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It’s no longer news that USF has fired basketball head coach, Orlando Antigua. While the specific reasons have not been disclosed, there are some safe assumptions as to what they were. Not much was noise was made about it, but the program had been under investigation by the NCAA for academic violations. USF fired Antigua’s brother, Oliver, related to that investigation. Whether or not Antigua was involved is currently unknown, but it seems unlikely that he would not have some knowledge of what one of his coaches, especially of his own family, was doing. With the timing being such that it is, it is difficult to believe that the departure of star point guard, Jahmal McMurray, was also not a factor. McMurray was averaging 20 points per game. The Bulls have scored an average of less than 60 in the three games since he left. The most obvious reason for Antigua’s termination is that he wasn’t winning, on the court now, or in recruiting. His record at USF is 23-55, in two and a half seasons. Those numbers might be bearable if there was some hope for the future. Fans will remember that nearly the entire team recruited by former coach, Stan Heath, left the program when Antigua arrived. So, that gave Antigua an early pass because he was starting from scratch. But, after three recruiting classes, they haven’t landed any top recruits, which may have bought him more time. The search to replace him has already begun, and it will be interesting to see what kind of interest they have, this time around. It’s going to be a hard sell for a school that lacks basketball tradition that allows less than three years for a coach to prove themselves. The good news for those who support USF is that this is proof positive that the university will no longer settle for losing, even in a sport that they have had limited success in.

Looking Back

The #22 USF women’s basketball team topped Tulane, 62-53, last night. Maria Jesperson got her fifth double-double in the past six games, scoring 13 and bringing down ten rebounds. The women will host Tulsa at the Sun Dome, Saturday evening at 7 PM.

Sports Illustrated Kids has a feature on Quinton Flowers, whom they call “college football’s most underrated player." It’s obviously written for children, but still has some interesting tidbits that grownup fans may not know.

Looking Forward

It was only a couple of weeks after Los Toros took on South Carolina on the basketball court, celebrating Hispanic heritage. They were the only two Hispanic head coaches in college basketball. Now, there is only one.

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