THE ORACLE
T H U RS DAY, M A RC H 7, 2 0 1 9 I VO L . 5 6 N O . 3 8
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I DA
Inconsistent bus schedule frustrates students By Tatyana Bazard C O R R E S P O N D E N T
Bull Runner drivers’ lunch and bathroom breaks are creating more of a concern for students than one would expect. Some students are voicing their concerns with the lack of accuracy, which is all due to Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) being understaffed. Students use the mobile “MyUSF” app to track the Bull Runner’s routes and estimated time frames. According to the Assistant Director of PATS Marie Bowen, 80 full-time employees are needed in order to timely meet the needs of students. However, there are currently only 50 on staff. Buses are arriving at stops every 30 to 40 minutes. Bowen said the goal is to have a bus come every 15 minutes but they’re “not there yet.”
“We’re constantly trying to hire people but it takes time,” Bowen said. “Training for the permit takes two to three months and then you train for the license. When people find out how long it takes, they leave. That’s our issue — it’s an ongoing process. We can’t hire just anybody.” However, it has not helped Namira Iqbal, a freshman studying computer science, who takes the C-route. She says that the app does not show when drivers take breaks which only confuses her because she’s not sure if she should try to catch another bus. “I would like to know if the drivers are on a break or if there is a change between the shift,” Iqbal said. “There should be a feature that shows a delay in the time or a prediction, so you can already expect the delay and be
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Students complain about the reliability of the Bull Runner and its app, but PATS officials say this is a result of understaffing. ORACLE FILE PHOTO
UP plans to combat rising number of auto burglaries By Sam Newlon A S S O C I A T E
E D I T O R
USF Police Department (UP) reported 10 auto burglaries more than a month into the semester, which was a surge from the same time span in 2018, which only saw three. Despite UP’s initial crime alert about the burglaries, the
incidents haven’t stopped. In fact, they seem to have gotten worse. UP reported that six auto burglaries occurred during the early morning hours of March 1. UP estimated that all the robberies happened within a fivehour time frame starting at 2:40 a.m. “During the overnight hours, six vehicles were entered
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unlawfully and various items were removed,” UP’s crime alert stated March 1. “These burglaries occurred in USF Parking lot 17 and lot 35 near USF Holly and USF Maple.” Lots 35 and 17 are located next to Maple Drive. Lot 35 is located east, across the street from the Maple dorms and lot 17 is located directly south of the dorms.
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UP detectives are actively investigating these cases, according to UP Captain Meg Ross. “We can’t publicize our specific plan, but there will certainly be more patrol routes through parking lots,” Ross said. “We also will be on the lookout for at-risk cars during these patrols to try to prevent these break-ins from
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happening at all.” UP spokeswoman Audrey Clarke told The Oracle that along with these increased patrols, UP will be taking other actions in an attempt to curb these burglaries. There are still no suspects in these cases but Ross said that UP is working with other local
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The Oracle THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966
Editor in Chief Jesse Stokes @JesseStokes813
Managing Editor Maria Ranoni
Associate Editor Sam Newlon @newlon_sam
News Editor
PEHADZIC
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a consistent starter — Pehadzic has been in USF’s starting lineup every game since the conference opener Jan. 5 against Temple. “She’s in here all the time,” Fernandez said, referring to the Muma Basketball Center where USF practices. “And that’s what, at this level — the reason why she’s playing so well is, outside of our 20 hours, she’s in here on her own getting shots up, watching film. The amount of time that she spends to make herself better individually for our team to get better collectively — your teammates are going to have a
COMMENTARY
Alyssa Stewart @AlyssaKStewart
Continued from PAGE 8
Assistant Sports Editor Brian Hattab
Opinion Editor
Aida Vazquez-Soto
Staff Writers
Leda Alvim Jared Sellick Amelio Nazarko
Graphic Artists Avery Dyen Jessica Thornton
Advertising Sales Kayley Alsina Victoria Arama Katelyn Williams
NIT at times, which would be USF’s first postseason appearance since the same season. But there have been growing pains that have come along with this breakthrough season. A few free throws here and there and the Bulls already have that 20-win season. A few baskets made during otherwise cold streaks in games and USF may be a lock for a first-round bye in next week’s AAC Tournament in Memphis. Those losses have been frustrating and, honestly, for good reason. But the bigger picture is so much more important. A rebuild is not an overnight process. “We understand … the big picture of things and where we’re at,” Gregory said this week. “We’ve made steady improvements and at the same time,
BREAK-IN
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law enforcement to ensure the safety of USF students and their belongings. Ross recalled a patrol unit seeing a car with an open trunk during a route. The officer closed the trunk and left a business card on the windshield alerting the owner of what actions had been taken. In the crime alert, students were advised to take valuable belongings inside with them or
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ton of respect for you.” Following two years of adversity and a ton of extra hours in the gym, her performance this season is a little bit sweeter. “It definitely feels good because you work so hard and you do rehab and you do all these things,” Pehadzic said. “Sometimes you don’t feel like it’s getting progress and then suddenly, everything just — it’s all worth it, when you go through it and you get some accomplishments, it all becomes worth it.” This wasn’t supposed to be her breakout year. But broken out Pehadzic has.
