THE ORACLE
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Britney Deas details plans for her time as student body president By Alyssa Stewart N E W S
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Once elected, Britney Deas will be the first AfricanAmerican student body president to take office. However, before she gets there she has a detailed plan for what she hopes to accomplish during her term. Deas and her running mate Travis McCloskey are building their platform — based on success, health, innovation, finance and tradition — to create a “BULL S.H.I.F.T.” Deas said traditionalists may
not think that is an appropriate slogan, however, she wanted to take the risk so that students could be attracted to the campaign. “We figured we could have a catchy slogan with some serious initiatives,” Deas said. Entering into Student Government’s (SG) 60th term, Deas said she wants to sit down with the previous administration to review previous initiatives that were funded but not accomplished, such as the prospective esports arena and representation for the National Multicultural
Greek Council (NMGC). Parking trackers in the parking garages were supposed to be implemented in fall 2018, based on comments originally
remaining uncompleted for another term, Deas said she is going to talk to administration to come up with a compromise to the situation.
“ I think it’s a wholesome platform ” Britney Deas, candidate for student body president
made by current Student Body President Moneer Kheireddine. The initiative has now been incorporated in Deas’ platform objectives. To avoid the project from
“You have to step back and reevaluate an initiative that is not going to be finished during your term and focus on ones that you can accomplish,” Deas said. “You can’t just make
initiatives for your own term, you need to make initiatives to build on for five years, 10 years, 20 years down the line.” In an attempt to build more inclusivity on campus, Deas is using Homecoming Week as a first step. “I think USF is lacking in Homecoming spirit, and that’s an area where we’ll need to improve and maybe bring back some high school traditions to get students more engaged,” Deas said.
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Inclusive and influential: Aisha Durham
Professor Aisha Durham is addressing the issues of women of color through what she and other scholars call ‘hip-hop feminism.’ By Jesse Stokes E D I T O R
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In the age of movements like #MeToo, one self-described hiphop feminist and professor of communication and women and gender studies at USF has made it her life’s work to combat the issues of marginalized groups, specifically women of color. Aisha Durham first entered into the world of hip-hop feminism through a book by one of her idols, Joan Morgan. “Joan Morgan’s book on hiphop feminism transformed my life,” Durham said. “From there, I used that as a banner to say ‘this is what I am invested in.’” But what exactly is hip-hop
This story is part of an ongoing series that highlights campus leaders during Black Heritage Month. feminism? According to Durham, it addresses the causes and concerns of girls and women of color and advances the causes. “We talk about (hip-hop feminism) not only as a cultural feminist movement but also an intellectual movement and a political movement,” Durham said. However, after idolizing Morgan, Durham would go on to become an author and editor
as well. By the time Durham finished graduate school, she already co-edited two books. One titled: “Homegirls Make Some Noise”, a book she was inspired to write after attending a hip-hop feminism conference. According to Durham, it remains the only hip-hop feminist anthology to date. “That was my first academic book, but it has also been one
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Aisha Durham’s journey as a hip-hop feminist began at a young age when she began to write stories about herself and other black girls. PHOTO COURTESY OF AISHA DURHAM
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OPINION 6
SPORTS 8
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The Oracle THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966
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DEAS
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Deas said she wanted to create an interactive section on the SG website to update students on initiatives. The current SG website does not have a feature that shows which initiatives have already been completed or are being worked on. The website, according to Deas, will be designed in a way so that you see an arrow hits the bullseye whenever something is completed, “almost like a check mark.” “One of the biggest issues with SG is that students don’t know what we do, so in order to alleviate student concerns, we have to make them more aware of what we’re doing to help them and make sure that they’re having the best experience possible.” The responsibilities between Deas and McCloskey will be
DURHAM
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of the books that I have most associated with,” Durham said. “It was not marketed as an academic book. My adviser at the time told me, ‘this is not your dissertation, do not do this book.’ But I do not think that my advisor realized how politically important in that moment that work was for me.” Durham said as a young black girl who grew up in public housing, the representation and images of black women became an issue she knew she had to address. “There was such misrepresentation that I wanted, in some way, to right the wrong,” Durham said. From there, she entered the world of journalism.
