Not so fast my friend...

George Mason is this year’s Cinderella team in the NCAA tournament and is on a remarkable run, but to consider its run as the best ever throughout the history of the tournament is a stretch.
Despite becoming the second No. 11 seed to make it to the Final Four, George Mason still has two more games to win the national title before it can be put in the category with true Cinderellas such as the 1985 Villanova Wildcats or the 1997 Arizona Wildcats.
Making it to the Final Four is an impressive feat, but many teams have stumbled after capturing a berth in the Final Four. It takes a special kind of team, such as Villanova and Arizona, to reach the annals of college basketball history.
The ’85 Villanova team is the most popular upset-minded team to ever play in the tournament. Center Ed Pickney led the Wildcats to victories over two No. 2-seeds, North Carolina and Memphis State, before taking down the Goliath that was the No. 1-ranked Georgetown Hoyas.
Arizona was just as impressive led by freshman point guard Mike Bibby when the No. 4-seeded Wildcats defeated No. 3 seed Kansas, No. 2 seed North Carolina and No. 1 seed Kentucky to capture the ’97 crown.
The Patriots upset of No. 1-seeded Connecticut was quite a feat, but can’t be put up against Villanova’s upset of Patrick Ewing and the Hoyas. When Arizona upset Kentucky in the ’97 title game, Kentucky was in the midst of three consecutive championship game appearances with two national titles.
The Huskies are a good team, but they don’t have the talent that the ’85 Hoyas or ’97 Wildcats possessed when getting upset in the championship game.
George Mason’s run is impressive and is on a great run, but has a long way to go before it can be mentioned as the best ever.

Charles Gonzalez

Bulls win first Big East series

The Bulls beat the Huskies 4-3 after tying the game on a pinch-hit RBI double by Brian Baisley, then loaded the bases only to have Brad Karns get hit by a pitch to bring home pinch runner James Rowe.
Two out of three games in its Big East opening weekend isn’t bad for USF, considering that all three games were decided by one-run and on go-ahead runs. USF won Friday on a walk-off double from shortstop Addison Muruszak, while Saturday was an 11th-inning home run by Connecticut.
Coach Eddie Cardieri called the series “battle royale” after the game, while Muruszak, a freshman, said he believes “USF has the best pitching staff in the Big East.” Pretty bold statement from the young’en considering Notre Dame comes to town April 7-8 and the Bulls visit St. John’s on May 12-14.

Just a couple other notes:

— If you say USF has no bat strength, consider this: First baseman Brandin Daniel broke his metal bat in today’s game. The sophomore, who hit five home runs in 2005, had to get a replacement after fouling off a pitch.

— Even though he didn’t pitch, I have to mention relief pitcher Raymon Garcia’s crazy pre-mound ritual. When called in by pitching coach Nelson North, Garcia does a slow trot to the third base line, where he continues to do a riverdance before jumping over the line and heading to the mound. There, during the conference, he stands to the side of Nelson and then refuses to take the ball from his pitching coach. Nelson has to lay the ball on the mound, and then Garcia will pick it up. After he takes his warm-up pitches, he goes behind the mound, prays and then jumps up and down about four times. It’s a very strange sight to see. I’ve seen and read about some weird superstitions from major league players; for example, Wade Boggs, whose son Brett plays at USF, used to eat an entire bucket of fried chicken before each game and never washed his socks. That’s 162 games of chicken, which would make any member of PETA cringe.

That’s it for today. I’m watching the women’s basketball game on ESPN2 tonight, 9:30 p.m. game time. I may also go check out the watch party at Clubhouse Bar on Fowler Avenue, but I'm assuming most super fans are actually in Norfolk. Wish I was.

Mike Camunas

Back from break

Good to be back after a few restful days over spring break. Coming to you from the baseball game, the third of the Big East opening weekend for the Bulls. Connecticut and USF have split the first two games, and right now at the top of the second there is no score with Davis Billardello on the mound. Unfortunately, I was not able to attended the women’s first NCAA Tournament game tonight against USC. That turned out to be a real downer early in my week.
A few more game details later, but here’s a few leftover notes I have:

— The watch party for the Women’s Selection Show on Monday was, to put it lightly, a lot of fun to attend. I was at the selection show for the men’s soccer team in November, and while the guys were a little more certain about getting in than the women, the men were still happy to get into the tourney.
The women, on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of their lives, and they were only in the Big East room. Not that I’m trying to take anything away from the men’s soccer team, but the women sang and cheered to celebrate four and a half months of work coming to a fold. Being in that room, you couldn’t help but feel how the women felt. Covering them for the past two seasons now, they are the types of athletes who make covering sports fun.

