Robert Herrion Inspires Bulls Before Their Triumph Over War on I-4 on Rivals
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, FEB. 3, 2020 – Long before the opening tip,
Brian Gregory knew nothing would stop the inspired Bulls from beating their rivals in what turned out to be a War on I-4 triumph for the ages.
"I just knew we were gonna win the game," said Gregory after USF's
64-48 rout of UCF in the program's annual Autism Awareness Game on Saturday. "The reason why is Robert Herrion addressed the team last night."
Robert is a courageous 14-year-old who was diagnosed with autism as a child. Standing tall at the podium, the son of assistant coach
Tom Herrion told the Bulls all about the adversity
one in every 59 children in the United States, and more than 70 people worldwide, face every day.
"Autism is short for autism spectrum disorder. Being on the spectrum means that there are many different ways autism affects people," Robert said. "Autism is not a disease that people get, it is a disorder in the brain that we are born with."
Tom Herrion has helped raise awareness through
Coaches Powering Forward for Autism, an initiative he created with Towson head coach Pat Skerry in 2014. That year, fellow college coaches proudly honored the request to wear blue
Autism Speaks puzzle piece pins during February weekend games.
More than 420 schools showed their support by 2018, when 375 coaches wore the pins, and NCAA Autism and Acceptance Weekend is a time that's very important to USF men's basketball. Like Robert, 21-year-old
team manager Brandon Matthews is affected by autism and has been embraced by the team since 2017.
"Winning is gonna come in a lot of ways and we gotta keep our eyes on what's important; that's building the right type of program with the right type of guys," Gregory said. "Robert and Brandon have definitely helped us do that."
Robert provided a huge boost of motivation for the Bulls in the closing moments of his incredible speech Friday night.
"So, big bros, by wearing the patches on your jerseys tomorrow and the shooting shirts with the puzzle pieces, you are helping make people more aware of autism, to hopefully understand more and to hopefully accept us," he said. "You are speaking up for those who can't speak up for themselves and I thank you for that. Now, let's beat UCF tomorrow. Go Bulls!"
USF did just that with Robert sitting courtside on the bench, dismantling UCF despite being without the services of injured 7-footer
Michael Durr.
Laquincy Rideau,
Justin Brown and
Ezacuras Dawson III all scored in double figures while versatile
Antun Maricevic and
Rashun Williams stepped up. Williams had never served in the center position before the game but made sure he played a key role in USF's first win over its rival since March 4, 2015.
"This could be one of those where you look two or three years down the road and you say, 'Hey, that was a big turning point in building the program that you have today," Gregory said.
Robert certainly will be remembered for his inspiration and he'll keep encouraging the Bulls during their rise.
"We are all family. I think of you as my big brothers," said Robert during his motivational speech that ended with a team huddle. "I am lucky to be around you and to have your support."
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 owns nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship.
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, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 CBI championship.
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