you always want more. “When you lose three or four games in league play where the opponent has made one more play than you have, it’s difficult. But when you’re able to take a step back, that’s probably where we’re at right now. We just need to continue to get better and improve and hopefully as we continue to move forward, we’ll be able to do those things.” If USF doesn’t make a postseason tournament, there will probably be one or two plays it can point to as why. And, quite honestly, it’ll be disappointing to just barely miss out on postseason play. But consider where this program was just two years ago. The fact USF is even eligible for postseason play, let alone on the bubble for it basketballwise, is nothing short of amazing. The future is bright for the Bulls. Just trust the bigger picture.
lock them in their vehicle trunks, out of sight from the outside. This isn’t the first time auto burglaries have happened in this area. Parking lots 5E, 35 and 17 — all of which are located within half a mile of the Maple dorms — have experienced nine car breakins since the beginning of the semester. When the first round of burglaries was announced, students received the same warning as now: Lock your cars and hide your valuable belongings.
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prepared beforehand.” Bowen said that PATS is working on resolving these issues on the app. She said that she wants to communicate to students when drivers are taking bathroom breaks or lunch breaks, but “needs resources” to do so, such as new buses. She said that drivers are only allowed to use the Marshall Student Center, the Library and the PATS office for bathroom breaks. “Students will see the breaks in the morning from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m,” Bowen said. “That is when they’re having lunch and fueling the bus. They will also see it peak in the evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.” According to the Bull Runner’s transportation information and guidelines, “service times may vary depending on…situations along the route.” Sometimes, Iqbal chooses to walk when she realizes that the Bull Runner isn’t coming or if it shows that it will come late. For this reason, she’ll occasionally arrive to work late. “I’m reaching work 15 minutes late which is an issue for me,” Iqbal said. “If I see that the bus coming to the library is late, I’ll just walk an extra 10 minutes to the (MSC) for an earlier time.” Carla Edouard, a junior studying health science shares a similar experience. “They don’t wait for people to come onto the bus,” Edouard said. “There are people running trying to catch the bus. They should wait maybe for like two, three minutes when they arrive at the stop like the MSC but they stop for like five seconds.” Edouard said the Bull Runner
is a great resource to have but in her experience, it has been unreliable. “Problems I’ve seen with the Bull Runner is that it’s unpredictable,” Edouard said. “It’s inconsistent. It’s not reliable. Basically, it looks like they’re doing what they want to do.” Edouard, who mainly uses the A-route, would like for the Bull Runner to not “disappear”. “They have to be more on time and more serious on the accuracy of when they are going to arrive,” Edouard said. “Don’t disappear. There needs to be consistency and they need to come frequently.” According to Bowen, when drivers change shifts they log off and the bus will disappear from the app until a new driver logs on. However, with a low staff, PATS aren’t able to switch shifts quickly. This delays the arrival time of the buses. “We’re planning to work on these issues in the summer,” Bowen said. “Right now, we’re focused on getting the right staff who has our students safety in mind.” A change that Jennifer Amaraibi, a graduate student studying global sustainability, would like to see is for the Bull Runner to let students know if they’re arriving, especially on her C-route, which stops behind her off-campus apartment. “Sometimes you’re waiting for a bus then when you see it on the app it says out of service, so you have to wait for another bus to come,” said Amaraibi. “I would also like the Bull Runner to send notifications to students if they are not coming to that bus stop at all because we are waiting for the bus to come but the bus would take a whole different route.”
