USF Men's Basketball Adds Rideau, Yetna
May 08, 2017 | Men's Basketball
TAMPA, MAY 8, 2017 – University of South Florida head men's basketball coach Brian Gregory and his staff announced two new additions on Monday, signing 6-foot-1 guard Laquincy Rideau to a financial aid agreement and signing 6-foot-8 forward Alexis Yetna to a national letter of intent.
A native of West Palm Beach, Fla., Rideau is a transfer from Gardner-Webb, where he was the first player in Big South Conference history to post at least 150 rebounds, 150 assists and 100 steals in a single season. Rideau led the Runnin' Bulldogs with a team-best 14.2 points per game and 171 assists. He was recognized on the All-Big South Conference Second Team and the conference all-tournament team. Rideau will sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules but will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"Laquincy signifies a very important recruit for our program," said Gregory. "To recruit and sign players from the state of Florida is a top priority for us. Laquincy represents USF, as we provide a great opportunity for in-state players to reach their goals and objectives. He is a high level guard that can create scoring opportunities for himself and teammates, and also has a firm command of the game. Laquincy will use his redshirt year to continue his impressive development and will make a tremendous impact for us for two seasons."
Born in France, Yetna is completing his postgraduate year at Putnam Science Academy (Conn.), where he guided the team to a 34-win season. Yetna played in the Adidas Gauntlet in April, posting double-double averages of 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. A native of Baltimore, Md., Yetna also represented Team USA in the Adidas Euro Camp in India during the summer of 2016. He will be a freshman with USF in 2017-18.
"We are very happy to welcome Alexis Yetna to the Bulls' basketball family," said Gregory. "He brings the entire package of what we are looking for from the forward position – athleticism, size, length, explosiveness, and toughness. As an international player, he has been educated at one of the best schools at Putnam Science Academy, and his maturity will allow for an important impact on the program."
Rideau and Yetna join Justin Brown, David Collins , TJ Lang and Nikola Scekic in Coach Gregory's first signing class at USF.
About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory brings nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship, to Tampa.
USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids and appeared in the NIT eight times.
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