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Robertson's game starts with shutting down yours
TAMPA -- Points and rebounds are wonderful, really, but what Hugh Robertson is really looking for when handed the stat sheet from a USF basketball game is an ugly night for whatever star Stan Heath has asked him to shut down that night.
"I love it. Every game, Coach lines me up with the best player, and I accept the challenge," said Robertson, a 6-foot-6 senior guard from Macon, Ga., who has started every Big East game in his two seasons with the Bulls. "I like doing that, and he knows that, so he puts me on the best player, to try to contain them, hold them down so we have a chance to win the game."
Last week, when USF derailed a red-hot Pittsburgh team in a key home victory, Robertson had a season-high 18 points, but he was smiling for a different reason: holding Panthers guard Ashton Gibbs, the Big East preseason player of the year, to 4 points, his lowest total in nearly two years. And Robertson wasn't taking the blame for all four points, either. ... Read more
USF close to deal for Sun Dome management
As a $35 million renovation continues on the Sun Dome, USF's athletic department is finalizing an agreement that would turn over management of the basketball arena to Global Spectrum, a national firm that already manages several arenas around the state.
No contract has been signed, but Global Spectrum is already at work with the Sun Dome -- USF will pay the company a management fee, but the plan is that Global Spectrum can increase the revenue created by the arena, whose renovations should be completed by May. Global Spectrum, based in Philadelphia, already manages UCF Arena in Orlando and the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami. ... Read more
Poland back, Bulls raid Vikings for 15-point win
Here's our basketball game story from Times writer Laura Keeley ...
TAMPA—For the first time this season, the Bulls were all healthy.
And it couldn’t have come at a better time, as Jawanza Poland led the team with 13 points in his season debut as USF downed Cleveland State 70-55.
“We have Jawanza back, we’re at full strength, and it feels good to have a full group of guys,” forward Ron Anderson Jr. said. “We have a lot of different guys out there and can use a couple different looks.”
USF coach Stan Heath did just that on defense, switching from man-to-man to a zone in order to take the Vikings (10-2) out of their rhythm and keep them in front of the Bulls' defenders. As a result, Cleveland State shot 26.9 percent from 3-point range, hampering the Vikings’ ability to come back from a 25-21 halftime deficit. The Bulls held the Vikings scoreless for nine minutes in the opening half as Hugh Robertson capped a 10-0 run with a steal and a two-handed slam dunk. ... Read more
Live chat: Talk USF sports with Greg Auman at 12:30
Want to talk about USF's disappointing football season? The college bowl matchups? The soccer team's deep NCAA tournament run? The start of basketball season? Whatever's on your mind, join Times beat reporter Greg Auman for a live chat RIGHT NOW!
Live chat: Talk USF sports here at 12:30
We're back for another live chat at Tampabay.com -- lots to talk about in this overlap between football and basketball seasons. We can talk about USF's final three football games and the bowl prospects, or men's basketball's 3-0 start in touring around the Tampa area for home games. Submit your questions now and we'll get to as many answers as we can. ...
Live blog: USF edges Vermont 61-59 in opener
UPDATE: USF saw a 12-point lead shrink to 1 in the final minute, but Vermont's tying tap-in at the buzzer was ruled too late and the Bulls hang on for a 61-59 win against the Catamounts in their season opener.
Greetings from the Martinez Center downtown at the University of Tampa, where USF men's basketball opens its season tonight against Vermont. We'll have updates throughout the game as the Bulls open their home-away-from-home tour ...
Could this be a new Sun Dome rendering?
We post this only because we recognize the volume of e-mail we get and blog comments we read and @replies on Twitter, asking regularly if we've seen any pics from USF of renderings of what the new Sun Dome, er, Corporate Sponsor TBA Arena will look like.
So it's with some intrigue that we find this PDF page on USF's official site, labeled as "Current Projects," and sure enough there's a pic of what the Sun Dome might look like -- granted, the same page shows it as being completed in December 2011, which is probably five or six months ahead of the likely completion date. Still, you can see the more complete lower bowl, the open area on the terrace level of one side of the arena, the center-hung scoreboard, a lot of the things USF has been mentioning but not picturing as the plans are still getting finalized. Use the "marquee zoom" and you can blow the pic up big enough to see a fair amount of detail. (This is about when USF folks text me and assure me the picture is highly conceptual and actually pulled from the late Clinton administration.) ... Read more
USF men's hoops cruises to 75-43 exhibition win at UT
Here's correspondent Ian Lanphier's game story from tonight's men's basketball exhibition at the University of Tampa:
TAMPA -- USF had little trouble taking down an overmatched UT in its 75-43 exhibition victory Saturday night at the Bob Martinez Sports Center.
On the strength of their 45-27 rebounding advantage and nearly 54 percent shooting, the Bulls got to see what the team may look like this year, with newcomers possibly playing a larger role.
"I was expecting us to come out ready to go," coach Stan Heath said. "I think the guys were excited to play somebody else. You get tired of beating yourself up all the time, but I thought we came with a business-like approach and we got the job done."
One of those newcomers, forward Victor Rudd, nearly had a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. He had a vicious dunk in the second half that got the crowd excited. ... Read more
USF's Woolard talks about new NCAA legislation
We asked USF if we could get a comment from Doug Woolard on the many new pieces of legislation passed by the NCAA board of directors this week, and they e-mailed us a full Q&A, even if they are providing the Qs and the As. So here's what Woolard had to say on a variety of new issues passed by the NCAA this week:
-- General Comments: "The new legislation adopted by member schools and the NCAA Board of Directors sends a strong message that student-athlete welfare must remain at the forefront of decisions we make.
-- Regarding permissive legislation allowing multi-year scholarships and for student-athletes to receive an additional $2,000 in athletics aid: "USF is supportive of the adjustments made related to the provision and permissible amount of scholarships. Multi-year scholarships will enable student-athletes, and their families, to more effectively plan for the funding of their college educations." ... Read more
Freshman Omogbehin undergoes knee surgery
USF basketball freshman Jordan Omogbehin, the 7-foot-3 Nigerian center already redshirting this season, has undergone surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee and will be sidelined for eight months.
Omogbehin, who wears a brace on his knee from previous injuries, should be able to make a full recovery by the time the team starts individual workouts next fall. He'll be part of a new frontcourt in 2012, along with junior college standout Waverly Austin, who will sign with the Bulls next month. Both of USF's expected frontcourt starters this season, forward Augustus Gilchrist and center Ron Anderson, are seniors, with forward Toarlyn Fitzpatrick returning for 2012.
We wrote last year about Omogbehin suffering a knee injury in April 2010, but he had recovered in time to play last season in Virginia.
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