San Francisco Dons
2014-2015 Overall Rank: #71
Conference Rank: #3 West Coast
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San Francisco is coming off of a very good 2013-2014 campaign. They tied BYU for the second spot in the WCC pecking order, behind only Gonzaga. That was enough for Coach Rex Walters to get his team into the NIT. Once there, the Dons lost in the opener to LSU, but it is something to build off of. Kruize Pinkins, a 6-7 senior, is the team’s top returning scorer and rebounder, with 12.2 and 6.5, respectively. And that was just in his first year with USF after coming in from the juco ranks. He is ready to step into more of a leadership role in 2014-2015.
2013-14 Record: 21-12, 13-5
2013-14 Postseason: NIT
Coach: Rex Walters
Coach Record: 98-94 at San Francisco, 129-127 overall
Who’s Out:
Pinkins will have a much bigger load to carry without Cole Dickerson by his side. Dickerson averaged 15.1 points and 7.7 rebounds and the offense almost always worked through the 6-7 forward. The team’s next two top scorers are also gone, if you want to count Cody Doolin who played in just four games. Doolin averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 assists two years ago, but of course USF got along pretty well without him. Avry Holmes added 12.5 points and was the team’s most prolific and consistent outside shooter.
Who’s In:
Coach Walters is bringing in three experienced newcomers. Derrell Robertson, a transfer from DePaul, is a big 6-10, 242 pound center who can eat up plenty of space in the paint. Despite limited action at DePaul, Robertson is a proven shot blocker. Montray Clemmons, who also spent some time at DePaul before heading to Pensacola State College, is another experienced big body who will add depth in the paint. Clemons may not be a great scorer at this level, but he is a decent rebounder. Uche Ofoegbu, a 6-4 forward, will look to restart his collegiate career after barely playing for SMU as a freshman. Nick Loew will add even more much needed depth in the frontcourt, while 6-5 small forward Chase Foster could spend some time at either forward spot. Devin Watson and Frankie Ferrari are the most important freshmen. Without Doolin, Holmes took over the point guard duties and now he is gone too. That leaves a big gap for either Watson or Ferrari to fill.
Who to Watch:
Matt Glover dished out 3.3 assists per game and he can run the offense, but Glover is a big, versatile 6-5 wing, not a true point guard. He is not much of a scorer, but Glover is a tough rebounder and a great glue guy. Whether he needs to have the ball in his hands or not, Glover will be on the floor when it matters most. Tim Derksen, Chris Adams and Corey Hilliard are expected to handle most of the rest of the minutes in the backcourt. Derksen is more than capable of stepping into a full-time starting role. He is a smart, tough player who averaged 9.0 points per game a year ago. With a little consistency in the shooting department, USF may not be able to keep him on the bench.
Final Projection:
San Francisco could play very big as long as they can find the depth. That would put 6-9 Mark Tollefsen at the small forward spot. He is a very good scorer both inside and out and boosted his scoring from 7.2 as a freshman to 10.5 points per game as a sophomore. Whether he spends more time at the three spot or the four spot will mostly depend on the competition and the defensive matchups. USF should actually have the depth this year to play either big or small. A trip to the NCAA Tournament may be asking too much, but this is an experienced team that can compete with Gonzaga and BYU.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Frankie Ferrari, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Matt Glover, Senior, Guard, 8.0 points per game
Mark Tollefsen, Junior, Forward, 10.5 points per game
Kruize Pinkins, Senior, Forward, 12.2 points per game
Derrell Robertson, Junior, Center, DNP last season
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.8 (67th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 71.4 (217, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.3 (34, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.9 (190, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.8 (119, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.2 (87, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 64.8 (321, 10)
Rebound Margin: 2.8 (95, 5)
Assists Per Game: 14.5 (59, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.5 (102, 3)
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