Setting the Scene

Complete PDF of Game Notes

Date: Dec. 19, 2007
Tip-off: 7 p.m.
Location: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (14,407)
Television: None
Radio: 1010 Sports will carry the game. Jim Lighthall (play-by-play) and Todd Kalas (color analyst) have the call.
Records: USF (7-3, 0-0 BIG EAST); Wake Forest (6-3, 0-0 ACC)
USF's Last Time Out: The Bulls won their seventh straight game, beating UAB, 68-58, Saturday at the Sun Dome.
Wake Forest's Last Time Out: The Deamon Deacons defeated Bucknell, 72-56, at home Dec. 16.
Series History: USF leads 2-1
Last Meeting: USF 75, Wake Forest 67 (Dec. 29, 2006 at St. Pete Times Forum)

The Bulls, in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, play Wed., Dec. 19, when they travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face Wake Forest at 7 p.m. at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. The game can be heard on 1010 Sports and GoUSFBulls.com.

USF is 7-3 on the year after beating UAB, 68-58, on Saturday at the Sun Dome. The seven game winning streak for the Bulls is the longest since the start of the 2001-02 season and has matched the longest in 25 years dating back to a nine-game streak during the 1982-83 season.

Wake is 6-3 on the year after defeating Bucknell, 72-56, Sunday at home. The game at Wake can also be seen on the internet at http://acc.playonsports.tv/wfu, for a single-game purchase of $4.99.

After Wake, USF returns home to take on St. Francis (N.Y.) College on Saturday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome.

THE START OF A NEW ERA
This season will mark the start of a new era for Bulls basketball as new head coach Stan Heath takes the reigns. He is the eighth head coach in the 37-year history of the program. Heath leads the Bulls into the their third BIG EAST season after successful coaching stints at Arkansas and Kent State, which included three NCAA Tournament appearances, a 30-win season and an Elite Eight finish. 

THE SERIES VS. WAKE FOREST
USF leads the all-time series against the Demon Deacons, 2-1, including a 75-67 win last year at the St. Pete Times Forum. The Bulls also won 77-66 at home during the 1984-85 season. Wake Forest won the first ever meeting, 95-68, at Wake during the 1971-72 season.

GRANSBERRY AND JONES LEAD BULLS TO 7TH STRAIGHT WIN
Dominique Jones scored 25 points, and Kentrell Gransberry had 18 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots to help USF beat UAB 68-58 Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Sun Dome for its seventh straight victory. The seven straight wins matched the seven wins the Bulls had to start the 2001-2002 season. Chris Howard added 14 points for the Bulls (7-3). The victory snapped an eight-game losing skid in the all-time series. Robert Vaden had 19 points to pace the Blazers (7-4), whose longest winning streak in two seasons under coach Mike Davis ended at five. The Bulls outscored UAB 26-8 from the free-throw line in a contest that included a dozen lead changes and six ties. UAB led 49-48 midway through the second half before Jones and Gransberry took charge. In the first half, USF scored 10 straight points en route to a 15-5 advantage. UAB responded with a 12-3 run, cutting the deficit to one. The lead changed hands four times before USF took a 28-27 edge into the break. Jones continued his torrid scoring pace, tallying 25 points on 7-14 shooting, and sinking 10 of 12 free throws. The Lake Wales, Fla., native is averaging 28.3 points in his last three contests, as well as shooting at least 50 percent from the field in each of those games.

LEADING THE BULLS
Dominique Jones leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game. Gransberry is second at 15.7 points per game and leads the team at 10.7 rebounds per outing. Jones also leads USF at 51.9 percent shooting from the field and 48.5 percent from 3-point range. Howard leads the team with 6.7 assists per game and is at 12.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Jesus Verdejo is also in double figures in scoring at 11.3 a game.

JONES NAMED THE SPORTING NEWS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK AND BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK
Freshman Dominique Jones was named The Sporting News National Player of the Week as well as the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive week last week. Jones averaged 27.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in wins over Richmond (79-65) and UAB (68-58). He shot 61.5 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3-point range and 86.4 percent from the foul line in the two outings. He had 30 points and 14 boards in the victory at Richmond and 25 points and six rebounds against the Blazers.
 
