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SECOND SHOT ●

Chris Perry returns after a health scare put his career — and future — in doubt

By Jeff Odom S P O R T S

E D I T O R

C

hris Perry had been warned.

The medical experts advised him to sit out. The subtlest form of physical strain could have caused catastrophic complications within his heart.

But USF’s 6-foot-5 burly power forward couldn’t bring himself to stay away from the cavernous den of the gymnasium during his free time. Each echoing dribble, sneaker squeak atop the maple parquet and swish through the mesh netting below the orangepainted rim provided a glimmer of hope — fleeting though it may have been.

“They couldn’t keep me out of the gym,” he said. “That’s one thing you’re not going to do.”

Perry didn’t quite know what was wrong with him.

Labored breathing during evening practice before a January road game at Connecticut led to an emergency room visit. Further tests with doctors at the USF Health Morsani Center found an issue with the left ventricle in Perry’s heart.

“One of the guys, he was like, ‘It wouldn’t be (in) your best interest that we let you play right now,’” Perry recalled. “‘We’re just going to wait until the end of the season and talk to this guy up in Boston and see what he says.’”

Awaiting that second opinion, Perry was forced to the bench for the final 13 games of his sophomore campaign. Even in workouts, Perry could do nothing more than observe.

An array of emotions and frustrations stirred inside his body.

“It was tough whenever I’d wake up and the first thought would be, ‘Man, I can’t even work out with the boys. I can’t go out there and shoot around,’” Perry said. “They wouldn’t even let me bounce the ball on the court with the guys without even (saying), ‘Go sit out until we get this second opinion out of the way.’”

The unknown course beyond the season also concerned Perry. He feared what the condition could do to his basketball career and,

potentially, his life afterward.

“I can recall back to my own personal incident in high school, having been shot, and the emotions that you get,” said USF coach Orlando Antigua, who survived taking a bullet in the head in a New York drive-by shooting on Halloween night in 1988.

“You’re like, ‘I’m just starting playing, and starting to have a little bit of success.’ You just go through that whole range of emotions of sad, depressed and frustrated. Then, you have to learn patience and you have to listen to what your doctors are telling you and you’ve got to do all those things.”

In March, Perry accompanied the team back to Hartford for the conference tournament. During the trip, he traveled to Boston to meet with a specialist, who determined the ailment was a low risk.

In other words, Perry would be able to play again.

“That whole day, I just prayed to God,” Perry said. “I was like ‘Thank you for letting me get another chance.”

Shortly after the decision, Perry was right back in the gym. His second opportunity with the game changed his outlook and attitude on the court.

“He still jokes at times, but on the court, he’s a little more serious,” Antigua said. “He’s a little more appreciative of the opportunity he has in front of him.”

Perry’s first minutes on the floor came during the team’s 10-day trip to Spain. In its exhibition finale against CB Vic — a European professional team — he finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

When the retooled Bulls host Division II Eckerd in their exhibition opener Monday, Perry’s broader frame — up to 250 pounds from 245 last season – and No. 1 jersey will be back on the Sun Dome floor.

Don’t be surprised if that trademark smile is, too.

“I’m feeling the best I’ve ever felt,” Perry said. “ … I love the way I’m feeling right now, honestly.”

Junior forward Chris Perry led the Bulls with 17.2 rebounds per game before a heart ailment sidelined the Bartow native for the final 13 games of last season.

ORACLE PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/ADAM MATHIEU

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USF coach Jose Fernandez led the Bulls to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

Next stop: Indy

Reaching the Final Four is no longer a pipe dream Three minutes, 43 seconds.

What is considered such a short period of time for some, turned into months of wondering “What if?” for the USF women’s basketball team.

From that mark in the second-round game of the NCAA Tournament against thirdseeded Louisville, the Bulls collapsed before more than 5,000 fans at the Sun Dome.

Shots that had been dropping initially, failed to fall. A late lead turned into an insurmountable deficit. When the final horn sounded, a oncesure trip to the Sweet 16 was derailed by an eight-point loss at the hands of a former conference nemesis.