equally distributed throughout the term. Although the initiatives will be shared, Deas said McCloskey will have more involvement with the A&S Recommendation Committee (ASRC), which handles allocating funding to student organizations and department. “He loves finance, he’s Mr. Money man,” Deas said. McCloskey could not be reached for comment by the time of publication Wednesday night. One of the initiatives Deas said will take time to finish involves building a kitchen for cultural organizations on campus, as well as larger meeting and storage spaces. She said she is unsure if this would be an expansion of the Marshall Student Center (MSC) or an all-purpose auditorium. “Most clubs don’t want to be catered by Aramark and want to be able to make their own foods,” Deas said. “It would be
“I had different stints in journalism,” Durham said. “One of the things that I came to learn early on was that, as a journalist, I had some power in crafting narrative, but the overall structure of the industry itself, still lended itself to reproducing those stereotypes.” Durham said some of her favorite artists and those who inspire her include Nikki Giovanni who is a poet and literary scholar. “That is where I saw myself in written word,” Durham said. “I saw myself in a way that was affirming and invited me to tell stories about myself and girls that I grew up with.” When it comes to the musical genre of hip-hop, Durham said Akua Naru is one of her favorite alternative artists.
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Britney Deas plans to add a full-service kitchen for student organizations to use among other initiatives. ORACLE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM
a lot of work for them to make it from home and bring it to
campus.” Students
“Akua Naru as an emcee embodies all of the thing in terms of hip-hop feminism and she says all of these things I say but says it eloquently and in terms of a beat,” Durham said. One artist Durham certainly does not support, however, is R. Kelly. “When I found out that R. Kelly was coming (to the Yuengling Center in November) and there was no outcry, it said something about how we imagine victims to be and who we imagine victims to be,” Durham said. “I thought it important to me as an educator and also an activist to say something.” Durham said she is not sure whether society is now paying attention to R. Kelly now because of Harvey Weinstein or
in light of Bill Cosby. “...both have been flashpoints in political and popular culture that have invited us to look back at what black girls and black women were saying,” Durham said. “In some ways, black women have been saying these stories for decades but have not been heard. “It did take the #MeToo movement to turn our attention to the victimization of black girls and black women.” Now, as a professor, Durham hopes to address the issue of cultural awareness with her students of all backgrounds. “In order for us to have an analysis, we have to have a history of representations of black women,” Durham said. “We have to have a multifaceted of talking about black
can
vote
candidates running for SG on Feb. 25-28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. outside the MSC and various locations posted on the SG website. Deas said her platform is unique in the fact that she chose initiatives that are obtainable. One of Deas’ simplistic initiatives will provide students with the opportunity of having professional headshots taken for LinkedIn or Facebook. She said this is something that could be done for free with the use of the marketing team in SG. “We’re not trying to attract students attention in order to get votes, knowing deep down inside that it wouldn’t be realistic,” Deas said. “We actually put things on our platform that we could see through with the time given. “I think it’s a wholesome platform.”
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womanhood today. “That is not just relevant for African-American or black students … many of my classes that I teach (about hip-hop feminism or black masculinity) are predominantly white students. The students who come to those classes also have a way to have a cultural awareness and media literacy.” Durham said that society has undoubtedly made progress when it comes to the representation of women of color but it still has a long way go. “I still think we have a lot to learn when thinking about the intersections of race, class, sexuality and gender,” Durham said. “But that is why I am here, one rhyme at a time.”
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‘Depression’ opens up on Magnolia Drive
According to Audrey Clarke, a spokesperson for the University Police (UP), USF Magnolia Drive is closed between USF Holly Drive and Fletcher Avenue until further notice. This is a result of an eight-foot-deep “depression” in the area, though it cannot yet be determined if the spot is officially a sinkhole. “It takes a geotechnical engineer to determine if it is an actual sinkhole,” Clarke said. “What it is is a depression in the roadway.” Before the depression is filled, the engineers will need to take some measurements and perform tests to determine what the foundation is like in the area. Clarke said that the tire of a pick-up truck was caught in the depression. Though the depression did not swallow it and it has since been removed from the area without any injury sustained by the driver of the truck. “We do not know exactly when the roadway will open up but there is a portion a little bit south toward Fletcher that is available for individuals to go through to Morsani,” Clarke said. ORACLE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM
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OPINION
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Give teachers guns but arm them with higher salaries too
By Jesse Stokes E D I T O R
