On this week’s episode of BullsEYE: The USF Coaches Show, Jim Louk and Joey Johnston have their thoughts on the Men’s Basketball team, which has now won a school-record 13 games in a row and this past Monday earned the first top-25 ranking in program history.
Guests are Women’s basketball Head Coach Jose Fernandez and Senior point guard Aerial Wilson.
0:00 :: Intro/Show Open
6:40 :: Coach Jose Fernandez Interview
23:10 :: USF Women’s Basketball Mental Coaching Feature
26:08 :: Ariel Wilson interview
33:33 :: USF Track & Field AAC Indoor Championship Feature
39:17 :: Closing
Welcome to Bullseye Derek sharp is traveling with baseball Kaylee catrell is under the weather so Kaylee we hope you’re feeling better soon and back with us very quickly we’ve still got Joey Johnston with us though so that’s the good news and we’ve got a lot to talk about this week because it’s been
Another landmark week at USF Athletics so we got to begin with men’s basketball top 25 ranking once upon a time when we was young we covered this team in the late 80s early 90s and they got that close Y and they didn’t get there in the
Top 25 now here they are amazing uh back in 1991 USF beat Iowa at home here A great win over over a really good Hawkeyes team we go to Cincinnati in New Year’s Eve for an ESPN game back when that was a big deal be on being on ESPN
Lost to a Bearcats team that end up in the final four but I remember thinking boy you know not this week but one week soon this team will be ranked it didn’t happen here we are all these years later it finally happens what a what a milestone for a team that really really
Deserves it and it happened in such dramatic fashion too backto back sellouts at the Yingling Center 10,000 plus both times for a lot of bulls fans who may have been invested in this team for many many years they had never seen that and maybe more importantly they had
Never heard that they had never heard how loud that building gets it’s just amazing I mean March Madness in the drive to a to a tournament is about as exciting as anything you get in sports to me and when you’re when you’re part of it like that when it comes to your
Town it’s really special and I found myself just looking around at all the people high up in the arena and hearing the sounds and just kind of taking it in before doing the games it was it was really special for the people that have been around here a long time this is uh
This is really something to see and really something to enjoy and if we were doing that imagine what the players and the coaches thought walking into that building what a testament to the coaches and the players to keep their focus in a situation like that if you’re ever going
To lose your head that’s probably a time to do it yeah no that that just is in keeping with this basketball team they’re very composed they they they come from way behind theyve played from way ahead and held the lead um they have been up for every task that you can
Possibly ask of a basketball team and they have passed every test with flying colors I mean it it really is amazing and it’s like we have now reached the point where all right you can be as skeptical as you want to be but you cannot deny what this team has done and
All the national pundits have fallen in line so if USF keeps winning uh it’s the sky limit uh we can do anything this team is capable of doing uh the doors are open and now we’re on the map a chance for a conference Championship now a trip to Charlotte bulls and 49ers had
A great battle earlier in the season if the Bulls can get a win that three-game lead doesn’t even matter anymore because they’ve clinched and then also so a big home game coming up first week of March against tan senior night and the last time presumably this year to see the
Bulls at home yeah yeah uh that fans listen to this I mean this is your last chance presumably to see this team at home uh what an occasion it has been the last two nights out with sellout crowds uh I wouldn’t be left out of this if I
Were you if you like basketball here’s your shot to see a really good two-lane team and senior night and this and and send this team off into into of March it will be March by the time we play two lane in fact so um can we get a third
Straight sellout I hope so I think it’s possible I wouldn’t have said that a month ago but anything’s possible now you cover this team on radio with our friend Jim lighthall so you’ve seen every game you’ve seen this develop so a simple question how are they doing it
The coach is excellent coach Amir Abdul Rahe he’s he’s among the best I’ve ever seen uh and and I say that in the context of I remember what it was like in November I saw some things happen there that maybe I didn’t quite understand but I do now uh he has he’s
Wonderful at dealing with all sorts of people including his players at knowing how to push their buttons and how to get them motivated and he’s a heck of an in-game coach uh there was a game at UTSA last week uh where the Bulls did not play
Very well all night but we scratched our way back in the game we cut it to three or we got a layup to cut it to one from three time out he changed his defense to a 131 trap we got a deflection of Steel and a layup and they were not ready for
That and I saw this like unfolding before my eyes I just thought wow that was spectacular now that’s a very small slice of something in a game that people will forget but I will never forget like how he just kind of said you know what
Time to win this game and he did what was necessary it was really impressive well men’s basketball has been a big story but there is a lot going on elsewhere in USF Athletics including a conference Championship we’re going to give you an inside look at this later in
