In a very positive development for the South Florida men’s basketball program fifth-year senior point guard Laquincy Rideau will withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and will return to Tampa for the 2019-20 season.
Rideau was the Bulls’ second leading scorer in 2018-19, averaging 13.4 points per game in his first season competing at USF. Rideau transferred to USF in 2017 and sat out the 2017-18 season following two seasons at Gardner Webb.
In addition to his scoring, Rideau was the Bulls’ leader in assists at 5.4 per game and steals with 2.9 per game. Rideau finished his first run with the Bulls as the program's single-season steals leader with 101. That total also is an American Athletic Conference record. He was one of only three players in the NCAA last season with 100 assists and 100 steals.
Rideau was named to the The American all-conference third team, was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and he was selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 25 Second Team.
His 35 point, eight assist, four steal performance at DePaul in the second game of the CBI Championship Series is one of the all-time great performances by a Bulls player.
With Rideau’s return the Bulls will have all five starters – three of whom earned all-conference awards – the 2018-19 season on its roster next season.