2023–24 South Florida Bulls men's basketball team

The 2023–24 South Florida Bulls men's basketball team represented the University of South Florida during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The season marked the 52nd basketball season for USF, the eleventh as a member of the American Athletic Conference, and the first (and only) season under head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. The Bulls played their home games at Yuengling Center on the university's Tampa, Florida campus.

2023–24 South Florida Bulls men's basketball
AAC regular season champions
NIT, Second round
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record25–8 (16–2 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaYuengling Center
Seasons
2023–24 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
South Florida 16 2   .889 25 8   .758
Florida Atlantic 14 4   .778 25 9   .735
Charlotte 13 5   .722 19 12   .613
UAB 12 6   .667 23 12   .657
Memphis 11 7   .611 22 10   .688
SMU 11 7   .611 20 13   .606
North Texas 10 8   .556 19 15   .559
East Carolina 7 11   .389 15 18   .455
Tulsa 7 11   .389 16 15   .516
Tulane 5 13   .278 14 17   .452
Temple 5 13   .278 16 20   .444
Wichita State 5 13   .278 15 19   .441
Rice 5 13   .278 11 21   .344
UTSA 5 13   .278 11 21   .344
2024 AAC tournament winner

In the Week 14 poll on February 12, 2024, USF received five votes in the Coaches Poll (unofficially ranking them 40th), marking the first time since the final poll of the 2011–12 season in which USF has received votes in the Coaches Poll. In addition, the school also received seven votes in the AP poll (unofficially ranking them 43rd), also marking the first time the school received votes in both polls in the same week, along with only the third time the school received votes in the AP poll, after receiving 58 in the Week 6 poll in 1991–92 and two in the Week 13 poll in 2009–10. The following week (Week 15), the school set a record for most votes received in the Coaches Poll, receiving 45 in AP and 35 in Coaches (unofficially ranking them 31st and 29th, respectively).

In their February 18 win against No. 24 Florida Atlantic, USF set a new attendance record with 10,659 fans packing the Yuengling Center.[1][2]

On February 25 after their win against SMU combined with losses by Charlotte and Florida Atlantic that weekend, USF clinched at least a share of the conference regular season title for the first time in school history.[3] On March 2, they would clinch the outright title with their win over Charlotte.[4]

In the Week 16 poll on February 26, 2024, USF was ranked No. 25 in both the AP and Coaches polls, marking the first time in school history the team was officially ranked in either poll.[5]

The Bulls were ranked No. 24 in both the AP and Coaches polls during week 17.[6] After a loss to Tulsa in the final game of the season, USF would drop out of the AP Top 25 for week 18; however, they would receive votes, unofficially ranking them 27th in the nation. That loss would also snap the Bulls program record setting 15-game win streak.

On March 15, Amir Abdur-Rahim was named a Naismith College Coach of the Year semifinalist.[7] Two days later, the Bulls were given a berth in the National Invitation Tournament, their first postseason berth since 2018–19.[8] They beat rival Central Florida in the first round their 25th win of the season setting a new program record before losing to VCU in the second round, ending their season.[9]

Previous season

edit

The Bulls finished the 2022–23 season 14–18, 7–11 in AAC play, to finish in eighth place. They lost in the first round of the AAC tournament to East Carolina.

On March 10, 2023, the school fired head coach Brian Gregory after six seasons.[10] On March 29, the school named Kennesaw State head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim the team's new head coach.[11]

