The South Florida men’s basketball program returns just 27.5 percent of its scoring from last season’s squad that finished 14-18 (7-11 The American). Brian Gregory was relieved of his duties and Amir Abdur-Rahim, fresh off of taking Kennesaw State to its first ever Division I NCAA tournament, was hired to rebuild the program.
Abdur-Rahim brought in ten players – six via the NCAA transfer portal and two JuCo transfers – BullsInsider.com attempts to forecast who will be the two most impactful transfers this season. It is entirely possible that we will underrate the impact of other players, so if we get this wrong – you’ve been warned.
It would be foolhardy to doubt Chris Youngblood. The junior guard from Tuscaloosa, Ala., left Kennesaw State ranked No. 14 in career points (1,226). He made more than 46.0 percent of his shot attempts and more than 40.0 percent of his three-point attempts in each of the past two seasons.
Last season Youngblood averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and made 46.4 percent of his shots.
Youngblood entered the transfer portal two days after Abdur-Rahim’s USF introductory press conference and announced his commitment to the Bulls the following day. "It was exactly 22-hours," Youngblood said of how long it was between entering the portal and announcing his commitment to USF.
In three seasons at KSU Youngblood snagged 398 rebounds (108 OREB) which is very impressive for a 6-foot-4 guard. He dropped 20 points on Florida in Gainesville and 14 points on Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Youngblood hunts threes but has a nice mid-range pull-up. He is also good at getting to the free throw line and he has made at least 80 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe each season at Kennesaw State.
What I really like is that he is not stationary. Youngblood doesn’t just spot up and wait for kick-outs. He is on the move throughout the possession and he is a good screener for others.
Youngblood was also a finalist for the 2023 Lou Henson National Player of the Year award. The award is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I men's basketball.
Thanks to the COVID exemption, Youngblood has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
JuCo transfer Kasean Pryor comes to the Bulls from panhandle powerhouse NW Florida State. He spent two seasons at Boise State but was caught behind a logjam of experienced players who opted to spend their fifth season at the Mountain West Conference program. As a result, Pryor only saw action in 13 games.
Last season Pryor averaged 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds while helping to lead the Raiders to the NJCAA championship game. He had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds to go along with 3 blocks in a 73-70 loss.
Pryor also has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Listed at 6-foot-10, 200-pounds with guard skills, Pryor has an impressive blend of size, length, athleticism, shooting and playmaking ability. A three-level scorer – he made 35 percent beyond the arc – Pryor checks lots of boxes. I like his upside on offense as he continues to improve his handle. He projects as a matchup problem.
Given his size, length and athleticism, Pryor has the ability to defend multiple positions on the court. He can also turn defense into offense by snatching the ball above the rim in traffic and turn to push the ball up court in transition.
This is why Saint Louis was interested in Pryor as well as North Carolina State and Rick Pitino at St. John’s. It is also why we think he will be one of the most impactful transfers into the USF program this season.
In The American Youngblood and Pryor will face better and more challenging defenders, but players of their caliber will usually find a way to get theirs within the offense. We expect Youngblood to make up for the loss of last season’s leading scorer Tyler Harris.
So, what do you think? Tell us who you think will be the two most impactful transfers.
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