USF Bulls (0-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. Tampa Spartans (0-0, 0-0 Sunshine State)

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1 USF Bulls (0-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. Tampa Spartans (0-0, 0-0 Sunshine State) The USF men s basketball team has two home games on tap this week, including the regular season opener on Friday, Nov. 14. The Bulls wrap up their exhibition season at home vs. intra-city foe Tampa on Monday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. and then open the regular season vs. SMU on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome. It will mark the start of the 38th season of USF basketball. Monday s game vs. Tampa will be broadcast on GoUSFBulls.com and can also be heard on WBUL 1620 AM, USF s student radio station. Friday s regular season opener can be seen on GoUSFBulls.com and heard on WHNZ 1250 AM. Live stats and a live blog will also be available for both games. YEAR TWO OF THE HEATH ERA IS UNDERWAY The USF season marks the start of head coach Stan Heath's second season at the helm. He is the eighth head coach in the 38-year history of the program. SETTING THE SCENE DATE: Nov. 10, 2008 TIP-OFF: 7 p.m. ET LOCATION: Tampa, Fla. - Sun Dome (10,411) TELEVISION: None WEBCAST: GoUSFBulls.com RADIO: WBUL 1620 AM, USF's student radio station, will carry Monday s game versus Tampa. Jim Louk will handle the play-byplay. USF S LAST TIME OUT: Defeated West Florida, 80-41, in first exhibition of the year. UT S LAST TIME OUT: First exhibition game of the year. SERIES HISTORY: Regular season series tied 2-2. LAST MEETING: USF 71, Tampa 54 (Jan. 23, 1989) USF CONTACT INFO: Jeff Wuerth, USF Assistant Director of Athletic Communications, handles all media relations responsibilities for the men s basketball program. He can be reached at (C) or (O); or via at jwuerth@admin. usf.edu. WEB SITE: GoUSFBulls.com UT CONTACT INFO: Tampa's Tom Kolbe handles media relations for men's basketball and can be reached at (813) or tkolbe@ut.edu. WEB SITE: TampaSpartans.com TICKETS: GoBulls USF SCHEDULE DATE (RANK) OPPONENT TIME/RESULT (TV/WEBCAST) Tues., Nov. 4 WEST FLORIDA (Exhibition) W, Mon., Nov. 10 TAMPA (Exhibition) 7 p.m. (GoUSFBulls.com) Fri., Nov. 14 SMU 7 p.m. (GoUSFBulls.com) Wed., Nov. 19 at Virginia 7 p.m. Tues., Nov. 25 HIGH POINT 7 p.m. (GoUSFBulls.com) Sat., Nov. 29 NORTHEASTERN 7 p.m. (BHSN) Wed., Dec. 3 at UAB 8 p.m. Sat., Dec. 6 at UCF 7 p.m. Sun., Dec. 14 NIAGARA 1 p.m. (BHSN) Tues., Dec. 16 vs. Vanderbilt [1] 7 p.m. (ESPN2) Sat., Dec. 20 vs. Murray State [2] 5 p.m. Sun, Dec. 21 vs. Wright State [2] 7:30 p.m. Mon., Dec. 22 Oral Roberts [2] 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 27 IONA 7 p.m. (BHSN) Fri., Jan. 2 SYRACUSE * 8:30 p.m. (ESPN) Wed., Jan. 7 LOUISVILLE * 7 p.m. (ESPN2 Sat., Jan. 10 at DePaul * 2 p.m. (ESPN360) Wed., Jan. 14 at Pittsburgh * 7 p.m. (ESPNU) Sat., Jan. 17 at West Virginia * Noon (ESPN Regional/BEN-GW/WFTS ABC) Tues., Jan. 20 DEPAUL * 9 p.m. (ESPNU) Sat., Jan. 24 VILLANOVA * Noon (ESPN Regional/BEN-GW/WFTS ABC) Wed., Jan. 28 at Louisville * 7 p.m. (ESPN Regional/BEN-L/WFTS ABC) Sun., Feb. 1 at St. John s * 2 p.m. (ESPNU) Fri., Feb. 6 MARQUETTE * 7 p.m. (ESPN Regional/BEN-L/BHSN) Tues., Feb. 10 PROVIDENCE * 7 p.m. (ESPN360) Sun., Feb. 15 at Notre Dame * 2 p.m. (ESPN Regional/BEN-L/BHSN) Wed., Feb. 18 GEORGETOWN * 7 p.m. (ESPN Regional/BEN-L/WFTS ABC) Sat., Feb. 21 at Connecticut * 2 p.m. (ESPN Regional/BEN-L/BHSN) Wed., Feb. 25 at Seton Hall * 7 p.m. (ESPN Regional/BEN-L/BHSN) Sun., March 1 WEST VIRGINIA * 4 p.m. (ESPN Regional/BEN-L/BHSN) Tues., March 3 CINCINNATI * 7 p.m. (ESPNU) Sat., March 7 at Rutgers * 2 p.m. (ESPN360) March BIG EAST Conference Championship ESPN family of stations (Madison Square Garden) Note: Every BIG EAST Conference game will be televised either nationally or locally BEN-GW = BIG EAST Network Game of the Week BEN-L = BIG EAST Network locally televised game BHSN = Bright House Sports Network [1] 2008 SEC/BIG EAST Invitational (Sommet Center - Nashville, Tenn.) [2] San Juan Shootout (Marion Morales Coliseum - Guaynoba, Puerto Rico) * BIG EAST Conference Game Home games in BOLD CAPS; All times Eastern and subject to change First ranking is ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll, followed by Associated Press ranking Games can be heard on WHNZ 1250 AM, WBUL 1620 AM and GoUSFBulls.com Weekly Schedule (schedule is tentative and subject to change) Monday 7 p.m. vs. Tampa (exhibition) Tuesday Noon-2 p.m. media availability 4-6:30 p.m. Practice Wednesday 8:30-11 a.m. Practice 3:30 p.m. Heath availability for signing day Thursday 3:30-4 p.m. Media Availability 4-6:30 p.m. Practice Friday 7 p.m. vs. SMU Saturday Off Sunday TBA

