Stan Heath became the eighth head coach in South Florida history after successful runs at Kent State and Arkansas with the goal of lifting the Bulls to the Big East level. He found out quickly that is a high level of play.

South Florida lost its first three games of the season, then went on a tear and had won nine of 10 when Heath coached his first Big East game and won it against Rutgers on Jan. 2. He would not win another Big East game until Feb. 13, losing 10 in a row.

Heath had two outstanding players in senior center Kentrell Gransberry, the greatest rebounder in the school's history, and precocious freshman guard Dominique Jones, who scored more than 30 points in back-to-back games, the first Big East freshman to do that since Allen Iverson at Georgetown, but had no depth.

Sophomore point guard Chris Howard proved himself a capable playmaker, setting those two up enough so that each averaged better than 16 points a game and Jones broke the school's freshman scoring record.

Junior forward Jesus Verdejo came on during the second half of the season but the Bulls could do no better than win three Big East games, especially hurt by their inability to win away from their home court.

With only Gransberry gone next year and with an SEC transfer in guard Mike Mercer coming in from Georgia, Heath has the program moving in the right direction.

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