— I’ve been reading Jessica Dickson’s blog, which is available to everyone on the USF Athletics Web site. She’s posted for the past two days the women have been in Norfolk, Va., and I’ve got to say, she laughs out loud (LOL) at lot. It’s actually pretty interesting, especially the note about the team getting quizzed on the game film they watch daily. Makes you wish she’d been blogging all season or that another athlete — possibly a football player — will do one for a season.

— Been reading the messages boards (big shocker) and blogs, including my buddy Collin Sherwood, all coming from Virginia. The note that really stands out in my mind is everyone getting upset that no one outside the Southeast knows USF teams. To me, it’s not surprising that many people on the West Coast don’t know who the Bulls are. You’ve got to believe there were many fans for most of the northern schools of the Big East who didn’t know about USF when they first joined the conference, especially those, say, in Villanova or Georgetown.
For example, when I went to Penn State for the football season opener, I meet many people from a small town called Scranton who insisted USF was in Orlando and “we had that coach who lied on an application.” I even had the guy guarding the keg at the party I was lucky enough attend ask me, “What part of Miami is Southern Florida in?”
While USF is only in its first decade of football, it’s in its 30th year for both basketball teams. Football will make USF nationally known. Teams such as USC have these storied histories and fans who grew up watching the Trojans, but those fans in California are going to think of the University of San Francisco before they think of South Florida.
Unless USF gets its first-ever tournament win tonight.

That’s it until after the game, in which the Huskies have taken a 2-1 lead. I’ll post the results later.

Mike Camunas

Dancing in Virginia

The women’s basketball team is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. The No. 9-seeded Bulls will face the No. 8-seeded University of Southern California (18-11) on Sunday in Norfolk, Va.

The team went 9-7 in its first season in the Big East and dropped out of the first round of the Big East Tournament after a loss to Notre Dame. If the Bulls beat Southern Cal and Duke beats Southern University, the Blue Devils, a No. 1 seed, and the Bulls would meet up for only the third time ever. USF is 0-2 lifetime against Duke with the last meeting being a 82-50 loss at Duke on Nov. 14, 2004.

More Watch Party notes to come soon.

Mike Camunas

‘Pro’bable ‘Pro’fessionals

Pro Day for the seniors leaving the football team was today. NFL scouts on campus, all but about three seniors running drills, open to media and close family members. Here’s some of the interesting things that came up:

— Most of the talk will be about Hall. Arguably so, since he was the only Bull at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis a couple weeks ago. He’s got an agent, Jonathan Kline, who also represents former USF player J.R. Reed. Very professional with a fancy player profile: It’s a Kinko’s binded package with every picture ever taken of Hall and a DVD of all the best play’s he has ever had. Oh yeah, and the whole thing is called “Andre Hall On Fire.” Personally, I like Andre Haulin’ better, but I guess that’s just too much self promotion.

— Of the various teams there, including a group of six NFL teams that have a consolidation group to evaluate players, the Atlanta Falcons gave Hall the most attention. Their scout had Hall run the shuttle and did various screen pass plays to Hall. Oh yeah, he didn’t drop one ball.

— Also getting a solid look was offensive lineman Frank Davis. The New Orleans Saints spent close to 30 minutes running through blocking drills and shuttle runs. He has a profile that’s not quite as big as Hall’s, even though Davis was one of his primary blockers and clips on the DVD don’t lie, which claims he’s the strongest player on USF. He pulled off 36 reps in the weight room earlier in the day, and he maxes out at 525 lbs. At 6-foot-4, he’s a tiny bit smaller than most NFL lineman but looks like he has potential to continue player.

— Speaking of potential, defensive lineman Terrence Royal has tons of it but certainly looks like a project for most teams. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it’s tough to tell how much time and money a team would invest in Royal. Keep an eye on him in Arena League if things don’t pan out for the Wharton High graduate, who is being represented by Prestige Athletic, Inc.’s Glen Lansky. He is also representing Johnnie Jones and Chris Carothers.

— There were a few familiar faces among the players at Pro Day: former Bulls running back Clenton Crossley and quarterback Marquel Blackwell. Crossley is playing for the Florida Firecats, an Arena Football 2 team down in Ft. Myers, while Blackwell is on the roster for the Birmingham Steeldogs, another AF2 team. Today, Blackwell was attached to the hip of former USF defensive back coach Glenn Davis, who now coaches the Steeldogs. Maybe he’s considering a comeback special, but he claims he won’t play for them. Decisions, decisions.

— That’s it for Friday, but with the Oracle not printing for a week, there won’t be much of anything else on campus except for the Watch Party for the women’s basketball team in the Big East Room on Monday. They’re on the bubble after the early exit from the conference tournament, so Tony and I will try to include a couple of blogs each this week. Oh yeah, it’s spring break. That should make working easy.