The show but we got to give a shout out to men’s indoor track and field bringing home the gold yep coach Eric Jenkins since he has been hired it’s obvious that he is building a program that’s going to last uh and he is an impressive guy and his ability to to bring in
Talent and to motivate them and to get them to win in track meets and they have improved steadily since he has been here and now it has paid off with an indoor championship and the Bulls are certainly a contender to win the outdoor Championship uh great things are
Happening all around this campus but do not sleep on the track and field team this is a a conference power that’s going to make some noise nationally I think stay with us we’ve got a lot more coming up in this edition of Bullseye a lot of women’s basketball Ariel Wilson
Senior your guard will join us and when we come back we’ll visit with the head coach Jose Fernandez glad to have you with us this week on Bullseye welcome back to Bullseye Jim L Joey Johnston with you Derek sharp is traveling with baseball this week Kaye
Control we’re sorry to say is under the weather but they will both be back soon in the meantime we are glad to visit with head coach Jose Fernandez coach thanks I know this time of year in particular time is hard to block out we appreciate you being here today thank
You Jim good to be here long season coming right down to it now with the conference tournament around the corner you’ve got a big home game coming up on March 2nd senior night and this team uh looking forward to a very interesting Conference tournament with a lot of
Teams kind of jumbled up with similar records yeah got two games left um with t Lane at home and then a quick turnaround against SMU then we’ll get back and and be ready to head back to Dallas Fort Worth for the conference tournament so uh the biggest thing is uh
Finishing out the regular season on a good note uh playing good basketball in these last two remaining regular season games uh to get us ready for Fort Worth whether we got to win three in three days or four in four days so um that’s that’s the biggest thing now using this
By week uh to get ready for the for for The Late Late regular season push coach you became the the head coach here in 2000 and I’m no math guy but I think that means that’s 24 years ago so you’ve seen everything here but one thing with
All your success in recent seasons has been the way you brought these players in from all over the country all over the world internationally you’re you’re one of the foremost International Recruiters in women’s basketball and at some point I know you had to develop that as as a strategy and and used to
Great success what was behind kind of your your philosophy of starting this and and how you’ve been able to kind of maintain it like you have through these years I think we uh we delved into it really hard uh in the American Conference once we left the Big East
Which I thought was the best basketball league in the country you had eight nine teams going to the NCA tournament the next four four five going to the NIT um when we’re making that switch the American remember uh you that first year we still had Louisville and
Ruckers in the first year of the American I believe we were in the semi-finals of the NIT lost to Ruckers in that semi-final game uh and Louisville and Connecticut made it to the final four that first year of the American we needed to get creative we
Knew the the conference was going to the conference realignment was going to hurt us in the recruiting uh the American wasn’t going to be a strong as a big East and to attract the top 50 top 100 kids we were getting um and we were able to recruit
While we were in the Big East so that in turn took us internationally right because it wasn’t an area where a lot of people were doing it uh but now everybody’s doing it so the only thing that’s helping us now is the success of our international players that they’ve had here getting drafted
And also playing overseas but now uh the component that has changed the landscape of recruiting all over the country especially in the three major sports in men’s and women’s basketball and football is the nil space now we’re dealing with the nil space um and the international players are being compensated you there’s different
Rules as far as how they can get compensated and while they’re here uh and while they’re not here but that is the next obstacle now for us how to navigate the nil space game has changed a lot College athletics you have had a a long tenure here as Joey mentioned 24 years you’ve
Seen some things here at USF Athletics we were talking talking uh off camera a little while ago about the upswing in USF Athletics with football finding its footing men’s basketball having a landmark year the track and field Championship as you watch this and your program continues to grow and Excel as
Well how do you come up with the answer for the Department steps forward recently what’s been the key to the success of this program in general well I think um there’s unbelievable Synergy between uh president law the Board of Trustees right and will Weatherford and Mike Griffin who that
Just lets you know how how long I’ve been here and how old I am Mike was a student right that Mike was a student he was the president and he was camping out with uh the vice president Dave min right so uh it is great to see his
Success um in the business world and how passionate he is about USF Athletics so I I think I’ve never seen the amount of synergy with the athletic director the president and then the Board of Trustees and the president and the vice president uh and their support
For um USF Athletics I think think you know the football Dynamic with the indoor practice facility has definitely changed the landscape of the athletic district and now with the plans of a football stadium and what’s going to happen with our old golf course and the plans there uh it’s truly it’s truly
