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Better Know A USF Basketball Player: #21 F Tulio Da Silva

Quite a coup for a brand-new program to get a player of this quality... and he’s eligible right away!

By Jamie DeVriend
NCAA Basketball: South Florida at Cincinnati
USF has really stepped up their “Photoshop a jersey on the new guy” game. This is a quality rendering of Tulio Da Silva as he will appear in his new uniform.
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

We’re excited around here, and for good reason. USF has finally decided to field a men’s basketball team this season! With the program being brand new, there are a lot of new players for us all to learn about. Between now and the season opener on Friday, we’ll introduce everyone to you, in numerical order.

#21 F Tulio Da Silva, Redshirt Sophomore, 6’7”, 212 lbs.

How He Came To USF: Da Silva, who grew up in Brazil, played at Arlington Country Day High School in Jacksonville after moving to the United States in 2014. Before that, he had made appearances at the Nike Global Challenge, and also played for the Brazil U18 national team.

2016-17: Da Silva averaged almost 10 points and seven rebounds per game in 30 appearances for... hmmm, this must be a misprint because USF didn’t have a team before this season. He must have returned to Brazil and played at the University of Sao Paolo (USP), which is a world-class institution of higher learning. It must have been hard to turn that down and return to America, but we’re sure glad he did.

2015-16: Redshirt season.

Brian Gregory has to be excited to have a player with Da Silva’s talent and pedigree on board for the inaugural USF basketball season. Tulio was a force down low in the Bulls’ exhibition win over Flagler. He was 8 for 10 from the field and finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes of action. He should get a lot of playing time, and could become USF’s first-ever basketball star.