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MSC and library elevators undergo repairs and renovations
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By Alyssa Stewart N E W S
E D I T O R
The Marshall Student Center (MSC) and the library are two of the central hubs on campus with constant foot traction. However, for most of the spring semester, the elevators have been a factor in slowing the momentum down. One of the two elevators in the MSC has been out of service since the end of January and was reopened this week. The library is also out two of its three elevators due to renovations and machine failure. Associate Director for Operations Jennifer Hernandez said the MSC has replaced the elevator part which cost $19,685, including the engineering. “(We are replacing) a Hollister Whitney “safety” specifically engineered to replace an obsolete component,” Hernandez said in an email to The Oracle. “The component allows the elevator to carry a load that exceeds 5,000 lbs.” Hernandez said the part took approximately five weeks to arrive and was repaired immediately after, which is why it was able to be in service this week. The library also faced an unexpected machine failure during its $1 million renovation project. With elevator three out for order and elevator two under renovations, that leaves elevator one as the only working elevator in the library right now. Elevator two is scheduled to open the week of March 18 with the new renovations. These upgrades include new buttons and controls, door chimes, indicators, guides and cables and a new interior. Manager of Library Operations and Facilities Terry Hutchings said the third elevator “suffered a catastrophic machine failure” which is why it had to be
Two of the three elevators in the library are currently out of commission. ORACLE PHOTO/ALYSSA STEWART temporarily shut down. The machine bearing failure did not cause any harm to the riders. “When the unit fails, safety switches prevent it from working and it parks until it can be repaired,” Hutchings said in an email to The Oracle. “From a rider perspective, it just would not go to the next floor when you tried to get in it. The mechanic called the bearing failure catastrophic, meaning it was beyond repair.” Assistant Director of Administrative Services Aaron Nichols could not provide a cost for elevator three’s repairs because the renovation project affects its status. “It is a priority for us to get the elevators back online as soon as possible,” Nichols said in an email to The Oracle. “To that end, our contractor has agreed to accelerate their schedule to restore the elevators earlier than planned.” Hutchings said it would be a
waste of time and resources to replace elevator three’s part since it is about to have renovations done. “It was decided that instead of wasting money on a replacement part for an obsolete unit, that may not have arrived by the time elevator two opened anyway, the elevator would undergo renovations immediately,” Hutchings said. There have been complaints from some students who are frustrated with the wait times, according to Hutchings. He said the plan was always to have at least two elevators operating at once to reduce wait times, but the third elevator was not something the facilities team expected. “(Students) seem to understand that the renovations will be worth the pain now,” Hutchings said.
