TAMPA - The University of South Florida men's basketball team will make its first road trip of the season this week when it travels to Charlottesville, Va., to take on ACC foe Virginia on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena.
The game can be heard on WNHZ 1250 AM and GoUSFBulls.com with Jim Lighthall and Todd Kalas brining you the action. A live blog will also be available during the game on GoUSFBulls.com.
The Bulls are 1-0 on the year after opening the season last Friday with a 60-46 win over SMU. Virginia is also 1-0 on the season after a 107-97 home victory over VMI on Sunday.
Against SMU, senior guard Jesus Verdejo led the way with a game-high 18 points. Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi matched his career high with a game-high 11 rebounds and sophomore guard Dominique Jones added 13 points, a game-high six assists, three rebounds and three steals.
After Virginia, the Bulls are off until High Point visits the Sun Dome on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m.
USF at Virginia game notes (PDF)
SETTING THE SCENE
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008
Tip-off: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Charlottesville, Va. - John Paul Jones Arena (14,593)
Television: None
Webcast: GoUSFBulls.com (audio)
Radio: WHNZ 1250 AM will carry the game at Virginia with Jim Lighthall handling play-by-play and Todd Kalas as color analyst.
USF's Last Time Out: Defeated SMU 60-46 in season and home opener on Nov. 14.
Virginia's Last Time Out: Defeated VMI 107-97 at home on Nov. 16 in season opener.
Series History: First meeting all-time.
Last Meeting: Have never met.
USF tickets: 1-800-GoBulls
YEAR TWO OF THE HEATH ERA IS UNDERWAY
The 2008-09 USF season marks the start of head coach Stan Heath's second season at the helm. He is the eighth head coach in the 38-year history of the program.
ABOUT VIRGINIA
Virginia is coached by Dave Leitao who is in his fourth season leading UVa. Leitao is 53-42 at Virginia, including a 23-25 mark in the ACC. He has an overall record of 133-111 in his ninth season as a head coach. The Cavaliers return three starters in Mamadi Diane (Sr., G/F, 11.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Mike Scott (So., F, 5.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Jeff Jones (So., G, 4.8 ppg). It is the first game of a two-game, home-and-home series between the schools with Virginia visiting USF next year. UVA went 17-16 last season and reached the CBI semifinals. The Cavaliers went 5-11 in ACC play, finishing 10th out of 12 teams. Virginia is picked to finish 12th in the preseason ACC poll.
THE VIRGINIA SERIES
This is the first all-time meeting between USF and Virginia.
UP NEXT: VS. HIGH POINT
The Bulls return home to take on High Point on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome. It will be the first all-time meeting between USF and the Panthers. High Point is coached by Bart Lund who is in his seventh year at the school. They return three starters and six letterwinners from last year's squad that went 17-14 and 8-6 in the Big South Conference.
BULLS IN SEASON OPENERS
With the win vs. SMU, the Bulls improved to 29-9 all-time in season openers and to 24-3 all-time in season openers at home. Coach Heath is now 1-1 in season openers. USF has now won eight of the last nine season openers and 17 out of the last 18 season openers at home.
BULLS IN ROAD OPENERS
USF is 17-20 all-time in road openers and 0-1 under Heath. The Bulls lost 76-69 at Buffalo in their season opener last year. The last road opener won by the Green & Gold was two years ago at Winston-Salem State, a 63-43 victory.
BULLS LASSO MUSTANGS IN SEASON OPENER, 60-46
The University of South Florida beat Southern Methodist 60-46 in the season opener for both teams as the Bulls' Jesus Verdejo scored 18 points, 11 of which came in the second half.
Verdejo scored 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to twice put the Bulls ahead by 14.
Dominique Jones chipped in with 13 for the Bulls and also added a game-high six assists. USF converted six of their 21 3-point attempts, four of which came from Verdejo.
Derek Williams scored 13 points and fellow guard Paul McCoy had 10 to pace the Mustangs, who hit only 27.7 percent (13-for-47) from the field. The 27.7 percent field goal percentage defense was the lowest in the Stan Heath era for USF.
Alex Rivas Sanchez hit back-to-back shots to give USF its first lead, 18-17, with 6:44 left in the first half and the Bulls never trailed. The Bulls led 32-23 at the break despite missing 10 of 12 attempts from behind the arc. Rivas Sanches tallied eight points and six rebounds.
Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with a blocked shot. The four post players for the Bulls, Ajayi, Rivas Sanchez, Arial Williams and Eladio Espinosa combined for 22 points and 27 rebounds against the taller Mustangs.
The two teams last met in 1987, with SMU beating USF 87-66.
AJAYI MATCHES CAREER HIGH FOR REBOUNDS
Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi led USF with 11 rebounds vs. SMU, matching his career high set last year vs. Seton Hall (2/26/08).
VERDEJO HITS FOUR THREE'S, TIES HIS CAREER HIGH
Senior guard Jesus Verdejo scored a game-high 18 points vs. SMU, including 4-9 from 3-point range. The four 3-pointer's made matched his career high done last season vs. East Carolina. The nine attempted also tied his career high, also done vs. East Carolina.
BULLS PUT FORTH TOP DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE IN HEATH ERA
The defensive effort against SMU was the best of the Stan Heath era. The Bulls held the Mustangs to 27.7 percent shooting from the field which was the lowest in the 32 games since Heath has been head coach. And only one opponent last season, Rutgers in the BIG EAST opener, scored fewer than SMU's 46 points scored.
MAKING UP FOR GRANSBERRY
It is going to take a team effort to make up for the 16 points and 11 rebounds that the Bulls lost with the departure of Kentrell Gransberry. And that is exactly what they got against SMU as USF's four post-players: Aris Williams, Eladio Espinosa, Mobolaji Ajayi and Alex Rivas Sanchez combined for 22 points and 27 rebounds.
MAKING THEIR USF DEBUTS VS. SMU
Freshman Eladio Espinosa made his first career start vs. SMU, while freshman Justin Leemow, Gaby Belardo and junior transfer Alex Rivas Sanchez made their first appearances in a Bull uniform against the Mustangs.
HEATH WINS HIS 125TH CAREER GAME
The SMU win was Stan Heath's 125th career victory as a head coach. He is 125-96 all-time in his 8th season.
FIRST FOUR HOME GAMES CAN BE SEEN ON GOUSFBULLS.COM
The first two home exhibition games and the first two home regular season games this season are not televised but can be seen on GoUSFBulls.com.
FOUR USF STARTERS RETURN
The Bulls return four starters from last year's squad including All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection and All-Rookie team pick sophomore guard Dominique Jones. Other starters returning include senior guard Jesus Verdejo, senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi and junior guard Chris Howard. Also joining the Bulls at the conclusion of the first semester are Georgia transfer, junior guard Mike Mercer, and Maryland transfer, freshman forward/center Augustus Gilchrist. Both players will miss the first six regular season games of the season, becoming eligible for the Dec. 14 game vs. Niagara.
GILCHRIST GRANTED WAIVER
The NCAA has granted a waiver request for USF basketball player Augustus Gilchrist that will allow him to be eligible for competition after the fall semester of the 2008-09 academic year. Gilchrist will be eligible to begin competition as a freshman on Dec. 14 when USF hosts Niagara at the Sun Dome. The 6-10 forward/center transferred to USF from Maryland during the Summer of 2008. USF will have played six non-conference games when Giilchrist becomes eligible.
RIVALS.COM RANKS MIKE MERCER THE NO. 5 IMPACT TRANSFER
Rivals.com recently announced its top 10 transfers for the upcoming season and USF's Mike Mercer was ranked fifth. Mercer averaged 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 51 career games for Georgia. He was averaging 13.6 points per game as a sophomore before being sidelined with a right ACL injury. Mercer will miss both exhibition games and the first six regular season games, becoming eligible for the Dec. 14 Niagara game.
USF GOES 2-0 IN EXHIBITION GAMES
In the final tune-up before the regular season, USF used a second half surge to pull away from intra-city foe Tampa and down the Spartans 79-64 in an exhibition on Nov. 10 at the Sun Dome.
Senior guard Jesus Verdejo led the Bulls with 27 points, going 8-15 from the field, including 4-7 from 3-point range. He notched 18 of his points in the second half. Junior guard Chris Howard poured in 18 and added five assists. Sophomore guard Dominique Jones struggled from the field but turned distributor and dished out a game-high 11 assists to go along with eight points and four rebounds. Freshman forward Eladio Espinosa and senior forward Aris Williams led USF with eight rebounds a piece. Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi had nine points and seven rebounds.