“Last year was a special year, especially the way it turned out. But we didn’t want our season to end,” USF coach

Jeff Odom CO M M E NTA R Y

Jose Fernandez said. “The goal was for it to finish in downtown and not here on campus.”

The Bulls, ranked 19th in USA TODAY’s preseason coaches poll and 20th in the Associated Press Top 25, will be heading downtown this year — for a parade.

USF will conclude its season in the Final Four. No, that’s not a misprint — this will not

only be the best season in program history, it will also be the most-celebrated season this school has ever seen from any of its revenue sports.

Buy your season tickets.

Get your flights booked to Indianapolis. This team is for real.

“If we play together as a team, we should go all the way,” said senior forward Alisia Jenkins, who averaged 12.8 points and 11.3 rebounds and started every game last season.

While some teams would rather forget disappointing defeats, the Bulls have used that time as motivation for this season. When they walked into the Muma Center for their first practice, that was the time shown on the clock. Every

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FINAL FOUR

Continued from PAGE 3B

player knew exactly what it meant.

“I feel like we always have something more to prove,” senior guard Courtney Williams said. “We need to be higher than we are now. We’re trying to be better than … we were last year. That’s always the goal: to get better.”

With the veteran experience this team has, it will get there.

The Bulls return all five starters from last season’s squad, which finished runnerup to traditional-powerhouse Connecticut in the American Athletic Conference. Both Williams and Jenkins were awarded preseason first-team All-Conference honors.

So, what’s going to be different? Jenkins said the team has more consistent shooters and rebounders. Newcomer Kitija Laksa, who played for the Latvian senior national team for the past two years, also provides the Bulls with a sharp-shooter from long range.

“It’s in her hands and it’s

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“Last year was a special year, especially the way it turned out. But we didn’t want our season to end,” Jose Fernandez USF women’s basketball coach

gone,” Jenkins said.

Aside from skills, these Bulls also have fuel.

Faced with arguably one of the toughest schedules in the country with non-conference games against the likes of No. 20 Chattanooga, No. 11 Mississippi State and No. 8 Louisville to go along with a twin-bill with UConn in AAC play, USF will be battle-tested come Selection Sunday.

They’re hungry. They want this.

“This team should be challenged where we want to get to,” Fernandez said.

Bring it on.

Senior guard Courtney Williams, who is closing in on 2,000 career points, has high hopes for the team: “We need to be higher than we are now. We’re trying to be better than … we were last year.

That’s always the goal: to get better.” ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

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Senior forward Alisia Jenkins became USF’s single-season leader in rebounds last season with 397 and finished just 35 boards shy of 1,000 for her career. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

One desire

Williams, Jenkins aim to close careers in style

By Jacob Hoag A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

There was nothing that could soothe the dejection they felt.

The No. 19 USF women’s basketball team stood in tears at center court with their arms linked together. The crushing blow of an NCAA Tournament journey coming to an end on their home court finally sank in.

“It hurt. It hurt real bad,” senior forward Alisia Jenkins said, painfully remembering the team’s 60-52 loss to Louisville in the second round last season.

Holding a one-point lead with less than four minutes remaining, a late surge by the Cardinals shut the door on USF’s historic campaign.

“For me, it lingered for a little minute,” Jenkins said. “I started to question myself like, ‘What if I did this?’ If I was playing as hard as I could, then I feel we could’ve won.

“Once you start questioning your-

self … that means you weren’t really playing as hard as you could.”

That “little minute” meant close to three months of second-guessing herself before her mindset switched to what really mattered to her: making it back and putting those demons to rest.

USF returns all five starters from last season’s squad and the expectation has only been heightened.

“Definitely Final Four,” senior guard Courtney Williams said of the team’s expectations this season. “But I’m thinking national championship.

“I feel that if you don’t feel like your program isn’t going to go that far, then you shouldn’t be playing basketball.”