2 USF Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page USF MEN'S BASKETBALL ROSTER # Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown High School/Last School 1 Eladio Espinosa F Fr. Norlina, N.C. Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) 2 Mike Mercer [1] G Jr. Snellville, Ga. South Gwinnett/Georgia 3 Chris Howard G Jr. Lorton, Va. Friendly (Md.) 4 Gaby Belardo G Fr. San Juan, Puerto Rico Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) 5 B.J. Daniels [2] G Fr. Tallahassee, Fla. Lincoln 10 Justin Leemow G Fr. Brooklyn, N.Y. Mt. Zion Christian Adacemy (N.C.) 11 Alex Rivas Sanchez C Jr. Santiago, Dominican Republic Laurinburg Prep (N.C.)/Pratt CC (Kan.) 15 Ryan Kardok G Jr. Parkland, Fla. Stoneman Douglas/Broward CC 20 Dominique Jones G So. Lake Wales, Fla. Lake Wales 21 Mitch Emory F Fr. Cocoa Beach, Fla. Cocoa Beach 23 Jesus Verdejo G Sr. Carolina, Puerto Rico The Winchendon School (Mass.)/Arizona 24 Augustus Gilchrist F/C Fr. Clinton, Md. Progressive Christian Academy 32 Aris Williams F Sr. Columbia, Md. Georgetown Prep/Valparaiso 33 Mobolaji Ajayi F Sr. Kano, Nigeria Standard Comprehensive/Palm Beach CC (Fla.) [1] = mid-year transfer who will be eligible in December of 2008 [2] = scholarship quarterback on the football team who is expected to join the team at the conclusion of football season Head Coach: Stan Heath (Eastern Michigan University, 1988) Assistant Coach: Dan Hipsher (Bowling Green State University, 1977) Assistant Coach: Reggie Hanson (University of Kentucky, 1991) Assistant Coach: Byron Samuels (UNC Asheville, 1986) Director of Basketball Operations: Tommy Tonelli (University of South Florida, 1986) Video and Conditioning Assistant: Terrelle Woody Pronunciation Guide: Mobolaji Ajayi: Gaby Belardo: Eladio Espinosa: Augustus Gilchrist: Justin Leemow: Alex Rivas Sanchez: Jesus Verdejo: Moe-bology Ah-jie-EEE Gab-EEE Uh-LAH-dio Gill-crist Lee-mow (as in now) Ree-voss Ver-deh-ho USF POSTGAME PROCEDURES USF players along with head coach Stan Heath will be available following a minimum 10-minute cooling-off period both at home and the road. AT HOME: The visiting coach will be asked to address the media in the post-game media room located in USF Sun Dome Room 116 in the northeast area of the court level as soon as possible following the conclusion of the game. Heath and select players will address the media following the visiting coach. ON THE ROAD: Heath will be taken to the designated interview room following USF's scheduled post-game radio commitment. Players will be available outside the USF locker room. Please direct questions about interview policies and locations to Jeff Wuerth, USF Assistant Director of Communications, or any member of the USF Athletics Communications staff. FOUR STARTERS RETURN The Bulls return four starters from last year s squad including All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection and All-Rookie team pick sophomore guard Dominique Jones. Jones shattered the USF freshman scoring record last season with 531 points, good for 17.1 points per game. Other starters returning include senior guard Jesus Verdejo, senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi and junior guard Chris Howard. Also joining the Bulls at the conclusion of the first semester is Georgia transfer, junior guard Mike Mercer, and Maryland transfer, freshman forward/center Augustus Gilchrist. Both players will miss the first six regular season games of the season, becoming eligible for the Dec. 14 game vs. Niagara. BULLS ROMP OVER WEST FLORIDA With a bang, a very big bang! That is how the season started for the USF men s basketball team. The supplier of the bang was All-BIG EAST sophomore guard Dominique Jones who threw down an emphatic onehanded monster jam for the first points of the game and season. And year two of the Stan Heath era is underway as the Bulls downed the University of West Florida, 80-41, in the opening exhibition game of the season Tuesday night at the Sun Dome. Nine Bulls played as every healthy player saw the court, including new walk-on, junior guard Ryan Kardok. In addition to Eladio Espinosa, who started, freshmen guards Justin Leemow and Gaby Belardo also made their USF debuts. Jones ended with a game-high 26 points, going from the field. He connected on pointers and also had a game-high nine assists and seven rebounds. Senior Jesus Verdejo finished the night with 14 points and Espinosa was also in double figures with 11 points, including three thunderous dunks. Senior forward Mobolaji Ajayi led the Bulls with nine rebounds to go along with eight points. Junior guard Chris Howard had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists. INJURY REPORT Player (Injury) Alex Rivas Sanchez (lower legs) Mitch Emory (left ankle) Status Doubtful Probable GILCHRIST GRANTED WAIVER The NCAA has granted a waiver request for USF basketball player Augustus Gilchrist that will allow him to be eligible for competition after the fall semester of the academic year. Gilchrist will be eligible to begin competition as a freshman on Dec. 14 when USF hosts Niagara at the Sun Dome. The 6-10 forward/center transferred to USF from Maryland during the Summer of USF will have played six non-conference games when Giilchrist becomes eligible.