Mike Camunas

It's a beautiful day

At the baseball game today, in which Illinois is looking to sweep the Bulls through the weekend — USF is already down 1-0 in the third — and it has to be the most gorgeous day at least this year. Absolutely clear. Perfect mix of wind, sun and warmth. Basically March baseball weather, which is meant for spring training.

— Speaking of spring training, just spoke to Jeff Baisley, who was hanging out at the game watching his brother, Brian, who is 0-for-3 in the game. First-pitch swinging for the younger Baisley has got him two outs on two pitches. As I’ve said before on this blog, Jeff is reporting to the Vancouver Canadians, the Oakland Athletics single A affiliate, on March 11. He batted .252, had six homers, 38 RBI, 28 runs, 15 doubles and a .413 slugging percentage through 61 games with the Canadians and was named the team’s MVP.
I know what you’re thinking: I’m repeating myself. But Jeff said he feels he needs his average to rise before moving up to the Kane County Cougars. However, ahead of him at Kane County is former USF shortstop Myron Leslie. The team moved him to third base, same as Baisley, but the rumor mill is turning that Leslie may move to first base this season.
Baisley, on the other, trained in Tampa over the summer and for the past month has been working with his dad, Calvin, and his former high school team, Land O’ Lakes.

— Bottom of the sixth inning, Bulls still down 1-0. Freshman shortstop Addison Maruszak is 2-for-3 and winning me the press box game: Pick to Click, Pick to Clunk.

— Also, new at the baseball game is a target out in right field with the Bulls’ iconic ‘U’ in the middle. If a batter — probably needs to be a left-handed batter — hits the target, the average attendance of 200-300 people at the baseball game each receives a free Sonic burger. Must be a nice new contract for the Athletic Department with Sonic. They were willing to give the burgers away at the men’s basketball game against Connecticut on March 1, even though the contestant didn’t make the three-point shot, but with the position of the target at Red McEwen Field, the home run shot needs to be laser-guided to hit a target about the size of a basketball backboard. Not to mention it sits right next to the foul pole.
Honestly, I promise, from here on out, Tony and I won’t make fun of anymore contests the Athletic Department concocts.
Seriously, we promise. Unless a new contest involves singing, then the gloves come off.

— Update time: Bulls take the lead as designated hitter Brad Karns drove in the go-ahead run on an RBI single, after a bloop single by second baseman Nick Cardieri brought Maruszak home for the first run. Top of the seventh, Bull 2, Illinois 1.

— Game is moving faster than I can type. The Illini took a 3-2 lead on a sac fly by Kyle Hudson that brought home Dominic Altobelli after his RBI triple, which tied the game.

— Well, that’s it until after the game. And FYI, I wasn’t present for the men’s basketball team’s first Big East win last night. A rare night off for the sports editor. When Tony called me, I could hear the electricity — can you actually do that? — over the phone. Amazingly enough, I missed the upset over Charlotte last season as well. Managing Editor John Calkins and I were at the women’s C-USA tournament covering the Bulls. In retrospect, I’ve seen many more wins for the women than I have for the men.
I think I’m bad luck. Maybe I should start skipping the games.

Mike Camunas

The sign of the goat, nameless Bulls, and Kool and the Gang

The score of the women’s game Big East Tournament game against Notre Dame is occupying most of my time in the first half of the men’s game. I might have to do a straw poll to decide what would mean more to USF athletics: a men’s Big East win or an NCAA invitation for the women. Apparently I’m not the only one: The announcer gave the score of the women’s game to the Sun Dome crowd, 31-31 at half.

— It’s been hard to pinpoint at what point it exactly goes wrong for USF in a game. Ignoring their record, the Bulls moved the ball better (10 assists to six assists), shot better (12-for-21 compared to 10-for-18) and had a turnover margin of minus-3, yet they trail 31-30 at half.

— Time out. Time for a news story. USF convicted of “Metal Hand Sign” abuse. Not really, but I found this article in The Onion, which is a fake newspaper, and it’s worth the read. Something to think about next time someone flashes the “U.”

— Second half, Chris Capko missed a layup off a rebound and went barreling head first over a cheerleader and into the seats. After a few seconds, Capko appeared unharmed; then, as if the mere sight of him startled them, the Hoyas, on a 5-4 fast break, turned the ball over.

— Walk-on guard Eddie Lovett, still with a nameless jersey, checked into the game.

— Bad news: The women’s team lost to Notre Dame, and its NCAA fate is out of its hands and into the hands of tournament selection committee. Good news is that the men are in the middle of a bizarro game. What would be turnovers in the past are now assists, missed shots are swishes, and the Hoyas are making all the mistakes down the stretch.