Amazing and then now you have one of the best stories in the entire country um with what USF basketball is doing and Amir and his staff and his players um yeah I was here 2001 when we played the Florida Gators and that was a sellout um
It’s I can’t believe when I open up social media which I’ve stayed out of this year I’ve been on my best behavior for a long time uh that air is not in every conversation as a national Coach of the Year candidate because if you I’ve been what I’ve
Worked with what six seven men’s basketball coaches since I’ve been here so what he’s done in a short amount of time changing the culture and again he brought three really good players with him two of them on the floor but the exciting freshman the Junior College transfer the transformation of s
Miguel’s game so I I think there’s a lot of really really good positives great positives I think the job that that Lee Butler has done uh overseeing men’s and women’s basketball and the support that he has given both programs uh the soflow rodeo changing the atmosphere of um the Yingling center
Right so it’s a really really neat story uh as you know there’s going to be realignment again at some point or another um and the success of your football program and your men’s basketball program that goes hand inand I talk about it all the time you know Connecticut men’s basketball and
Connecticut women’s basketball both won a national championship and they’re still in the Big East you know why cuz their football program if it was probably stronger and they’re probably in a different National media market right then the reignment on their case is probably different uh we’re in the
Tampa Bay media Market with which is uh an incredible selling point right and now when your your two sports uh your two Revenue generating sports are doing so well that’s something that you sell now Olympic sports right the tra the the the success there uh what Michael Kelly has done
With our cost of attendance with the Bulls Plus academic money yeah I think nobody in our there nobody in our league uh probably supports our Olympic sports like we support them here all right and summer school and tutoring and strength and conditioning and sports medicine and the way that we travel and
The locker rooms that’s that leads into recruiting and if you do a great job recruiting then you do a great job with Player Development sets you up for Success uh in in in in all courts and Fields so that’s what you’re seeing now Jose another thing I know you would have
A great perspective on in your time is is just the growth of your sport of women’s basketball during your your tenure we look at it now we see Caitlyn Clark the the Mania surrounding her the interest the the television has grown at the end of next season Tampa Bay will
Host its fourth women’s final four um this sport is exploding all over the country certainly in our state too uh and it’s become uh a destination point for a lot of fans so what would you say about just what you have seen in your time about how your sport has gone
From wherever it was in 2000 to the national product that it has become well I think women’s sports in general all across the board we’ve seen an increase in in TV in marketing in social media and coverage for women’s sports all around the all around the
World uh you look at the the sellout crowd that Nebraska volleyball had this this year right the growth of women’s volleyball in general crazy um you got women’s soccer and their pro league and the TV contract that they signed how’s women’s soccer grown in this country uh we have a we have
Another second professional league in athletes unlimited uh right uh that goes on before the WNBA the wnba’s growth and their collective bargaining agreement and their new TV deal um then you look at you look at professional soccer women soccer overseas and those sellout crowds uh softball’s also continuing a
Medi rise where look at the amount of TV games for softball right in their coverage so it’s not only women’s basketball you look at women’s soccer and softball and and and and volleyball and their growth uh the next step for us is you know um we have some standout standout uh
Players that have shined and the nil piece and uh the marketing of our game the next part is we went to 68 teams in the NCA tournament the next growth for our game is shared revenue and units for women’s basketball when that happens that’s going to align itself where
There’s going to be more parody right there’s going to be more investment in programs on every campus around the country um because now athletic directors are going to go hey you know what you make the NCA tournament you’re going to get you’re going to get uh that
Unit for the next 5 years well now you make it back to back now there’s added Revenue that’s going to come in with campuses and also conferences too so that that’s going to be the big the big game Cher where we’re in we’re where it’s going to be on Parallel with the
Men now it ain’t going to be the same the same amount of unit that a men’s basketball uh team gets but um we just signed a look look what we announced with uh the brand new TV deal over 10 years with ESPN and women’s basketball um that’s huge women’s
Basketball can stand on its own it’s it’s it’s an entity that drives economics and and this was wasn’t something maybe you could say when you started so this thing has has grown to this point it has grown um I think you know we have value our game has value
And I think the market has shown that um and our fan base has shown that as well and it goes on with the amount of of coverage that our game has gained there’s a lot of traction going on so we want to good upward momentum and I think there’s a
