National Signing Day 2017 is in the history books and the impact at USF is one that remains to be seen. They didn’t come close to their historical high class rankings, but time will be needed for the new head coach, Charlie Strong, to make an impact. The Bulls immediately lost 11 commitments when Willie Taggart left for Oregon, so it as no small feat for Strong and company to finish as well as they did, given what they were handed. Now that the recruiting season has ended, the recruiting season begins.
Looking Back
The #20 USF women’s basketball team continues their winning ways, taking down Cincinnati, 72-52 on Wednesday night. Maria Jesperson scored a career high 26 points to lead her team to victory. The team is now 18-3 on the season.
The men’s basketball team continues to show a never-die spirit as their losing skid went to ten games last night, falling to Memphis, 85-75. The team has dealt with many hardships this year, having several teammates and a head coach depart the team. Injuries are not unusual in any sport, but with a team depleted, those injuries are magnified. The team continues to play with high spirit and confidence, with three freshman leading the way. They will visit Temple on Sunday for a 1 PM tipoff.
The Earl Garcia story has picked up steam, getting pushed by Yahoo Sports and CBS Sports, nationally. The Tampa Bay Times broke the story about Garcia’s “Kia to Cadillac” comments, but the poor relationship with local coaches was not a secret. USF struggled to land top talent from the Tampa – St. Petersburg area during the Taggart era.
Looking Forward
The women’s tennis team will host #12 Texas Tech this weekend.
Other Stuff
Former USF football player, Tommy Eveld, has managed to salvage a career in major sports, despite a knee injury that ended his football career. He joined the USF baseball team in 2015 as a relief pitcher and was drafted in the ninth round of the MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. His brother, Bobby, has ended up with the Blue Jays after his quarterback career with USF ended.
Former USF quarterback, B.J. Daniels, is headed to this third Super Bowl in four years. His career has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, back-ups and practice squads.