Williams set USF’s single-season record for points with 710 last season and is nearing 2,000 for her career.

But if the team doesn’t go far, all of those accolades mean nothing, she said. “(Reaching 2,000) would be an

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DESIRE

Continued from PAGE 5B

Senior guard Courtney Williams said her expectation for the season is reaching the national championship game. “I feel that if you don’t feel like your program isn’t going to go that far, then you shouldn’t be playing basketball.” ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

honor, but I’m thinking about winning,” Williams said. “If those come along with winning, I’ll definitely be thankful.”

USF hopes to add more shooting to its already-potent offense.

Jenkins said she has bolstered her arsenal over the summer, adding more outside shots and pullup jumpers.

“We worked as hard as we possibly could doing individual workouts,” Jenkins said. “Especially me, I had three-a-days working in the weight room, postgame and then I worked on my shooting. I really want to work on being an offensive threat for my team.”

A tall task for Jenkins, who averaged a double-double per game in 2014 while leading the American Athletic Conference in rebounds with 397 total.

“Normally I have my post moves, but I pretty much have all of those moves down,” Jenkins said confidently. “I can do basically anything off a post move … now, since I’m a trailer. I’m working on shooting the three when I get the ball if I’m open and being confident in my shot.”

Jenkins has also begun finishing with her left hand. Giving her opponents a second option to weigh makes the daunting task of guarding her even more difficult.

To complement the dynamic duo of Williams and Jenkins among others, the Bulls added a new face in the locker room in freshman forward Kitija Laksa, who was rated a five-star prospect

by Blue Star Europe.

The Latvian native has what Jenkins believes is a shot that compares to former USF star Inga Orekhova. Laksa gets it off the tips of her fingers quick enough that Jenkins — also the team’s leading blocker — can hardly get in position to defend.

“She lets it fly faster than Inga,” Jenkins said. “Inga used to let it fly, but (Laksa) doesn’t even have to get set and let it go.”

With a tough loss now in their rearview mirror, the Bulls look like a team motivated and poised for what could be another historic run.

“What’s going through my head is: get as many wins as we can and make it to the tournament,” Jenkins said. “I know we’re going to make it to the Final Four this year.

“We have all of the pieces.”

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Becoming a leader Roddy Peters has come a long way since arriving at USF

By Tiana Aument S T A F F

Assistant coach Rod Strickland was one of the driving forces behind USF signing Roddy Peters when the point guard left the University of Maryland. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

W R I T E R

For Roddy Peters, playing for his hometown was like a pressure cooker full of distractions.

The point guard faced higher expectations, circulating opinions and constant chirping from fans at the University of Maryland.

“Everyone is in your ear,” he said. “And, personally, I felt like I wasn’t mature enough to handle it at the time.”

Peters needed to disengage himself from distractions, which led to his decision to transfer to USF. The Bulls appeared on his radar when assistant coach Rod Strickland placed a phone call to him. When Peters learned Strickland had played for his favorite team — the Washington Wizards, during an NBA career that spanned from 1988 to 2005 — and had ties with people he knew back home, he was intrigued.

“Then I started to see some of

USF vs. Eckerd When: Monday, 7 p.m.

Where: Sun Dome Radio: 820-AM

the similarities in my game and his game,” Peters said. “That’s what made me come here and want to play and learn from him.”

A phone call from his favorite player, John Wall, didn’t hurt either. When the Wizards’ star point guard encouraged Peters to join Strickland and coach Orlando Antigua at USF, he was sold. *** Peters found relief when he finally arrived in Tampa.

“It’s a different life,” Peters said.

“But I like it much better, because I can stay focused now. I don’t have to worry about playing for other people and all these other opinions. I can just play for coach and my team now.”

Strickland wasted no time trying to mold Peters into a leader. Still, there was a lot of work to be done.

“His first day in here working out, well, he couldn’t do the workout,” Strickland said. “He was almost ready to quit and pass out.

“When he first started practicing with us, (he was) frustrated, kicking the ball up against the walls and throwing tantrums.”