— The Bulls are in unfamiliar territory. Georgetown is desperately fouling just to have a chance to win. I think Hoyas coach John Thompson III needs to take a look at the stat sheet as his team is fouling Solomon Jones, USF’s best foul shooter at 80 percent.

— It’s all over. Now for the first time in two months, the fans get to hear Kool and the Gang, and look at the “Bulls Win” graphic on the Sun Dome screens.

Tony Marquis

Just another wild Wednesday

Before making my way to the Sun Dome for the men’s game against Connecticut, I stopped off at USF softball’s televised game against Florida. That’s right, televised. The game was televised because of a contract between USF and Catch 47, and there are plans to do more telecasts of other USF sports in the near future such as baseball.
From what I could see, the USF Softball Complex was ill-equipped to handle the game as cameras were set up on top of each dugout.
Coach Ken Eriksen was pleased with the television crew being at the game. For Eriksen, the television crew, along with the team’s arrival in the Big East proves to him that his program is entering the upper-ranks of collegiate softball. The only thing Eriksen said is missing: a nice new stadium…

— Speaking of renovations. Forget screens. Forget powerwashing or getting a new arena. What the Sun Dome needed all along was bodies. The 25-year-old structure looks like new with the addition of more people.

— The score started off 18-0 and four out of the five first baskets for Connecticut came by dunk, including two by alley-oop. I feel like I’m watching NBA Jam — I’m just waiting for Huskies sophomore Rudy Gay’s shoes to catch on fire.

— With 12:17 left in the first half, forward Melvyn Richardson scored the Bulls first point on a free throw, then 30 seconds and a putback later, Richardson scored USF’s third and fourth point. The score was Connecticut 18, Melvyn Richardson 4.

— Four guys calling themselves the “All-Star Dunk Squad” performed at halftime. Problem is, they looked more like people who hang out in a tattoo parlor than “stuff” specialists. The kind of guys who know more about the subtleties of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” than the intricacies of the slam dunk.
Hijinks from this crew included some sort of stomp routine and leading the crowd in the Y.M.C.A. The four “dudes” with the aid of a small trampoline, made about 23 percent of assorted jams then would meet at different areas of the court to have impromptu dance sessions with each other. The grand finale featured the quartet lying down at midcourt in some sort of plus-sign formation. If you would like to experience the All-Star Dunk Squad in person, they can be found performing at the corner of Nebraska and Fowler for spare change.

— I spent at least 20 minutes chasing down a Bob Huggins look-alike. Turns out, his name is Bernie and he is available for Bar Mitzvahs and weddings.

— On that note, former Georgia coach Jim Harrick was in attendance. The same Jim Harrick that has been mentioned for the USF job that Athletic Director Doug Woolard said is not available. The former Georgia coach was pulling double-duty as an employee of an USF sponsor and a scout for the Denver Nuggets. Despite his rare appearance, Harrick told me he has no interest in returning to coaching.

I’m closing up shop with one final question/comment. I know there is only one game left, but can someone put walk-on guard Eddie Lovett’s name on the back of his jersey?

Tony Marquis

Woolard speaks: McCullum will be back next season

Editor's note: Athletic Director Doug Woolard released this message early Wednesday afternoon, announcing coach Robert McCullum will be returning for his fourth year at USF. This statement, in full below, was emailed to the media outlets and can also be seen at gousfbulls.com.

It’s unusual that we find ourselves addressing an issue of this nature at a time when our student-athletes and coaches are trying to stay positive and focused prior to the final conference home stand, concluding a difficult season full of unique and unprecedented adversities. To put to rest any ambiguity that may have been caused by reports and innuendos directed toward our men’s basketball coach, it is important to set the record straight so our student-athletes and coaches can focus on the task at hand.

It has been our practice to thoroughly evaluate programs following the conclusion of their season to objectively review the full body of work. We realize speculation of the nature that surrounds our men’s basketball program is common today. Nonetheless, the resulting scenario is unfortunate, unfounded and irresponsible. Our student-athletes, coaches and true supporters deserve better than this.

We knew our inaugural season in the Big East would be quite a challenge even before several circumstances beyond the control of the coach exacerbated that challenge. The best returning three point shooter Marius Prekevicius left one week before school started to join a professional team in Europe, leaving no time to sign a new recruit. Bradley Mosley, the second leading scorer from 2003-04, passed away in October after a year-long battle with cancer. Probable starting point guard and promising freshman Chris Howard tore an ACL before the season started and missed the entire year. Zaronn Cann, another talented freshman, played in four games before re-injuring a knee and was forced to redshirt. Regardless of these circumstances, the team has remained competitive throughout the Big East season and the program appears to have a good mix of experienced veterans and talented newcomers next year.

We are making a break from our normal evaluation procedure to clear the cloud of negativity imposed on this program and its student-athletes so they can continue building this program to levels we expect. Robert McCullum will remain our head men’s basketball coach next season.