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One year after the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 innocent lives were lost, there is a Florida Senate bill in the works that will address the issues of school safety and security. According to the Florida Senate website, the bill will require a “sheriff to establish a school guardian program under a certain condition; requiring school districts to promote a mobile suspicious activity reporting tool through specified mediums...” However, the bill will also put guns in the hands of teachers in Florida schools as one of the measures of safety and security. Teachers carrying guns, after Arming teachers only makes schools safer but increasing their wages they are properly vetted and is something that needs to happen as well. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE trained, is something that may prove to be beneficial in the long run. However, if educators out of all 50 states in terms on their coursework rather than are going to be armed with of highest average salary for having to worry about their welfare. To that same point, weapons, they should be armed public school educators. If we are going to ask our teachers should be able to put with higher wages as well. SB7030, as the bill is known, teachers to take their jobs to their full attention into their will allow teachers to volunteer the next level and protect their lectures and course plans. If arming teachers is one step to carry their weapons on students by way of a firearm in school grounds and from that an emergency situation, then to do that, if nothing else but point, they will go through an it is reasonable to expect that to act as a deterrent to wouldextensive screening and training these very educators should be shooters, then so be it. But have an immediate increase in adding yet another line to process to ensure safety. our teacher’s job descriptions Arming teachers may be a their yearly salary as well. Teachers are already without including an adequate divisive and polarizing topic of conversation, but it is one that responsible for the intellectual raise in pay as well is unfair is taking another step to ensure future of our nation’s youth, and widely harmful to the that events like the Parkland now they could be tasked with recruitment of positions that their physical well-being too. are already increasingly shooting do not happen again. Taking yet another step to difficult to fill. According to the Florida Department of Education, the promote the safety and security Jesse Stokes is a junior majoring median salary for a teacher in of students while they are at school is great. Students have in political science. Florida is $48,179. However, in a report by USA the right to go to school and be Today, Florida ranks as No. 42 able to put their full attention
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We can discuss anti-Semitism and foreign lobbying at the same time By Jared Sellick C O L U M N I S T
Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-D) highlighted the influence of the American Israeli Public Action Committee (AIPAC) on the United States Foreign Policy on Sunday. In doing so she, unfortunately, bought up anti-Semitic tropes that are harmful to the Jewish Community. Omar later apologized and added that she, “reaffirm(s) the problematic role of lobbying in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry. It’s gone on too long and we must be willing to address it.” Since her “unequivocal apology” for her hurtful comments, Omar has received criticism from many across the political spectrum, including President Donald Trump, who has called for her resignation, a move that fails to acknowledge his own use of anti-Semitic tropes in the past that far surpasses the congresswoman’s comments. Omar’s failing to contextualize her comments within the wider history of Jewish stereotypes is troubling, but it does not negate the broader point she was making about the influence groups like AIPAC have on the decisions of our elected officials. The whole controversy started after Omar responded to a tweet made by political commentator Glenn Greenwald that highlighted how “GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy threatens punishment for Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib over their criticisms of Israel.” Omar responded with “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” implying that McCarthy’s decision was influenced by political donations. She later clarified in another tweet that those political donations to people like McCarthy primarily came from AIPAC. Her careless use of money obsession in regard to Israeli influence has unfortunate connotations that Omar may have been unaware of but should still be held accountable for. However, a huge oversight of this
story was what Omar was responding to, the idea that McCarthy would threaten punishment of elected officials for speaking out about human rights violations is against the very principle of the right to free speech. The conduct of the Israeli government in terms of their occupation of the Palestinian people and their tendency to develop settlements on Palestinian land has long been criticized by the international community and even denounced by the United Nations security council. It should be an American tradition to value debate on foreign policy on the world stage. Therefore, it is uniquely un-American for the Republican minority leader in the House to threaten punishment of two women of Congress who have a dissenting opinion on foreign affairs. Their opinion primarily takes form in their comments that promote the work of the movement to boycott, divest and sanction the state of Israel due to their occupation of the Palestinian people. Whether you support this boycott or not, as Americans, we should never consider censoring a reasonable political belief. The censorship actually goes beyond McCarthy’s comments. In fact, the Senate passed a bill last week that would encourage state governments to refrain from signing contracts with a business that support boycotts, divestments and sanctions on the state of Israel. The bill that passed the Senate, as well as McCarthy’s comments, go against the very principle of the First Amendment. While it is of the utmost importance to refrain from antiSemitic tropes, we should question the role that foreign lobbying can play in our politics. It is difficult to quantify the impact groups like AIPAC play in these decisions, but it is clear that the influence is both present and significant. Jared Sellick is a junior majoring in political science.
