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Laquincy Rideau nearing USF’s steals record

The Bulls point guard needs seven steals to eclipse the Bulls' single-season mark
USF point guard LaQuincy Rideau (3) leads the fast break after stealing the ball from Wichita State forward Teddy Allen (23) during a game Tuesday in Tampa. [OCTAVIO JONES   |   Times ]
USF point guard LaQuincy Rideau (3) leads the fast break after stealing the ball from Wichita State forward Teddy Allen (23) during a game Tuesday in Tampa. [OCTAVIO JONES | Times ]
Published Jan. 25, 2019

Only 19 games into his USF career, redshirt junior Laquincy Rideau already has drawn comparisons to the best point guards in program history.

Soon, he’ll have a statistical argument to bolster his fledgling case.

Rideau enters Saturday’s game at East Carolina (4 p.m., ESPNU) with 62 steals. With seven more, he breaks the Bulls' 45-year-old single-season record held by Hillsborough High alumnus Leon Smith.

Conceivably, the record could fall Saturday. Rideau, a Gardner-Webb transfer who sat out last season, had 10 steals two weeks ago in the Bulls' 82-80 overtime loss at Temple, when he notched an unconventional triple-double (18 points, 10 assists, 10 steals).

“I think the world of Quince,” Bulls coach Brian Gregory said. “A tough kid. One of the few guys, I think, in college basketball that bumped up a couple levels and is actually better, and that is because of the work he put in last year.”

If the Bulls (13-6, 3-4) can win an American Athletic Conference tournament game and reach postseason play, Rideau also appears within striking distance of Charlie Bradley’s single-season mark for minutes played (1,141). Through 19 games, he has logged 602 minutes; USF has a minimum 12 games remaining.