Prior to Tampa, the Bulls downed the University of West Florida, 80-41, in the opening exhibition game of the season on Nov. 4 at the Sun Dome.
Nine Bulls played as every healthy player saw the court, including new walk-on, junior guard Ryan Kardok. Jones ended with a game-high 26 points, going 10-15 from the field. He connected on 3-7 3-pointers and also had a game-high nine assists and seven rebounds.
Senior Jesus Verdejo finished the night with 14 points and Eladio Espinosa was also in double figures with 11 points, including three thunderous dunks. Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi led the Bulls with nine rebounds to go along with eight points. Junior guard Chris Howard had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.
BULLS SIGN DUMARS AND NORIEGA
USF men's basketball coach Stan Heath announced on Nov. 12 the signing of guards Jordan Dumars and Shaun Noriega to NCAA Letters of Intent during the November signing period. The signing period runs through Nov. 19.
Dumars (6-5, 225) and Noriega (6-4, 195) will join USF as freshmen for the 2009-10 season and bring with them sharp-shooting skills and perimeter size. Noriega is already North Port High School's all-time leading scorer in just three seasons with 1,282 points, while Dumars holds perennial high school power Detroit Country Day's single-game record for 3-point field goals made with nine.
“We felt we needed to address our perimeter shooting and both Shaun and Jordan are very skilled players that can stretch the defense and consistently knock down 3-point shots,” said USF Head Coach Stan Heath. “We also felt both players had very high basketball IQ's and will be players that will make good decisions and be good teammates. Both players come from winning programs and have very strong academic backgrounds.”
Jordan Dumars, Guard
High School: Detroit Country Day
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.
6-5, 225
Rated as the 92nd best small forward nationally by ESPN.com... Plays for Detroit Country Day, one of the top high school programs in the country and seven-time Michigan state champion... Coached by Kurt Keener at Detroit Country Day... Averaged 14 points and six rebounds as a junior, including a game where he connected on a school-record nine 3-point field goals... He also shot better than 80 percent from the free throw line and over 42 percent from behind the arc... Was sixth man on Country Day's state championship team as a sophomore... Past greats who have played at Country Day include Chris Webber and Shane Battier... Plays for The Family AAU team and is coached by Speedy Walker... Son of Joe and Debbie Dumars... Joe is a former Detroit Pistons great and current Pistons President of Basketball Operations... Joe spent his entire 14-year career with the Pistons and was a six-time All-Star, won two NBA Championships and was the 1989 NBA Finals MVP... Has one younger sister, Aren... Born February 25, 1991... Chose USF over Duquesne, Dayton and Michigan.
Shaun Noriega, Guard
High School: North Port
Hometown: North Port, Fla.
6-4, 195
Attends North Port High School in North Port, Fla., where he is already the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,282 points in just three seasons... Was a Class 5A Third-Team All-State pick as a junior, as well as the 5A Sarasota/Manatee County Player of the Year... Was also a Charlotte Sun-Herald First-Team All Area selection as a junior and sophomore... Helped North Port to a 20-7 record last season where he averaged 24.1 points and 4.1 rebounds, to go along with 28 assists and 43 steals... Was MVP of the Suncoast Cup Tournament... Is coached by Curt Allen at North Port... Plays for the Florida Elite AAU squad and is coached by Conrad Foss... Son of Holly Wynne and Gilberto Noriega... Has three older brothers, Noel, Bryan and Gilberto, and three older sisters, Shirin, Amelia and Gracelia... Born Oct. 26, 1990... Chose USF over Notre Dame, Butler and Washington State.
WHAT COACH HEATH IS SAYING ABOUT JORDAN DUMARS....
“Jordan has great bloodlines. His feel for the game, his strength to go with his skills, are plusses that will help him contribute to our team. He has a lot of basketball upside in front of him and will continue to work hard to get better. I know he is very excited about being a part of our program as well as we are.”
WHAT COACH HEATH IS SAYING ABOUT SHAUN NORIEGA...
