Roster overhaul nearly complete
As sure as the bay area broils in July, the USF men’s basketball roster will be practically flipped every offseason.
It has become a rite of every spring and summer, and a harsh reality in the era of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness, when a player can parlay an outstanding season into more lucrative opportunities elsewhere.
Three months into his tenure, new Bulls coach Amir Abdur-Rahim seems to have handled that reality with dogged recruiting and deftness.
By all indications, the Bulls’ roster has been effectively replenished.
Abdur-Rahim has landed six Division I transfers, including three of his former Kennesaw State players who were pivotal contributors to the Owls’ stunning breakthrough season last winter. The others: former Tampa Catholic standout Kobe Knox (via Grand Canyon University), former Ole Miss center Malique Ewin and former North Florida guard Jose Placer.
Other newcomers include freshman point guard Jayden Reid, a 4-star prospect ranked No. 126 on the Rivals top 150 for the Class of 2023; 7-foot freshman Daniel Tobiloba, an Iowa prep product who signed with Kennesaw State in November before following Abdur-Rahim to Tampa; and 6-10 veteran Kasean Pryor, who began his career at Boise State before leading Northwest Florida State to the junior college national title game last season.
Joining this mix are guard Selton Miguel and forwards Corey Walker Jr. and Sam Hines Jr., the lone holdovers from last season’s roster. Miguel (10.3 ppg, 3.3 assists) is the top returning scorer.
While logic suggests Abdur-Rahim will build his initial team around the Kennesaw State transfers (seniors Kasen Jennings, Brandon Stroud and Chris Youngblood), the depth and makeup of the remaining rotation appear intriguing.
Hines and Miguel averaged more than 25 minutes for last season’s team, which finished 14-18 but won 4 of 6 down the regular season stretch. Pryor earned first-team juco All-America last season, averaging nearly a double double (14.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and shooting better than 35% from 3-point range.
Reid led Long Island Lutheran to a New York State Federation Class AA championship and later increased his profile by flourishing on the ensuing spring all-star circuit. He is ranked sixth on NYHoops.com’s list of the city’s top 10 Class of 2023 prospects.