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College basketball

Desperate defense gives Bulls new life

USF 74, SO. MISS 65: With its best defender out, coach Seth Greenburg uses a zone defense for the whole game, and it pays off for South Florida tremendously.

By PETE YOUNG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 15, 2003

TAMPA -- With his top man-to-man defender, Marlyn Bryant, lost for the season to a torn ACL diagnosed Monday, and enduring an ugly losing skid, South Florida coach Seth Greenberg opted for a tactic he never used in his 121/2 seasons and 367 games as a collegiate coach.

Zone defense. For the entire game.

The Bulls, especially a fist-pumping Greenberg, rallied emotionally around their new defense, an amoeba-like 3-2 zone, to defeat Southern Miss 74-65 before 3,842 at the Sun Dome.

USF (8-6, 1-2) earned its first Conference USA win and constructed a platform on which to climb from the depths of a three-game losing streak and the loss of Bryant.

"You've got to play the hand you're dealt," Greenberg said. "After (Bryant's injury), it was hard -- hard on them and hard on me. We just kind of closed that circle and hung in there.

"I think we developed some trust tonight."

The Bulls reached a crisis point coming in: They yielded an average of 86 points in three losses in 2003; they would be going on the road, where they haven't won, for three straight after playing Southern Miss (9-5, 2-1); and they lost their spark plug, the fire-breathing Bryant.

"It was real critical," USF center Will McDonald said. "We needed a win as a confidence-builder, and we need to keep building on it."

"With Marlyn going down (in Saturday's 96-63 loss at Marquette), obviously that's disappointing," said point guard Reggie Kohn, who had 15 points and 11 assists. "(We stayed) real upbeat."

Kohn made the big shots at crunch time. With the Bulls leading 57-54 with two minutes left, Kohn made a 3-pointer then a short jumper for a 62-54 lead. Southern Miss called timeout and Greenberg burst onto the court and thrust a right uppercut into the air.

The coach had spoken with a few old friends the past couple of days, including former Georgia coach Hugh Durham and former UAB coach Murry Bartow, for strategy and crisis management consultation. But it was a message from Karen Greenberg that proved most inspirational.

"I got a boost of confidence. I got a note before the game. I didn't even know it," Greenberg said, reaching into his jacket pocket to read it. "I went to my game sheet, my little notes, pulled it out, and it said, 'Go get 'em tonight. You can do it. ... We love you, you can do it.'

"It's the greatest thing in the world."

USF typically plays man to man with a trapping 1-3-1 zone sprinkled in. But without Bryant, Greenberg selected the 3-2 because the Golden Eagles are tepid 3-point shooters and it would allow USF's small point guards, Kohn and Brian Swift, to play together.

It wasn't a perfect panacea. Southern Miss' Greg Johnson worked the interior for a game-high 27 points, and USF was outrebounded 46-33 as USM stayed within eight during a hairy second half. However, the Golden Eagles made just 24 of 66 shots, 36.4 percent, and 3 of 19 3-pointers.

USF's lead winnowed to two on several occasions in the second half but the Bulls always led. The Bulls made all 12 free throws down the stretch.

"When you relinquish the lead, maybe you have self doubt," Greenberg said. "Not relinquishing the lead was important."

USF guard/forward Jimmy Baxter, coming off a partial suspension at Marquette and his worst outing of the season in a 79-69 loss Jan. 8 to UAB, rediscovered his game. He had team-highs of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals.

With power forward Yusuf Baker bothered by a sprained ankle, Gerrick Morris made his first significant contribution in a month. He was 2-of-2 from the floor, his first field goals in eight games, and had a game-high three blocks.

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