USF Athletics

Gregory Pleased With Strides Bulls Are Making This Preseason

October 19, 2018

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, OCT. 19, 2018 – With USF men's basketball less than three weeks away from the season opener, head coach Brian Gregory gave the Bulls a positive progress report prior to Thursday's practice.

"Our guys have done a tremendous job in terms of the daily work ethic, the energy level and their attitude has been really good," Gregory said. "As we start heading into the last few weeks before we actually start playing real games, we'll really tighten some stuff up and be even more purposeful in terms of what we need to continue to get better at."

With an entire roster filled with players recruited by the current staff, Gregory has been pleased with the strides USF has made on both ends of the floor. It all starts on defense for Gregory, who is making sure the playmaking Bulls stay disciplined.

"We'll be able to pressure the ball a little bit more and be a little more aggressive defensively, which I think suits this team with LaQuincy (Rideau), Xavier (Castaneda) and David (Collins). Those are strong guards that can get into the ball more. We've got good length on the perimeter and we've got good length inside."

Collins, USF's leading returning scorer, and the Bulls also have been making progress on the scoring end, especially with creating plays when the offensive game plan breaks down. Gregory said execution has been "much better."

"We have a very unselfish team offensively. We do move the ball and share the ball. Now the next step with that is as we move the ball, players have to move. You can't get caught watching," Gregory said. "Whenever the ball is driven, guys have to be moving off the ball to create better passing angles and different things like that."

Justin Brown (Birmingham, Ala.) was a big perimeter weapon for USF last season, ranking seventh on the Bulls' freshman top-10 list with 35 made three-pointers. The bulked-up sophomore guard is looking to be more versatile this season and said the Bulls have plenty of firepower on offense inside and out.

"Whoever has the ball in their hands, we trust them to go out there and do their thing. There's go-to guys," Brown said.

No player on USF's roster has been with the program more than 16 months, so the Bulls are tirelessly working together to make the offensive as cohesive as it can be. After posting the program's first double-digit win season since 2013-14, Gregory wants the Bulls to keep pushing ahead in practice before game action begins. USF will face Tampa in an exhibition game at the Yuengling Center on Tuesday, Oct. 30 before the Bulls start the regular season at home against Alabama A&M on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

"We've got a long way to go, but after 20 practices we're starting to develop a little bit of an identity in terms of what we need to do well, but also what we need to keep working on," he said.
 
Bulls Bits

• HEALTHY YETNA BACK IN THE MIX: Alexis Yetna was finally a full go in practice Thursday after being limited with a hyper-extended elbow injury he suffered two weeks before the Bulls began preparing for the season. "He's been able to go through everything, just when we go live or any contact stuff, he's stayed out of it," Gregory said. The 6-foot-8 sophomore forward from France has been able to work through non-contact drills for the past two weeks and is expected to be back for the Bulls' season opener. "We're going to take that slow," said Gregory of bringing Yetna into the mix. "Roughly three weeks before we open up should be plenty of time. That's going to be a big help for us."
• GUARDS GIVE BULLS LINEUP VERSATILITY: With at least eight guards on the roster, USF will be utilizing its athleticism this season. "We'll play four guards with Rashun (Williams) at the swing spot, or T.J. (Lang) at the swing spot, which allows us to stretch the court even more," Gregory said. "Our basketball IQ overall is pretty good, so (we'll be) able to flip-flop some guys and put guys in different positions."

 
About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10^th 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. In his first season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to its first 10-plus win season since 2013-14. 

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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