GRANSBERRY AND LOVETT GRADUATE
USF had a week off from game action but it was still a big weekend for two members of the team. Senior center Kentrell Gransberry and senior guard Eddie Lovett both graduated Saturday, Dec. 15. Both players earned BA's in Communication. Gransberry will enroll during the Spring quarter and take classes toward a second undergraduate degree to compliment his major, while Lovett will take a semester of undergraduate Business courses.

SEVEN-GAME WINNING STREAK MATCHES LONGEST IN 25 YEARS
The Bulls have now won seven straight games after starting off the year 0-3. USF last won seven consecutive games to start the 2001-02 season, when it also won  seven in a row. The last time the Bulls won more than seven straight games was 25 years ago during the 1982-83 season when USF rattled off nine consecutive wins.

NBA AND DA BULLS
Da Bulls, the USF Bulls, have been a frequent stop for NBA scouts the first four home games of the season. Eight NBA teams have already visited the Sun Dome to watch NBA prospect Kentrell Gransberry and seven more credential requests have already been submitted for future games. The eight teams who have already been to USF are Seattle, New York, Cleveland, Washington, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Boston and Detroit. Teams that have requested future credentials are San Antonio, Golden State, and Indiana, with the Pacers visiting three times, San Antonio twice and the Pistons visiting again. 

THREE-GAME TEAR FOR ?NIQUE
True freshman Dominique Jones continued his torrid scoring pace, scoring 25 points vs. UAB on the heels of his back-to-back 30 points games. He has totaled 85 points in his last three games, good for 28.3 points a game over that stretch and has shot at least 50 percent from the field in each game. Jones has scored in double figures in 9 of his 10 games played.

GRANSBERRY POSTS FIFTH DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF YEAR, JUST MISSES TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Kentrell Gransberry tallied his fifth double-double of the season and missed a triple-double by three blocked shots in the UAB win. Gransberry finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. The 7 blocks smashed his career high of two, done three times previously. It was his 5th double-double of the season and the 17th of his 32-game career. He also has double figure rebounds in 6 of 9 games played this season. The 15 rebounds equaled his season high done vs. UCF. It is the 7th time in his career he has grabbed 15 or more rebounds in a game.

GRANSBERRY HITS 500 POINT MARK
With his 18 points scored vs. UAB, Gransberry has tallied 500 points for his career.

JONES HAS BACK-TO-BACK 30-POINT GAMES
Freshman Dominique Jones tallied consecutive 30-point games vs. UCF and at Richmond. The 30 points scored by Jones was just three shy of the USF record for points scored by a freshman. Radenko Dobras tallied 33 points on Feb. 11, 1989.

JONES FIRST USF FRESHMAN AND JUST THIRD USF PLAYER EVER TO SCORE 30 POINTS IN CONSECUTIVE  GAMES
Dominique Jones became the first freshman in USF history, and only the third USF player ever, to score 30 or more points in back-to-back games. The last player to do it was USF's all-time leading scorer, Charley Bradley, during the 1983-84 season. Bradley tallied 30 or more points twice back-to-back during that season as well as twice during the 1982-83 year. He also went a record six straight games with 30 or more points during the 1982-83 season. Bradley had 24 career games with 30 or more points, doing it 3 times as a senior, 6 as a junior and 15 as a sophomore. The first Bulls player to accomplish back-to-back 30 or more point games was John Kiser, who scored 30-plus points in the first two USF games ever played in 1971.

JONES AND “AI”
Dominique Jones became the first BIG EAST freshman in 13 years to score 30 or more points in consecutive games. The last BIG EAST freshman to accomplish it was Georgetown's Allen Iverson in December of 1994. (Information courtesy of the BIG EAST and Greg Auman of the St. Pete Times)  

JONES ALSO NOTCHES FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Not only did Dominique Jones have a great game offensively with 30 points at Richmond, he also pulled down a career high 14 rebounds for his first career double-double. Twelve of his rebounds came on the defensive end. It was also the first double digit rebound game of his career, besting his previous high of eight done twice. The 14 rebounds are tied for third most in a game this year with Kentrell Gransberry. Gransberry owns the single-game high of 15, done twice.