Offseason

edit

Departures

edit
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Ryan Conwell 0 G 6'4" 195 Freshman Indianapolis, IN Transferred to Indiana State
Tyler Harris 2 G 5'9" 150 GS Senior Memphis, TN Graduated
DJ Patrick 3 F 6'6" 200 Sophomore Powder Springs, GA Transferred to Charleston Southern
Dok Muordar 4 F 6'11" 200 Freshman Rumbek, South Sudan Transferred to Cleveland State
Jake Boggs 5 F 6'7" 200 Junior Charlotte, NC Transferred
Serrel Smith Jr. 10 G 6'4" 175 Senior St. Petersburg, FL Graduated
Trey Moss 11 G 6'3" 180 Sophomore Orlando, FL Transferred to William & Mary
Mark Calleja 13 G 6'2" 185 Senior Hudson, FL Walk-on; graduated
Kenu Louissaint 22 G/F 6'3" 205 Senior Port-au-Prince, Haiti Graduated
Keyshawn Bryant 23 F 6'6" 190 GS Senior Winter Haven, FL Graduated
Jamir Chaplin 24 G 6'5" 200 Junior Norcross, GA Transferred to Little Rock
Russel Tchewa 54 C 7'0" 280 Junior Douala, Cameroon Transferred to Georgia

Incoming transfers

edit
Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Josh Placer 2 G 6'1" 184 RS Senior Orlando, FL North Florida
Chris Youngblood 3 G 6'4" 218 Senior Tuscaloosa, AL Kennesaw State
Kobe Knox 4 G 6'5" 195 RS Sophomore Tampa, FL Grand Canyon
Brandon Stroud 5 G 6'6" 200 Senior Atlanta, GA Kennesaw State
Kasean Pryor 11 F 6'10" 200 Junior Chicago, IL Northwest Florida State College
Kasen Jennings 13 G 6'3" 202 Senior Atlanta, GA Kennesaw State
Gerald Jones III 21 F 6'11" 225 Junior Wolfeboro, NH Saddleback College
David Ogunleye 22 F 6'9" 235 Junior Houston, TX Chabot College

Recruiting classes

edit

2023 recruiting class

edit
College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jayden Reid
PG
Des Moines, IA Grandview Park Baptist School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) May 17, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports: 
Daniel Tobiloba
C
Des Moines, IA Grandview Park Baptist School 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 238 lb (108 kg) Apr 12, 2023 
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.

Roster

edit
2023–24 South Florida Bulls men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Jayden Reid 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 161 lb (73 kg) Fr Long Island Lutheran Westbury, NY
G/F 1 Selton Miguel 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Kansas State Luanda, Angola
G 2 Jose Placer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 184 lb (83 kg) RS Sr North Florida Orlando, FL
G 3 Chris Youngblood 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Sr Kennesaw State Tuscaloosa, AL
G 4 Kobe Knox 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So Grand Canyon Tampa, FL
G 5 Brandon Stroud 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Kennesaw State Atlanta, GA
F 11 Kasean Pryor 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Northwest Florida State College Chicago, IL
G 13 Kasen Jennings 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Sr Kennesaw State Atlanta, GA
G 14 Ammaar Balagam (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Stone Mountain HS Tucker, GA
F 15 Corey Walker Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Jr Tennessee Jacksonville, FL
F 20 Sam Hines Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Denver Marietta, GA
F 21 Gerald Jones III 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Saddleback College Wolfeboro, NH
F 22 David Ogunleye 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Chabot College Houston, TX
G 33 Nic Smith (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 168 lb (76 kg) Fr Whitnall HS Milwaukee, WI
C 34 Daniel Tobiloba 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 238 lb (108 kg) Fr Grand View Christian Des Moines, IA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: March 23, 2024

Preseason

edit

AAC Coaches Poll

edit

USF was selected to finish ninth out of 14 in the American Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll.[12]

Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Florida Atlantic 167 (11)
2 Memphis 159 (3)
3 Tulane 142
4 UAB 128
5 East Carolina 105
6 North Texas 100
7 SMU 97
8 Wichita State 90
9 South Florida 62
10 Tulsa 59
11 Rice 56
12 Temple 49
13 Charlotte 46
14 UTSA 14