Mike Camunas

Boosters support McCullum

Editor's note: This story will appear in the Feb. 28 edition of the Oracle

The Web site for Sports Illustrated magazine, SI.com, published an article Monday stating that a member of an anonymous USF athletic booster club said the club is interested in buying out the remaining three years of men’s basketball coach Robert McCullum’s contract and replacing the third-year coach, who is 27-57 in his tenure at USF, with former Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins.
However, anonymous sources close to USF athletic boosters have disparaged the SI article, as well as a story in the Tampa Tribune stating that “a group of prominent boosters” is interested in doing the same.
SI’s Seth Davis cited an unnamed booster in his article who said “supporters of the program” have been in contact with Huggins’ Cincinnati attorney Richard Katz. According to the SI article, Katz said Huggins “would be interested in the Bulls coaching job if it opened up.”
However, one group, the Iron Bulls, which is a booster club that donates more than $10,000 to athletics each year, has sided with McCullum, not the reports produced just days before the men’s basketball team — only two losses away from going winless in the Big East — hosts No. 2 Connecticut.
“Robert McCullum is a man of character,” said Buddy Johnson, chairman of the Iron Bulls. “He’s a proven winner (at places such as) Florida and Western Michigan. Any coach that takes a team that’s pretty much been decimated with injuries and nearly knocks off three of four Top-20 teams has done a good job. If he is given an additional year to get some more players, I’m confident he’ll continue to do the great job that he is already doing.
“There has not been any discussion (of a contract buyout) among my friends at the Iron Bulls,” Johnson said. “I’m a strong supporter (of McCullum). I think he’s done a great job.”
Buying out McCullum’s contract would cost more than $850,000, and both McCullum and Athletic Director Doug Woolard have declined to comment on such reports, as Woolard continues to stick by his policy of not commenting on coaches who are in the midst of a season, winning or losing.

Mike Camunas

Food or Tuition?

In this blog Tony and I have made fun of the numerous contests the Athletic Department hosts during breaks at the basketball games. We’ve even wrote a story about how the Athletic Department almost didn’t pay Jason Deck, the lone contestant who made a half-court shot this season for $500.
From Dance 4 UR Dinner to the new putting challenge, to the Score on Rocky, to the ever-dreadful Hamster Ball Run, Athletic Director Doug Woolard divulged to me Saturday at the women’s basketball team’s 66-56 win over West Virginia a new contest the Athletic Department will try to incorporate next season.
While both Woolard and Assistant Director of Athletics for Marketing and Event Management Kosha Irby were both at St. Louis University, they had a contest known as Tacos for Tuition. The game is as follows: The contest has a chance to make five straight free throws. If he/she makes one shot, he/she wins a taco. Two in a row, everyone wins a taco. Three shots, tacos for a month. Four shots, tacos for a year. Five straight shots equals full tuition paid for one semester.
A deal hasn’t been finalized yet. Woolard and Irby are working on changing tacos to burgers from Sonic.
Most students should dig this contest and head out to practice shooting. I still can’t decide whether I would like burgers for a year or have my tuition paid.
Doing the math, total amount of burgers doesn’t equal tuition for semester even if you only took one class.
Decisions, decisions for any of those who may get picked.
Listen, at least make two. That way I get a burger as well.

Mike Camunas

The Takeover

Shantia Grace just had a no-look pass to Ezria Parsons, who converted the shot. On the next stoppage of play, Fernandez removed Grace and replaced her with Jessica Jackson, who missed two consecutive three-pointers and had a turnover. As I look over to Fernandez, I can’t help but think he is happy the Oracle now has a blog.

— Halftime: Rod Smith is in the house, sporting a Bill Belichick-like hooded sweatshirt and chewing on one of the strings, in very deep thought. He’s obviously thinking about all of the awesome plays he’s got in store for next season.

— Dear Athletic Department,
Please remove the Dance 4 UR Dinner competition from the middle of the third quarter. Three contestants and I saw “the worm” from one, no dancing from another and three cartwheels from a dude named “Marcelo.”
Hold on, I take it back.
Marcelo just restored my faith in the dance-off portion of the competition when he missed the third cartwheel in his combination and ended up on the ground.
Maybe you guys can keep the contest, just call it “Impress the audience for dinner,” or “Faceplant on the court for food.”

— More contests: A young girl of about 4-to-6 years old holed out a ten-foot putt for a brand new bike, using a cross-handed grip. When asked about her putt, the girl said “Doggy,” and ran off. (Not really.)

Parsons just went down clutching her head, so I’ll throw in the my notes for the game: With the game out of reach, West Virginia coach Mike Carey called two timeouts with 30 seconds left in the game… Three Bulls players attempted to carry senior Sharon Cambridge on their shoulders and off the floor but only got about seven yards before they had to let her down.