Lot of work to still be done uh but I like where we’re headed last summer you received an honor being named vice president of the wbca I’m sure some of the things you talked about uh just now in terms of the revenue issues are things that uh that
Come across uh during that 10 year but tell us a little bit about that position the opportunities the challenges yeah you know I I’ve always uh um you know have have had the mindset of how can I give back to the game and how can I how can I assist future coaches in
This game um it’s funny I’m watching uh the replay of of uh our Tulsa game the other night and they show a graphic that five former assistants are head coaches now um and I had two more really seven because they’re both assisant coaches now but ALS also got head coaching positions they’re no
Longer but that seven former assistants that that were able to run their own program so I served in the capacity as a wbca conference captain in Conference USA in the Big East and also the American I was chair of the wbca All America committee I served on the uh Defensive
Player of the Year committee also the coach of the year committee and then it it got into now more on um the executive branch of the wbca and uh it’s a lot of work because we got the board of directors meetings we have stewardship committee and um Daniel Donahue oversaw uh women’s
Basketball in the Big East and transition into the American and she became the executive director um so it’s it’s really great to to be involved at the uh executive level of our coaches association and and to be in those conversations with with the NCA and so and also some fellow coaches at
At the division one level at the division two level at the division 3 level at the junior colge college level to you know to have conversations on how we can make our game better um how we can uh make our coaches association uh stronger as well so I
Think we’re the voice of all coaches around around the entire country and around the entire world so um I got one more year as a VP and I guess they’ll be P I’ll get the torch passed down for uh uh while the final four here is in Tampa
But it’s great to serve it’s great to give back um and I’m very fortunate to have that opportunity with the wbca coach thank you we’re looking forward to Senor night March 2nd at Yingling appreciate your time today thank you guys head coach of the Bulls Jose
Fernandez stay with us much more to come on Bullseye Lucas has just been an incredible asset to our basketball program to our players individually and our staff and our team as a whole tell me a little bit about yourself what you do and how you’re helping the team uhhuh
So my role is in mental skills leadership and culture and so my role in this group is getting to visit them and have conversations around how can they be the best team possible and use those three things to get that why do you think it’s important to do this type of
Training well when I look at Athletics one of the questions we ask them is so what percent of your performance is mental and most people say it’s pretty high sometimes over 80% and then I’ll ask him so what are you doing to train that just like the offensive side the
Defensive side and what we want to do is make sure that there’s a systematic way to train leadership mindset culture cuz we all know they’re important but training them is a whole another story so what I hope is I get to bring in some structure of how do we train those three
Really important areas so that they can be their best when it matters most it influences like a lot of our approach going into things like it’s really good to take a step back and like figure out what’s going on but also like having a bigger picture understanding of like
What other people are going through and like just what we need to be to be successful as a team and individually as leaders and just helping each other out developing the total student athlete mentally physically and emotionally but I think the biggest thing and you talk
About where our culture is and how we recruit to that culture winning in the locker room and the best teams being player that and now all the different exercises that our veterans already lead before Lucas gets on campus and then it’s it’s really just emphasizing different strategic ways to help our
Team and our individuals to be successful at the highest level what are some of the impacts that you’ve seen after this type of training well first off I think it’s really powerful that they get to hear and see a different side of their teammates we believe that connected teams are powerful teams and
One of the ways to connect a team is help them to learn about each other and so in our sessions not only are we talking about how to perform better under pressure and things like that but they’re also sharing parts of their stories and so I think when they leave
These sessions they reflect on it but they also understand their teammates better and then hopefully they’re also learning some skills so that when tough moments show up they can respond to them more effectively individually and as a team one of the biggest impacts was just how connected we are
And intentional we are about being there for one another that’s when you’re looking at doing it for for the team and it just like helps with everything overall when they play for one another you you got a special group welcome back to Bullseye we are talking women’s basketball as they get
Ready for the conference tournament the big finish to the regular season is coming up with senior night being at the Yingling Center on March 2nd against Tain and one of those seniors is with us now guard a arel Wilson thanks for being with us thank you for having me I have