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EDITORIAL
Students must be active participants in SG elections
This year marked a three-year low in participation in the Student Government (SG) election. Only 3,677 — about eight percent — of USF Tampa’s 43,866 students cast a vote. This is compared to 4,618 students voting in 2018 and 8,636 in 2017. Frankly, this is disappointing. USF’s student body must realize the impact these elections have on the student experience and, most importantly, how their hard-earned tuition dollars are spent. SG is responsible for allocating the Activity & Service (A&S) fee — a fee that every single student must pay and it’s not exactly cheap. The fee costs about $12 percredit-hour and $7 per semester. This means that a student taking 15 credit hours in a particular semester would pay about $188 in total for this fee, which helps fund things like student organizations, Homecoming events, students’ daily free-printing allowance and the University Lecture Series, among many other events and services. In total, SG is responsible for allocating the approximate $17 million that comes from this fee. To reiterate, a group of mainly 20-somethings is in charge of how about $17 million of student fees is spent. So why don’t non-SG students care enough to democratically vote in these elections? Well, it’s complicated. For starters, USF has a large number of commuter students, meaning they are less likely to be able to participate in A&S-funded events, go to Senate meetings or even care to be educated on the candidates. Since Senate meetings are no longer live streamed, it is difficult for most students to stay involved. SG does attempt to keep students aware of recent developments through short videos on its social media but these
This year saw a three-year record-low voter turnout in the SG elections. ORACLE FILE PHOTO processes can be hard to understand for the average student. SG must drastically improve transparency, education and accessibility in order to truly have a democratic election process. This year, there was an unopposed presidential and vice presidential ticket, possibly explaining the exceptionally low voter turnout. But this exemplifies another problem: Students seem to only care about that one race. While the executive branch is, of course, important, the legislative branch is just as impactful. Recently, the SG senators approved raises for student employees at Campus Recreation, approved additional money to improve this year’s Bull Stock — a music festivallike event free to students — and approved a 50-cent addition (an extra five black-and-white pages) to students’ daily free printing allowance. In addition to these positive things, Senate is sometimes accused of making unfavorable choices with this
money. Examples include the attempt to use about $8,000 of A&S fees to fund a dinner, the attempted creation of a legally-questionable endowment which would have been used to invest a portion of the A&S fees collected and the slashing of 15 percent from A&S-funded departments like the Center for Student Involvement and Campus Recreation. Students appear to only care about what SG is doing when it’s something they strongly disagree or agree with — or if parking is mentioned — yet only a small amount of students actually vote. Since the A&S fee is basically the only fee that students have input in regarding how it’s spent, it would be wise to actually participate in SG elections. SG is beholden to the student body. These elections are how student constituents can ensure that their voices are heard and their representatives are held accountable. Students must realize that they hold the power.
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Trump sets a new presidential standard on Twitter
By Sam Newlon A S S O C I A T E
E D I T O R
Donald Trump may go down as the most controversial president in U.S. history. It seems everything — from his apparent Russian ties, to a government shutdown because of border security, to paying an adult film star hush money — during Trump’s time as president has been an issue, a point of contention and the source of conversation. People can debate Trump’s policy, his decisions and his morals. There’s little room, however, to challenge the fact that Trump has shaped the office of U.S. president. He’s done it with his thumbs on a social media app called Twitter. @realDonaldTrump has 58.8 million followers on Twitter. Hardly a day goes by without Trump tweeting. Sometimes, he announces one of his executive orders, other times he will tweet: “PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!” like he did March 5. Former President Barack Obama has 105 million followers. His most recent tweets are all from February and have been about gerrymandering, Duke basketball star Zion Williamson and an event with Steph Curry, a professional basketball player when they fielded questions from boys and young men of color about challenges that confront them. Twitter is becoming a news source for many Americans. According to a Pew Research Center study, 55 percent of Americans get their news from either Facebook or Twitter (Trump has about 84 million followers between the two sites). 71 percent of Twitter’s users get news from the website. For Trump, Twitter helped win his 2016 election. “I doubt I would be here if it weren’t for social media, to be honest with you,” Trump told Fox Business Network in an interview on Oct. 20, 2017.
Trump said he uses Twitter and other social media platforms like Facebook because it’s a way for him to directly get his word out, referring to media coverage that treats him “very unfairly.” In that same interview, Trump called the use of social media “unconventional,” but it’s actually the most conventional part of his presidency to date. Trump has used social media as a genius. Whenever something goes wrong, he uses several damagecontrol tactics which only increase his popularity. When something goes right, he makes sure everyone knows about it. Future presidential candidates should take notes. This is how the president will communicate in the future. I can’t envision the 2020 presidential election featuring radio silence from any candidate. Some politicians are already following Trump’s example and using social media to connect with their constituents. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has taken to Instagram live. She answered questions and talked to people while cooking mac-ncheese on Nov. 9. She’s kept this trend going, calling it a “Cook + Q&A.” In January, Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) also went on Instagram live. She announced she was running for president in 2020 then drank a bottle of beer on the video. As the 2020 election approaches, prepare to see many politicians vying for your attention on all social media platforms. While Trump has used mostly Twitter and Facebook, others will likely turn to Reddit, Snapchat and Instagram. Trump’s acumen of Twitter has paved the way for future presidents and politicians alike, making one thing clear: social media is key. Sam Newlon is a senior majoring in mass communications.
