Yes, finally, here's your basketball fix ...

To your credit, you guys have been asking for basketball updates since before the football team dropped two straight, so finally, I can hook you up with some hoop insights as the Stan Heath era opens tonight with a Halloween exhibition against Saint Leo.

First, I've gotten a tentative starting lineup for the Bulls tonight, though Heath was quick to point out Monday that this starting five isn't necessarily his best five or next week's starting five. We knew USF would have center Kentrell Gransberry at center and Chris Howard at point guard. The other three? Freshman Orane Chin gets the nod ahead of junior B.J. Ajayi at power forward, with junior Jesus Verdejo and freshman Dominique Jones starting at shooting guard and small forward. Or small forward and shooting guard. The two spots are really interchangeable, so take your pick.

Again, sophomore Solomon Bozeman, who can play both guard spots, might end up with more minutes tonight than Verdejo or Jones; Ajayi could log more minutes than Chin because he's also a backup center to Gransberry. Sophomore Amu Saaka, who has a minor wrist injury, can contribute at both forward positions, and USF fans will get their first look at redshirt freshman Dante Curry in that 2/3 position. Power forward Aris Williams, recovering from knee surgery that sidelined him much of last season, has practiced with full contact, but I'm not sure how much you'll see of him tonight. Remember, too, that Gransberry has been suspended from the opener against Cleveland State next weekend, so the Bulls will have to go with Ajayi and 6-foot-11 walk-on Mohamed Esseghir inside for that one game. And don't forget that FSU transfer Aaron Holmes will join the fray in mid-December when he's eligible.

I'm always interested in the numbers that mean the most to a coach -- Heath said he tends to look at differentials more than totals, which is to say it's okay if his team has 17 turnovers if it's forcing 25; they can have only 35 rebounds if the opponent has 25. So he said he'll go into any given game wanting five fewer turnovers than his opponent, and six more rebounds.

Free throws? Heath wants 75 percent from his team. I asked him if he knew what last year's number was, and he flatly said "I don't know. I wasn't here." That number was 66.2 percent last year; only one returning player (Bozeman, at 88 percent) hit 75 percent or better. The other four regulars who are back? Howard hit 60.5 percent, Verdejo 58.3, Saaka 57.6 and Gransberry 55.7, so there's work to do there.

"Seventy-two is a percentage I'd like," Heath said a bit more realistically a moment later, saying his Arkansas team was at 70 or 69 last year. Sure enough, Arkansas was at 70.3 last season, though it may take time for him to get the Bulls there. His first Arkansas team in 2002-03 shot 60.9 percent at the line, jumping to 67.9 in his second year, then 66.3 the next year, then 69.2 before hitting 70.3 last year. Only 20 teams in Division I basketball hit 75 percent last season, and just two in the Big East: Villanova, which led the nation at 78.1 percent, and Seton Hall.

Heath wants to see consistency right now, especially from the two freshmen he's starting tonight. "One minute, they can pressure the hell out of the ball, and the next minute, you don't even know they're there," Heath said. "You want to get where the abilities they have, they can sustain the same abilities whether they get fatigued mentally or not."

-- More basketball: Card Chronicle, a Louisville blog, lists USF as having three of the Big East's top 10 transfers this season. Never mind that No. 10, Montana Heirman, is a walk-on who was at USF last season and isn't even on the team right now. Power forward/backup center B.J. Ajayi is No. 9, and brief-FSU guard Aaron Holmes, eligible in December, is No. 3. What, no love for Mo Esseghir?

-- I want to hear your basketball questions and thoughts, especially those of you who can make the exhibition tonight: What do you like? What don't you like? Which of the new players impresses you most? What changes do you see in familiar players like Howard and Gransberry? And those of you posting before the game, I want your best guess on tonight's attendance, remembering that lots of parents will be trick-or-treating ...

Comments

[Ari]

I think the first big move Heath has made is sitting Boozeman. Interesting.

Mac was in love with Boozeman.

[JL]

I think Chin should try out to play wide receiver! 6-7" 195#!! God knows we need him! Basketball players usually have good hands!

That sounds soooo gay.

Not that there;s anything wrong with that.

:o)

[High Tech Bull]

The 75% free throws benchmark is the best thing I have heard from a USF BB coach in years. The free throws were pretty bad under RMC, and they were even worse under Greenberg. I cannot count how many games we could have won if we just hit those free throws at 75% or higher.

[Jonny]

Can't wait to see Aaron Holmes get into things... Kid was special in high school.

[Reality]

Well since gransberry is going to be taking most of the free throws, this is sort of a personal challenge. I dont think he is up to the task. Bozeman was a gift from the father to CRM, so that is why he took good care of him. Probably the best recruit Mac ever got. My guess on attendance tonight is me, dave and ari and friends and family which should put us at about 250 usf fans, about 300 from saint leo, so I say 550.

[James]

Basketball though:
First time season ticket holder going to my first game.
Exceptional staff:
When i was a kid Reggie Hansen was the guy who "gaurded Shaq". Later when I had the opportunity to go to the U of K Reggie Hansen was the guy who got us "good" players. He took "good" big men, like Chuck Hayes and like Randolf Morris, and made them great.
After attending the U of K I lived in Akron for a spell. During that period Dan Hipshire always had the zips in contention for a Mac championship.
you put these 2 guys together w/ coach Heath, and a program in the Big East it won't be long before some of the better "talents" in the mid-west will be choosing USF.
I certainly hope more than 500 people show up. However, if they don't tonight I know they will in the future.

