Gregory Reflects on Bulls' 20-Win Milestone Ahead of Next CBI Test
CBI QUARTERFINALS MATCHUP: Utah Valley (25-9) at USF (20-13)
DATE/TIME: Monday, March 25/7 p.m.
LOCATION: Yuengling Center, Tampa
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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, MARCH 22, 2019 –
Brian Gregory is always laser-focused on the task at hand, but the USF men's basketball's second-year head coach took a moment Friday afternoon to reflect on the Bulls' monumental accomplishments this season.
USF will head into Monday's College Basketball Invitational quarterfinals test at home against Utah Valley with 20 wins for only the fifth time in program history and first time since 2012. The Bulls also have doubled their wins total from all of 2017-18 during one of the top turnarounds in college basketball this season.
"It's a big milestone," Gregory told reporters. "… Sometimes I say you've got to take a step back and say, 'Whoa, that's pretty good.' That's a pretty remarkable accomplishment in year two."Â
Back in the postseason for the first time since 2012, USF is now two victories away from matching the program's all-time best season wins total that's been produced twice (1982-83, 2011-12). This season's Bulls have gotten to this point after returning only 25 percent of their scoring and 22 percent of their rebounding from the 2017-18 squad.
"That's a testimony to the players really buying in and the work they've put in," Gregory said. "It's a testimony to my staff and all the work they've done with those guys."
Going the extra mile in offseason workouts and practices has helped one returner and two newcomers make more program history.
Redshirt junior
Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) became USF's first conference defensive player of the year in school history in his first season on the court for the Bulls.
Rideau and star sophomore guard
David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) are the first two USF players to earn spots on all-conference teams in The American. Forward
Alexis Yetna (Paris) also earned conference freshman on the year honors, a feat last accomplished by a Bull all the way back in 1979.
"It's unbelievable what we were able to accomplish with the postseason accolades, there's no doubt about it," Gregory said earlier in the week.
After conference recognition came in, USF opened more eyes by erasing a 25-point deficit on the way to an
82-79 overtime win over Stony Brook in the first round of the CBI on Wednesday evening at the Yuengling Center. Gregory's Bulls could break more new ground for the program Monday night by defeating Utah Valley, which would mark a new USF season best of 16 home wins.
"We're trying to make it a tournament to remember," Collins said.
More Notable Feats on the Horizon
Forward
Alexis Yetna brought his USF freshman season rebounding record total up to 298 with 14 boards against Stony Brook in his 12
th double-double of the season. Â
Yetna's 298 rebounds are the fourth-most among freshmen in the NCAA this season and he needs two more to become the fifth player in USF season history to reach 300.
Meanwhile, forward
Michael Durr (Atlanta) needs one more rebound to reach 200 this season and if he does, another notable accomplishment will be in the books for the Bulls. Durr and Yetna would become only the second set of freshman teammates in the nation to each have 200-plus boards this season, joining Duke forwards Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett.
A Look Back at Collins' Career Night
David Collins took his game to another level in the first round of the CBI on Wednesday night.
The sophomore guard from Youngstown, Ohio scored a career-high 31 points and his clutch layup with 59 seconds left in regulation forced overtime.
"When you go back and you watch him on film, you're just amazed because he made some spectacular plays, some big-time finishes, crucial baskets for us," head coach
Brian Gregory said. "None was bigger than the one under a minute that he hits off the backboard with about three guys on him."
Collins continued to steal the show in overtime and started things off with a go-ahead three. USF never trailed the rest of the way thanks in part to his team-leading eight points in the period.
Collins' scoring surge included a 15-for-20 performance from the free throw line. The all-conference third team selection also shined on the defensive end and totaled six of his career-high seven steals after halftime.
"The 31 points were overshadowed by probably his best defensive performance of the year," Gregory said. "(He was) solid when he needed to be solid and very, very active when he needed to be active, coming up with some crucial steals for us."
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 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. In his first season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to its first 10-plus win season since 2013-14.Â
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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