Watched women’s basketball here for a long time I have never seen a player take a charge the way you do you don’t look it doesn’t look like it’s part of your personality but you step in and make that play repeatedly and that’s that’s really part of your game tell us
About the philosophy of that well I’ve had lots of practice um over the years I think it’s actually something I’ve been good at from a young age um just being able to read the defense it’s almost like you can tell exactly where they’re going before they
Even get there and that’s just what I do slide my feet in Embrace myself and get ready to fall Ariel as Jim mentioned at senior night uh and you’ll be out out there saluted with your other seniors for your last home game I don’t know if
You’ve thought about it yet but what are the emotions of this for you to to walk out there and and be honored and and look around and know this this is this is it last one yeah um you kind of on Theo um it’s just kind of funny because
You throughout the whole year it’s like your last your last your last first practice your last time that you’re going to be playing here or it’s going to be the last time I playing the yangling center so I mean the emotions have come and gone before this night has even reached
Us so I think obviously throughout the season you’re focused on the games focused on getting wins but I know that I might not say it now and I might not be emotional now but when the lights come on and I’m walking out with my family and I’m seeing coaches and the
Girls and it Dawns on me that this really is my last time playing there I know that the emotions are going to be running really high you came to the Bulls from Memphis it wasn’t that long ago the players didn’t really transfer within the conference things are
Different now of course and you and dulsey came together from Memphis I’m not sure Bulls fans understood at the time how much that decision was going to positively affect this program how did that come about how did you move from Memphis to Tampa within uh within the conference well the thing about being
Within the same conference is that I got to play against them and so I got to see what they were about what they ran how they played with one another and I mean those were all things I appreciated I went to Memphis and throughout that experience I learned what I wanted and
Us F had a lot of those qualities so going from a basketball angle what system I wanted to play in I knew that I wanted to play for USF and so when I went in the transfer portal like those were some of the conversations I had and
When the opportunity came I took it right away because just watching them and playing against them I knew that this was the place I wanted to be and Ariel and speaking to you before about this you mentioned when you transferred here your first year here was you know
Uh maybe didn’t play as much as you thought you would a big adjustment to this program and the expectations and Coach Jose the second year you took a huge jump so the first year was like a learning year what was it like to kind of you know where the the bar is high
Here to win what was it like for you to adjust to this new place and to coach Jose well I think if you look at my growth from my first year here to my second year here that you can see exactly how high those standards are and
The adjustments like you said and the growth in the player and the person that I become because it it’s took a lot coming in and like starting every game at Memphis and then not starting and not really seeing a lot of minutes and it just speaks volumes to
What I had to learn to be the basketball player I am today and to play for this team um I think I’ve talked a lot about like year to year like what I’ve learned exactly and just the pace of the game and the knowledge of the game and I mean
Defensively offensively you have to learn so many new Concepts but also like be able to bring them up like that like it’s just such a fastpaced learning environment to really be at the next level and so if I never came here I never would have grown as much as I have
Um and I hope that goes back to answering your question just like how big the transition is and I hope that everyone’s that has been watching me throughout the years has been able to see that we’ve talked a lot over time about the makeup of this team the
International players on the team and that includes you coming from Canada when you first joined this team was that an adjustment or was it something that you just kind of fell into we’ve kind of marveled at how coach Fernandez has brought these type of players from all over the globe
Together it’s something I’ve appreciated from the very first moment it’s one of the the first things that they want to mention to recruits is that we’re very International and I think that puts a lot of the international girls at ease knowing that there’s girls going through the same experiences as them and that’s
What really helps build our team chemistry is that we’re from all over the place and we don’t have family here so we all lean on each other and that’s one of the beautiful things about being here is that it is so diverse and you get to meet so many new people and you
Just you have to embrace it like you have no other chice choice but to embrace it and it’s one of the best things about this place as Jim mentioned earlier one of the things you do really well is taking charges and getting getting yourself on the floor and being
Aggressive on defense you’re you’re the point guard so you you set up other players primarily you can score but you’re not asked to score a lot and people tend to know first what people are scoring in the games how’s their point average that’s not something that’s maybe a big subject for you so
