As USF's new men's basketball coach, Bryan Hodgson came advertised as a fierce recruiter whose Bulls will play with a frenetic, entertaining style.
Fans can get a glimpse of what that means on Friday night, October 24, with a free exhibition game at the Yuengling Center against Saint Leo University. Parking is free as well.
Game time is 7 p.m.
"It's going to be a high-tempo, fast-paced kind of game. You're probably going to see a lot of three's, a lot of dunks, just a lot of fun basketball," said forward Daimion Collins on GoUSFBulls.com. He is a former five-star prospect who began at Kentucky, then transferred to LSU.
At a recent news conference, Hodgson promised, "We’re going to be the more intense team. We deliver the first punch, the last punch, and as many in between as we can.”
The exhibition game is one year to the day that head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim died during what was called a medical procedure. It triggered a season of heartache for the Bulls, under interim coach Ben Fletcher, finished 13-19. Hodgson was hired from Arkansas State shortly after the season ended.
He led the Red Wolves to the regular-season Sun Belt Conference championship last season. They finished 25-11 , which was the most wins in their history. Included were road wins over Memphis (85-72) and UAB (98-89).
Hodgson has nearly completely overhauled USF's roster, bringing in 13 new players to join holdovers CJ Brown and De`Ante Green, although Green continues to rehab a torn Achilles tendon.
Among the newcomers are two players who followed Hodgson from Arkansas State. They are senior forward Izaiyah Nelson (6-10, 218) and swingman Joseph Pinion (6-5, 200), both of whom are expected to play prominent roles for the Bulls.
USF's American Conference rivals have noted what's going on with the Bulls. In the preseason coaches poll, USF was picked to finish second behind Memphis State.
The challenge now is to bring togetherness and cohesion to a team with so many new parts. The Bulls have engaged in many off-season activities to build those relationships, including Navy SEALS training.
The regular season begins on Monday, November 3, with a home game against Florida A&M.