USF Athletics

Carolina kid, Boggs, continues growth process at South Florida

November 14, 2021

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

USF (1-1) vs. North Carolina A&T State (0-2)

Monday, Nov. 15 | 7 p.m.

SERIES: First meeting

ARENA: Yuengling Center | Tampa, Fla.

TV: ESPN+

RADIO: iHeart Radio Bulls Unlimited

TWITTER UPDATES: @USFMBB

TICKETS: Purchase

 

By Joey Johnston

When Jake Boggs entered high school, he was a 5-foot-9 point guard. By the time he was through — and his team had won two private-school state championships — Boggs was a 6-8 center.

Boggs knows about growing. That has continued at USF, where Boggs has started his first two games after transferring from UNC-Wilmington.

"He has great self-awareness — and many younger players, and players in general, struggle with that,'' Bulls coach Brian Gregory said. "Because of his intelligence and basketball I.Q., he can utilize his strengths and hide his weaknesses. He's going to keep developing and I think he has a chance to be an exceptional player for us.''

Boggs, a Carolina kid through and through, has adjusted well to a new environment. Monday night at the Yuengling Center, Boggs will match up against a team from his home state as the South Florida Bulls (1-1) take on the North Carolina A&T State Aggies (0-2).

"I love Tampa, but it was definitely a big change,'' Boggs said. "I thought it was going to be more of a Miami-type place, but I think it's more relaxed than total hustle-and-bustle. I like that. I lived in the city before, but I've got some country in me and I like that pace.''

Boggs is from Monroe, N.C., but mostly grew up in Charlotte. He always chose North Carolina over Duke, but shifted his allegiances to neutral when basketball became a serious pursuit. He's a passionate fan of the Carolina Panthers — the return of quarterback Cam Newton gets a thumbs-up — even though he knows he's living in Bucs Country.

Even after two state titles at Carmel Christian High School, he had only one Division I scholarship offer — so he headed toward to the coast, to UNCW's program, which has made the occasional NCAA Tournament splash.

After last season — 10.3 points per game, 3.9 rebounds and 43.9-percent from 3-point range — he entered the transfer portal because he felt there was a better place out there. He didn't imagine USF. There were no ties to the city or anyone on the coaching staff, but the pitch from Gregory and assistant Larry Dixon was impressive.

Boggs is even more convinced now that he might the right decision.

"I thought all along I could bring some versatility to this team,'' Boggs said "I like to play a perimeter game even though I'm a bigger guy. I like to get others involved. I see a lot of opportunity to improve.''

That was part of the attraction for Gregory, who said Boggs is actually closer to 6-9 and possesses "sneaky athleticism.''

"The way we play and the way we plan on using him, I think his role is going to expand,'' Gregory said. "He has to get stronger and he's doing a good job in the weight room.

"But when you watch him, you see a lot of good reads on the offensive end. He sees the court. He knows what's going on. He has the feel for what the defender is kind of playing him as a shooter and he can put the ball on the deck or when he can use his quickness against a bigger guy. At the same time, he knows that his lateral quickness against some of the guys he's guarding might be a disadvantage, so he uses his length really well.''

In the opener against Bethune-Cookman University, Boggs hit his first two shot attempts — a 3-pointer and a left-handed layup, when he swooped under the basket on the run.

"I think I can score, but I can do other things, too,'' Boggs said. "And I want to do other things, whatever I can do to help us win. I think we have a lot potential. I like it here.''

Carolina is still on his mind at times — it's tough not to be homesick at times — but Boggs is a happy Bull. And he's even happier to know that his skills are appreciated.

"It was a big deal for me to leave my home area, but with the transfer portal and the one-time transfer rule, it was kind of normalized,'' Boggs said. "It's not that big of a deal to transfer. I think I found a great place. I look forward to what's ahead.''

He's growing all the time.

 

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About USF Men's Basketball

The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory, who enters his fifth season in 2021-22. Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history in March of 2017 after previously leading 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 over 300 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship with Dayton. 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 48-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 College Basketball Invitational.
 
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.

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