Gregory Welcomes Seven New Bulls to USF Men’s Basketball
Five Division 1 transfers, one JC transfer and one Florida high school standout join team
TAMPA, FLA., MAY 5, 2021 – USF basketball head coach Brian Gregory is welcoming seven new Bulls and a diverse array of talent to the roster this spring as he prepares for his fourth season at the helm of the program.
Among the new Bulls are five Division I transfers and one junior college transfer that will be immediately eligible and a Florida high school standout that bring a mix of perimeter skills, shooting and post play to join USF returners Caleb Murphy (G, 6-4, 185), Jamir Chaplin (G, 6-5, 196), Prince Oduro (F, 6-8, 255), Russel Tchewa (C, 7-0, 260) and Mark Calleja (G, 6-2, 185).
“I am extremely excited to welcome Trey Moss, Sam Hines Jr., DJ Patrick, Javon Greene, Jake Boggs, Serrel Smith and Bayron Matos to the South Florida Family,” Gregory said. “In the ever-changing landscape of College Basketball recruiting, I believe this group will have tremendous success on the court and in the classroom. Each of these players come from fantastic families and I am humbled by their trust in our program. Each of these players has also achieved high levels of success at the various levels they competed at last season. They definitely meet our objective to bring in highly talented, high character student-athletes.
“This group brings a high basketball IQ, excellent shooting ability and a passion for self-development while maintaining the versatility of our past teams. My staff has done a fantastic job of putting together a recruiting class that when combined with our current returners will be able to compete at the highest level.”
Gregory announced the addition of two-time Florida Class 7A All-State guard Trey Moss (6-3, 175) last fall. One of the top recruits in the state of Florida, Moss posted 17.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game for Windermere High School last season and finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in points (1,443), rebounds (678), assists (542), steals (155) and three-point field goals (201).
“Trey had an outstanding senior season,” Gregory said. “His speed and decision making always set him apart and now, because of his tremendous work ethic, his perimeter shooting ability and strength have really elevated his game. I have also been impressed with his growth as a vocal leader from the guard position.”
The Bulls will welcome University of Denver transfer Sam Hines Jr. (6-6, 200), who started 18 games and played in 20 in a freshman season for the Pioneers that saw him play 29.2 minutes per game and averaged 10.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor and logging 11 double-digit scoring games.
“Sam is a multi-dimensional player who impacts the game in so many ways,” Gregory said. “He excels in the open court, off the dribble and on the glass. His competitiveness, evolving skill package and defensive versatility will allow him to make an immediate impact in our program.”
Javon Greene (6-4, 190) will come to Tampa from George Mason University where the left-hander played in 119 games with 75 starts for the Patriots and scored 1,139 points (9.6 ppg) while grabbing 535 rebounds (4.5 rpg) and making 156 threes on his career. He posted 11.5 points and 1.8 steals per game and made 39 threes last season as he ranked third in three-point percentage (45.1%) and sixth in steals in the Atlantic 10.
“Javon has proven over his tremendous college career to be one of the most efficient guards, offensively and defensively, in the highly competitive Atlantic 10 Conference,” Gregory said. “He has already scored over 1,000 career points and secured over 500 rebounds. His offensive versatility will be a great asset for us next season and his defensive aggressiveness perfectly fits our identity.”
Also joining the Bulls with considerable collegiate experience is Jake Boggs (6-8, 190) who played in 49 games with 23 starts in two seasons at UNC-Wilmington. He averaged 10.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor and 43.9 percent (25-57) from three last season while logging nine double-digit scoring games.
“Jake has already proven himself as one of the best three-point shooters in college basketball,” Gregory said. “In our system, we will highlight that skill and his overall versatility from the forward position. His length and athletic ability will allow him to rebound and defend at a high level.”
The Bulls will welcome Serrel Smith Jr. (6-4, 175) back to the Bay Area after the St. Petersburg High School graduate played two seasons at Maryland and one at East Tennessee State. He played in 61 games in two seasons at Maryland – totaling 157 points, 65 rebounds and 29 assists – before playing last season at ETSU. He played in 25 games with 17 starts for the Buccaneers as he averaged 7.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. The 2018 Florida Class 8A Player of the Year averaged 29.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in his senior season at St. Petersburg High where he led the team to three state semifinal appearances.
“It is great to have Serrel back home in the Tampa Bay area,” Gregory said. “His accomplishments at St. Petersburg High School were record-setting. He impacts the game on both ends of the court, he is wired to score and has proven himself to be a lockdown defender.”
The Bulls added a big presence in the paint in New Mexico transfer Bayron Matos (6-9, 245). The native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic played in 20 games and made 15 starts in his freshman season for the Lobos, averaging 6.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field.
“Bayron brings a great combination of size, strength and athleticism to our post position,” Gregory said. “I love the energy and passion that he brings to every possession. He is highly efficient offensively around the basket while his offensive rebounding ability will have a great impact on our team.”
From the junior college ranks, the Bulls added a three-point ace in Daren (DJ) Patrick (6-6, 200) from Triton College in Illinois. Patrick started 18 games in his freshman season for the Trojans, scoring in double-digits in 14 games, including 31 points on 7-of-11 from three vs. Morton College. He had eight games with three or more three-pointers on the year while averaging 14.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and shooting 47.4 percent from the floor, 43.9 percent from three and 80.0 percent from the line.
“DJ is a very versatile scorer who can really shoot the three and create shots off the dribble,” Gregory said. “He has a great feel for creating space off screens and the dribble to free himself for high percentage shots. He rebounds his position well and can defend multiple positions.”
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About USF Men’s Basketball
The USF men’s basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory, who enters his fourth season in 2021-22. Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history in March of 2017 after previously leading programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State’s Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory owns over 300 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship with Dayton. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship.
USF has retired three numbers in its 48-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
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