USF Athletics

Gregory, Bulls Represent USF Well at American Tipoff Event

October 16, 2017

PRESEASON NOTES

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

PHILADELPHIA, OCT. 16, 2017 – National media got a taste of what's to come in the new era of USF men's basketball on Monday.

Head coach Brian Gregory, senior guard Stephan Jiggetts and junior forward Malik Martin represented the Bulls well at the American Athletic Conference Basketball Tipoff that took place at the Philadelphia Airport Marriott.

"Being competitive in this league is going to be a challenge and for us to take that step, I think our upperclassmen are going to be the guys that will get the job done for us," Gregory said.

USF enters its third week of preseason preparations and the Bulls are steadily making strides with a roster that features plenty of veteran experience. Jiggetts (Fairleigh Dickinson) is one of the team's three new graduate transfers that will be leading the way, along with guard Terrence Samuel (Penn State) and wing Payton Banks (Penn State). Together, USF's graduates have combined to make more than 100 career starts before heading to Tampa.

Gregory will also look to Martin and USF's two other upperclassmen that can see the floor this season – returning forward Isaiah Manderson and 7-foot-2 center Nikola Scekic. Junior guard Laquincy Rideau and senior guard TJ Lang are also making an impact in practice, but will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. Junior guard Troy Holston is out indefinitely after injuring his knee.

"Obviously one of the big things with us, with nine new players and three grad transfers, those guys have to do a great job of using their experience to kind of impact our program immediately," Gregory said. "But also a couple guys that sat out last year, (including) Malik Martin, who has done a great job in spring and summer."

Pieces in Place for USF to Succeed
Hired last March, Gregory and his new staff have done an outstanding job of quickly assembling a talented roster and a winning attitude at USF.

Prior to joining the Bulls, Gregory led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11) along with spending nearly a decade as an assistant under Tom Izzo at Michigan State. Gregory has led programs to six postseason appearances as a head coach and saw a lot of potential at USF when he was considering the job.

"There's key components to having it be the right fit, and having it be a job that you can be successful at," he said. "Obviously the recruiting component, the academic piece, the support piece, facilities, all those different things."

Gregory was instantly impressed with all those winning ingredients at USF, along with the program's shared mindset of responsibility, accountability and dependability.

"There has to be a personal connection also with who you're going to be working for and who you're going to be surrounded by as you try to build the program up – the character, what their vision is for the program, how they want it done," he said.

Since March, Gregory, his staff and the new-look roster have been working hard to produce a product Bulls fans can be proud of. Gregory is excited about USF's bright future as he continues to build on his strong relationship with Director of Athletics Mark Harlan.

"When you find that match, then you start working together and figure out a pattern and a plan to get the job done," Gregory said. "When I met with Mark Harlan, I felt that immediately and through a couple meetings knew that if given the opportunity, the pieces were in place. We just needed a little cultural shift and a little different direction. If you could do that, you could be successful."

Media Day Broadcast, Preseason Poll
The men's portion of the American Athletic Conference Basketball Tipoff can be viewed in its entirety below.



Take a look at the conference's preseason poll and get the full list of preseason honors HERE.
 
About USF
In his first season leading USF, head coach Brian Gregory, who is entering his 14^th season as a head coach, and his staff are moving full speed ahead to get a new-look lineup ready for the Nov. 10 season opener vs. Florida Atlantic at the Sun Dome. Already highly successful on the recruiting trail, Gregory and his staff have brought in a solid mix of talent with 10 new players added to the Bulls 2017-18 roster. Three graduate transfers that can play immediately – wing Payton Banks (Penn State), guard Stephan Jiggetts (Fairleigh Dickinson) and guard Terrence Samuel (Penn State) – and four returners will help solidify the Bulls' leadership.