Jose Fernandez Assured in Bulls’ Championship Combine Getting into twenty sixth Season on the Helm

With a mixture of veteran returners and a few affect newcomers, USF ladies’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez stated he believes the Bulls have the mandatory components to contend for an American Conference championship.

So do his gamers.

“We trust this man (Fernandez),” graduate student 6-foot-2 forward L’or Mputu said. “He has performed this for 25 seasons and now we’re the twenty sixth workforce. He is aware of what he is doing. We have expertise and we shall be well-prepared, so I’ve numerous confidence that we are going to attain our targets.”

“We can see the chemistry starting to come together,” senior 5-11 forward Carla Brito said. “We do have numerous new gamers, however I can see this coming collectively rapidly. I simply wish to be a greater participant and a greater individual than I used to be within the earlier seasons. I do really feel a duty to assist lead this workforce.”

Brito, an American Conference second-team all-star and Most Outstanding Player within the league event, has tons of expertise. She has performed in 101 profession USF video games, beginning 96, accumulating 870 factors (8.6 common) and 683 rebounds (6.8).

Meanwhile, Mputu was named the American’s Most Improved Player by averaging 9.5 factors and eight.1 rebounds per recreation. That included 14 double-digit scoring performances and 12 double-digit rebounding efforts, together with a 21-rebound recreation in opposition to North Texas within the convention event semifinals.

“L’or comes ready to work hard every day,” Brito said. “She needs to be one of the best. Her expertise the primary yr in comparison with now, there isn’t any comparability She’s going to be a giant a part of what we do.”

“I love Carla’s game,” Mputu said. “I really feel like she does all the pieces. When we’re drained and when the opposite workforce is sporting down, that is when Carla picks it up. She hustles. She’s robust. She can do all of it and it is nice to have her again once more.”

Brito and Mputu have been key gamers down the stretch final season, when the Bulls (23-11) received the American Conference title to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.

The Bulls, who open Monday, Nov. 3 at dwelling in opposition to Florida International University, wish to substitute 4 of their prime six scorers from final season, together with prolific outdoors risk Sammie Puisis, who’s now enjoying skilled basketball.

Fernandez stated he expects a beneficiant quantity of these factors to be produced by USF’s newcomers.

“Everybody is here for a reason and that’s to be part of a championship-type program,” Fernandez said. “That’s all the time our expectation right here and this season it will not be any totally different. We’ve received some actually good new expertise coming in right here.”

The Bulls have 5-10 graduate pupil guard Katie Davidson (first-team All-Horizon League choice at IU-Indianapolis), 5-7 graduate pupil guard Edyn Battle (first-team All-Atlantic Sun choice at Jacksonville), 5-10 junior guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams (second-team All-MAC choice with Buffalo’s WNIT champions) and 5-8 junior guard Stefanie Ingram (who led Florida Atlantic final season with 160 assists).

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Davidson, who averaged 19.4 factors final season, has 1,213 profession factors. Battle, who averaged 20.8 factors final season, has 1,452 profession factors. Lewis-Williams, who averaged 13.6 factors final season, has 877 profession factors.

“We really feel like we now have 4 (transfers) who’re actually, actually going to assist us,” Fernandez stated.

The Bulls even have key returning contributors in 5-11 senior level guard Janette Aarnio, 6-3 junior ahead Fatou Diakite, 6-2 sophomore ahead Yana Karamfilova and 5-11 sophomore guard Raina Tomasicka and 6-0 graduate pupil Ines Piper, plus three freshmen in 5-10 guard Jelena Bulajic, 5-8 guard Lee Teichman and 6-5 middle Lana Vukcevic.

USF usually performs a difficult non-conference schedule, however this season looks as if a totally totally different normal.

The Bulls will face three members of final season’s NCAA Women’s Final Four discipline — the UCLA Bruins on Nov. 15 at Las Vegas, plus dwelling video games in opposition to the defending nationwide champion UConn Huskies on Dec. 2 and the nationwide runner-up South Carolina Gamecocks on Dec. 18.

There’s additionally a house recreation in opposition to the regional finalist Duke Blue Devils on Nov. 20 and a visit to the Vanderbilt Commodores on Dec. 15.

“What do they say? To be the best, you’ve got to play the best?” Fernandez said. “That’s what we have all the time believed in. It’s the form of schedule that ought to get the followers excited and I do know our gamers are trying ahead to it.

“The complete thought is to get this workforce toughened up and enjoying its greatest basketball in March. That’s the best way we do it round right here and I do know the (switch) gamers we introduced in are going to be an necessary a part of that.”