Tony Marquis

Too much time on our hands

Tonight for the Oracle Blog: live posting from the women’s basketball game against West Virginia. Missing in action for the Mountaineers is Meg Bulger, sister of Rams quarterback Marc Bulger. Like her brother, injuries ended her season a tad bit early.
Anyways, tonight is also senior night for the Bulls, honoring Courtney Hunt, Tristen Webb, Sharon Cambridge, Ezria Parsons, team manager Melissa Barber and fellow team manager Andy Christensen, who also helped with the scout team by playing against the women in practice.
Nice scene, nice gesture by the coaches to frame up the players jerseys as well.

— These last two games for the women are pretty important. SID Mike Hogan informed the beat writer Charles Gonzalez and I, that if the Bulls win out the regular season tonight and Tuesday at Georgetown, as well as the first round of the Big East Tournament, they should make the NCAA Tournament. I looked it up, and USF’s RPI is up to 29 and with the 10-15 Hoyas on for Tuesday, making the tournament looks pretty solid for the women. Whether its luck or shear determination of the team’s part, making the tournament is a godsend after dropping both games to Pittsburgh, losing four of five games at one point and losing to LSU and UNC by a combined 67 points.
However, if the women do win out the rest of the season, they will clinch the No. 7 seed in the Big East tournament, playing the No. 10 seed on March 4.
So with the men just extending the nation’s longest losing streak, at least the women’s basketball team will continue playing later into March.

— Tony just arrived and he’ll be doing the rest of the live blogging tonight. The Bulls are all tied up at 13 with WVU with 13 minutes left in the first half. Be nice and superstitious with that one.

Mike Camunas

The waiting game

The future of men’s basketball coach Robert McCullum will be a hot topic in the next couple of weeks or even what will happen to him over the summer. Obviously he’ll probably continue recruiting unless he gets fired about five minutes after the last game against Georgetown on March 4.
Editor in Chief Mark Lennox and Tony argued whether he should be fired at the season’s end in today’s paper — here’s the link for those who don’t get to see the Oracle in print: Treading thin ice?
I don’t think McCullum will be fired. While this is my opinion, I agreed when the Tribune beat reporter pointed out last week in his blog that McCullum’s buyout would be too expensive when paying for a new basketball coach as well as coach Jim Leavitt’s salary, which jumps to $1 million a year in the fall.
Throw whether he’s the right man for the job out the window; that’s not important. But with transfers such as Kentrell Gransberry from LSU and Jesus Verdejo from Arizona waiting to show what they can do just like injured guard Chris Howard, you’ve got to figure that McCullum’s team with depth in the fall won’t look as bad as they did against Rutgers on Saturday, despite only having a few scholarships left to use
Seriously, like him or not, transfers are definitely something McCullum can pull in.
Now, if he can just get those transfers as recruits the first time around.

— In ESPN’s latest and might I add brilliant bracketology — which could never possibly be wrong — it has the women’s basketball team as a 12th seed in the Albuquerque bracket of the NCAA tournament. The Bulls would face off against No. 5-seed Utah on March 19, a major step up from the past two years and two NIT berths.
Ranked ahead of USF in the same bracket is Florida at No. 7 and Louisville at No. 10, the team the Bulls face tonight at 7:30.
I’m not quite sure I have a thought on this — well, at least pending the outcome of tonight’s game.
However, players such as Rachael Sheats (14 points), Ezria Parsons (13 points), Nalini Miller (nine points, nine rebounds) and Shantia Grace (13 points) were impressive against the Golden Eagles on Thursday when Jessica Dickson was having a down night, even though she still scored 14 points. Imagine what the team could do if Dickson — still hanging on as the nation’s leading scorer with 23 points a game — had a better game in which she has a more typical 25-30 points in that game.
A 30-point loss to UNC or LSU might not even happen.
We’ll see what happens against Louisville, which, like the USF women’s team, has a better conference record than its men.
Shocker.

— Thanks for reading. Keep an eye out for some stories coming up, such as a feature story on former Bulls receiver Scott McCready, who’s in Tampa practicing with the Hamburg Sea Devils, and a story on men’s tennis player Juan Barragan and his kidnapping ordeal.
And just in case all of you didn’t know, there is no chin underneath Chuck Norris’ beard, just another fist.

Mike Camunas

Taking what they're giving...