3 USF Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 3 USF Men's Basketball Quick Facts Location... Tampa, Fla. Enrollment...45,244 Founded Colors... Green and Gold Nickname... Bulls Affiliation... NCAA, Division I Conference... BIG EAST Home Court... The Sun Dome Capacity... 10,411 President... Dr. Judy Genshaft Alma Mater, Yr.... Wisconsin, 69 Director of Athletics... Doug Woolard Alma Mater, Yr.... SIU Carbondale, 73 Faculty Representative... Dr. Robert Sullins Senior Associate AD/Basketball Administrator... Barry Clements Athletics Department Phone... (813) Athletic Ticket Office:...(800) Go-Bulls History All-Time Record All-Time Conference Record All-Time Seasons...37 seasons First Season NCAA Appearances:...Two ( , ) NIT Appearances:... Seven... ( , , , , , , ) Conference Regular-Season Titles...None Conference Tournament Titles...One (Sun Belt, ) Conference Affiliations:... Sun Belt: to (15)... Metro: to (4)...Conference USA to (10)....BIG EAST: to present (3) Coaching Staff and Support Staff Head Coach... Stan Heath Alma Mater, Yr.... Eastern Michigan, 1988 Overall Record (Years) (7 years) Record at USF (Years) (1 year) Assistant Coach... Dan Hipsher Assistant Coach... Reggie Hanson Assistant Coach... Byron Samuels Director of Basketball Operations... Tommy Tonelli Video and Conditioning Assistant... Terrelle Woody Senior Secretary... Joan Snyder Athletics Trainer... Jennifer Galuski Basketball Office Phone...(813) Information Overall Record Home Away Neutral BIG EAST Record Home Away BIG EAST Finish... T-15th Starters Returning/Lost... 4/1 Players Returning/Lost... 5/7 Newcomers... 8 Athletic Communications Asst. Director/Basketball Contact... Jeff Wuerth Office Phone... (813) Cell Phone...(614) jwuerth@admin.usf.edu Assistant AD/Communications... Chris Freet Office Phone... (813) Press Row Telephone...(813) Communications Fax...(813) Athletics Website... Communications Mailing Address E. Fowler Ave., ATH Tampa, Fla UP NEXT: ABOUT SMU The Bulls open the regular season at home against Conference USA opponent SMU on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. It is the first game of a two-game, home-and-home series between the schools with USF visiting SMU next year. SMU finished last year and 4-12 in league play, 11th out of 12 teams. The Mustangs return two starters from last year's squad, six other returnees and welcome six newcomers. Sophomore's Papa Dia (6-9, 250, F, 9.7 pts, 6.5 rebs, C-USA All-Freshman Team) and Ryan Harp (6-4, 180, G, 4.4 pts, 3.4 rebs, 1.7 asts) are the two returning starters. SMU is coached by former North Carolina standout Matt Doherty. Doherty is in his third season at SMU and has a two-year mark of He is in seven years as a head coach which included stops at Notre Dame, North Carolina and Florida Atlantic. RIVALS.COM RANKS MIKE MERCER THE NO. 5 IMPACT TRANSFER Rivals.com recently announced its top 10 transfers for the upcoming season and USF's Mike Mercer was ranked fifth. Mercer averaged 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 51 career games for Georgia. He was averaging 13.6 points per game as a sophomore before being sidelined with a right ACL injury. Mercer will miss both exhibition games and the first six regular season games, becoming eligible for the Dec. 14 Niagara game. FIRST FOUR HOME GAMES CAN BE SEEN ON GOUSFBULLS.COM The first four home games this seen are not televised but can be seen on GoUSFBulls.com. RECORD SEVEN BIG EAST TEAMS RANKED IN ESPN/USA TODAY PRESEASON COACHES' POLL The BIG EAST has seven teams ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll and the Associated Press poll. The seven ranked teams are the most ever for one conference in the Coaches' poll, besting the previous record of five. WALK-ON ADDED TO ROSTER Junior college transfer Ryan Kardok has been added to the roster as a walk-on. Kardok spent two years playing at Broward Community College. He attended Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where he averaged 17 points and six assists per game as a senior. BULLS PICKED TO FINISH 16TH IN BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL The Bulls have been picked to finish 16th in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' poll. BULL-A-PALOOZA $15 TICKET SPECIAL The University of South Florida athletics department has announced Bull-A- Palooza, a special Bulls On Parade ticket special for four sporting events during the weekend of Nov For just $15, USF fans can attend the men s basketball regular season opener vs. SMU on Friday, Nov. 14, the football game vs. Rutgers on Saturday, Nov. 15, and either the women s basketball game or volleyball match vs. Villanova on Sunday, Nov. 16. The men s cagers take on SMU at 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome to kick off the season, while the football squad will host Rutgers at Raymond James Stadium on Military Appreciation Day. The game time has not yet been announced. The women s basketball team is hosting the USF Shootout, Nov , and take on Central MEDIA SERVICES MBB Contact: Jeff Wuerth jwuerth@admin.usf.edu Work Phone: Cell Phone: CREDENTIALS Credential requests should be directed to Jeff Wuerth, assistant director of athletics communications, via - jwuerth@admin.usf.edu. INTERVIEW POLICIES Please contact Jeff Wuerth to arrange an interview with USF coach Stan Heath, a member of the coaching staff or a player. USF players will not disclose their home phone numbers or their cellular phone numbers so please do not request that information. Players have been asked to politely decline interviews that have not been cleared with the USF Athletics Communications Office. Coach and player interviews will not be conducted on gamedays until standard post-game procedures occur. Most USF practices are not open to the media. Media availability will normally take place from 11-11:30 a.m. Monday and 3-4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Sun Dome but are subject to change. The first 30 minutes of both practices will be open to the media.