HOWARD UPS DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING GAMES TO SEVEN
After scoring in double figures just two out of 14 games last season, point guard Chris Howard has hit double figure scoring in seven of 10 games this season.

GRANSBERRY UP FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Center Kentrell Gransberry was one of 30 senior male basketball players announced as official candidates for the 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The award ? presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year in eight sports ? focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition. Lowe's, an official corporate partner of the NCAA will award the winners with trophies during the men's NCAA Final Four weekend. CLASS, An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings. Now in its seventh year for basketball, the award has developed into the nation's premier tribute for college seniors. Since originating with basketball, Lowe's has expanded the award to include a total of eight NCAA sports. In early February 10 finalists will be selected then featured in special vignettes during college basketball telecasts on CBS. The winner will be announced by Dick Enberg on CBS during the Final Four broadcast and the Women's Winner will be announced at the Women's Final Four. From the list of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in January 2008. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the winner. The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as Honorary Chairman. It was inspired by the remarkable story of former Duke University basketball player Shane Battier, who could have been an NBA lottery pick but returned to college for his senior season and led the Blue Devils to the National Championship in 2001. Previous winners of the men's award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of St. Joseph's (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Reddick of Duke (2006) and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007).

HOLMES READY TO MAKE USF DEBUT
USF redshirt freshman guard Aaron Holmes will make his USF debut against Wake Forest after sitting out the first 10 games of the season after his mid-season transfer last year from Florida State. Holmes is one of the most prolific scorers to ever play in the greater Tampa area. A 2006 graduate of St. Petersburg Catholic High School, Holmes garnered All-Suncoast Player of the Year accolades on three occasions and concluded his career with 2,748 points. He was a two-time first team all-state honoree and is the all-time leading scorer at SPC. The four-year letterwinner was runner-up for Mr. Basketball honors in Florida in 2006. He is one of just six players in Pinellas County history to score more than 2,000 career points.

BULLS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICS
After Sunday's games, the Bulls rank 28th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at 41.4 percent. Chris Howard is 15th in assists with 6.7 per game and Kentrell Gransberry tied for 13th in rebounds at 10.7 per game.

JONES NAMED BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
USF freshman Dominique Jones was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week the BIG EAST Conference announced Dec. 3. Jones averaged 22 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals in two victories vs. UCF and FIU as USF ran its winning streak to five games. The Lake Wales native scored a career-high 30 points in a 75-67 win against Central Florida. He scored 14 points in a 77-69 win at Florida International.

SHOOTING WELL FROM 3-POINT RANGE
The Bulls and have hit seven or more 3-pointers in six of their 10 games. That number has equaled the amount of times that last year's team made seven or more 3-pointers in a contest over the 30-game season. The Bulls lead the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage at 43.6 and are tied for 9th nationally. USF hit a single-gam high of eight once last year and have surpassed that twice already this season, making 11 against Florida State and 10 vs. Florida Atlantic earlier this year. The single-game record is 14 set Dec. 7, 1991 vs. Oral Roberts.

CHIN SETS CAREER-HIGH WITH 10 REBOUNDS
True freshman Orane Chin set a career high with 10 rebounds vs. UCF, besting his previous high of nine done three times previously.

TOP SEC GUARD MIKE MERCER TRANSFERS TO USF
USF added one of the top guards from the SEC with the transfer of Mike Mercer from Georgia. Mercer will become eligible at the conclusion of first semester finals next winter. He had not played in any games for the Bulldogs this season. The 6-4 guard from Snellville, Ga., started all 23 games for the Bulldogs last season before suffering a knee injury that forced him to miss the final 10 games. He was the second leading scorer on the team at 13.6 points per game. He had appeared in 51 games for UGA in his two-year career, starting 27, and averaged 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. Prior to his injury last year, he was leading Georgia in scoring and minutes played and was ranked 18th in the SEC in scoring, 14th in assists (3.6), 8th in steals (1.70) and 13th in assist/turnover ratio (1.43). Was named SEC Player of the Week once and came within two rebounds against Jacksonville of becoming first UGA player in history to achieve a triple-double. He scored a career-high 26 points vs. South Carolina State. As a freshman, he averaged 11.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and was named to the Coaches' SEC All-Freshman team. He was ranked th in the SEC in steals as a freshman. As a high school senior in 2005, he was rated the No. 5 point guard in the country by Rivals.com and No. 22 overall. He was rated No. 44 overall by Scout.com. He averaged 19.8 points, 8.1 assists and 6.0 rebounds as a senior, helping South Gwinnett to a 28-3 record and the quarterfinals of the Georgia Class 5A state tournament in 2005. The Comets held a top-10 national ranking throughout most of the season. As a junior, he averaged 18.1 points, when South Gwinnett went 31-2 and won the 5A championship. He was a backcourt teammate, both at SGHS and for the AAU's Georgia Stars, with current Philadelphia 76er Louis Williams.

