TAMPA, Fla. — USF’s men’s and women’s basketball teams previewed the upcoming college basketball season Monday at the American Conference Tipoff in Tampa, where both programs appeared with new head coaches.
Chris Mack takes over the men’s program after USF won the American Conference regular-season and tournament championships last season. The Bulls return just one player from that team, and Mack said this year’s group is focused on building its own identity.
“Well, the games won prior to us getting here have nothing to do with us,” Mack said. “And so I’m excited for the fans. I’m glad that they, you know, get to revel in the fact that they won a championship last year. But I didn’t, and we didn’t. And our players know that, you know, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Mack said the team has already been putting in that work, and he is looking forward to the start of the season.
Bulls starting point guard Sonny Wilson said the team began working toward expectations during the summer by building chemistry with players and coaches.
“Yes, sir. You know, we’re going to live up to expectations,” Sonny said. “So as we’ve been progressing throughout the summertime, I think we’ve been getting a lot better. So it’s going to show in the season.”
Graduate guard Mike James said fans can expect a connected group that plays with pace and energy.
“You’re going to see a real connected team from the guys on the floor to the bench to the staff,” Mike said. “A very good defensive team, high-pace offensive team. Get up a lot of threes. Get to the rim. Just a high-energy team.”
On the women’s side, Kristy Curry takes over at USF after 13 seasons as head coach at Alabama. She also coached at Purdue and Texas Tech and has reached the NCAA tournament 14 times in her career, with five conference championships.
Curry said her approach at USF starts with daily work in the classroom, on the court, and in the community.
“I want to be the hardest-working head coach I can possibly be,” Curry said. “A lot of grit, right? And then, you know, doing everything that we possibly can to help them be the best version of themselves every day.”
Guard Hannah Kohn said Curry’s experience and the mix of players joining the program have made the transition exciting.
“I have a lot of trust in what Coach Kristy has done and who she brings in,” Kohn said. “Obviously she’s been a winner in, like, one of the highest leagues.”
The USF men’s and women’s teams are scheduled to start their seasons on Monday, Nov. 2 with a doubleheader at the Yuengling Center.