Report: Two Bulls set to transfer
With less than a month remaining until USF football opens its training camp, reports indicate at least two players won’t be with the program when the Bulls put on their pads Aug. 6.
Redshirt sophomore running back Sta’fon McCray sent out a tweet Monday morning that read: “12 more days and I start my new journey in Arizona.”
As a three-star recruit from Kissimmee-Osceola High School in the class of 2013, the 5-foot-11, 196-pound running back had offers from Boise State, North Carolina State, Iowa State and three other AAC schools.
Shortly after McCray’s tweet was sent out, 247sports.com reported McCray was transferring to Arizona Western Junior College.
After news of McCray’s transfer broke, a tweet about another USF transfer by JuCo Football Forer surfaced.
According to the tweet, which was sent out June 10, USF defensive back Kendall Sawyer will join McCray at Arizona Western.
Also a three-star recruit, Sawyer came to USF from East Lee County High School and had several offers from Power Five schools such as Florida State, Miami, Ole Miss, West Virginia, Louisville and Arkansas.
USF has yet to confirm the two players’ departure from the program.
Young guard commits to Bulls
Coach Orlando Antigua continued to use his connection to Dominican Republic basketball when he added recruit Andres Feliz to the Bulls 2016 class Monday.
First reported by rivals.com, assistant coach Oliver Antigua was the lead man on Feliz’s recruitment and coached him during the FIBA U19 World Championships, which concluded July 5.
At 17, Feliz was one of the youngest players to play for the Dominican Republic national team and just recently reclassified from the class of ‘17 to ’16.
Despite being roughly a year younger than the other competitors, Feliz led the tournament in scoring with 18.9 points per game. He also added five rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest.
Last season in his junior year at West Oaks Academy in Orlando, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard led his team to the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association state championship, earning MVP honors along the way.
Aside from competing in high school and playing for his home country, Feliz also plays for one of the top AAU teams in the country, Team Breakdown.
“He had been a very big part of what we have done with Breakdown,” Team Breakdown coach Jordan Fair said in an interview with rivals.com. “He brought leadership, toughness and elite-level point guard play. He’s a great kid, rises to every occasion and loves the game.”
Feliz will continue representing the Dominican Republic when the Pan American Games begin July 21 in Toronto.
Bulls basketball in Spain
Both of the USF men’s and women’s basketball teams have strong connections to Spain, and the two teams will have an opportunity to strengthen that when they travel to Spain for an 11-day tour.
Teams are allowed one foreign trip per every four years under NCAA rules, and both Bulls teams will be taking advantage of that chance when the teams head off to Spain on Aug. 8.
Four players in total from both teams are from Spain and many of the players and coaches have Hispanic heritage, including both head coaches.
Both teams will be afforded 10 practices and play in four games against professional talent.
The games begin Aug. 11 in Madrid.
Eriksen adds assistant
Following the departure of assistant coach Monica Triner, USF softball coach Ken Eriksen added Tommy Santiago as a replacement Wednesday.
Triner coached USF for 10 years before deciding to coach privately.
Santiago joins the Bulls as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator after helping lead Maryland to a 27-win season last year.
He will enter his eighth season coaching at the Division I level.