FIRST TWO WINS OF SEASON, BIG IN-STATE WIN
USF, after starting the season off 0-3, won its last two games in Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 16-18. The Bulls capped off the three-game tournament with a win over in-state and ACC foe FSU Nov. 18, downing the Seminoles 68-67. USF dropped the opening game Nov. 16, 74-67, to Rhode Island before pounding FAU 100-69 Nov. 17. Kentrell Gransberry carried the Bulls in Daytona, posting 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per outing in the three games. He was named to the All-Tournament team along with Chris Howard who averaged 15.3 points, 8.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds.

CURRY TO TRANSFER
USF men's basketball coach Stan Heath announced Nov. 30 that redshirt freshman Dante Curry has been granted permission to seek a transfer to another institution. Curry had appeared in six games this season, playing an average of 9.0 minutes per game. He was averaging 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
 
VERDEJO TIES CAREER HIGH IN POINTS WITH 20 VS. EAST CAROLINA
Junior guard Jesus Verdejo had a team-high 20 points vs. ECU, tying his career high set 12/17/06 vs. Norfolk State. He made a career high 4 3-pointers on a career-high 7 attempts.

CHIN NOTCHES CAREER HIGH AGAINST EAST CAROLINA
True Freshman Orane Chin tallied a career-high 17 points vs. ECU, besting his previous high of 13 set 11/16/07 vs. Rhode Island. He also pulled  down seven rebounds. 
 
PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST AND WOODEN HONORTS FOR GRANSBERRY
Gransberry was one of 11 players named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team announced at the annual BIG EAST Media Day at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He was also one of 50 players named to the preseason candidates list for the John R. Wooden Award, perhaps the most coveted honor in college basketball.

ESPINOSA SIGNS WITH BULLS
USF head coach Stan Heath announced on Nov. 15 the signing of forward Eladio Espinosa to an NCAA Letter of Intent during the early signing period. Espinosa will enroll for the 2008-2009 season and have four years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-7-inch, 220-pound forward is currently at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., after spending his junior season at Victory Christian Academy in Charlotte, N.C. He is ranked the 30th-best power forward in the country and 129th overall in the ESPN 150 class of 2008 rankings. Espinosa plays for Kevin Keatts at Hargrave. He played for Stan Kowalewski and the North Carolina Gaters AAU program and played for Mike Pratt at Victory Christian. At Victory Christian, Espinosa averaged 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game, while shooting 62-percent from the field. He was honorable mention all-conference and was named to the all-tournament team after helping lead Victory to the National Association of Christian Athletes national title. He tallied 15 points and eight rebounds in the final.

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP FIELDS TO INCREASE TO 16 FOR 2009
The Presidents of the BIG EAST Conference voted to include all 16 member institutions in the men's and women's basketball championship tournaments beginning in 2009.  The Presidents took this action at their annual meeting, which was held Nov. 6 in Philadelphia, Pa. Currently, the top 12 teams in the final regular-season standings advance to participate in the men's and women's championships.  The men's championship is held in New York City at Madison Square Garden.  The women's championship is held in Hartford, Conn., at the Hartford Civic Center.

TV ALL THE TIME
BIG EAST teams will be on the television airwaves like never before.  As part of the BIG EAST's new agreements with its television partners, all 144 regular-season league games will be televised.  In all, conference teams will make 400 television appearances this season.