henry and NEED HIM BAD, maybe even another big because Omogbehin just won't cut it. Egbunu and Perry can't play all the minutes at Center and Power Forward. Josh Heath will play a few minutes and Drew Davis will probably only see spot duty here and there as a zone buster type. Byron Zeigler is a talent but he desperately needs to add weight and strength to play at the high level I believe he is capable of.

[USFbulls0208]

I think it was pretty well established before this year (and especially after we lost Waverly), that it was going to be a rebuilding year. We lost three of our biggest contributors, and the heart and soul of the team (Ron). If we are still struggling like this next year, or the year after, with the recruiting class we have coming in, then I'll be worried. But I kind of expected this for this season, as much as I hoped it wouldn't.

[usfgrad84]

Oh please...does any look at the big picture before coming up with expectations? I was just excited about this season as the next guy, but I was realistic about what to expect. This was clearly going to be a rebuilding year if anyone took the time to look at the personnel we were going into the season with.

We went into the year with 1 returning starter,1 guy who thought/thinks he is a star because he read his own press clippings based on 3 games in his career, 3 career role players and 6 guys playing in their first year here. Throw in the way our schedule worked out getting the tough end of the home and homes in conference and you get what we are getting.

Did anyone really think Rudd, Fitpatrick and Poland were magically going to go from being role players averaging less than 8 points a game each to being dominant players this year? Based on what? You expected true Freshmen LeDay and Hawkins to come in and take over the Big East?

Next year I expect improvement because our younger guys will have experience, I don't expect another tourney run for two more years.

[Triple B]

I'm surprised these comments are from **** Vitale. I know he is a fan of Heath's, wasn't at first but has grown to like him.

What happened to USF?

 

Not only did last year's USF team spoil us a bit, but I'm starting to think it might have been a bit of a fluke. That's a bit painful to say because last year's run was such a pleasant surprise and so fun to watch.

This isn't meant to disparage what Stan Heath's team did a season ago. The Bulls did go 12-6 in the Big East. They did pull off upsets of ranked teams such as Seton Hall and Louisville. And they did win a pair of NCAA Tournament games and nearly won a third. Those are all facts.

 

But I also think the Big East wasn't really the Big East as we have come to know it. USF built a resume by beating teams that weren't as good as their reputations. For example, the Bulls beat Pitt twice, they beat Villanova twice. Both had down seasons. When USF beat Seton Hall, the Hall was ranked 24th in the country, but it didn't even make the NCAA Tournament.

 

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/basketball/college/tom-jones-college-basketball-brings-many-possibilities/1273018

Here's some more words from Vitale:

The hustle remains and so does the willingness to stand up against anyone. And I still believe in Heath.

 

And these "No ****, Sherlock" words from him:

But the Bulls can't shoot and they can't rebound, and that's an awful combination. That's why they are 1-7 in the Big East and have given us no reason to believe they'll even be an NIT team.

 

Interesting that Dickie V didn't even bother to do just a little research as to why the big drop off ...

 

 

 

 

10 College Basketball Teams with Identity Issues

 

Stan Heath, the USF head coach since 2007, may be on the hot seat soon.

In his first five years in Tampa, the Bulls have posted sub-.500 records three times, with this season being a strong possibility to make that four in six years.

Heath may not be fully to blame. The USF program has struggled and the roller coaster ride doesn't seem like its coming to an end anytime soon.

Written by Doug Brodess

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1502537-10-college-basketball-teams-with-identity-issues/page/2

 

 

South Florida seemed to finally break through last season, when the Bulls made an NCAA tournament run and finished 12-6 in the Big East Conference (tied for fourth). Things have quickly worsened in Tampa this winter and you have to wonder if the 2012 tourney berth was more an aberration on Heath's resume than a sign that his program has turned a corner. 

 

The Bulls are currently last in the Big East with a 1-7 conference record. In Heath's first five seasons at USF, the program placed 14th or worse in the conference three times and appears to be on its way to a similar fate in 2013. 

USF has lost five of the last six road contests and still faces some of its  toughest conference tests. Heath's fate will ultimately be decided by how much stock school officials put in last season's success.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1508577-ncaa-basketball-coaching-hot-seat-whos-in-trouble-at-week-13/page/6

 

  .... It's pretty funny reading stuff like this from those viewing the program from afar.. and the cluelessness couldn't be more evident than in this observation: "still faces some of its toughest conference tests." We've already faced 5 of the top 7 teams in the conference so how much tougher can it really be. We're probably not faring much better the rest of year but at least have a clue as to who we've already faced.

[Hem]

Rebuilding year. Still love going to the games in that new dome and I've had a ton of fun being a part of it. I have full confidence in Heath, I doubt he's on any kind of hot seat.

[SRQ]

foolishness, Stan is so not on the hot.

[NewEnglandBull]

Well he is right...we can't shoot or rebound. What's the big deal about what he is saying?

[Joe]

Was last year a fluke? While went went 12-6 in the Big East a good portion of that schedule was the bottom 4 in the conference.

Those NCAA wins weren't a fluke, but getting there had a lot to do with the luck of the draw.