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Student created, Shakespeare inspired By Amelio Nazarko S T A F F
W R I T E R
One USF student will take his creation to the stage. Harrison Baxley, a sophomore majoring in theatre art, argues in his original play, “The Fishmonger,” that humanity’s sense of good and bad is ultra-relative. Through this play, Baxley explores loss, identity, family and acceptance and hopes to convey the fickleness of human nature. “‘The Fishmonger’ is a play about a good man who sells fish and his son who falls in love with a mermaid. Un f o r t u n a t e l y, s ex u a l relations with the mermaid lead to the boy turning into a fish himself,” the play’s description read. Baxley says his inspiration for “The Fishmonger” came from a scene from Hamlet where Polonius is called a “fishmonger,” which is a person who sells fish. In Hamlet, they are considered to be honest and kind people. To challenge the notion that people are inherently good or bad, Baxley crafted this play. Although it took Baxley a month to write the play, he still considers it a working draft since he is constantly receiving feedback from his peers and improving it.
“The wonderful and terrifying thing about live theatre is [that] the show will continue to change and grow after it’s performed,” Baxley said. With the help of Meredith Donovan, another student at USF, Baxley was able to incorporate a musical element in the piece. Baxley wrote the lyrics and Donovan wrote the music. Both of them admire each other’s talents and credit their collaboration for coming up with the play. “It is such a fun process to write for someone that’s as talented and driven as he is,” Donovan said. Baxley’s experience as a playwright continues to expand as he journeys through college, but it began in high school with a co-written oneact musical. During the same year, another of his scripts was directed and produced by the student theatre at The University of Miami. Baxley values those experiences and expressed his gratitude to Bulls for Broadway for giving him an opportunity to see one of his creations take form through a workshop of the play. “Plays are meant to be heard, not read, so when you’re writing a script you want to get it heard as often and by as many people as possible,” said
Baxley. Baxley’s love for theatre extends to performing as well, as he has acted in several productions from “The Crucible” to “Into the Woods” to his own play, “Grocery Stories.” For now, Baxley hopes to continue cultivating his abilities as a playwright and performer by engaging with the material taught within his major. “At USF, I’ve been exposed to more and more obscure and evocative writing,” Baxley said. “USF offers classes in script analysis, theatre history, American drama and more that help students find work that will challenge and excite them.” There is a free staged reading of “The Fishmonger” on April 6 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in USF’s TAR 120. A fully staged production will happen next Fall. “The Fishmonger” is a manifestation of Baxley’s passion for playwriting and he is confident that theatre will always remain a part of his life. “I love writing and performing for the theatre,” Baxley said. “If I could just do those two things forever, I’d be more than happy with that.”
Harrison Baxley was inspired by one of the theater greats to write his own play, but this isn’t his only experience doing so. PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRSION BAXLEY
Baxley does not just write plays. He also has a passion of performing as well. PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRSION BAXLEY
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By Brian Hattab A S S I S T A N T
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Pehadzic emerges as a leader for USF during injury-filled season E D I T O R
This wasn’t supposed to be her breakout year. But perhaps it’s only fitting that coming off a second straight seasonending injury, Enna Pehadzic is finally getting her moment in the spotlight. The redshirt sophomore missed all of the 2016-17 season with a knee injury suffered in practice. If that weren’t bad enough, she missed the final 15 games of the 2017-18 season after re-injuring the same knee. But, while she was understandably frustrated, Pehadzic didn’t throw a pity party. “Of course it’s really frustrating,” Pehadzic said. “But, I feel like when you get to a point where you accept something that happened to you, then it’s easier for you to move forward. And that’s always what I try to do is accept it, because I can’t change it. “I was like, ‘Tears are not going to get me anywhere, except for hard
