TAMPA, Fla., November 17, 2025 – University of South Florida senior guard
Joseph Pinion has been named The American Conference Player of the Week, while freshman guard
Gavin Hightower has earned Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
Pinion earns the league's top weekly honor after delivering career-high scoring performances that powered the Bulls to wins over Coppin State and Kennesaw State.
The senior scored 24 points in each game, shooting a combined 13-of-23 from the field, 9-of-17 from three, and 13-of-16 at the free-throw line across the week. Pinion had 20 points in the first half of both games.
Hightower collected Freshman of the Week honors after providing efficient scoring and energetic minutes off the bench in both wins. The rookie averaged 8.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals, shooting a combined 7-of-8 from the field.
Pinion and Hightower become USF's first weekly award winners of the season, coming off
Josh Omojafo earning Honorable Mention for Player of the Week last week.
Up Next:
The Bulls continue their 2025-26 season, traveling to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to face Oklahoma State University on Wednesday, November 19, at 8 p.m. Fans can watch the game on ESPN+ or listen live on Bulls Unlimited.
Tickets:
Men's basketball single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or by visiting USFBullsTix.com.
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About USF Men's Basketball
South Florida men's basketball named Bryan Hodgson, 37, as the program's 12th head coach on March 24, 2025. Hodgson came to Tampa from Arkansas State, where he led the program to back-to-back 20-win seasons and its first postseason appearance since 1999 in his two seasons at the helm.
The program, entering its 55th season in 2025-26, most recently won the American Athletic Conference regular season championship in 2023-24 and has made 13 postseason appearances, including three NCAA Tournaments, nine NITs, and a CBI championship in 2019. Three former Bulls – Chucky Atkins, Charlie Bradley, and Rodenko Dobras – have had their jerseys retired and are members of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame. The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center on the USF Tampa campus.
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