Along with the Oracle I also write for another certain area newspaper. So when I’m not at USF, I’m either at school or possibly at a girls high school basketball game between Freedom and Lake Gibson, like I was on Tuesday night.
At the conclusion of the game, in which one player scored 43 of the team’s 82 points, I ran into women’s basketball assistant Amy Wright. A college coach sighting isn’t unusual at a prep basketball game, but when I asked Wright who she was scouting — assuming she would tell me nothing — she informed me that USF is set for their ’06 class, but it’s looking more toward ’08 and ’09 classes.
Just when I thought I was one of the hardest working people at USF, coach Jose Fernandez and staff have to trump me by recruiting right in the middle of a run before the Big East Tournament. Maybe when Fernandez declines to comment after a late night game in Pittsburgh or St. John’s, I’ll think back to how hard his staff works and give him a few days to rest — or maybe I won’t.
Side note: The Lake Gibson player who scored 43 points is a sophomore by the name of Andrea Smith.

SIX DEGREES OF LOGAN FLECK: One thing I enjoy about talking to women’s soccer coach Logan Fleck is that there are no silly questions. I am never embarrassed, for example, to ask Fleck what he would choose to have on a hypothetical submarine sandwich that would be named after him. Also I am sure to hear an interesting Fleck-ism or Fleck story such as…
I would be a fool to assume everybody knows the Kansas City Wizards and the MetroStars are playing an exhibition game at the USF Soccer Stadium on Saturday.
I’m sure less people know that Wizards goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi played on the same two-time Division II national championship Southern Connecticut State University team with men’s soccer coach George Kiefer. But it doesn’t stop there…
In 1992, SCSU’s second national championship was televised, and who provided his expert analysis during the game? Who else but T. Logan Fleck.
Upon further review, it’s not surprising Fleck was calling a national championship. I mean, when you combine a man’s two gifts — in this case, soccer knowledge and the gift of gab — it’s only natural he’d be successful at it.
That would also explain the reason I am in this business: In no other profession is it acceptable to both obsess over sports and eat in excess, and those happen to be my two gifts.

Tony Marquis

New kids on the blog...

So I finally got around to making a post. I promise Tony and I will try to make more posts, but last week was entirely way too busy with the regular paper and the baseball/softball preview.
I’m surprised I gave into this whole blog thing in the first place. When it comes to technology, I’m always way behind. Hey, I didn’t have an e-mail address until I was 17. So Tony convinced me, and with Greg Auman at the Times and Brett McMurphy at the Tribune keeping theirs pretty updated, I knew we had to be more on the pulse.
Besides, there are plenty of things we pick up on the beat that we know would be perfect for this…such as:

— I had an interesting conversation with Athletic Director Doug Woolard on Wednesday. What’s great about this guy is he’s always happy about something … at least when he’s talking to me. Even with a men’s basketball team on an 11-game losing streak — which is Doug’s favorite sport — he’s still smiling and still got a spring in his step. We got to talking about the renovations for the entire athletic complex on the west side of campus, which many of the employees of the Athletic Department have very rough artist’s renditions of what everything would look like.
The most promising-looking renovation on the map has to be the new location and designs of stadiums for both the softball and baseball teams. Surrounding the “road to nowhere” on campus — the dinky roundabout road parallel to 50th Street that was originally built for Greek Village 1993 — will be a stadium on one side and the other straight across from it. Whether those plans hold up, it gives that side of campus the most professional look compared to the rest of campus.
Woolard said — and I didn’t expect to hear this come from him — that most of those drawings would get better, making the renovations they are planning to give the facilities a “sexier” look.
Sexier? I’ve been at this school for five years and I’ve never heard anyone, student or faculty, use the word “sexy” to describe campus.
With the Sun Dome coming along with the new screen and floor, and the progress of the renovations taking some time, perhaps eventually the facilities will look sexy, even if the Sun Dome gets a powerwashing at the very least.
Or at the very least the new baseball field will have a press box — from which I’m writing this — bigger than most closets at Campus Lodge.

— Speaking of writing from the game, it’s freezing today, which is Sunday. High of 47, if most of us warm-blooded individuals are lucky. And if anyone deserves props, it has to be president of the Student Bulls Club, Chris Lau. Wrapped in more cloth than a burn victim, Lau is the only one of the club present at today’s baseball game.
He has to be the only person on campus who sees more USF sports than I do.
I haven’t figured out if that’s a good thing, but no one pays him to go to the games.

— Spoke to Brian Baisley the other day, and he gave me a quick update on his brother, Jeff, who reports to the Vancouver Canadians, Oakland’s single A club, on March 11. Jeff, who through 61 games batted .252, had six homers, 38 RBI, 28 runs, 15 doubles and a .413 slugging percentage, was named the team’s MVP. Among the handful of former Bulls players in the minor leagues — Myron Leslie, Tim Mattison, Kyle Schmidt, David Austen, John Raburn, Devin Ivany and Mike Eylward — Baisley seems to be putting on the best showing and probably has the best chance to move up the ranks.
It’s just getting rid of that other third baseman the Athletics have and maybe Baisley will get his shot.
What’s the guy’s name? Eric Chavez something?

