By Kenneth Cross
Coach Brian Gregory is a defensive guru and although the Bulls have had a tough couple of years, his team’s ability to defend is still famous in the AAC and college basketball. The players whom he added for offensive skill could push USF from the last-place finish of last season to the upper half of the AAC in 2022-23.
Gregory added Memphis transfer Tyler Harris on the point while getting a really solid athlete in South Carolina transfer Keyshawn Bryant. Harris can create offense and Bryant joins him as two 1,000-point scorers on this roster.
“I liked his ability to add a dynamic piece to our roster and what we are building for this year,” said Gregory. He has a great ability to score the ball and shoot the three.”
The 5-9, 150-pound point guard averaged 8.8 points and 1.7 assists per game and Gregory wants him to develop by how he runs the team and is a consummate playmaker for his teammates. The Bulls coach says that Harris is a “pest” on the defensive end of the floor.
“We are counting on him to make an impact, utilize the great experience that he had at Memphis and his success from last year,” explained Gregory.
Tchewa Returns to Bulls’ Roster After a Tough Sabbatical
The Bulls will welcome back their 7-0, 250-lb. center, Russell Tchewa, who was stuck in his native Cameroon with a visa issue in returning to the country and the Tampa area for his senior season.
“He came out in good shape,” said Gregory. “He didn’t have some of the same basketball opportunities that he would have had here. Last year toward the end of conference play, he was playing as well as any big guy in the league.”
Tchewa improved his game as last season went on and he averaged 8.0 points and a team-leading 5.7 rebounds per game.
“He was the anchor of our defense and this day and age in college basketball, your defense has to start with your transition defense and then you have to have good ball screen coverage.,” explained Gregory.
The Bulls will also welcome back the skills package of Tchewa who Gregory says could give and set the best ball screens in the college game.
“We need getting points around the basket along with some of the guards that we have added,” said Gregory. “Then, anchoring our defense that has been very very good over the last four years.”
Chaplin Emerges with Consistent Leadership
South Florida forward Jamir Chaplin has been able to improve his game each season and move forward as he was the Bulls’ third leading scorer 8.7 ppg) while he was behind Tchewa and Corey Walker.
Gregory has always appreciated Chaplin’s contributions on the defensive end of the floor because the American Athletic Conference posts one of the toughest overall defensive leagues in college basketball.
“He started out with a severe injury and didn’t get really going until December and then the first five games of conference play, he was playing exceptionally well,” related Gregory. “He had 15 points per game and was shooting over 40 (percent) from the field and right at 40 from the three.”
Chaplin is the leading returning scorer after Caleb Murphy transferred to DePaul and Javon Greene graduated.
“We know his athletic ability and ability to rebound,” said Gregory. “He gets hurt on a dunk at Wichita State that put us up seven and doesn’t play the next six or seven games and that hurt us because of his injury.”
Bulls Have Defensive Character; Look For Offense
USF held opponents to 41.3 percent from the floor last season, so this kept them in games and allowed them wins like the 70-59 win at Cincinnati late in the year.
The Bulls coach relates to the defensive field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, and defensive efficiency and he has also noticed that these generally are the top four or five teams in the AAC.
“What we need to do is what we did a few years ago and that is our defense leads to our offenses,” explained Gregory. “Forcing turnovers will be much better in the transition game in advantage-break situations.”
Now South Florida has to turn that success to the offensive end of the floor where Gregory wants them to get better in all phases of the offense.
Gregory says his team needs to average about 70 possessions per game.
“That five is seven more possessions per game,” Gregory commented. “It’s created on the defensive end. It’s created in playing with a little more pace. We need to keep executing plays and concepts and finish those plays.”