USF Men's Basketball Preview from C-USA

[Apis Bull]

USF Men's Basketball Preview

Athletic success is judged, ultimately, by victories. USF enters the second year of the Robert McCullum era with optimism that success  judged by on-court wins  is in the future. Those close to the program are cognizant that many successes, however, have already been realized since McCullum’s arrival on the scene in the spring of 2003.

“More often than not success is measured in terms of wins and losses and I think there is validity to that,†said McCullum. “But I think the best way to measure success is based on the distance from where you traveled. Few people realize perhaps how far we had to come just in terms of the number of distractions that we dealt with in the program a year ago. To be successful in any endeavor you have to eliminate distractions.â€Â

Lessons rooted in McCullum’s first season will be the cornerstone for USF’s success in its final C-USA tour  as well as beyond. While the year yielded a 7-20 record, there were victories of a different, and perhaps more important, variety gained over the course of the season.

“I think we developed an understanding of what it takes to be successful at this level,†said McCullum. “We developed an understanding of the importance of character, the importance of team play, putting the team first, the importance of accepting roles, and a desire to represent the university in a first-class manner.

“While those things didn’t do anything for the immediate won-loss record, those are things that go a long way in terms of laying a foundation for the future. This goes back to the very first meeting I had with the players when one of the questions I left with them was ‘how do you want your program to be perceived?’

“So I think we accomplished a lot in terms of sending a message as to how we want our program to be perceived. Those are all building blocks for the future and our starting point going into our second season will be so much farther ahead.â€Â

USF will also open practice in October in better physical condition than a year ago.

“For all practical purposes we had no off-season last year,†said McCullum. “Now we’re having a real off-season and there will be results to show for it. We have a full squad to work with. We’re putting a strong emphasis on strength and conditioning, we will be a stronger and more physical team across the board. What this means is that our guys have embraced some of the things that we’ve stressed in terms of what it takes to succeed at this level.â€Â

Off-season improvement appears to be the logical next step in the maturing process of a program that is in many ways in its infancy. The second season of McCullum’s building project expects to yield more than gains in the weight room, though. His second season at Western Michigan saw a 10-win improvement in the win-loss column as the Broncos improved from 7-21 in 2000-01 to 17-13 in 2001-02. Year three, McCullum’s final one at Western Michigan, produced 20 wins and an NIT berth, just the school’s fourth post-season appearance.

“Most of the places we’ve been, the second years have been much-improved for a number of reasons,†said McCullum. “The players have a much better understanding of what it takes to succeed and the team begins to invest in the program. Last year everything we asked them to do here in the off-season they did reluctantly. This year they are embracing the off-season program and the results are different. When you do things reluctantly then later in game situations you can’t call on anything in terms of mental toughness, you can’t dig deep because you haven’t really invested. That will change now.â€Â

Expect continued change in USF’s style of play, as well. McCullum’s USF teams will eventually enjoy a style that aggressively pushes the ball in transition offensively while employing a solid man-to-man half-court defensive scheme. That development will continue on both ends of the court.

“I certainly expect there will be differences in our style of play,†said McCullum. “We had no depth a year ago and we had a depleted squad. It was difficult to try to put a new system in place  like changing the primary defense to man-to-man and asking guys to carry out roles that were new to them and they were not ready for.

“I expect we’ll be able to push the ball more. I also expect we’ll rebound the ball better. There are so many areas that we were disappointed in a year ago but rebounding the basketball may have been the biggest disappointment. Our decision-making was a problem area and one that we have to shore up. Our backcourt is coming back basically intact so I expect that we’ll handle the basketball better.â€Â

While the Bulls made the switch to a man-to-man defense a year ago, a deeper roster should result in more success.

“We’ll be better defensively because we’ll be deeper,†said McCullum. “We’ll be able to keep players fresher and our returning players now know and fully believe that we have to defend to have a chance to win. That’s one of the reasons that we gave ourselves a chance to win as often as we did the last half of the season.â€Â

The deeper roster  USF carries 15 on its active roster after closing last season with eight players, a number that included two walk-ons  will pay dividends in practice, too. The list of newcomers includes three junior college transfers and a pair directly out of the high school ranks. The roster, which also includes three walk-ons, increases to 16 players with the addition of 6-7 guard/forward Melvin Buckley who will sit out the season after transferring from Purdue University.