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BASEBALL
Men’s Basketball
USF’s five-game winning streak is snapped by UCF
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By Brian Hattab A S S I S T A N T
Tyler Dietrich caught all but seven innings for the Bulls last season. This year, he’ll lead a crew of four catchers. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS
quality that Mohl is happy the first baseman possesses. “He is kind of a country boy who says whatever is on his mind,” Mohl said. “He doesn’t always know his audience every time he speaks. He is one of the greatest teammates you could ever have and always a treat to be around.” Genord, a senior and three-year starter at first base, hit .306 last season, with 16 home runs and 53 RBI while senior outfielders Phillips, Chatfield and Zech combined for 21 of the teams 43 stolen bases last season. “We have some speed on the team and steal some bases, but we also have some big thumpers with Chatfield and Genord and, as small as Phillips is, he can still get into a ball,” Mohl said. Mohl will also rely on the dependability of senior catcher Tyler Dietrich. Dietrich is tasked with handling a pitching rotation that lost its top three players to Major League Baseball while being the mentor to the other four catchers on the team. “Tyler Dietrich will start behind the plate,” Mohl said. “He is our number-one catcher. He caught all but seven innings for us last year … Last year we
had one catcher and we were one foul tip away from having a really bad year. Jake Sullivan will be our number two.” Dietrich was named to the 2018 AAC all-tournament team and handled a pitching staff that had a combined 3.87 ERA. The Bulls will have opportunities to win in a variety of ways. Mohl said he feels confident that his team is built to win using small-ball tactics or the three-run home run. The Bulls are prepared to take whatever the opponent is willing to give them. “I think we have a combination of a little bit of everything,” Mohl said. “If the wind is blowing in one day we have enough guys that can handle the bat where we can hit and run, we can bunt and do different things offensively.” With freshmen Gonzalez and Buck breaking into the lineup along with the help of some senior experience, Mohl is looking forward to a breakthrough season. “Success is based upon how far we get in the postseason,” Mohl said. “That is how we are always going to measure our success. I said earlier, I am tired of going 1-2 in the regional. I would like to bust through and continue to move this program forward.”
S P O R T S
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ORLANDO — A 20-point performance from David Collins and the return of Alexis Yetna were not enough for USF men’s basketball on Wednesday night as the Bulls fell to UCF 78-65 at CFE Arena in Orlando. The trouble started early when UCF exploded for a 13-0 lead before the Bulls even cracked the scoreboard. It continued often — the Knights led by as many as 26 with 11:24 to go in the second half thanks to a second-half shooting percentage of 61 percent. “They played well,” coach Brian Gregory said. “And we didn’t match that. I would say it’s the first time all year long, for lack of a better term, we laid an egg, but — when sometimes, if you say that, you’re discrediting what Central Florida did. They played really well.” Adding to the woes were the number of USF turnovers — seven in the first half, directly leading to 15 UCF points. “Obviously, they scored, I would say, probably half their points … were probably on our turnovers,” Gregory said. “And they ended up with 19 points [the entire game] on turnovers and that’s too many.” The Bulls’ troubles weren’t just limited to UCF’s explosive offensive. Antun Maricevic and Michael Durr both fouled out of the game and two other Bulls — Collins and Laquincy Rideau — came within one of joining Durr and Maricevic. Despite the slow start, USF found itself right back in the game toward the end of the first half. The Bulls ended the first half on a 16-13 run, cutting the lead to 11 points before UCF’s Terrell Allen hit a 3-pointer as time expired. Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, UCF outscored the Bulls 26-18, sinking any chance of a comeback for USF. “I thought a big kind-of couple minute stretch was the last minute of the first half, where we got it into
Alexis Yetna (10) returned to action Wednesday against UCF after sustaining an injury on Feb. 2. ORACLE PHOTO/BRIAN HATTAB a workable number for us and then gave up the 3 at the end of the half,” Gregory said. “And then the first play of the second half, we have the ball and really execute well and get a wide open 15-footer and miss and they go down and score on the other end.” Yetna, who had not played since being injured Feb. 2 against Memphis, did not start but played 24 minutes off the bench, scoring four points and collecting 12 rebounds. “I felt good — I feel like I still got to get back in the groove still with my jump shot and just the feel for the game,” Yetna said. “But, I feel all right, so I’m really excited about that. So, I’m just trying to focus for our next game Saturday against Temple. So, I’ll be ready, I would say.” Gregory echoed Yetna’s sentiments about needing to get back in the groove of things. “He seemed all right. A little rusty obviously,” Gregory said. “Had a couple of good looks at the basket that we could have used — 0-for-3 from the 3, I think all three of them were pretty open. But he
gets 12 rebounds for us. Obviously, I wouldn’t have played him if he wasn’t clear to play and ready to play. The good news is he responded pretty well, just a little rusty on offense.” The loss snapped USF’s five-game winning streak, which was its longest in conference play since 1991-92. Up next for USF is a home game against Temple on Saturday evening. Gregory said that while it’s important to bounce back after a poor performance in Orlando, the rebuild that his program is in is not going to look perfect all the time. “We’ve played pretty good [all season],” Gregory said. “Everybody would like the rebuild to be on a straight-line and everything is roses all the time. That ain’t going to happen — not in this league … we have to play very well on Saturday, because Temple, obviously, is one of the Top-4 teams in the league. So it’s important that we bounce back and play with the energy level and the intensity and the toughness that we’ve kind of started to build our brand on a little bit.”