Schedule and results

edit
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2023*
7:00 p.m.
Edward Waters W 94–49 
 15  Miguel   10  Pryor   6  Miguel  Yuengling Center (1,188)
Tampa, FL
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
South Carolina State W 96–52  1–0
 19  Youngblood   5  Reid   10  Reid  Yuengling Center (3,807)
Tampa, FL
November 15, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Central Michigan L 63–68  1–1
 20  Youngblood   9  Walker Jr.   2  Reid  Yuengling Center (2,965)
Tampa, FL
November 19, 2023*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
Northern Iowa W 74–65  2–1
 21  Placer   7  Miguel   4  Youngblood  Yuengling Center (4,534)
Tampa, FL
November 22, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Maine L 59–70  2–2
 17  Youngblood   12  Pryor   5  Reid  Yuengling Center (3,134)
Tampa, FL
November 30, 2023*
7:00 p.m., FloSports
at Hofstra L 63–82  2–3
 10  tied   12  Hines Jr.   5  Reid  Mack Sports Complex (1,758)
Hempstead, NY
December 2, 2023*
1:00 p.m., NESN
at UMass L 56–66  2–4
 16  Miguel   5  Miguel   4  Miguel  Mullins Center (3,254)
Amherst, MA
December 9, 2023*
1:30 p.m., ACCN
vs. Florida State
Orange Bowl Classic
W 88–72  3–4
 20  Miguel   10  Pryor   3  Knox  Amerant Bank Arena (–)
Sunrise, FL
December 12, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Arkansas–Pine Bluff W 104–86  4–4
 19  Pryor   8  tied   8  Reid  Yuengling Center (2,643)
Tampa, FL
December 17, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
Loyola Chicago W 77–64  5–4
 21  Miguel   6  Reid   4  Youngblood  Yuengling Center (4,959)
Tampa, FL
December 22, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Albany W 89–73  6–4
 23  Youngblood   12  Stroud   4  Youngblood  Yuengling Center (2,759)
Tampa, FL
December 29, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Alabama State W 73–70  7–4
 26  Youngblood   9  Hines Jr.   4  Reid  Yuengling Center (3,284)
Tampa, FL
AAC regular season
January 4, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Temple W 76–68  8–4
(1–0)
 17  Youngblood   9  Pryor   6  Pryor  Yuengling Center (3,388)
Tampa, FL
January 7, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UAB L 71–75  8–5
(1–1)
 17  tied   8  Pryor   3  Stroud  Bartow Arena (3,677)
Birmingham, AL
January 12, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
Rice W 81–73  9–5
(2–1)
 29  Pryor   7  Hines Jr.   5  Reid  Yuengling Center (4,107)
Tampa, FL
January 18, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN
at No. 10 Memphis W 74–73  10–5
(3–1)
 23  Miguel   10  Pryor   3  tied  FedExForum (10,531)
Memphis, TN
January 21, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
Wichita State W 72–68  11–5
(4–1)
 25  Pryor   10  Pryor   4  Knox  Yuengling Center (4,414)
Tampa, FL
January 24, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Temple W 75–69  12–5
(5–1)
 20  Pryor   10  Pryor   5  Miguel  Liacouras Center (3,505)
Philadelphia, PA
January 27, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
UTSA W 89–72  13–5
(6–1)
 18  Knox   12  Stroud   6  Miguel  Yuengling Center (5,271)
Tampa, FL
January 31, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at East Carolina W 71–60  14–5
(7–1)
 20  Youngblood   12  Stroud   6  Youngblood  Williams Arena (4,053)
Greenville, NC
February 3, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
at North Texas W 60–55  15–5
(8–1)
 16  Youngblood   12  Pryor   4  Stroud  The Super Pit (4,316)
Denton, TX
February 6, 2024
9:00 p.m., ESPN2
Charlotte W 72–69  16–5
(9–1)
 22  Miguel   7  Stroud   5  Miguel  Yuengling Center (6,156)
Tampa, FL
February 10, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Rice W 69–65  17–5
(10–1)
 24  Youngblood   10  Pryor   6  Knox  Tudor Fieldhouse (1,982)
Houston, TX
February 14, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
Tulsa W 69–50  18–5
(11–1)
 14  Knox   11  Pryor   5  Pryor  Yuengling Center (4,559)
Tampa, FL
February 18, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 24 Florida Atlantic W 90–86  19–5
(12–1)
 25  Miguel   10  Walker Jr.   3  Walker Jr.  Yuengling Center (10,659)
Tampa, FL
February 21, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UTSA W 66–61  20–5
(13–1)
 17  Miguel   10  Pryor   4  Pryor  Convocation Center (1,580)
San Antonio, TX
February 25, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN2
SMU W 79–68  21–5
(14–1)
 19  Pryor   9  Pryor   5  Youngblood  Yuengling Center (10,251)
Tampa, FL
March 2, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 25 at Charlotte W 76–61  22–5
(15–1)
 17  Youngblood   10  Stroud   3  Miguel  Dale F. Halton Arena (7,024)
Charlotte, NC
March 5, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 24 Tulane W 85–72  23–5
(16–1)
 29  Youngblood   5  tied   6  Reid  Yuengling Center (10,354)
Tampa, FL
March 9, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 24 at Tulsa L 70–76  23–6
(16–2)
 29  Pryor   11  Pryor   3  Miguel  Reynolds Center (5,515)
Tulsa, OK
AAC tournament
March 15, 2024*
1:00 p.m., ESPN2
(1) vs. (8) East Carolina
Quarterfinals
W 81–59  24–6
 17  Knox   10  Pryor   8  Stroud  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 16, 2024*
3:00 p.m., ESPN2
(1) vs. (4) UAB
Semifinals
L 83–93  24–7
 19  Miguel   15  Pryor   5  Pryor  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
NIT
March 19, 2024*
9:00 p.m., ESPN+
at (4) UCF
First round – Villanova bracket
War on I-4
W 83–77  25–7
 19  Miguel   9  Stroud   3  Stroud  Addition Financial Arena (4,164)
Orlando, FL
March 24, 2024*
7:30 p.m., ESPNU
VCU
Second round – Villanova bracket
L 65–70  25–8
 28  Youngblood   10  Pryor   3  Pryor  Yuengling Center (6,398)
Tampa, FL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[13]

