Hey folks. It's not USF-related, but I'll be doing the Times' live blog from the national championship game tonight. Drove down today to Miami and will be blogging throughout tonight's Gators-Sooners game here at Dolphin Stadium, so stop by our Gators blog page if you're interested while you watch the game.
I promised a basketball recruiting post, so here you have it, just moments before kickoff. Obviously, USF's priority with its remaining two basketball scholarships is getting big bodies for the post, and there's a new name to follow as a target of Stan Heath's recruiting efforts.
His name is Quincy Hankins, and he's a 6-foot-8, 240-pound sophomore at Polk Community College in Winter Haven. Hankins is averaging 13.0 rebounds per game, putting him among the national juco leaders in that category, with right around 13 points a game as well.
Talked with Polk coach Matt Furjanic on the drive down to Miami today, and he confirmed that USF is one of the top schools pursuing Hankins, though his recruitment remains pretty open still. The top three schools in the mix, according to Furjanic, are USF, Seton Hall and St. John's. Hankins is from Long Island and either wants to stay in Florida for his next college stop, or return close to his New York roots.
"He's a warrior on the boards," says Furjanic, noting that USF has had coaches at multiple games and has been to see Hankins in practices as well. Hankins won't take any visits or make any decisions until after his season is up -- Polk will actually be in Tampa next week to play Hillsborough Community College.
With B.J. Ajayi and Aris Williams both graduating, USF will be even thinner in the post, so there's a glaring need for physical players who can line up with the big frontcourt players in the Big East.
Interestingly, one of Hankins' teammates at Polk is a former Cincinnati football player named Lance Jeter, now coveted as a point guard. The Big East has rules prohibiting football and basketball players from transferring from one league school once they've played for another, but he appears to have found a loophole, because he used to play football and will now play basketball. USF had been in contact with him, though I imagine that recruitment has largely ended since the Bulls added Anthony Crater from Ohio State earlier this week. Several other Big East schools are recruiting the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Jeter, so remember the name down the road. Now, back to that national championship game ...
Times sportswriter Greg Auman, who covers USF, will post news and thoughts on the Bulletin and we invite your participation in the comments area.
I agree with David Weber in that FOX has done a horrible job with the BCS games. I am so glad that they only have one more year left then it will go to ESPN. I respect Thom Brennamin as an anouncer in baseball, but he really dropped the ball in college football last night when he thought the third down and goal was forth and goal. Charles Davis made it worse by saying that he should have helped him out on that miss call. Also, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer doing pre, half, and post game shows for college football has been terrible. They give it too much of an NFL feel. Fox needs to understand that college football is not the NFL. I watch college football for the fact that I like it better than the NFL, so I dont want to be reminded of it by watching some lame Fox presentation. Fox needs to stick with NFL and MLB as they do great jobs with those. They do a piss poor job with college. CBS & ABC/ESPN are the kings at covering college sports, so I am glad that the BCS is going back to ESPN.
Posted by: Bull Daly | January 09, 2009 at 09:09 AM
I would definitely go with a juco for one of the open schollies for a big. We need instant production, size and strength. This guy fits that mold. I doubt he'll be an offensive threat, but that is ok.
Posted by: Robert | January 09, 2009 at 08:55 AM
Also, what do you think the chances are that Belardo and Leemow will be back next season? It seems to me that one if not both should transfer to get minutes elsewhere.
Posted by: AGW | January 09, 2009 at 08:53 AM
What is our status with DaShonte Riley, Andre Marhold, Gary Flowers and Ricardo Ratlifee? What other bigs besides Hankins are we involved with G.A.? Thanks!
Posted by: AGW | January 09, 2009 at 08:52 AM
boo!
Posted by: | January 08, 2009 at 11:58 PM
Woo Hoo!
Go Sooners!
Posted by: | January 08, 2009 at 10:40 PM
Is it just me, or do announcers get dumber as the magnitude of a game increases? It's like Davis thinks he's talking to third graders. Gus Johnson should be the only sportscaster allowed near any major sporting event. Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy can join him to argue...
Posted by: David Weber | January 08, 2009 at 10:21 PM
Lee Roy Selmon went to Oklahoma. That alone is enough to root for the Sooners.
The pleasure of seeing UF go down in the "mythical national championship" game is an added bonus.
Posted by: Eric S, | January 08, 2009 at 09:59 PM
Another INT for Tebow. Hmm. I'm on the Gator bandwagon for tonight- I know more people that go to UF than Oklahoma. Seems like as good of a reason as any, right? Especially because the game really has no impact on USF outside of maybe kind of sort of influencing Giddens.
The JUCO guy sounds like a monster on the boards, and fits that smaller mold I wrote about earlier today. He seems like a guy we can get and a guy with some muscle, which makes him a useful guy.
Jeter still hasn't found the right sport, what with his last name...
Posted by: David Weber | January 08, 2009 at 09:27 PM
GO SOONERS!!!!
Posted by: Chalko | January 08, 2009 at 09:15 PM
Ouch. Tom, it's coming ...
Posted by: Greg Auman | January 08, 2009 at 08:03 PM
I won't be visiting that blog. Not interested. I hope you get that JUCO news up soon.
Posted by: Tom | January 08, 2009 at 07:46 PM
Wow, tough job. Having to cover the national championship! haha. Boomer Sooner! Thanks Greg for all you do.
Posted by: BullMedic | January 08, 2009 at 07:37 PM
BOOMER SOONER. SCREW UF
Posted by: flsportsfan83 | January 08, 2009 at 07:07 PM