South Florida hoping to make strides in Big East

Two years into the daunting challenge of making South Florida competitive in the rugged Big East, Stan Heath believes the Bulls are on the verge of showing significant improvement.

Despite winning just seven league games since his arrival in one of the nation's toughest basketball conferences, the former Arkansas coach said he thinks this is the season his program could begin to move closer to the middle of the pack.

Part of his optimism is based on assembling potentially the most talented team the Bulls have ever had.

There's also the possibility of the standings being impacted by some teams losing key players from a year ago.

"There's clearly some teams that return a good portion of what gave them a lot of success. Villanova and West Virginia really stand out," Heath said, adding that Connecticut also has a strong nucleus remaining from a team that made a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

"I think after that, really it's a flip of the coin. ... I think there are some teams, like us, that have been toward the bottom that have a great chance to move up. I think there's traditionally strong teams that have done very well, who have lost lot of players, that could slide. So, it's going to be a very interesting race."

Leading scorer Dominique Jones, Chris Howard and Augustus Gilchrist are back from last year's team that went 4-14 in the Big East, 9-22 overall. Newcomer Jarrid Famous, a junior college transfer from Bronx, N.Y., and senior Mike Mercer round out the projected starting five.

Heath is counting on Ohio State transfer Anthony Crater for help at point guard, while Georgia Southern transfer Toarlyn Fitzpatrick figures to be the first off the bench in a thin frontcourt.

Additional depth will come from a recruiting class that included Jordan Dumars, son of NBA Hall of Famer Joe Dumars.

"We really feel like we've added some pieces that can make us more rounded and better suited to win," Heath said, adding that the combination of Gilchrist and Famous gives the Bulls a chance for a solid post game to go with the outside shooting of Jones, a junior who averaged 18.1 points last season.

Gilchrist was the team's second-leading scorer (10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds) a year ago. Famous, a 6-foot-11 forward/center, averaged 25.2 points and 13.6 rebounds for Westchester Community College.

Crater, whose presence will reduce some of Jones' ballhandling responsibilities, will be eligible to play when the first semester ends in December.

"Dominique Jones is a terrific player, but we put a lot on his shoulders," Heath said.

"I think he'll be a better player this season. He'll be fresher down the stretch, compared to being worn out. ... He's more confident, and I think he's getting a better feel for how to use his teammates around him."

The 6-4 Jones was the seventh-leading scorer in the Big East, as well as USF's top rebounder (5.6) last season. After playing a conference-high 37.5 minutes per game as a sophomore, he welcomes the help.

"We shine in some of the spots we didn't in the past," Jones said, adding he's excited about the direction of the team and anxious to do whatever is necessary to be successful after going 7-29 in the Big East the past two years.

"Everybody knows I can score," Jones said. "I'm just trying to get some more wins."