Welcome back to the Greatest 14 Person Countdown in USF History. Before we get started, I forgot to welcome Senior walk-on Alberto Damour onto the team. Not much info out there on the 6'5 wing from Poinciana, but anytime a person comes out of nowhere and earns a spot on the roster, its something to be celebrated. For that, we are putting you in at Number 14. No real reason except that it makes it easier for for me at the end of the year when we look back on the season. Good luck Alberto, and make sure you read the towel waving pamphlet we gave to Jordan Heath and Victor Rudd at the beginning of Fall classes.
Last time we left you, we had JUCO guards Shedrick Haynes and Hugh Robertson come in at numbers 8 and 7 respectively. Not for their lack of talent which they have plenty of, but for their lack of focus during practice.
So lets get to today's choices. In any other scenario, I think Number 6 is the odd man out in this scenario, because I think the Top 5 should be left to the five guys who will be on the court to start the season Friday. This guy is definately a Top 4 talent though. That being said, The 6th Most Important Player for USF Basketball this season is Ron Anderson Jr.!
Ron comes to USF from Kansas State, where he was a very productive player of the bench for the Wildcats. Ron played in all 34 games for K-State, and contributed a very solid 5.2 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. He also chipped in about an assist and half a block a game as well. The 6'8 forward will be the first man off the bench for Coach Heath, and the combination of himself, Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, Jarrid Famous, and Augustus Gilchrist will provide one of the deepest frontcourts in the Big East, if not the country.
Coach Heath has told everyone that Ron is the enforcer of the frontcourt, and while you won't see the absurd stats Gus and Jarrid will put up, Ron will do all the little things to make everyone better. He will take the opposing team's best post scorer, he'll make the tough screen to free up one of our guards. If anything else, he has made the other posts that much better during practice last season when he had to sit out. After the break, we will announce Number 5.
I really hope this guy has a big year, because he's my favorite guy on the team. The 5th Most Important Player for USF Basketball this season is Shaun Noriega!
The 6'4 guard from North Port was mired on the bench behind Dominique Jones and Mike Mercer. In 20 games last season, Noriega averaged 3.4 minutes, .9 points, and .2 rebounds a game. Shaun is widely recognized as having the best shot on the team, but his play on the defensive end was so bad Heath called it atrocious, and he couldn't risk having a defensive liability on the court. Even with that, Shaun was part of the greatest comeback in USF history.
I think I can use this one about 1000 more times before it gets old. (via LETHALWEAPONMV)
Thankfully over the offseason, Noriega improved his defensive play enough to where he has probably earned a starting spot on the roster this season. Shaun does bring something that we haven't seen since Reggie Kohn, and that is the ability to shoot it from anywhere at anytime no matter the situation. His play will dictate a lot how opposing defenses will treat the Bulls, because he will have a couple of open looks due to teams collapsing on Jarrid and Gus. If he knocks down a couple of threes, it will open up the paint, and make life easier for everyone else on the court.
So who do you think will be Numbers 4 and 3 tomorrow? You can vote in the poll, or put your suggestions in the comments.