4 USF Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 4 PROBABLE STARTERS USF (Final averages) Name Pos. P/G R/G A/G FG% FT% Mobolaji Ajayi F Eladio Espinosa F Jesus Verdejo G Dominique Jones G Chris Howard G TAMPA (Final averages) Name Pos. P/G R/G A/G FG% FT% Glyn Hunter F Matt Tomaszewski F Johnathan Ball G Rashad Callaway G Mounir Benzegala G Class Breakdown Total Players: 14 Seniors (3):...Jesus Verdejo, Aris Williams, Mobolaji Ajayi Juniors (4):...Chris Howard, Mike Mercer, Alex Rivas Sanchez, Ryan Kardok Sophomores (1):...Dominique Jones Freshmen (6):...Augustus Gilchrist, Gaby Belardo, B.J. Daniels,...Mitch Emory, Eladio Espinosa, Justin Leemow Geographic Breakdown Florida (4):...Dominique Jones, B.J. Daniels, Mitch Emory, Ryan Kardok Maryland (2):...Augustus Gilchrist, Aris WIlliams Puerto Rico (2):... Jesus Verdejo, Gaby Belardo Nigeria (1):... Mobolaji Ajayi Virginia (1):...Chris Howard Georgia (1):... Mike Mercer Dominican Republic (1):...Alex Rivas Sanchez North Carolina (1):...Eladio Espinosa New York (1):...Justin Leemow Returning Starters (4) Dominique Jones...(31gp/31gs, 17.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg) Jesus Verdejo...(30gp/29gs, 10.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 36% 3fg) Chris Howard...(31gp/30gs, 8.4 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.9 rpg) Mobolaji Ajayi...(29gp/13gs, 2.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.6 bpg) Other Returners (1) Aris Williams... (18gp/0gs, 0.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg) Starters Lost (1) Kentrell Gransberry...(30gp/30gs, 16.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.4 bpg) Newcomers (9)...Mike Mercer, Alex Rivas Sanchez, Gaby Belardo,...B.J. Daniels, Mitch Emory, Eladio Espinosa,...Augustus Gilchrist, Ryan Kardok, Justin Leemow Career Games Played For Returners Career Career Consec. Consec. Games Starts Games Starts Ajayi Howard Jones Verdejo Williams Connecticut on Saturday and then play either Harvard or Loyola (Md.) on Sunday. Game time will be either Noon or 2 p.m. The volleyball squad plays its final BIG EAST regular season game of the year at 2 p.m. at the Sun Dome Corral. To take advantage of the Bull-A-Palooza special fans should call GoBulls. USF TICKET INFORMATION Season ticket packages for the 16-game home schedule for the USF men s basketball season are currently on sale with pricing starting as low as $99 for second level baseline tickets, with second level sideline tickets available for as low as $150. Premium seating is also available. To purchase season tickets or for more information call GoBulls. USF faculty and staff discounts are also available. Individual-game tickets for the non-conference schedule are on sale and range from $8 to $20. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster phone at , at any Ticketmaset location or at the Sun Dome Box Office. Big East individual game tickets will be available starting December 15 at 9 a.m. and range from $10 to $25. The Bulls open the season with a pair of home exhibition games. The exhibition schedule is highlighted by an intra-city matchup with the University of Tampa on Monday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. Prior to facing Tampa, the Bulls kick off the season with an exhibition game against the University of West Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. USF s first regular season contest will come at home vs. SMU on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. The home schedule also includes visits from High Point (Nov. 25), Northeastern (Nov. 29), Niagara (Dec. 14) and Iona (Dec. 27). The games against Northeastern, Niagara and Iona will be televised locally on the Bright House Sports Network. The BIG EAST will once again play an 18-game conference schedule, allowing teams to face each opponent once and three teams twice. It will mark the second year of the 18-game schedule, which began for the season. The Bulls open league action with a pair of nationally televised home games vs. Syracuse and Louisville, respectively. USF hosts the Orange on ESPN on Friday, Jan. 2, at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Cardinals visiting Tampa for an ESPN2 game on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. The home BIG EAST slate also includes NCAA Tournament teams in Villanova (Jan. 24), Marquette (Feb. 6), Georgetown (Feb. 18), and West Virginia (March 1), along with DePaul (Jan. 20), Providence (Feb. 10) and Cincinnati (March 3). COACH HEATH TALKS ABOUT UPCOMING SEASON USF Head Coach Stan Heath gives his thoughts on a number of topics as he heads into his second season at USF. First of all let s talk about the foundation you are trying to build here and establish at the University of South Florida. When you go from your first year to your second year, you try to learn, you try to get better and you try to make the adjustments. We were able to learn a lot going through a Big East season, having a better understanding of the talent level we are facing. We have gotten a better feel for how grueling each game can be, game by game in a Big East conference race. Players learned things as well, as we go into our second season. We have had a lot of changes. There are some new players on the team and some returning players that I feel have gotten better and improved. We have worked very hard in the offseason to become a more physical basketball team. We need to be a team that improves our skills, shooting-wise and understanding the value of possession of the ball. Also in being a good defensive team, as well as a rebounding team. All of those things have been submitted into our team from a basketball standpoint. I have also watched our guys grow academically. Not only our seniors last year who have graduated, but we have two juniors on our team who have already graduated as well as a third who will get his degree. Our guys have really buckled down and had one of the best summers for our basketball program in a long time. So I really feel like the foundation is set. It is built on hard work, team work, accountability, responsibility and I really think as we continue to grow in those directions we will become one of the top programs in our league. What is your long-term vision for USF? Not only with the development of the players, but also with the facilities, administration and our partners? The long-term vision is obviously to have success both academically and athletically. Make sure we are preparing our players for the real world. They will go out in the future, whether they continue in the basketball world or they continue in the business world, and be successful. That is the long term process that we are looking at. To get there, it is step by step, day by day, brick by brick. That is what we are preaching every single day is to continue to head in that direction. We are starting to develop leadership among our players. We are starting to get to the point where our players are feeling very confident in their abilities to have success, so I feel as though we are striving in that direction. I don t know if you ever arrive, but even if you do arrive you still have work to do because someone is coming after you.