work.’” Absent veteran players Kitija Laksa and Laura Ferreira, USF needed someone to fill the void. She has emerged as USF’s leading scorer, having posted the most 3-pointers, field goals and total points. Her 35-point effort against ECU on Feb. 20 earned her a spot on the AAC Honor Roll on Feb. 25. In the ECU game, not only did she set a new career high for points, she also set a new career high for 3-pointers made, something USF has been struggling with since Laksa went down with a torn ACL and meniscus Nov. 15. “I think the biggest thing with her, where she’s stepping up is perimeter play. And us needing to have a perimeter scorer,” coach Jose Fernandez said. “And that’s been her role and we’re just so excited that she’s stepped in as that as a challenge and she’s doing really, really well.” Pehadzic, a native of Horsens, Denmark, is not the first Danish standout in USF history and one
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doesn’t have to go back too far to find the most recent one. Maria Jespersen etched her mark on USF from 2014-2018 — she sits at No. 9 all-time in scoring and was a part of the winningest senior class in program history. Jespersen also left her mark on Pehadzic. “[I learned] a lot. Not to give up and keep working,” Pehadzic said. “Because Maria went through a lot of adversity, too in her college career and she ended up playing extremely well. So, definitely a person I look up to and even now, I still call her and talk to her if something’s bothering me or just anything.” Much like Jespersen was in her time, Pehadzic said she is learning to become a leader on and off the floor. While she may not be the most veteran member of the team, she certainly has felt an urgency to step up in absence of the Bulls who have fallen to injury. “I do [feel urgency], because like, agewise, I’m a lot older than the other people,” Pehadzic said. “But
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Enna Pehadzic shoots over two Wichita St. defenders earlier this season. She leads the Bulls in points after an uneventful first season. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS
again, I don’t feel like I have that full experience on the court yet. I’m still trying to gain it, because I’ve been away for two years almost from playing, so I’m kind of in the same boat as my other teammates, but definitely it’s getting easier.”
Pehadzic is only 39 games into her USF career, but her commitment has seen her grow from only five minutes of playing time in the season opener against Ohio State on Nov. 6 to becoming
n See PEHADZIC on PAGE 2
Commentary
The best is yet to come for USF men’s basketball
By Brian Hattab A S S I S T A N T
S P O R T S
E D I T O R
It’s easy to get down when things aren’t going well. And recently, for USF men’s basketball, well — things hadn’t been going so well. After the Bulls’ heartbreaking 60-58 loss at UConn on Sunday, someone responded to the official USF men’s basketball Twitter account with a GIF that said, simply, “We suck again.” Good grief, people! Let’s look at the bigger picture here.
USF is less than two years removed from skating away without NCAA sanctions for a recruiting scandal involving former assistant coach Oliver Antigua prior to the 2016-17 season — a season where the Bulls won seven games. Amazingly, the true low point of that season didn’t come until Feb. 24, when arguably the best players on the team at the time — Troy Holston and Geno Thorpe — were left in Houston after falling asleep waiting for a connecting flight home from Tulsa, Oklahoma. By that point, Antigua and
his brother, head coach Orlando Antigua, had long since left the program — Oliver resigned amid the scandal and Orlando was fired Jan. 3 — and replaced on an interim basis by Murry Bartow. Bartow tried his best but was only able to muster one win during his tenure — a Feb. 11 defeat of ECU at what was then the Sun Dome. “Their spirit is so incredibly good,” an emotional Bartow said at the time. “Practices have been great and the energy has been good … we knew at some point we’d get one and tonight’s the night.”
A single victory against a below- season, that number was zero. average ECU team was treated as if But it’s not like there was a whole USF had just cut down the nets at lot of on-court success last season for the end of March Madness. That was USF. The Bulls won a total of three the state of USF men’s basketball two conference games, two of them at the seasons ago. very end of the regular season. That, Bartow, now interim coach after losing their first seven straight at UCLA, was replaced by Brian AAC games. Gregory shortly after the season. Now, as the 2018-19 season reaches Gregory, known for his its conclusion, USF, with a roster no-nonsense approach to team entirely of players Gregory brought discipline, cleaned house shortly after to town, sits on the cusp of its first he arrived in Tampa. Of Gregory’s 20-win season since 2011-12. There 2017-18 opening night starting lineup, has been a ton of tournament talk the only one player was a holdover from last month or two, both NCAA and the Antigua era. By the end of the n See COMMENTARY on PAGE 2