Five biggest USF Basketball stories of 2019
The 2019 calendar year is down to its last hours. Tomorrow USF plays its first conference game of the season in Dallas against SMU – our game preview will be published later today – but before we get to that here is our take on the five biggest USF basketball stories of 2019.
Number five: Mayan Kiir leaves USF
Following the Bulls loss to IUPUI Brian Gregory confirmed that Mayan Kiir would be leaving USF to pursue other options. “I met with him earlier this week and just kind of a mutual decision he is going to look at some different options,” Gregory said at the time. “Either go play professionally or possibly going to another schools. He’s getting our unwavering support in everything.”
Expected to be a key contributor this season, Kiir’s departure left a hole in the USF front court. The native of Sudan averaged 12.5 minutes per game last season and only averaged 4.7 points per outing, but he was the team’s fifth leading rebounder and was third in blocks. Kiir also had a productive off-season that included improved free throw shooting.
Number four: A Four-star prospect signs with USF
Top-60 prospect, Caleb Murphy, was one of the summer breakout performers and became the highest ranked prospect to sign a National Letter of Intent with USF when he sent that document to the Bulls with his signature on it last month.
A high level playmaker that can play either guard spot, it is difficult for us to think of many quicker, tougher or better two-way guards on the east coast than Murphy.
Murphy entered the summer an un-ranked three-star prospect and ended the summer a few spots away from being ranked in the top-50 nationally. When he verbally committed to USF in September Murphy held offers from Florida, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Old Miss and several other high major programs.
Number three: Alexis Yetna’s record setting freshman season
Remember when the NCAA ruled that the 6-foot-8, Yetna must sit out the entirety of his freshman season and lose that season of eligibility under NCAA legislation? Well, once he was eligible the native of France got right to work grabbing nine rebounds in his first game and 21 rebounds in his first three games. Then came his first career double-double against Georgetown when he had 11 points and 17 rebounds.
When the regular season ended Yetna averaged 12.1 points per game plus led the AAC, while ranking 27th in the NCAA, with 9.6 rebounds per game.
His 9.6 rebounds per game are the second-highest single-season mark in AAC history. Yetna notched 14 double-digit rebounding games and registered the third and fourth-highest rebound games of the season, pulling down 18 boards against Appalachian State and those 17 I previously mentioned. His 277 rebounds during the regular season (including postseason games he finished with 346 rebounds) are the most by a freshman in USF school history and the second-most by a freshman in AAC history. Yetna finished the regular season with more double-doubles (11) than six teams in the AAC.
Number two: Winning the CBI title with program record 24th win of season
USF’s magical second season under Gregory’s leadership ended with players cutting down the nets in McGrath-Phillips Arena, on the DePaul campus, hoisting a trophy and posing on the court with said trophy and a championship banner.
Not only had the Bulls returned to the postseason for the first time since the 2011-12 season but they won the College Basketball Invitational and a record 24 games in the process. USF won five postseason tournament games in the same season for the first time in school history.
The Bulls finished the last season with 14 more victories than they did in 2017-18, which was the best win improvement in the NCAA for 2018-19.
Number one: Alexis Yetna’s season ending injury
There was so much hype and anticipation leading up to the 2019-20 season. There was even talk of USF having the talent, depth and coaching to possibly be a Sweet Sixteen team.
On the first day of November, during a non-contact play during practice, Yetna went down and everyone in the gym knew it was bad. The flowing Monday morning a USF press release read: USF men’s basketball head coach Brian Gregory announced Monday that redshirt sophomore forward Alexis Yetna suffered a left knee injury Friday during practice and will miss the entire 2019-20 season.
I think we can all agree that injuries suck. When a season-ending injury happens to a player coming off of a Freshman of the Year season, whose 443 points are the fourth-most by a freshman in program history, whose 346 rebounds are the most by a freshman in program history and the second-most by a freshman in AAC history it really sucks.
At the same time you feel terrible for Yetna because he’s a good kid with a million dollar smile who works so hard and was looking forward to this season.
Ironically, as I wrote the night before USF’s season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the despondent fan and media reaction to Yetna’s injury showed how much times have changed for USF men’s basketball.
There are fan expectations now, the national media was talking about USF, and yet, this team can still make some noise this season and play in the postseason for the second consecutive year.