You you can easily be way in the background for people they might not notice you as much uh what is it like for you to kind of have that role and and thrive in that role when maybe you’re not the guy the the guy that people talks about
First that just comes back to who I am I’ve always been someone that feels the best when other people succeed and so the point guard role on this team where I have to set up people is perfect for me I absolutely love it when my post players are doing great my
Wings are doing great like everything’s just connecting and you know I take a lot of pride in the small things that I do because that’s what I’m good at and so like you said I might not contribute in a lot other ways but I know that I am
Impact in the game and that I have my teammates respect and coaches respect and that means everything to me Ariel thank you have a great senior night have a great Conference tournament lot more basketball ahead at South Florida we enjoy watching you play thank you Jim point guard Ariel Wilson from USF women
Basketball stay with us we’ll take a timeout but much more to come when Bullseye continues hey there’s no such thing as a favorite in my book when you line up for a championship meet everybody starts at the same number that zero so it’s up to
You to be able to go out and earn that Championship we are almost guaranteed to Crown a team that has never won an American Conference title before we are definitely going to get a new conference champion from last year and it’s going to be a great weekend coaches already
Stole one thing I always say we don’t need Super here in outwards we just need to do what you’ve already done and try to improve on that and you’ll have a very successful me we have the talent to do it for the most part we have the will
To do it but are you going to do it flat out are you going to do it on the menide USF looks to be the heavy favorite they’re heavy in the Sprints hurdles jumps but they’re pretty well rounded all around men just really came uh to
The meet with the mission of trying to do something that everybody else told us we couldn’t do well he may take this thing if it’s a no height for slinkman this will be the third attempt for Kobe Babin and a big personal best for him baby let’s go last year I did not
Too do too good I ended up no hiding last year and so to you know bounce back from that and uh take home the championship and to win the event was just an amazing feeling and here is our Podium Kobe Babin of South Florida his teammate Noah B 18 points out of those
Two men Mission success nobody believes we can do it except for myself my staff this is the second day of two all finals today glad to have you with us time now for the men’s 400 met again it will be a two Heat final Nathan matelis of South
Florida what was going through my head was just lock in focus on your own race don’t worry about nobody else uh do what you have to do do your part Play Your Part in the race looking very smooth as Nathan Mattias he was the third fastest
Qualifier a day ago prop into the lead but now coming back very smoothly but absolutely unreal running from a t and you see why on paper they are the favorites here in the conference to take their first ever American Conference title that is how it’s going to happen
Right there mark Jones our fastest time qualifier with a 789 the former Florida state champion while at Lake Mary high school now making an immediate impact as a freshman for South Florida look at the men’s High hurdle final none Drew Jenkins Jones Booth Montgomery borne and
Parish I man Focus was getting out the blocks so I was like yeah as long as I get a good block start it’ll be good Jones now coming back it will be marel Jones 781 personal best for him another points for the Bulls you know Jalil just
Keep getting better um the one thing I like about Jal he will compete back from the final again last year jalo C of South Florida I’ve been walking so long just for this moment away second time of asking South Florida in the middle of the track being
Challenged burus but now in the middle it’s going to be Jal croll eigh of year ago personal best 665 he takes the victory our winner in the 60 m is USF out in front they’re going to pick up some big points here Bulls on paper had a lot of breathing
Room we had him r at about 13 to 140 points my old team was iped we were on the verge of winning the championship and this was just the final lap and I just locked in I was I was in my zone I was I was
Ready we we knew that the points were high and we was going to win as a team but if it was a lot better to win as a team when the 4×4 is successful so I was fatigued and like you just got to not talk to yourself but you got to
Talk with yourself you know so just got push your stuff to go like pass your limits we going to do it every time hey that’s history That’s History all the way boys standing on hold on let me zoom in so y’all so y’all get the picture I think we ain’t done
Hey boy been a long time coming you feel me you finally made history bus on top man on top hey come run with the bulls bro come run with the bulls yo to the wall welcome back to Bullseye so much to look forward to this week two senior nights
For basketball Mar 5th the men play to Lane your last chance to see this special team in the Yingling center before they move on to the conference tournament and postseason there are tickets available right now for that game but Joey people can’t hesitate I know some people that got closed out of
SMU because they waited a little bit too long and then the game sold out yeah I remember before the FAU game I was taking a walk around the neighborhood in the morning before coming out and one of my neighbors like followed me was was like stalking me and was asking if I had