5 USF Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 5 CAREER RECORD WATCH CAREER POINTS NO. NAME YEARS PTS 1. Charlie Bradley , Altron Jackson , Radenko Dobras , B.B. Waldon , Chucky Atkins , Tony Grier , Gary Alexander 1989, , Hakim Shahid , Terrence Leather , Cedric Smith , Cal Glover Solomon Jones Dominique Jones POINT AVG. (MIN. 50 GAMES) NO. NAME YEARS AVG 1. Charlie Bradley Tony Grier Dominique Jones (31 games) Eddie Davis Radenko Dobras ASSISTS NO. NAME YEARS AST 1. Reggie Kohn Radenko Dobras Chucky Atkins Tommy Tonelli Brian Swift Cedric Smith Arthur Caldwell Penny Greene , Brian Lamb Bobby Russell Lewis Card T15. Chris Howard T15. Marvin Taylor FREE THROWS MADE NO. NAME YEARS FT 1. Charlie Bradley Altron Jackson Terrence Leather Chucky Atkins Tony Grier B.B. Waldon Radenko Dobras Jesse Salters Hakim Shahid Gary Alexander 1989, Donzel Rush Andrikk Frazier Scott Johnson Dominique Jones FREE THROW PCT. (MIN. 2.0 MADE PER GAME) NO. NAME YEARS PCT 1. Solomon Bozeman Cal Glover Derrick Sharp Scott Johnson Charlie Bradley Radenko Dobras Tony Grier Dominique Jones Penny Greene POINT FG MADE NO. NAME YEARS PCT 1. Reggie Kohn Chucky Atkins Radenko Dobras Cedric Smith Derrick Sharp Brian Swift Melvin Buckley Altron Jackson James Holmes Brian Lamb B.B. Waldon Solomon Bozeman T15. Jesus Verdejo Eric Kinslow Dominique Jones POINT FG PCT. (MIN. 50 MADE) NO. NAME YEARS PCT 1. Derrick Sharp Andre Crenshaw Reggie Kohn B.B. Waldon Brian Swift Chucky Atkins Melvin Buckley Dominique Jones (54 made) Radenko Dobras Altron Jackson Everybody s ultimate goal and USF s goal on the court is to win a National Championship. Talk about that goal and what needs to happen to get there and the history you want to establish with a program that s looking to be a regular in the NCAA tournament. Everybody would love to win a National Championship. Only one team does it. Unless there is something exceptional, it is a process. I really think that is important for us to take small steps instead of looking at Hey, I just want to win a National Championship. So right now it is important for our program to do a great job in the non-conference portion of our season. To win home games, have success on the road and win games you are supposed to win. All of those things are very important. The next step is going into conference play is to protect home court, becoming a team that can win on the road and positioning ourselves so we can play in post season. Right now, we are focusing on getting into post season play. Once we get to that step, then we can reassess our goals. If we are in the NCAA tournament, okay let s win this region, and if we win that region, let s get to the Elite Eight. That in itself is a step-bystep process. Right now our ultimate goals are to do a great job in non-conference, build on that, prepare ourselves for the Big East, and then get to post season. Talk about the commitment you have seen since you ve come on board from the administration and also the support you have gotten from people like Les and Pam Muma? To get our program where we want it to be is going to take a collective effort. It is going to take our university; it is going to take leadership from our athletic director Doug Woolard, who does a great job. Then to have people and community leaders that get involved. The commitment that Les and Pam Muma have made is special. I am honored and humbled that they have invested in our basketball program to help us get to the next level. I think one of the most important things that we can do is to build a basketball center to help men s and women s basketball. It will, not only, be a classroom for our basketball players, to help them improve, it would give us our own environment to grow our basketball team. At the same time, it would be an attractive building to recruits and people who want to be a part of our basketball program. Doug Woolard is 100 percent committed to our basketball program, turning the corner and getting to the top level. He has worked very hard and he has helped me and pointed me in the right direction as to how we can get there. What seemed to be a long ways away when I first got hired in March 2007 is right around the corner. It is exciting, our players are excited about it, and several other people in our community have jumped on board to be apart of something that is going to help our basketball program Talk about Dominique Jones, the person that will most likely be the focal point not only for our team but also for opposing defenses this season. Also talk a about his freshman year, which was arguably the best freshman year ever for a player here at USF, and what expectations you have for him and the expectations he has for himself? Dominique caught everybody off guard. He came on like a storm last year and continued to get better and better as the season went on. Not only does he have the talent, but he has a mental toughness about himself and a confidence about himself that he feels he can play with anybody. What he did as a freshman was outstanding. He was consistent, productive and did not get rattled. He did it in some big games as well. This year without some of the attention that Kentrell Gransberry got, he will have a bigger X on his back. I really feel like he is up for the challenge, he has had an outstanding summer, he has gotten better. That is good news for us, but I am not sure how everyone else will feel about that. But at the same time he is going to have more defenses skewed against him. As a coaching staff we have got to do a good job of helping him, of positioning him against some of the defenses he is going to see. Dominique, I feel