Awards and recognition

edit

Players

edit

Conference Player of the Year

edit

All-Conference First Team

edit
  • Chris Youngblood

All-Conference Second Team

edit
  • Selton Miguel

All-Conference Freshman Team

edit
  • Jayden Reid

Coaches

edit

Conference Coach of the Year

edit
  • Amir Abdur-Rahim (unanimous)

Source[14]

Rankings

edit
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRV2524RVRV
CoachesRVRV2524RV

References

edit
  1. ^ "South Florida Knocks Off No. 24 Florida Atlantic". USF Athletics. February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "South Florida Defeats No. 24 Florida Atlantic To Stay in First Place". theamerican.org. February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "South Florida Clinches Share of Regular Season Title". theamerican.org. February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  4. ^ "South Florida Wins First Regular Season Conference Title in Program History". USF Athletics. March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "South Florida Men's Basketball Nationally Ranked for the First Time in Program History". USF Athletics. February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  6. ^ "USF Bulls men move to No. 24 in Associated Press Top 25". USF Athletics. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  7. ^ "USF Basketball's Abdur-Rahim Named Semifinalist For Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach Of The Year". USF Athletics. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "USF Will Take on UCF in the First Round of the NIT". USF Athletics. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "USF Wins Program Record 25th Game Against UCF". USF Athletics. March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  10. ^ "South Florida fires Gregory after six seasons". ESPN.com. March 10, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "Kennesaw State's Abdur-Rahim hired as South Florida coach". AP News. March 29, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  12. ^ "Florida Atlantic Named 2023-24 American Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite". theamerican.org. February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  13. ^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". gousfbulls.com. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  14. ^ "Youngblood, Miguel Earn Top Awards as Three Bulls Land on AAC Postseason Teams". USF Athletics. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.