“We had injuries from the beginning and didn’t have the level of competitiveness in practice that we needed,†said McCullum. “The improved numbers on the roster will make a big difference. Nothing brings the best out of you like competition. We will literally be two-deep at every position. At least two of the newcomers could start and I can see that in any given game that number could be as many as four. That speaks to the kind of depth we hope to have. It also speaks to the fact that we have a lot of needs, we have a lot of areas that we need to improve in. We think all the players we signed will come in and compete for playing time.â€Â

Guard

Brian Swift returns at point guard and will direct the offense for the second straight season. The senior started 26 of USF’s 27 games last season after making significant contributions off the bench in his first two years in the program. Swift averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 assists in his junior season  both career highs  while turning in 35.0 minutes-per-game.

Swift showed an ability to score consistently and take pressure off the scoring guard position the second half of the season. He averaged 13.1 points along with 5.5 assists over the season’s final 11 games. The stretch included nine straight games scoring in double figures including a career-high 23 points at Cincinnati when he was 7-of-13 from 3-point range.

Swift ended the year among C-USA 3-point leaders as his 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc ranked No. 10 and his 2.15 3-pointers-per-game ranked No. 13. He was No. 4 among league assist leaders with 4.41 assists-per-game.

True freshman Montavious Waters and sophomore transfer Chris Capko will provide depth at the point. Waters is out of Westover High School in Albany, Ga., while Capko transferred from the University of Florida. A walk-on, he will become eligible in mid-December.

Bradley Mosley and James Holmes will handle shooting guard responsibilities. While both are veterans, each has just a year in the program.

Mosley, a senior, was second on the club in scoring a year ago with 14.6 points-per-game. The only player to appear in every lineup, Mosley logged 40 minutes in 12 of USF’s final 14 games. Mosley reached double figures in scoring in 20 games, including 11 C-USA games, and led the Bulls in scoring 10 times.

Holmes, now a junior, missed much of last season with a stress fracture in his left ankle. He had battled an ankle problem through much of the season and played in just one C-USA game, a late-January game at Memphis. Holmes showed his potential in that game, scoring a career-high 10 points in 28 minutes before sitting on the sidelines the remainder of the year. His averages included 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds over 11 games.

Collin Dennis is a combination guard who is expected to see a majority of his time at the shooting guard position but should also earn some minutes at the point. Dennis is a true freshman from Richland High School in North Richland Hills, Texas.

Forward

Terrence Leather, USF’s Most Valuable Player as a junior, should be recognized as one of C-USA’s top returning players. The senior power forward became just the eighth player in USF’s 33 seasons to pace the club in both scoring and rebounding with 15.5 points-per-game and 8.4 rebounds-per-game last winter. He was 10th among C-USA scoring leaders and third among rebounding leaders. Leather led the Bulls in scoring in 24 games and his season featured eight double-doubles including a 22-point, 18-rebound night against Houston.

Leather has added 10 pounds to his 6-9 frame and is looking forward to playing his senior season at 230 pounds. “Terrence has worked hard in the off-season and as a result is a lot stronger,†said McCullum. “We’ve emphasized trying to add about 10 pounds to his playing weight. If he can play at 230 then he’ll be a much more effective player. I think he’ll be a better rebounder, a better scorer, and he’ll give himself a better chance of finishing plays.â€Â

In addition to points and rebounds, Leather led USF in turnovers, an area that McCullum expects to see improvement. “He needs to work on taking care of the basketball,†said McCullum. “He needs to work on his decision-making. He’s grown, he’s matured and I think he’ll take better care of the basketball as a senior.â€Â

Junior college addition Maurice Mobley will back up Leather at power forward. Mobley averaged 12.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill.

A three-year veteran, Marlyn Bryant, and a junior college transfer, Marius Prekevicius, will compete at small forward.

