RunningTheBulls.com basketball reporter and basketball recruiting analyst Russ Wood answers questions from Bulls fans in the mailbag. This format allows for a more expansive answer than a typical message board post. On to the inquiries.

RoyMVPDaniel asks: Nikola Scekic. What can we really expect to see from him this season?

Scekic has had a good offseason. He is in better shape and has been practicing with more confidence, in practice, than at any time during last season. However, I do not expect him to make a huge leap from last season. I think he’ll continue to play about 15 minutes per game but average six and six on the season. Those may not seem like huge numbers, but if he is averaging six rebounds per game that would more than double Scekic’s rebounding from last season.

Can Michael Durr have a freshman impact similar to David Collins?

Freshmen tend to have some ups and downs, especially bigs, but I believe Durr will be an impact player for the Bulls. The guards seem comfortable passing the ball to him and Durr has a good feel for the game around the basket in traffic. I expect him to make 50 percent of his two-point field goal attempts and around 740 percent of his free throws. Haven't seen much on Rashard Williams. What's his game like and do you see a guy that can really help USF down the road? Does he have potential to be more than just a small time role player?

I do not expect Rashun Williams to have the type of impact that Durr and Xavier Castaneda will have, but by the time things are all said and done, he could be better than both of them. He is learning to play one of the most difficult positions on the court – small forward – and Williams has scary upside. He is a tough, hard-nosed player who is versatile and has a great motor. He is going to be a good one in time. Larry Dixon appears to be Coach Gregory's right hand man on the recruiting trail. What are your thoughts on him as a coach and recruiter?

Coach Dixon certainly had a very fruitful 2019 recruiting cycle. He was the lead recruiter for both B.J. Mack and Jamir Chaplin. He will have an impact on the Bulls recruiting in Georgia and he will open doors for USF into North Carolina. I love the way he interacts with the bigs during practice, and since he is 6-foot-7 they seem to have a lot of trust in what he is showing them to do. His communication style is different from the other coaches in practice and the players really seem to take to his coaching methods.

The coaches are working hard in recruiting the state of Florida. When can you see their hard work paying off?

We’ll see it start paying off in November in Durr (Oldsmar Christian in Oldsmar and Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton) and point guard Laquincy Rideau (Blanche Ely in Pompano Beach). Also Madut Akec, once he's cleared to play, attended high school in Florida for four years at Victory Rock Prep.

Can this team be fairly consistent shooting the ball?

They should be better than fairly consistent. Collins and Lang make shots at a high level whenever I’m at practice. If Rideau shoots the ball as well as he did during his sophomore season at Gardner Webb (37.5 percent on the perimeter) that would be huge. The player who has impressed me the most is Castaneda. He wasn’t known for his shooting in high school or in the Nike EYBL but he has a nice stroke.

ChiTownBull1 asks: What do you see as the biggest weakness with this team?

Probably the inexperience of the bigs. Scekic is the Bulls only big man with game experience. Durr, Alexis Yetna and Antun Maricevic have all looked good in practice but they have yet to play a Division I game.

How will coaches try to counteract this perceived weakness?

Lots of video study. Over the years when I talk to guys who had very successful first years in a program, the thing they said that was a difference maker for them was watching video. They watched video of themselves in practice and they watched lots of “scout” video of their opponents to help prepare them for games.

USF_Dave asks: Will anyone except the transfers be sitting out this year?

Freshman forward Madut Akec has a fractured bone in his (left I think) foot and has not practiced in some time. The good news is that he is not in a boot. I’ve watched him on the exercise bike and doing some a medicine ball exercises.

What's the big man rotation?

I think the season begins with Scekic starting, but Durr could work his way into the starting lineup if Scekic doesn’t perform.

How often will Collins play the 1?

Probably 10-12 percent of the time. The Bulls need his scoring. Rideau and Castaneda have been getting the bulk of the time at point guard in the practices I’ve seen.

Including the guys who sat out last year, which newcomer will make the biggest impact?

I’m going to go with Rideau because he will have the ball in his hands so much and is such a good two-way player. In high school, as well as at Gardner Webb, Rideau (or “Q” as he’s known) was a terrific facilitator. He was the first player in Big South Conference history to post at least 150 rebounds, 150 assists and 100 steals in a single season. Rideau averaged 5.1 assists and three steals per game as a sophomore at Gardner Webb.

