Signing day brings two new players

Wednesday was one of the most important days for the future of the South Florida men’s basketball team: national signing day.

The Bulls had two players – Dwan McMillan and Eugene Teague Jr. – sign commitments to play for USF. Coach Stan Heath also had a third player commit during the early signing period – Eladio Espinosa.

“There are still some areas that we need to improve upon, and we still have some more recruiting to do,” Heath said. “I do think that we are starting to build a makeup of guys that give us more depth, give us more versatility and have the ability to create a more up-tempo, pressure pace.”

Heath was heavily recruiting for the frontcourt. The Bulls lost Kentrell Gransberry -?the school’s all-time leader in rebounds per game -?at season’s end to graduation.

Teague – a 6-foot-8, 290-pound power forward – was rated by espn.com as the 54th-best power forward in the nation. During his career at Living Faith Christian Academy in Pennsauken, N.J., Teague averaged 20 points and 13 rebounds per game.

Heath labeled Teague a “baby Gransberry.”

“I never saw (Gransberry) as a high-schooler, but here’s a kid (in Teague) that weighed 320 pounds in January, and now is down to 290,” Heath said. “He is moving better, and he’s more explosive. Like Grans, he has terrific hands, good feet and he’s not afraid to use his body.”

Espinosa comes to the Bulls from the Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. He was part of a team that went 29-0 and played for the National Prep School Championship.

“Eladio had an outstanding year,” Heath said in a press release. “His team went undefeated, and he was a significant part of that.”

McMillan -?a point guard from St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J. – is a player who Heath feels could come in and make an immediate impact for USF.

“His summer will be big, and his biggest adjustment will be making the transition from high school to college,” Heath said. “He is a pure, natural point guard. His speed and his ability to make plays is something that’s very impressive. I do feel like there’s no reason why he can’t contribute for us right away.”