Bryant is coming back from an ACL tear for the second consecutive season. The 6-3 senior tore his left ACL in practice in early-January after making four starts in the first 11 games. The tear came three days shy of the one-year anniversary of the date he tore the ACL in his right knee against Marquette. Bryant averaged 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 18.6 minutes-per-game.

Prekevicius, a 6-5 native of Lithuania who could also see some time at the shooting guard slot as well as the point, has three years of eligibility. He averaged 16.2 points and 3.8 assists-per-game in his only season at Weatherford College in Weartherford, Texas. Prekevicius was the starting point guard on the Lithuanian National Team that played at the European Championships for Young Men in July. He prepped at Florida Air Academy in Melbourne.

Center

Three players  returnees Brandon Brigman and Konimba Diarra along with newcomer Solomon Jones  will compete for playing time at center. Like a year ago, McCullum will be primarily looking for defense and rebounding from Brigman and Diarra. Both should post increased offensive numbers.

Brigman spent his junior season battling a hernia but nonetheless managed career-high averages across the board. The senior, who played in 23 games and made five starts, averaged 4.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 15.6 minutes-per-game.

Diarra, a sophomore, played in 21 games and averaged 5.4 minutes-per-game in his true freshman season. The native of Mali, West Africa, averaged just 1.0 rebound-per-game but showed potential at times with a career-high six in a win against Southern Mississippi, four against East Carolina, and three at Memphis.

Jones concentrated on academics a year ago after playing his freshman season at Daytona Beach Community College.

Conference USA

[BullDoug]

Is the Purdue transfer M. Buckley eligible?  I'm guessing "NO".

[Guest HowieP1]

Not this year:

Melvin Buckley who will sit out the season after transferring from Purdue University.

[GarySJ]

Well, at least we have some players now. A lot of us wanted a totally new team and we clearly have that. I'm hoping that this year's USF team starts to look like some of RMc's Western Michigan teams -- fundamentally sound, well-conditioned, and tough defensively.

[Jim Johnson]

I'm hoping that this year's USF team starts to look like some of RMc's Western Michigan teams -- fundamentally sound...

You mean guys that can actually make free throws?

The easiest shot in basketball, and USF can't make 6 out of 10 of them.  ARGH.

Maybe if the basketball team can answer this demon, the football team will learn how to play without penalties...

Okay, now I know I'm dreaming.

[bulls96go]

a full roster is a good start!

we will return 9 for the BE next year

and get better recruits coming in so we will be ok

this team will surprise many this year

there will be no 40 pt blow outs, we will win 14 or more games this year

[BullDoug]

The easiest shot in basketball...

Definitely a good debate team topic.  Personally, I'm gonna go with the uncontested layup.   And in reference to Bulls96go's remark, 14 wins is plausible if this team gels by conference play.  IMO the Bulls will be solid at the 1, 2 & 4.  Bulls need 40+ points per from those guys.  The 3 looks to be good on paper but I'm not going to the bank on my lunch hr.   Hopefully whoever 3 is, he will have a long range shot.  The center is a big ? too.  Diarra was truly a gamble.  Hopefully he will pay off big in the second yr of the NBE.

[Jim Johnson]

Definitely a good debate team topic.  Personally, I'm gonna go with the uncontested layup.  

I agree the uncontested layup is easy... but consider the player scoring is usually moving, or having players chasing them or coming at them, or talking trash.

On a free throw, you are set, squared to the basket, have a few seconds to take aim and shoot, have NO one in your face or coming into your face... no rush, no pressure.  

I'm not asking for 100% - that's unreasonable... but 75-80-85% - especially in the clutch - isn't too far out of line.

[BullDoug]

Give me 70-72% an I'm full of warm fuzzies.  

[Omniscientbull]

80-85% and you would be leading the country in team FT%.

At 75% you would be boarding a top 5 FT% ranking.

Top 5 from last year include:

1. North Carolina State .799

2. Arizona .786

3. Bowling Green .775

4. Michigan State .771

5. Butler .763