Welcome to The Bulls Basketball Insider, our weekly roundup of USF basketball news, notes and recruiting. Let's get to it:
Team News
Last week the Bulls 2016-17 schedule was released except the broadcast information is still forthcoming -- except for one game.
As of now, the Bulls have one nationally televised game -- Dec. 17 vs South Carolina on (CBSSN).
USF junior Ruben Guerrero was named the 2015-16 NCAA Division I Male Sportsmanship Award, as selected by the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct. Kelly broke that news HERE
Recruiting News
The recruiting period for NCAA basketball coaches is underway.
Darius Banks, and his mother, was visited by Orlando Antigua, Murry Bartow and Rod Strickland last Friday at St. Petersburg HS. The Bulls staff invited him to take an official visit next weekend but Banks is in a wedding on September 24 so another date is being worked on.
Banks left yesterday to begin his official visit to Duquesne. I expect Duquesne to push for a commitment -- last weekend they got one from point guard Jamari Wheeler of The Rock (Gainesville, Fla) and want to pair Banks with him as their back court of the future.
What are the odds he commits this weekend? I think that is unlikely. Banks wants to see what USF has to offer plus he is getting interest from Purdue, who came to his high school on Tuesday along with Texas-San Antonio, Duquesne and UNC Greensboro.
While at St. Petersburg, the Bulls coaches also watched 2018 point guard Serrel Smith. NCAA rules don't permit off campus contact with members of Smith's class so they did not meet with him like they did with Banks.
Clyde Trapp was visited by Sergio Rouco last Thursday and again on Monday by Antigua and Strickland. Trapp told RTB that he discussed a specific date for an official visit with Antigua but said that he is "going to confirm it soon." Meanwhile Trapp left for an official visit to Rice on Thursday, which is his first official visit.
David Collins had an in-home visit scheduled with Antigua last week but it did not happen because he needed to attend the Sportsmanship Award ceremony for Guerrero. In Antigua's place Strickland and Bartow visited Collins, who told RTB that he pulled a groin muscle and is sidelined for about a week.
USF was at Oldsmar Christian on Tuesday to watch 2017 shooting guards Jhakheem Smith and DJ Mitchell as well as 2017 power forward Stefon Fisher. Mitchell and Fisher both transferred from schools in or near Washington, DC. We will be keeping an eye on where things go between USF and these 2017 prospects.
And to wrap this bad boy up, I was at the fourth annual Premier Nike Exposure Camp hosted by E1T1 United. I would hardly call it a "camp" as there were no skill stations this year. Probably because the gym had no air conditioning. The games were ragged at times but several 2018 and 2019 kids caught our attention. A few of them have USF offers. Story coming.
Team News
Last week the Bulls 2016-17 schedule was released except the broadcast information is still forthcoming -- except for one game.
As of now, the Bulls have one nationally televised game -- Dec. 17 vs South Carolina on (CBSSN).
USF junior Ruben Guerrero was named the 2015-16 NCAA Division I Male Sportsmanship Award, as selected by the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct. Kelly broke that news HERE
Recruiting News
The recruiting period for NCAA basketball coaches is underway.
Darius Banks, and his mother, was visited by Orlando Antigua, Murry Bartow and Rod Strickland last Friday at St. Petersburg HS. The Bulls staff invited him to take an official visit next weekend but Banks is in a wedding on September 24 so another date is being worked on.
Banks left yesterday to begin his official visit to Duquesne. I expect Duquesne to push for a commitment -- last weekend they got one from point guard Jamari Wheeler of The Rock (Gainesville, Fla) and want to pair Banks with him as their back court of the future.
What are the odds he commits this weekend? I think that is unlikely. Banks wants to see what USF has to offer plus he is getting interest from Purdue, who came to his high school on Tuesday along with Texas-San Antonio, Duquesne and UNC Greensboro.
While at St. Petersburg, the Bulls coaches also watched 2018 point guard Serrel Smith. NCAA rules don't permit off campus contact with members of Smith's class so they did not meet with him like they did with Banks.
Clyde Trapp was visited by Sergio Rouco last Thursday and again on Monday by Antigua and Strickland. Trapp told RTB that he discussed a specific date for an official visit with Antigua but said that he is "going to confirm it soon." Meanwhile Trapp left for an official visit to Rice on Thursday, which is his first official visit.
David Collins had an in-home visit scheduled with Antigua last week but it did not happen because he needed to attend the Sportsmanship Award ceremony for Guerrero. In Antigua's place Strickland and Bartow visited Collins, who told RTB that he pulled a groin muscle and is sidelined for about a week.
USF was at Oldsmar Christian on Tuesday to watch 2017 shooting guards Jhakheem Smith and DJ Mitchell as well as 2017 power forward Stefon Fisher. Mitchell and Fisher both transferred from schools in or near Washington, DC. We will be keeping an eye on where things go between USF and these 2017 prospects.
And to wrap this bad boy up, I was at the fourth annual Premier Nike Exposure Camp hosted by E1T1 United. I would hardly call it a "camp" as there were no skill stations this year. Probably because the gym had no air conditioning. The games were ragged at times but several 2018 and 2019 kids caught our attention. A few of them have USF offers. Story coming.
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