he is ready to do this, has the ability to make everyone else around him better and if he can do that and we do our part, I expect him to have an even better sophomore campaign. What are the strengths of the team? Experience in the backcourt is our strength. Right now we have three perimeter players that started 90-95% of the games last year in Dominique Jones, Chris Howard and Jesus Verdejo. Each of those players contributed very well last year and each, I feel, is prepared to have even better years this year. Chris Howard has lost an additional 7-10 pounds and is lighter on his feet. His shot has improved and he has more confidence in his jump shot. He has worked hard on his free throw shooting to improve that area. He will have the versatility to move around the court, with the ball or without the ball. He has become one of our best screeners and movers in our offense. He is a very good passer and has the ability to get easy baskets for his teammates. Jesus Verdejo had an injury during a key part of the season and missed some time, but once he came back, I thought he was probably our third option. He played very well down the stretch, and had some double figure games at key times. He is a fifth year senior and is very experienced. He has a lot of toughness about him. I really feel that those three guys will be the key to how we do. Fortunately, after six games into our season we will add Mike Mercer, who is a proven player in the SEC. I feel that his experience and his talent will make us better once he joins our lineup. They all have ball handling skills. They all have the ability to score. They all have the ability to play make. I think that they are all very hungry to win, and will be unselfish, out there, on the court. Now they need to help the other guys on the team, and help be effective themselves. I think that because so much attention will be garnered towards them, they will allow our younger big guys to have a productive role out there on the court of getting easy baskets, because they draw so much attention. As a coaching staff and as the head coach, how do you instill a winning attitude in these guys? There are two ways. We have to win off the court, and we have to win on the court. Every day in practice is a day. It is an opportunity to grow that winning mentality. We will make practice very competitive. There will be winners and losers. There will be punishments for guys who lose. Losing just will not be acceptable on a daily basis. I feel that if we practice those types of habits consistently, I feel that those guys will have a nasty taste in their mouths when they enter a game. Knowing that they are there to win, and nothing else is acceptable. So we just have to continue to build that mentality. We have to understand that it is us. It is not going to be one particular player or two. It is going to be a team effort. I really think that our guys will buy into the fact that if we are successful as a team, then individual success will follow. What does this team lack? What does it need to improve on this year? Missing (Kentrell) Gransberry is a big loss in a lot of ways. That is a lot of points and a lot of rebounds. Someone on our front line has got to, not one particular player, but a collective group of guys that help us on the glass, give us an inside scoring presence, give us defensive presence, that collectively can neutralize the big players that we will

6 USF Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 6 face on a daily basis. That is an area that we need to get better in. We do have some size. We do have a little bit of experience there with a guy like Mobolaji Ajayi, who started quite a few games. We have a lot of youth. I m hopeful that some of those young guys will take that opportunity and run with it. I don t expect them to think that they have to, every night, carry the load. That is what I expect our guards to do. I expect them to give a great effort and a great fight every time they step on the court. Talk a little about the new guys, and what you might have in them. Let s start with Eladio Espinosa. Eladio is a freshman from Hargrave. His team went undefeated in prep school. He went to Hargrave Academy and played against some of the best competition. That will help him take that step in college, playing against good competition. Playing for a winning program. He is athletic. tic. He runs the floor. He plays very hard. He has a great motor. He is still refining some of his skills. ls I do think that the intensity level that he brings every day will help him, and will lh help our rb basketball b all team. Justin Leemow was a late signee. He is a point guard who is very fast and dv very quick. He has good ball skills, and can knock down a shot. He still needs to get a little bit stronger. He has a presence about himself that I feel can give us some perimeter depth, and can help our team. Gaby Belardo is a guard that we picked up that can play the guard spot. He has ability to shoot the ball and score. He has some quickness out there on the court. He is still learning and making the adjustment. Alex Rivas Sanchez is a guy that has gone through quite a bit. He has been through some injuries. He has gotten healthier. He is still not 100 percent yet. We are hopeful that by the time the season starts, that he will be healthy. He is a physical player and a tough player. He is a guy that gets rebounds, blocks shots, and that can really help us if we can get him healthy. We are really excited if we can help him turn that corner with his health. Augustus Gilchrist may be one of the most talented front court players that I have ever coached. We are