SPORTS
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Baseball
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Commentary
Freshmen Buck and Gonzalez Some things are simply to join USF seniors on the field out of your control By Sam Newlon A S S O C I A T E
USF senior Joe Genord is a three-year starter for the Bulls. According to coach Billy Mohl, Genord is also the vocal leader of the team. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS By Steven Gerardy C O R R E S P O N D E N T
With last season’s starting left side of the infield drafted by Major League Baseball clubs, the USF baseball team has aspirations of advancing further in postseason play with a roster loaded with senior leadership and a group of freshmen. Replacing third baseman David Villar and shortstop Coco Montes will be a difficult task for the 2019 Bulls. Villar, an 11th-round selection by the San Francisco Giants, and Montes, who was drafted in the 15th round by the Colorado Rockies, combined to drive in nearly one-third of the team’s runs last season. “It’s tough to replace those guys with the quality of years they
both had,” coach Billy Mohl said. “They [Villar and Montes] both had career years last year. Trying to replicate that is going to be really hard to do.” Without the veteran presence of both Villar and Montes, Mohl said he will turn to two freshmen to solidify the left side of the infield. “You will probably see Dylan Buck at third base on opening night and Nicky Gonzalez at shortstop,” Mohl said. “Nicky is a really good defender. You watch him play and he is really smooth and athletic with a good arm. Dylan Buck, once he gets bigger and stronger, he already has the frame for it, he is really fun to watch hit … moving forward those guys are going to be integral parts of our lineup.” There is talent at the freshman
level, according to Mohl, but the strength of this team is the veteran leadership of the returning players. Mohl knows that the team’s success will come from a collective group of upperclassmen. “It’s a combination of guys,” Mohl said. “J.D. Dutka, Joe Genord, Kyle Phillips, Garrett Zech, it’s Chris Chatfield, guys that have been here and had success. I wouldn’t say that any of them are vocal leaders with the exception of Joe. They all lead by example and are good role models for the younger players.” Not only will Mohl rely on Genord for his big bat and leadership in the middle of the lineup, but Genord is also the vocal leader of the ball club, a
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The entire team sat stunned. Awestruck by the fact that their name hadn’t been called. The 2009 NCAA Tournament selection show was supposed to be fun for USF women’s basketball. The Bulls had just finished a 27-win season and lost to UConn in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference Tournament. Coach Jose Fernandez thought his team was poised to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. They threw a party and flipped on the TV, waiting. They kept waiting until the selection show was over. USF’s name wasn’t called that year. Fernandez said his team was devastated. His players were so upset that they didn’t want to play when they got invited to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). “In life, things are going to happen. You’re not going to get everything you want and things are going to happen,” Fernandez said Wednesday. “But it’s what you do with the opportunity that’s going to talk about the person that you are. And about the team that you are.” USF had no say in whether they were given a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Instead of staying down on themselves, the Bulls won the 2009 WNIT championship. Fast forward a decade. USF won’t likely get together for another selection watch party. They might not even get a chance to play in the WNIT. But what do you expect from a team missing three of its top players? Fernandez and the Bulls have fallen victim to forces outside their control once again. In 2009, it was
the NCAA selection committee. This time, it’s injuries. Kitija Laksa and Beatriz Jordao are out for the season. Laura Ferreira is out indefinitely with an illness and some other players are day-to-day. Before this season, the Bulls were picked by the rest of the AAC to finish second in the conference tournament. But that’s not the case. Now, they’re losing to teams they’ve never lost to before: Houston, SMU and Cincinnati. Take away any team’s three best players, even UConn according to Fernandez, and the outcome of their games would be different too. “We’re getting everyone’s best punch,” Fernandez said. “But we’re doing it with five of eight kids that are freshmen … One of those freshmen that is starting has only been in the country for a month.” While USF’s 12-12 record is a fall from its usual standing in the AAC, Fernandez has been using this season to teach his young players. Things won’t always go your way in life and you have to be ready when an opportunity does come your way. This season may seem like a letdown but missing the 2009 NCAA Tournament was also a disappointment. It was how Fernandez inspired his team to rally back from that frustration that led them to greatness in the WNIT. Fernandez said USF will have Jordao and maybe even Laksa back next season. He’ll also have a squadron full of sophomores who remember this season and will use it as fuel to their fire. “I think this is going to be great for the future,” Fernandez said.