The exodus from the USF men’s basketball program to the transfer portal has picked up two new departures.
After point guard Jayden Reid announced his departure on Sunday, Kobe Knox said he is leaving. Multiple reports said freshman guard C.J. Brown will also look for a new home.
🤘🏽💚 pic.twitter.com/Ex1crfN8wA
— Kobe 🥀🖤 (@Kknox02) March 24, 2025
All this is happening while we wait for the white puff of smoke that says the Bulls have hired a new coach. Which will we wait on longer – a new coach or Godot?
But seriously, these departures, plus those who have used up their eligibility – Brandon Stroud, Quincy Ademokoya, Jamille Reynolds – leave the Bulls’ cupboard sparsely filled.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that portal giveth as well as taketh. The players who left were solid contributors who will make their new coaches happy, but let’s be honest: the Bulls were 13-19 this season, so it’s not like they’re irreplaceable.
We’ll see this trend the other way once the new coach is in place. And if you have any idea who that is, a lot of people would like to hear from you – including me.
USF is an attractive job with enough resources to win. Amir Abdur-Rahim proved that in just one season.
Coaching basketball at a non-power conference school is different than football. While you won’t get any of the best-of-the-best recruits, the right coach can fill his roster with enough talent to reach the NCAA tournament and cause some havoc.
Florida Atlantic made a Final Four appearance in 2023 and came within one point of playing for the national championship. Lest we forget, USF beat the Owls the following season when FAU had key players still in place.
I’m sure Michael Kelly, USF’s VP for Athletics, has made that pitch to potential candidates. Either that or their agents have made the same pitch to him – hire me, I can do it too.
Kelly continues to operate in the shadows on this. He’s not using an outside firm to identify top candidates for him and then maneuver them into positions to be hired.
I admit, yes, I’m checking throughout the day to see if anyone has emerged as a front-runner. The longer this goes on, the more I’m convinced USF’s next coach is still working on his next game plan for the NCAA Sweet 16 or NIT.
It could be a sitting head coach or an up-and-coming assistant. I’m certain that the effort to identify top targets was going on long before Kelly announced the national search to fill the job.
Reid, Knox, and Brown didn’t feel like sticking around to find out who that would be. That’s their privilege, especially in today’s revolving-door basketball world.
The rest of us will have to be patient.