What would you consider to be a successful season? .500? NIT?

I have been so busy watching game video of the first three USF opponents that I have not thought about this question much. Either a .500 season or a NIT season would be a tremendous accomplishment, but I don’t think this team is there yet. With the auto-qualifiers the NIT is not easy to get into. Memphis was 21-13 (10-8) last season and didn’t get an invite.

USF94 asks: Would love your opinion on the overall athleticism of this team from a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.

I’d give this team a seven. If Mayan Kiir and Zack Dawson were not sitting out their transfer season I’d give this team a strong eight.

Any vocal emerging leaders on the floor?

Collins and Justin Brown have been pretty vocal in practice. Which makes sense, they’ve been in the program for 16 months.

Who figures to be the first player off the bench?

If he is not starting, Durr. I think he is going to be difficult to keep off of the floor.

Attention to detail: how are players doing in drills and doing the little things that win you games in the regular season?

This is a good group. The staff has their attention, which is great because there are so many new guys learning the defensive principles and offensive plays that the coaches are teaching them.

Best FT shooter? Worst?

From what I’ve seen the best have been Brown and Collins. Worst is probably Scekic. This was a tough question. I usually use the five minute free throw shooting sessions to return text messages.

Breakout player? Player that could disappoint?

I’m going with Rideau as the breakout player, because of his two-way abilities. Hopefully no one disappoints but if Scekic doesn’t show some improvement that would definitely be a disappointment. Especially with how hard he has worked since the Bulls were eliminated from the AAC Tournament.

Apart from Gregory, what coaches have caught your eye so far and why?

They all have for different reasons. Tom Herrion’s basketball IQ is off the freaking charts. How he was not a more successful head coach is beyond me. Herrion catches your ear before he catches your eye. His voice cuts through in practice and he can finish Gregory’s sentences. Herrion has a good eye for talent and knows what kinds of kids to bring to Gregory’s attention. Scott Wagers is a knowledgeable coach who earns his paycheck thanks to his opponent scouting and player development skills. Coach Dixon gets his message across in a different way than the other three coaches but is just as effective. After Gregory takes out a player who just made a costly mistake, I think Dixon will be the coach who sits next to the kid and builds him back up so he’s ready to go back in the game and be productive.

Has this team improved enough to win 15 games this year due to the soft OOC and some winnable AAC games?

I haven’t scouted past the first three opponents, but I don’t think the OOC is soft. In fact, I think it will challenge the Bulls. Ohio had a lot of injuries last season including one to a kid who made the MAC all-freshman team. Georgetown is long, athletic and has eight players on its roster who are 6-foot-7 or taller. At Charlotte is no gimmie and neither is at FIU.

Buying or selling: UCF hoops? Seem a tad over-rated to me.

Can I hold? Lol. Seriously though, in his two seasons at UCF, Coach Johnny Dawkins’ defense have been among the top-20 most efficient. Last season they were No. 8 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Injuries have been their bug-a-boo during the Dawkins era. If this team stays healthy and they continue to defend as they have the past two seasons, they could very well win this conference. The addition of two players improve their roster: 6-foot-10 George Washington transfer Collin Smith adds a new dynamic to their front court and 6-foot-6 Michigan transfer Aubrey Dawkins gives them another high IQ player who is also a terrific shot maker.

AAC Question: how do you think year one of the Penny Hardaway show will go?

Quite well. I expect a big season from Kyvon Davenport (he had 62 points and 30 rebounds in three games vs. USF), Kareem Brewton is a good point guard who should only improve under Hardaway’s tutelage, Mike Parks is a terrific rebounder and Alex Lomax could be an all-freshman team member at the end of the season. That’s just off the top of my head. Plus Hardaway is a good coach who will only get better as the season progresses. Bonus question: What are you hearing about UCONN and a return to prominence?

That it is not far away. UConn will be a better and tougher team than they were the past few seasons. I think they will use a lot of three-guard lineups most of this seasons. Alterique Gilbert is healthy finally. He, Jalen Adams and Christian Vital could be a lethal trio. They could have some small lineups though. Tyler Polley (Miramar, Fla.) and St. John’s transfer Sidney Wilson (who I love) are combo forwards who could both see time at the four. Hurley will have them playing tougher defense and will involve their post players in doing more than just setting screens.