BREAKING: USF guard Zack Dawson will not play this season
TAMPA, OCT. 13, 2020 -- When the USF men's basketball team takes the court next month Brian Gregory will be without one of his key players.
Redshirt junior guard Ezacuras Dawson III will not play in the upcoming season.
Gregory made the announcement that Dawson has opted out of the 2020-21 basketball season due to concerns over the coronavirus during a Tuesday media availability.
Dawson did not participate in voluntary workouts, which began on June 15, nor did he join his teammates when the coaching staff began working out the players in late July. He eventually returned to campus August 23.
A consensus four-star prospect out of South Miami H.S. Dawson was ranked No. 113 overall in the Rivals150 for the class of 2017 and the No. 7 prospect in the state of Florida. He originally committed to Oklahoma State. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound combo guard averaged 4.4 points, 1.6 assists and 0.8 rebounds in five games for the Cowboys before leaving the program in December 2017 and transferring to USF in May 2018.
Dawson sat out the 2018-19 season per NCAA transfer rules.
Heading into the 2019-20 season, Dawson was one of the most anticipated newcomers on the team. He appeared in 29 games last season averaging 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He finished the season as the Bulls’ fifth leading scorer.
Dawson was also the Bulls' most accurate three-point shooter last season connecting on 37.8 percent of his attempts.
Just when it seemed that Dawson was getting comfortable with his role on the team, he had back-to-back double digit scoring games in wins over Tulane and UCF, he sustained a minor injury. Dawson would miss the next two games and, when he returned to action, he struggled to get back into a rhythm in the team’s final seven games.
Now that Dawson has left the program, here’s what it means for USF.
Less proven back court talent for this season
USF has plenty of game experience in the back court between Xavier Castaneda and David Collins but losing Laquincy Rideau to graduation and with Dawson opting out of the season, the remaining guards on the roster are a sophomore who has logged fewer than 90 minutes and a freshman.
An easier-to-sort depth chart
The Bulls’ roster has the talent to go more than 10-deep but history suggests that Gregory is unlikely to maintain a 10-man rotation – or at least do it and keep everyone happy and productive – so Dawson’s departure makes the back court depth chart easier to sift through.
He averaged 24.3 minutes per game last season, some of those minutes will go to freshman Caleb Murphy and some will go to sophomore Jamir Chaplin. In fact, this could lead to a more clearly-defined role for Chaplin, which in theory, should aid his production.
On the flip side, Dawson’s absence deprives the team of experience and lessens the competition for minutes and the concern that a player might be on a short leash during games.