“We were looking at several players state-wide that fit the athletic, wing-player, skilled shooting-player mold and he was the first player we identified. Shaun was very excited about South Florida and we continued to follow him and Shaun made a decision early in the process that this is where he wanted to be. His shooting skills, his ability to elevate to get his shot, as well the athletic ability to play above the rim are two special traits that Shaun has that will help our program.”
RECORD SEVEN BIG EAST TEAMS RANKED IN ESPN/USA TODAY PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The BIG EAST has seven teams ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll and the Associated Press poll. The seven ranked teams are the most ever for one conference in the Coaches' poll, besting the previous all-time record of five.
WALK-ON ADDED TO ROSTER
Junior college transfer Ryan Kardok has been added to the 2008-09 roster as a walk-on. Kardok spent two years playing at Broward Community College. He attended Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where he averaged 17 points and six assists per game as a senior.
BULLS PICKED TO FINISH 16TH IN BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The Bulls were picked to finish 16th in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' poll.
USF TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket packages for the 16-game home schedule for the 2008-09 USF men's basketball season are currently on sale with pricing starting as low as $99 for second level baseline tickets, with second level sideline tickets available for as low as $150. Premium seating is also available.
To purchase season tickets or for more information call 1-800-GoBulls. USF faculty and staff discounts are also available.
Individual-game tickets for the non-conference schedule are on sale and range from $8 to $20. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster phone at 813-287-8844, at any Ticketmaset location or at the Sun Dome Box Office. Big East individual game tickets will be available starting December 15 at 9 a.m. and range from $10 to $25.
The Bulls open the season with a pair of home exhibition games. The exhibition schedule is highlighted by an intra-city matchup with the University of Tampa on Monday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. Prior to facing Tampa, the Bulls kick off the 2008-09 season with an exhibition game against the University of West Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m.
USF's first regular season contest will come at home vs. SMU on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. The home schedule also includes visits from High Point (Nov. 25), Northeastern (Nov. 29), Niagara (Dec. 14) and Iona (Dec. 27). The games against Northeastern, Niagara and Iona will be televised locally on the Bright House Sports Network.
The BIG EAST will once again play an 18-game conference schedule, allowing teams to face each opponent once and three teams twice. It will mark the second year of the 18-game schedule, which began for the 2007-08 season.
The Bulls open league action with a pair of nationally televised home games vs. Syracuse and Louisville, respectively. USF hosts the Orange on ESPN on Friday, Jan. 2, at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Cardinals visiting Tampa for an ESPN2 game on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. The home BIG EAST slate also includes NCAA Tournament teams in Villanova (Jan. 24), Marquette (Feb. 6), Georgetown (Feb. 18), and West Virginia (March 1), along with DePaul (Jan. 20), Providence (Feb. 10) and Cincinnati (March 3).
BIG EAST FIELD 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.
Previously, on the top 12 teams in the final regular-season standings advanced 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
In 2007-08, the BIG EAST began a new multiyear agreement with ESPN that brought the national television exposure for the league to unprecedented levels. That coverage continues this season. For the second straight year, every conference regular-season game will be televised.
The BIG EAST has always been considered a leader in TV. Twelve of the 16 BIG EAST institutions are located in the top 34 media markets in the country. Some of the highlights of the current agreement:
ESPN, Inc. will produce 140 of the 144 regular-season conference games this season. The four remaining games will be carried by CBS Sports.
ESPN and ESPN2 will telecast a minimum of 60 games each year. In 2008-09, ESPN or ESPN2 will televise 45 regular-season league games, 11 games of The BIG EAST Championship and eight nonconference home contests.
ESPN Regional will carry a minimum of 67 games under the banner of The BIG EAST Network and continue to produce its weekend Game of the Week package, which reaches over a third of the nation's homes and has a household reach of more than 38 million. Most games offered by ESPN Regional are also available nationally as part of ESPN Full Court, the pay subscription college basketball outer-market service.
A record 45 conference contests will be carried on ESPN or ESPN2. CBS Sports will televise 10 more games involving BIG EAST teams. ESPN will continue to televise The BIG EAST Championship from Madison Square Garden in New York. The dates are March 10-14.
In total, 70 of the 144 regular-season BIG EAST games will be on national television, which includes 21 that will be carried on ESPNU. The remaining games will be carried on ESPN360 or the BIG EAST Network, which is produced by ESPN Regional Television.