— Stop the presses. Stop the presses. I have some urgent news for the Athletic Department. I need everyone to stop what they are doing and listen. The sports information directors are working their tails off to get the redesigned official athletics Web site up and running by the end of this week. Contract negations with the company running the Web site, XOS Technologies, Inc., were just stalled in getting the site up. I’ve seen it and just about anything would be a vast improvement from what’s up there now, but they way the site looks, which can only be described as, well, “sexy.” The site was supposed to be up early January, but talks have taken so long that super agent Drew Rosenhaus must have been someway involved.

— Got a chance to sit down with seasoned baseball coach Eddie Cardieri earlier in the week. What’s great about EC is after 21 years he knows what he can and can’t do as a coach. He’s been at USF longer than some buildings, and after nine NCAA trips, five Coach of the Year awards and 16 winning seasons people still talk about how the guy should be fired, say if he has a poor year in the poor Big East baseball conference.
The Bulls were picked to finish third in the conference in preseason polls, but if Carideri is worried about unemployment, he sure isn’t showing it.
He’ll still sit on the visitor’s bench, which he calls his office, sucking on a wad of dip, not worried about if anyone else besides he boys are on his side.
He said those things beyond the game are “out of his hands” and people will say whatever they want about him. He says he’ll keep doing his job — coaching young adults at the Red — until they, the Athletic Department, make him stop.
All business for EC, I guess.

— Speaking of Cardieri, his son, Nick, just hit an RBI single to drive home Brian Baisley in the bottom of the fifth to take a 7-6 lead over Northwestern. The Wildcats must be used to this 40-degree weather, because EC is on the sideline doing his best JoePa impression with the towel rolled up in the jacket to stay warm.
Thankfully, EC doesn’t need coke bottle glasses … yet.

— And last but not least, there is a rumor going around the west side of campus. Word has spread that women’s soccer coach Logan Fleck has made the switch.
A frequenter of Rocky’s on 56th Street has been sited two Saturdays in a row at the all-new Bull Ring Restaurant, housed in the old Hop’s building by Toys “R” Us. The Oracle wrote a story on the place, which I’ve visited, and it’s very classy inside.
Here’s the link to the story written by staff writer Tristan Wheelock: The Bull Ring enters the arena.
The owner, Jim Zmerich, attends every single basketball game and chats with Fleck and just about every customer.

— That’s enough for today. College baseball started this weekend, and I’ve barely watched the game I’m covering today, especially since Northwestern’s Antonio Mule hit a home run to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning.
As mentioned before, watch for more updates on the blog including a picture of the week’s feature, some new graphics and anything else we can put on here that will massage our egos.

Mike Camunas

When in Rome...

With other media outlets making blogs, the Oracle Sports Desk decided to get in on the fun. Mike and I will try to update this at least twice a week; feel free to post your comments or suggestions. Now for my thoughts…

— The women’s basketball team has one believer. On Monday, the newest ESPN/USA Today poll included one vote for South Florida, despite the Bulls’ 78-71 loss to St. John’s on Sunday. And no, Jose Fernandez isn't one of the 31 coaches with a vote in the rankings. A possible USF supporter could be Seton Hall coach Phyllis Mangina, who represents the Big East in the ESPN/USA Today poll. If Mangina is the lone voter, then it will be interesting to see next week’s rankings depending on how the Bulls (15-8) handle the Pirates (6-15) in South Orange, N.J. on Wednesday night.

— There’s also something to look forward to if you like the other football. The USF men’s soccer team released its spring schedule, and besides the Major League Soccer squads usually in the schedule, the lineup features an intriguing game. On Mar. 5, the Bulls have a rematch against the University of Virginia — the same team that ended USF’s season by beating the Bulls in a penalty kick shootout in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
“Virginia’s coming here to beat us,” coach George Kiefer said. “A team you last faced during the season and they advanced and you didn’t — that doesn’t sit well.”
The game will be played at IMG Academy in Bradenton.

— I think it’s always curious when a coach departs right after signing day, so when Rick Kravitz announced he would be following his fiancé to North Carolina, I decided to consult Rivals.com for its vast recruiting info. According the site, of the six players who have info on who recruited them, only one was recruited by Kravitz: linebacker LeBrandon Glover. (Side note: Wally Burnham recruited four.) I can’t speak for Glover, but I’m sure Kravitz’s departure had some sort of effect on him. At his signing day press conference, Leavitt praised Kravitz’s work in the panhandle of Florida. It will be interesting to see if this has any effect on the minds of the young student athletes down the road.

— Mike and I are working with the same company who is helping the Athletic Department with their Web site, so look for it to be completed some time in March — 2010.

Tony Marquis