TAMPA, Fla. (November 2, 2023) – The University of South Florida Bulls men's basketball team, under new head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, made its 2023-24 debut with an impressive 94-49 victory in an exhibition game over Edward Waters on Thursday night inside the Yuengling Center.
Four Bulls stuffed the stat sheet with double-digit points, led by returning senior Selton Miguel (Luanda, Angola) and senior transfer Chris Youngblood (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), who combined for 28 points. Returning junior Corey Walker Jr. (Hastings) added 13 points while redshirt sophomore transfer Kobe Knox (Tampa) added 12 points to go along with a team-leading five steals.
Youngblood, a 2022-23 First Team All-ASUN recipient, brings over 1,000 career points with him to South Florida after spending three seasons at Kennesaw State with Abdur-Rahim as the Owls won the conference championship in 2023 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
"I was really proud of how our guys moved the ball tonight. To have 24 assists on 33 made baskets shows they have really bought into our philosophy of ball energy (not letting the ball stick and sharing it)," said Abdur-Rahim. "Anytime you can hold a team under 50 points, you did a good job defending. I liked the way we shared the ball, shot the ball and defended tonight. We pride ourselves on being the first to the floor on loose balls, and we did that tonight. It doesn't matter that it's an exhibition game, this is who we are and what we'll hang our hat on – being the toughest and most connected team every night."
Miguel scored a team-best 15 points on Thursday night and led the way with six assists. Freshman point guard Jayden Reid (Westbury, N.Y.) dished out five assists and added nine points. Junior transfer Kasean Pryor (Chicago, Ill.) finished just shy of a double-double with 10 rebounds and seven points.
South Florida shot 52 percent (33-63) from three-point range as eight different Bulls connected from downtown.
USF totaled six blocks and 10 steals defensively while forcing Edward Waters into 20 turnovers and creating 26 points off those miscues. South Florida limited the opposition to a 32 percent clip from the field, including a 21 percent effort in the second half. The Bulls out-rebounded the Tigers, 52-23.
Up Next
The Bulls' official season-opener is set for Thursday, November 9, against South Carolina State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Yuengling Center in Tampa.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 USF men's basketball slate are on sale now. To purchase season tickets, click here.
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About USF Men's Basketball
The South Florida men's basketball team is led by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was named the 11th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023. Abdur-Rahim was named the 2023 Mid-Major Coach of the Year (Hugh Durham Award) after leading Kennesaw State to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-23. Abdur-Rahim's Kennesaw State team set an NCAA record as the fastest team to ever reach the NCAA Tournament after a one-win campaign, accomplishing the feat in a span of just three seasons. He was also named the 2022-23 NABC District 3 and ASUN Coach of the Year after leading Kennesaw State to both the regular season and tournament titles, and a school-record 26 wins.
USF has retired three numbers in its 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.
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