[James]

Basketball though:
First time season ticket holder going to my first game.
Exceptional staff:
When i was a kid Reggie Hansen was the guy who "gaurded Shaq". Later when I had the opportunity to go to the U of K Reggie Hansen was the guy who got us "good" players. He took "good" big men, like Chuck Hayes and like Randolf Morris, and made them great.
After attending the U of K I lived in Akron for a spell. During that period Dan Hipshire always had the zips in contention for a Mac championship.
you put these 2 guys together w/ coach Heath, and a program in the Big East it won't be long before some of the better "talents" in the mid-west will be choosing USF.
I certainly hope more than 500 people show up. However, if they don't tonight I know they will in the future.

[Austin]

What happened to the post about the conversation with the newest Bulls Baketball recruit, Eladio Espinosa, PF from Hargrave?

[Ari]

Greg,

Does this game cost any money to attend since its an exhibition?

[Unrealistic Bulls Fan]

What's going on with our ranking? We're USF ... center of the football universe ... and now HOOPS as well!!

RESPECT US .... come on ... we should be ranked in the top 10!

[CG]

How original!

[G.A.]

Austin, I'd left my notepad on the kitchen counter. Just now have it. Might wait until I can get more info on center Gene Swindle, who has apparently backed out of his commitment.

[Ken]

Free throws have been terrible, and I never believed that we practiced them enough. Good to hear.

Attendance will be very low--and would be even without Halloweeen--but more than 550. I'll be there, so that's at least 551.

Go BULLS!

[Reality]

500 people was a generous amount for tonight's attendance. Way to support your Bulls. I can honestly say, that unless you were among the 400 people there tonight, I NEVER WANT TO HEAR ANY BANDWAGON GARBAGE IF THIS TEAM GETS GOOD. WHAT A DISGRACEFUL BUNCH OF ALUMNI. HOW CAN YOU NOT SUPPORT THE TEAM? FIRST GAME WITH THE SAVIOR NEW COACH. ONE WHO HAS TAKEN A TEAM TO THE ELITE 8 AND YOU GET THIS KIND OF WELCOME. TAMPA IS A HORRIBLE SPORTS TOWN AND USF ALUMNI ARE THE KING OF USELESS. USF LOOKED MUCH IMPROVED OVER LAST YEAR. SAINT LEO IS MUCH WORSE THAN LAST YEAR. MADIGAN IS A HORRIBLE COACH AND NEEDS TO GO. YOU CANT BE 56-113 AND KEEP YOUR JOB. GREENBERG DISCIPLE AND WINS LIKE IT TOO... WHAT IS THE AD AT SAINT LEO THINKING?? DON'T YOU WANT YOUR SCHOOL TO AT LEAST HAVE A CHANCE OF WINNING. ART KIRK, THIS LOSS IS ON YOU!!!!!!!!!

[CG]

CAPSLOCK MUCH? Yeah, wish I could have gone tonight, but yeah, being married and on a holiday with prior engagements, it wasn't happening.

[Ari]

Bro,

It was an exhibition againt St. Leo.

We went 3-13 last year in conference play and went 1-15 the year before that. We have won like 7 conference games in 4 years.

What the hell do you expect.

I am actually surprised anyone shows up.

Why do you assume that it is the alumni and fans responsibility to spend their hard earned money on a program that hasn't made the NCAA tournement in almost 20 years.

I am the biggest basketball fan around. I don't shame anyone for not showing up. The degree that program has lost over the last 15 years is pathetic.

If you want people to show up you need to field a decent team and win. That is the story in every sports town.

Ari - season ticket holder.

And more over.

I don't think Stan Heath give a rats butt if anyone shows up.

Dude is going to win --with or without fan support.

And nobody shows up when Maryland plays University of Maryland - Baltimore college either.

And they won a national title a few years back and have made the NCAA tourny like 15 of the last 16 years.

Its Saint Leo.

Don't expect more than 1K for Cleveland state either.

[Ken]

I was there. To get to 550, I think we might have to count the players, coaches, Sun Dolls, and every attendant working the Sun Dome--and some of those twice.

Howard looked pretty good, I thought, and made more than 75% of his free throws. He had a several nice drives to the basket, something I think we haven't seen enough from our point guards lately, but he didn't shoot much except from very close. Gransberry wasn't as dominant as I'd have expected against SL, and if he keeps shooting free throws with the success he had tonight, the rest of the team may have to be close to 100% if we're to end up at 75%. He also got in foul trouble and sat for most of the second half. I liked Jones a lot and Chin. I don't think Williams played, but I didn't get there in time to get one of the rosters they were passing out (I guess they anticipated even fewer of us), so I might have missed it. It is a first game, and an exhibition game at that--I'm hoping we'll all be pleased with some modest improvement this year, and next, and so on, but I fear we'd better get some wins in the fall because they may be pretty hard to come by in January and beyond.

[Johnny G Lyon]

I think 10 guys played. mostly freshmen and sophomores. Gransberry, Jones and Howard were our best players. Jones looked great, he may really be something. Howard is slimmer, faster, made a 3 pointer, looks better than last year. Curry played well too. Chin had his moments, but made glaring mistakes too. great ball movement, fast pace, running on offense when its the right thing to do, forcing turnovers, pressure defense, trapping full court, communication on defense, good chemistry on offense, we saw it all. they were also occasionally patient on offense, almost like under McCullum, but only when it was the right thing to do. liberal substitution. Big Ajayi was ok. Verdejo banked in a nice shot. Lovett had great energy. Saaka looks like he's an inch or two taller. Bozeman was good too. All in all the team looks great, as they usually do early in the season against this level of competition. But there were some things that we havent seen for a while, if ever.

[Johnny G Lyon]

should also say, we played 4 guards a LOT.

[DELdaBULL]

I plan on buying a Big East game pack, but man this team was playing St. Leo and has been bad for a long time. Even with that I have still made a couple of games a year since graduating in 2003. They have a long way to go. BTW, I am a HUGE basketball fan.