very excited about his upside. He has not played basketball in a year at the college level. He will be making an adjustment of getting used to the speed of the game and the learning habits of playing with other guys on the court. As far as being six-foot-10 inches, having the skills to play inside and outside, having ball skills, athletic skills. He is a very talented player that is going to be a big part of our future. Last but not least is Mitch Emory. He is a walk on in our program that we have had a chance to see and encouraged him to become a part of our program. He is kind of an in between forward. He plays a little bit more on the perimeter. He can shoot the basketball and has some athletic ability. We will obviously monitor his progress and see if he is a guy that we redshirt or if he will play for this upcoming season. He has the ability to help us in practice for sure. Talk about what a player like Augustus Gilchrist can do for this program visibility wise. Augustus was highly recruited player out of high school. He has a rare skill set of having so much versatility at his size. He has strength and toughness to go with it. His relationship with Chris Howard was huge in him being a part of our program. Once he did make that decision and joined our team I do think that it created a lot of interest of the recruits, of the coaches. They saw that South Florida is turning the corner to be able to land a player of his magnitude. I really feel that t he is going to be an impact player for us. He will be a guy that other guys look at, other recruits will look at and say they would like to play with Gus Gilchrist. On what the coaching staff has ahead of them. This staff is very experienced group of guys. They know that they have got to work. We have to continue to push forward. It is certainly a tall mountain to climb with some of the competition that we face in our league. They work very hard with our players and player development. They work very hard off of the court to get our guys to grow as student athletes as a whole. I think that we stress having a strong player coach relationship, especially outside of the court. I see more and more that our players look to our coaching staff for guidance and assistance. I am very pleased with the direction that we are going with our staff and the relationship between the players and the coaching staff. Talk about the challenge that is the BIG EAST Conference. I would love to be a fan this year to watch BIG EAST basketball. It is going to be exciting. It is going to be a war every single night. It is going to be some exciting basketball. To be the coach in it you know that you have to roll up your sleeves and to fight every night. That still is exciting. It is challenging, but it is exciting. Our league prepares you for anything that you are going to face beyond conference play. You will face multiple styles of play. We will face great coaching. We will face some of the most talented players in the country. We will face great crowds and play in exciting venues. The challenge for us is that we look at it one game at a time. We have to be sure not to look at one loss and let in linger into something else. We understand that if we have a big win we can t go into a role that we let our guard down. Anybody can beat you on any given night. It is a test. It is a huge test. Going into the season with some guys that have been through it you have a little bit more of a feel for what is in front of you. That is the good news for us. The tough news is that we have to take things up another level. It is going to take a whole team to do that. DOMINIQUE JONES Sophomore Guard ALL-AMERICAN AND ALL-CONFERENCE CANDIDATE DATE Had arguably the best season of any freshman in USF history All-BIG EAST Honorable orab Mention Unanimous selection on the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team Averaged a team high 17.1 points per game points per game ranked 7th in the BIG EAST Averaged ed 18.2 in conference nc e play, the best of any league freshman and 3rd best in the conference ce Fourth leading returning ng scorer in BIG EAST Pulled down 4.6 rebounds per game, second best on the team Team high 1.3 steals per game Was only Bull l to start all 31 games on the year Scored in double figures in 28 of 31 games Had 20 or more points in 10 games and three games over 30 points 31 points vs. Seton Hall was career high and the highest hest scored by a BIG EAST freshman in Three 30-plus point games are already tied for fourth on the USF all-time career list Was only USF player to play all l 40 minutes in a game during the season, doing it five times Shattered t the USF freshman scoring mark by tallying 531 points on the year. The previous freshman record was 455 set by B.B. Waldon in the season BIG EAST Rookie of the Week four times as well as the Sporting News National Player of the Week once Became first freshman in USF history, and only the third USF player ever, to score 30 or more points in back-to-back games Was the first BIG EAST freshman in 13 years to score 30 or more points in consecutive games. The last BIG EAST freshman to accomplish the feat was Georgetown's Allen Iverson in December of 1994 Made 123 free throws on the year, 6th on USF single season list UNIVERSITY REFERENCES When referring to the University, please be aware of the following policy regarding usage. First references to the school and its intercollegiate athletics program should always be the University of South Florida. The only secondary references used should be USF or Bulls. Please refrain from using South Florida, S. Florida, South Fla. or any other similar combination.

