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Young women's team is ready to fight spectre of lawsuits and controversy.
By PETE YOUNG
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 15, 2001
TAMPA -- Jose Fernandez does not flinch from it.
He doesn't talk around it, he doesn't avoid it.
"It" would be the eight lawsuits filed last year, many by former players, against former USF coach Jerry Ann Winters. "It" resulted in Winters' firing and Fernandez's elevation from assistant to coach last season.
And "it" will be a distant memory soon enough if Fernandez improves the program in the next few years as much as he has in his first season.
"I'm not going to lie to you," Fernandez said. "I think there's still a black cloud hovering over the program and our university. But the only way you can cure that is by continuing to bring in the high-caliber players that we are signing.
"Winning cures a lot of problems."
Quietly, and in a forthright style, Fernandez, who turns 30 Sunday, has overhauled the roster, changed the playing style and improved the spirit. New, better recruits are here, and more are on the way.
Last season yielded a 4-24 record. The Bulls were winless on the road and had a single Conference USA victory.
The league's coaches are picking USF last again; Fernandez has other ideas.
"This year our strength is our athleticism and speed," he said. "Everybody on our roster can put the ball on the floor and shoot the 3. We'll play uptempo, running and pressing. It'll be a lot different from last year.
"In our (13) nonconference games, we want to win at least nine of those. And in conference (14 games), our goal is to finish at least .500, and we want to go to the conference tournament and at least win our opening-round game."
That adds up to a 17-12 record. Fernandez's candor is refreshing; most coaches answer with generic nonspecifics when asked how many games they hope to win.
"I think our goals are realistic," Fernandez said.
Without question, the Bulls are improved. They have demonstrated it in scrimmages and in the preseason loss to Premier Players, a collection of recent college stars. USF lost by 19. Last season's team might have lost by 39.
Recruiting is the core of the rebuilding process. Aided by assistants Jen Schneider and Harry Elifson, Fernandez has proven he can lure good recruits from all over the country. This year's well-regarded quartet of freshmen hails from Minnesota (Allison AuBuchon), Nevada (Jen Kline) and Georgia (Tristen Webb and Alana Tanksley).
But with his strong South Florida connections, USF's biggest recruiting scores likely will come instate. Fernandez graduated from Florida International and coached in high school and college in the area before being hired by USF last year.
A former South Florida prep star, Jameelah Trimble, a 6-foot-5 center from Hialeah American, transferred to USF from Florida and will be eligible next season. Two of the top 10 prep seniors in the state are expected on board next season. Shooting guard Valerie de Velasco of Miami High signed Wednesday, and 6-3 center Angela Hawkins of Winter Haven is expected to sign in the next few days.
How much is Fernandez reshaping the program? Of the 11 players who scored at least one point last season, seven no longer are with the team. Ordinarily, that might be a bad thing, but an infusion of new players was needed.
With just one senior on the roster, point guard Dione Smith, USF appears headed for a major upswing.
"With two transfers and four freshmen, there has been a lot of teaching and learning going on," Fernandez said. "We haven't been able to jump in and play like we'd like to, but practice has been going great.
"We're well on our way. We can move on this year and win some ballgames in our conference and make some noise, and then people start to forget about the past. That's what we're looking forward to doing."
1. NEWCOMERS: New players will fill major roles everywhere. Two have experience. Forward Sonia Cotton played for two seasons at Florida International before sitting out last season as a transfer. She'll likely be the No. 2 scorer. Dione Smith was the USF point guard for three years before sitting out last season and is a defensive pest. Guard/forward Jen Kline is the most likely of four freshmen to have an instant impact. Point guard Tristen Webb, shooting guard Alana Tanksley and center/forward Allison AuBuchon also will play extensively.
2. CHEMISTRY: It's a given that any good team must have productive interaction among teammates and coaches, but with six of the 10 players new to the team, it will be more of an issue for the Bulls. So far, so good. The team has played hard and cohesively in a scrimmage against Saint Leo and a preseason game against Premier Players.
3. QUICK START: A weak nonconference schedule is exactly what a team coming off a 4-24 season needs. The Bulls should reach last season's win total by the time they host Florida on Dec. 8. The rapid-fire early victories should provide an instant infusion of confidence, if USF gets the wins. If the Bulls stumble early against lesser foes, it could be a long season.
4. COACHING: Coach Jose Fernandez inherited a program in disrepair and quickly has made significant strides, especially with regard to enhancing the program's image and recruiting. The jury still is out on his coaching ability, since he had little to work with last season. Fernandez frequently will use fullcourt pressure, in part to mask his team's lack of size. Expect the Bulls to add at least 15 points a game to last season's average of 55.7.
5. THE GO-TO PLAYER: USF has a legitimate one in junior shooting guard Aiya Shepard. Last season she was the bright light, averaging 17.9 points, and she's better this year. Several times against Premier Players, Fernandez ordered a clear out for Shepard, who has a knack for creating her own shot. She also averaged 3.1 steals last season.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY: Boston University Invitational
NOV. 21: Bethune-Cookman, 7
NOV. 24: Savannah State, 2
NOV. 27: Miami, 7
NOV. 30-DEC. 1: USF Best Western Roundball Classic
DEC. 8: Dodger Shootout
DEC. 16: at Western Kentucky, 2
DEC. 18: Manhattan, 7
DEC. 21: at Florida A&M, 5:30
DEC. 28: at Florida Atlantic, 7
DEC. 30: at Jacksonville, 2
JAN. 6: UAB, 2
JAN. 11: Marquette, 7
JAN. 13: DePaul, 2
JAN. 17: at Southern Mississippi, 7
JAN. 20: at Tulane, 2
JAN. 25: at Louisville, 7
JAN. 27: at Cincinnati, 3
FEB. 1: TCU, 7
FEB. 3: Houston, 2
FEB. 10: at UAB, 2
FEB. 15: at East Carolina, 7
FEB. 17: at Charlotte, 2
FEB. 22: Saint Louis, 7
FEB. 24: Memphis, 2
MARCH 1-4: Conference USA tournament
TICKETS: Individual game tickets are $4, $2 for seniors over 55 and youths 4-12. Season tickets are $40, $80 for courtside, $20 for seniors over 55 and youths 4-12. Tickets can be purchased at the Bulls ticket office at (813) 974-3002.
RADIO: None.