USF men's basketball team looking up

After using 15 different starting lineups and searching for any signs of hope during a 9-22 season last year, USF men's basketball coach Stan Heath expects more stability and less sleepless nights this season.

There are several reasons, but at the top of the list is 6-foot-11 transfer Jarrid Famous, a junior-college All-American who averaged 25.2 points and 13.6 rebounds at Westchester (N.Y.) Community College last season.

Heath calls Famous a "high-motor guy" who should provide an instant boost. In his USF debut Tuesday night, Famous had 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 110-79 victory vs. Division II Florida Southern in an exhibition at the Sun Dome.

With Famous expected to add some firepower, junior guard Dominique Jones wants to add more leadership while continuing to pour in the points. Jones led the Bulls in scoring (18.1 points) and had four 30-point games.

"I worked on everything, even my strength, being more explosive," Jones said. "Most of all, I really want to work on my leadership. I really want to lead this team to somewhere we've never been before."

Climbing to .500 would be a good place to start for the Bulls, who finished 4-14 in the rugged Big East a year ago. They are picked to finish near the bottom of the conference again, but Heath is banking on six newcomers and a more aggressive attitude to avoid that.

"I like the way we've been practicing," Heath said. "We're in great shape. We're in better condition than we've ever been in the past two years.

"We definitely want to build our identity on defense and running. I'm seeing the improvement we've made from Day One. I do like the foundation of our defense and rebounding right now."

HOOPS COMMITMENT: Heath received good news this past weekend when 6-foot-10 center Waverly Austin committed to the Bulls. Austin, who also considered Cincinnati, attends Collinsville (Va.) Heat Academy.

Duane Coverdale, Austin's travel team coach, told Scout.com that USF discovered Austin sort of by accident. The Bulls were looking at Tayshawn Bell, Austin's teammate, but were impressed enough to offer Austin a scholarship.

"His skill level is better than people think, and they think they can get it a little better," Coverdale said. "He can probably go in and back up the power forward and Gus Gilchrist next year and possibly start as a sophomore."

TIME TO DEFEND: The men's soccer team hosts Marquette tonight in the first round of the Big East Tournament. USF, the No. 3 seed, won the tournament a year ago.

"If you told me at the beginning of the year, with the amount of players that we lost, that we would be 12-3-2 right now hosting a Big East game, I'd be very happy with that," Coach George Kiefer said.

The Bulls tied Marquette 1-1 at home in September. USF will play at No. 2 seed Notre Dame on Sunday if it wins tonight.

BULL BITS: Miami officials returned 3,000 of their allotted tickets to USF for the Nov. 28 game at Raymond James Stadium. USF isn't expected to have a problem selling the extra tickets. ... Women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez said senior forward Porche Grant, who averaged 6.2 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds last season, will miss the first two games because of an unspecified violation of NCAA rules. The Bulls open against Florida A&M and St. Peter's.