7 USF Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 7 Stan Heath Second Season (USF) (Overall) Stan Heath, whose seven-year head coaching career at the collegiate level has already included three NCAA Tournament appearances, is entering his second season as head men's basketball coach at the University of South Florida. Heath was named USF head coach on April 3, marking the official start to a new era in the program s history. In his first season at USF, Heath helped guide two players to BIG EAST all-conference honors, first team selection senior Kentrell Gransberry and record-setting freshman Dominique Jones, who captured honorable mention laurels and was a unanimous pick on the All- Rookie Team. Heath, 43, arrived at USF after serving as head coach at the University of Arkansas for five seasons. While with the Razorbacks, Heath guided the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2006, 2007) and an overall record of UA posted 20-win campaigns in each of his final two seasons and was highlighted by a run to the championship game of the SEC Tournament and subsequent participation in the NCAAs. An outstanding recruiter throughout his career, Heath's signing classes have gained national recognition in recent years. National media outlets ranked his efforts among the top 15 in the country in 2003, 2004 and In his seven years (Arkansas, Kent State and USF) as a head coach, he has directed a total of eight players to all-league accolades and his rosters have featured a pair of freshman All-Americans, two conference defensive players of the year, a sixth man of the year and two NBA players, including one lottery pick. Prior to Arkansas, Heath guided Kent State to a record-setting campaign in his first year as a head coach at the collegiate level. The Golden Flashes claimed the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament titles en route to a 30-6 record and an appearance in the Elite Eight. KSU set a league record for wins that year, won 21 games in a row and defeated three nationally ranked opponents (No. 20 Oklahoma St., No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Pitt) during its historic postseason run. While an assistant coach for five seasons ( ) under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, Heath helped the Spartans develop into one of the top programs in all of college basketball. During his tenure, MSU advanced to the Final Four on three occasions (1999, 2000 and 2001), highlighted by the national championship in The Spartans compiled an overall record of during his stay in East Lansing and also made one more Sweet 16 (1998) trip and participated in the National Invitation Tournament (1997). The Detroit native has also made collegiate assistant coaching stops at Bowling Green State University ( ), Wayne State University ( ), Albion College ( ) and Hillsdale College ( ). He began his coaching career at the prep level, working for one season ( ) at Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Mich. A three-year letterwinner ( ) at Eastern Michigan University, Heath earned his bachelor's degree in social science in He went on to complete his master's work in sports administration in 1993 at Wayne State University. Heath is married to the former Ramona Webb and the couple has two sons; Jordan and Joshua. BIG EAST FIELD TO INCREASE TO 16 FOR 2009 The Presidents of the BIG EAST Conference voted to include all 16 member institutions in the men s and women s basketball championship tournaments beginning in The Presidents took this action at their annual meeting, which was held Nov. 6 in Philadelphia. Previously, on the top 12 teams in the final regularseason standings advanced to participate in the men s and women s championships. The men s championship is held in New York City at Madison Square Garden. The women s championship is held in Hartford, Conn., at the Hartford Civic Center. TV ALL THE TIME In , the BIG EAST began a new multiyear agreement with ESPN that brought the national television exposure for the league to unprecedented levels. That coverage continues this season. For the second straight year, every conference regular-season game will be televised. The BIG EAST has always been considered a leader in TV. Twelve of the 16 BIG EAST institutions are located in the top 34 media markets in the country. Some of the highlights of the current agreement: ESPN, Inc. will produce 140 of the 144 regular-season conference games this season. The four remaining games will be carried by CBS Sports. ESPN and ESPN2 will telecast a minimum of 60 games each year. In , ESPN or ESPN2 will televise 45 regular-season league games, 11 games of The BIG EAST Championship and eight nonconference home contests. ESPN Regional will carry a minimum of 67 games under the banner of The BIG EAST Network and continue to produce its weekend Game of the Week package, which reaches over a third of the nation s homes and has a household reach of more than 38 million. Most games offered by ESPN Regional are also available nationally as part of ESPN Full Court, the pay subscription college basketball outer-market service. ESPNU or ESPN360, the network s customized broadband service, will carry at least 28 league games in ESPN or ESPN Regional will produce numerous nonconference home games. The BIG EAST will continue its regular presence on ESPN s Big Monday as well as a regular presence on Wednesday and Thursday nights. The television schedule is so extensive that the league can claim it has multiple Nights of the Week. A record 45 conference contests will be carried on ESPN or ESPN2. CBS Sports will televise 10 more games involving BIG EAST teams. ESPN will continue to televise The BIG EAST Championship from Madison Square Garden in New York. The dates are March In total, 70 of the 144 regular-season BIG EAST games will be on national television, which includes 21 that will be carried on ESPNU. The remaining games will be carried on ESPN360 or the BIG EAST Network, which is produced by ESPN Regional Television. The ESPNU slate also includes at least 13 nonleague contests. ESPN.360 is carrying seven games. In addition, the BIG EAST and ESPN Regional Television will present the BIG EAST Network Game of the Week on Saturdays and Sundays, mostly at noon, Eastern time. The syndicated package, the largest in college basketball, reaches more than one-third of the nation s homes. RESULT BREAKDOWN Record Overall BE Home: Away: Neutral: TOTALS Record By Month Overall BE November: December: January: February: March: TOTALS Record By Starting Lineup --- LED USF IN... SCORING: REBOUNDING: ASSISTS: STEALS: BLOCKS:

8 USF Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page USF MEN'S BASKETBALL ROSTER Eladio Espinosa 1 Mike Mercer 2 Chris Howard 3 Gaby Belardo 4 B.J. Daniels 5 Justin Leemow 10 Alex Rivas Sanchez 11 Dominique Jones 20 Mitch Emory 21 Jesus Verdejo 23 Augustus Gilchrist 24 Aris Williams 32 Mobolaji Ajayi 33

9 USF Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page Final Statistics - All Games Name GP/GS MIN AVG. FG FGA PCT 3FG 3FGA PCT FT FTA PCT REB AVG F/DQ A TO BL ST PTS-AVG Dominique Jones 31/ / Kentrell Gransberry 30/ / Jesus Verdejo 30/ / Chris Howard 31/ / Solomon Bozeman 31/ / Aaron Holmes 16/ / Orane Chin 30/ / Mobolaji Ajayi 29/ / Adamu Saaka 29/ / Dante Curry 6/ / Mohamed Esseghir 25/ / Aris Williams 18/ / Eddie Lovett 17/ / Team USF / Opponents / Final Statistics - BIG EAST Games Name GP/GS MIN AVG. FG FGA PCT 3FG 3FGA PCT FT FTA PCT REB AVG PF/DQ A TO BL ST PTS-AVG Dominique Jones 18/ / Kentrell Gransberry 18/ / Jesus Verdejo 17/ / Chris Howard 18/ / Solomon Bozeman 18/ / Mobolaji Ajayi 17/ / Aaron Holmes 13/ / Orane Chin 17/ / Adamu Saaka 17/ / Mohamed Esseghir 13/ / Aris Williams 6/ / Eddie Lovett 6/ / Team USF / Opponents /