Tickets I I didn’t and he wasn’t able to go but he was able to go to the next game at SMU because he acted early so I would tell fans to do the same thing uh there’s a buzz about this team there’s a lot of people that would love to see him
Play that have seen this on television and seen this mad atmosphere in the engling center they want to be part of it so get your tickets now because I have a feeling that two lane game will be heavily attended and hopefully the third straight sellout March 5th and of
Course the Bulls will play at Charlotte before that and a win there will clinch the regular season Conference Championship for the Bulls the second senior night of the week will be March 2nd Saturday night 7:00 in the Yingling center for the USF women also against tane it was great to hear from Jose
Fernandez on the show today Ariel Wilson as well it’s fascinating to hear about her journey from Memphis to Tampa and how her game developed over time yeah it really is and I’ve had a chance to speak with her for some stories that I’ve done for our website go USF bulls.com Ariel
Is a really nice person and very articulate and um her jump from year one to year two is quite impressive and she’s so valuable to this team and she just is really in touch with everybody on the court at all times like a good point guard should be real asset to this
Whole program and really appreciate everything that she has done looking forward to giving her a special salute on senior night uh in addition to all the seniors that will be going out a very emotional night really a great night for basketball fans to kind of give that one last Ovation to these
Players that’ve been watching for a few years we’ve talked a lot about basketball on the show and understandably so but don’t forget about baseball and softball they’ve got a lot of home games coming up full schedules are on go USF bulls.com we are also around the corner from Spring football
Practice we’re going to be back to work with Alex golish and crew before we know it crossover time the spring it’s one of the best times of the year in college athletics absolutely is when the basketball teams are going to tournament the baseball and softball teams are starting their season and spring
Football you can’t ignore that with everything that happened last fall with the football team uh having a winning record winning the bowl game expectations are are very high I know nationally there there’s a lot of people that are picking USF to do very well in the American and I think fans are going
To be really into it with all the new players who’s playing where what the depth charts looking like we remember last year at Corbett Stadium the the great atmosphere that we had at the spring game we’re expecting the same thing this year so uh by then hopefully our basketball teams will have won
Conference titles and we’ll go on into March Madness and then it’ll be time to see what kind of football season we can look forward to next year so a lot of good good things going on Jim on this campus a Renaissance and football and men’s basketball Improvement in a lot of
The other programs a stadium on the way you and I have been around here for a long time and there have been ups and downs there always are in every Athletic program this is an up like we’ve never seen before a great up and and I’m I’m
Very happy for all the people that work so hard in the athletic department uh regardless of what’s going on and to see them get their reward of attention and and and popularity for these teams I know um you know I wear my USF gear around all the time I was in my grocery
Store the other day just going in to pick up something quick and I think it was like three people hey go Bulls go Bulls it’s like just people love a winter and and they know things are happening here good things and people tend to want to be involved in that kind
Of thing so it’s a it’s a great opportunity for all the people of Tampa Bay and all the fans to really latch on to this USF program and all the sports cuz uh um it looks like we’re here to stay well men’s basketball is in the top
25 some could argue that could have happened a couple of weeks ago it’s taken a little bit of time it’s been so out of the blue this year nobody saw this coming do you think that’s part of the reason why it’s taking a little bit of time for acceptance on the national
Level we’re we’re finally seeing it happened now but that’s after 21 wins right and I think I think you’re right I think um you know the normal expectation for a first year coach for the first year is is to build to a certain level you know you’re looking at oh 500 kind
Of season would be great you know any kind of a sniff of a postseason would be wonderful and then build from there but it has come much quicker than anyone would have anticipated and remember this team was two and four uh a long time ago and playing at Florida State so the
Outlook wasn’t great at that moment but they came out guns of Blazing against Florida State and really since that moment have not look back and it’s taken a while but everybody from the national pundits to the local fans are on board now and I think everybody knows this is
A freight train running down the tracks and um you know they have passed all challenges so far and March Madness is is just great when you’ve got a team actually involved in it so you want to be part of this because once your team gets into that kind of discussion
There’s there’s a few things that are more fun in sports to me enjoy it Bulls fans a lot of good things coming up in the upcoming days and weeks thanks a lot for joining us today it was a lot of fun to be here for me thank you Joey Derek
Will be back Kaylee will be back and we hope you’ll continue to join us on bullseye
