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Recruiting: QB Gunsby officially commits to USF
He'd told us three days ago he intended to commit on his official visit, so it's no surprise that Jamius "Jay" Gunsby, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound quarterback from LaGrange, Ga., told USF coaches he will be signing with the Bulls on Wednesday.
"The coaches were so warm, made you feel welcome there," Gunsby said. "I felt like this was the place I needed to be. It was my kind of environment. I'm very excited."
More on Gunsby -- his high school coach, Steve Pardue, says Florida recruited Gunsby "really heavy" and as a quarterback -- "nobody has looked at him as anything other than a quarterback," he said.
If you're counting, Sunday's commitments from Gunsby and safety Reshard Cliett give USF 13 commitments by my count, in addition to the four players who enrolled for spring classes. A few more notes ...
-- One that got away from USF was Gainesville cornerback Devont'a Davis, whose visit was cut short by a family emergency, forcing him to leave Saturday morning, according to Gainesville coach Ryan Smith. Davis will stick to his commitment to Miami, Smith said. ... Read more
Red-hot Jones, Bulls knock off No. 17 Pitt
TAMPA -- And this time, the Bulls didn't even need overtime.
USF, building on back-to-back Big East wins, took its strong play to another level Sunday afternoon, getting 37 points from red-hot guard Dominique Jones and knocking off No. 17 Pittsburgh 70-61 before an announced crowd of 5,370 in the Sun Dome.
"We've just got a little swagger about us. When you win, you feel good," said senior point guard Chris Howard, who has seen as many Big East wins in the past eight days as in any of his first three seasons with the Bulls. "At the same time, we always say 'Be humble and be hungry.' That's the mindset in the locker room right now."
The Bulls (14-7, 4-5 in Big East) had never won back-to-back league games until Thursday, and now the streak is at three heading into a game Wednesday at No. 7 Georgetown. Jones, who went for a school-record 46 points at Providence and then 28 points Thursday in a win against Seton Hall, was superb again, going 14-for-17 on free throws and adding eight rebounds.
"I feel like this three-game win streak we're on is elevating our game," the junior from Lake Wales said. "We're practicing harder. I think we're coming more together, everybody just accepting their role. That's what winning does to you." ... Read more
Bulls pick up commitment from Georgia safety
Busy here at courtside covering USF-Pittsburgh basketball -- Bulls up eight midway through second half -- but I can report that Skip Holtz has picked up a commitment from Reshard Cliett, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound safety from Thomasville (Ga.) Thomas County Central -- same high school as USF receiver Dontavia Bogan.
Cliett doesn't have a strong list of offers -- his high school coach, Bill Shaver, mentioned Georgia Southern, Eastern Kentucky and South Alabama. Shaver said Cliett missed his whole junior year with a shoulder injury, but played strong football in the second half of his senior year. Cliett said he finished the season with four interceptions and 97 total tackles.
"They said they see me as a diamond in the rough, an unseen talent," said Cliett (pronounced CLY-ett), who confirmed USF was his only Division I-A offer. He said Skip Holtz and his staff had started recruiting him before Christmas while still at East Carolina. ... Read more
Live blog: USF men's hoops vs. Pittsburgh
Greetings from the Sun Dome, where USF is going for its third straight Big East win against No. 17 Pittsburgh. It's been a while since we've live-blogged, but stop on in for updates and conversation on the Bulls and Panthers ...
QB Carnes picks W. Kentucky, will face USF
Another twist in the recruitment of Bradenton Manatee quarterback Brion Carnes, as one day after having his scholarship offer pulled by USF, the recruit made a commitment during an official visit to sign Wednesday with Western Kentucky, according to the Bradenton Herald.
Why would Carnes, who visited Nebraska last week, choose a Sun Belt school that went 0-12 in 2009 and has lost its last 20 games? It could be any number of reasons -- the Hilltoppers' new coach, Willie Taggart, is a Manatee alumnus, and being in a smaller conference would logically make it easier for Carnes to play. The Hilltoppers' starting quarterback last year was a freshman, however, so he'll have to unseat a returning starter. Carnes hasn't posted a qualifying test score yet, and if that doesn't change, he would have an easier time enrolling at Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers come to Tampa on Sept. 25 to face USF at Raymond James Stadium. ... Read more
Could Bulls' LB answer be Chaminade duo?
If there's a position most glaringly unaddressed in USF's recruiting efforts, it might be linebacker, where the Bulls' only newcomer right now is junior college transfer Curtis Weatherspoon.
There are no linebackers believed to be visiting USF on this final weekend before signing day, but the Bulls remain in the thick of competition for a pair of outside linebackers from Hollywood's Chaminade-Madonna College Prep, Hans Louis and Ruben Narcisse.
Both are 6-1, with Louis weighing 220 and Narcisse 210, and USF assistant Mark Snyder, widely expected to be the Bulls' defensive coordinator, has been interested in both since his days as Marshall's head coach. Both made official visits to USF last weekend, and while Louis picked up a scholarship offer, Narcisse is eagerly awaiting word from Bulls coaches Sunday with a potential offer.
"I like USF and West Virginia. They're the main two," said Narcisse, who did not make any visits this weekend. ... Read more
USF women get road win at Cincinnati
USF's women's basketball team continues to bounce back well from an 0-3 start to Big East play, getting its third win in four games with a 64-47 victory at Cincinnati on Sunday.
The Bulls (12-8, 3-4 in Big East) got another double-double from senior center Jessica Lawson, who had a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds, and guard Sequoyah Griffin just missed a triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Here's the boxscore from ESPN.com.
USF now comes home for two games, with slow-paced Villanova on Tuesday and Rutgers on Saturday.
Freshman Fitzpatrick confident in larger role
TAMPA -- Starting as a freshman in the Big East, it would easy for Toarlyn Fitzpatrick to feel overmatched.
The 6-foot-8 power forward from King was supposed to be a role player for USF, perhaps the fourth post player this season, but a pair of injuries have thrust him into a starting role, and he's handled himself admirably against older, more experienced competition.
It's just been amazing to watch his progression and evolution
throughout the season," said coach Stan Heath, whose Bulls face Pittsburgh on Sunday in the Sun Dome. "He's had some double-double games, he's hit some
big shots, he's rebounded the ball. He's definitely going to become a
very, very good player in this league." ... Read more
No more scholarships, USF tells RB Bellamy
Adaris Bellamy was the first player to commit to USF's Class of 2009 and accept a scholarship offer to play for the Bulls. Now the former Dunedin running back, placed at a prep school in Virginia by USF last fall after he did not qualify academically, has been cleared by the NCAA but was told Friday that USF no longer had a scholarship available to him this year.
Dunedin coach Mark Everett said he was disappointed by USF's news, given that the Bulls had signed Bellamy last year and placed him at Fork Union Military Academy with the hopes of having him join the team this summer. Bellamy was able to raise his grade-point average and entrance exam scores such that he has now been cleared through the NCAA Clearinghouse according to Everett, but doesn't have a place at USF.
USF still has scholarships in play, with several recruits making official campus visits this weekend, but it's likely the Bulls mean they do not have scholarships available for any running backs -- the Bulls have three in this year's class, and potentially return all eight from this past season. ... Read more
Reports: USF pulls QB Carnes' offer
In a surprising development, USF has pulled its scholarship offer from Bradenton Manatee quarterback Brion Carnes, a former Bulls commitment, according to the Bradenton Herald and Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Carnes, who had re-opened his recruitment after Jim Leavitt's firing, was still considering USF, but visited Nebraska last week and is visiting Western Kentucky this weekend.
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