But his vexations didn’t come without reason.

Peters had just left his native Washington, D.C. He had left his family, his friends and his fans — many of whom had stopped supporting him when he bolted to Tampa.

Those who urged him to attend Maryland were some of the same people who dropped him once he decided to transfer following the forced resignation of assistant coach Dalonte Hill after his third DUI arrest.

After a year with the Terrapins,

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THINGS TO WATCH

BY TIANA AUMENT AND JACOB HOAG

NEW SHOT CLOCK

QUARTERING ACT

The shot clock for men’s basketball has been reduced from 35 to 30 seconds. Less time means more possessions, potentially yielding higher-scoring games. However, with less time, there also comes more pressure. Players will have less time to set up on offense, forcing quicker decision-making and possibly more mental lapses. Offenses will likely face more pressure from the defense. “I think there are going to be more combination defenses, more zones, more passive-type presses to put the pressure on,” Tulane coach Ed Conroy said during AAC media day.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the switch to four 10-minute quarters for women’s basketball this season. The most prominent effect of this change is how team fouls will be assessed. Teams will now reach the bonus — receiving two free throws — after five team fouls in each period. Previously teams got a one-and-one after the seventh foul and two shots after 10. Team fouls will reset after each quarter. If a team enters the bonus in the fourth quarter, it will maintain the bonus through any additional periods.

CALLING TIME ON TIMEOUTS

The panel also approved a rule that allows women’s teams to advance the ball to the frontcourt following a timeout immediately after a made basket in the last minute of the fourth quarter and overtime, placing the ball at the 28-foot mark.

The number of timeouts per half for men’s basketball has been reduced from five to four, and only three of those can be preserved for the second half. Timeouts can no longer be called by the coach when the ball is live. USF coach Orlando Antigua wants to ensure his players understand when and where to call timeouts.

“Point guards are supposed to be the extension of the coach on the court,” he said. “So we will try to empower and teach those guys.”

PETERS

Continued from PAGE 8B

where he averaged 4.1 points and 2.1 assists per game, Peters didn’t emerge as the star everyone expected him to be, in part because he was coming off a surgically-repaired labrum tear in his shoulder that had sidelined him for all but three games his senior year at Suitland High in Maryland. *** Peters traveled more than 925 miles to USF for a fresh start, but couldn’t play right away due to NCAA transfer rules.

Playing for USF wasn’t what he had envisioned when he was rated a five-star prospect by ESPN.com out of Suitland — and it certainly wasn’t what the people who had been in his ear back home had envisioned either.

YOU MAY PASS GO

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON

Bands and other amplified music in the arena can now be played at any dead-ball situation.

Previously, music could only be played during timeouts and intermission.

At the time, the situation seemed anything but ideal.

But it turned out that sitting out a year was good for the oncevolatile point guard.

Peters Observing from the bench wasn’t easy for Peters. But in the shadows, Peters was hard at work.

He came in weighing 185 pounds and took the year to add 20 pounds to his 6-foot-4 frame.

“I always will do other, extra things,” Peters said. “Call coaches in the morning, after practice — I would always work out. I felt like if I did that, that would just show my coaches … how much dedication I have for this craft.”

Peters is dedicated to becoming a leader for the team. Strickland said he is devoted to helping the senior reach his potential.

Peters’ leadership skills have

been inspiring for teammate Geno Thorpe, who has known him since 2012 when they participated in the Pangos All-American camp in California.

“Watching him work in the gym, he always wants to get shots up, always wants to work out,” Thorpe said. “It makes me want to get better, makes me want to continue to work on my game and perfect it, just like he does.”

Even Strickland’s four children respect Peters. The two boys, ages 14 and 16, have practiced with Peters on the weekends.

It was all part of his journey to become the player Strickland knew he could be.

“At the end of the day, you want to call them young men or old kids,” Strickland said. “But they’re growing and learning and maturing.

“So, every time you see something, you see growth. That’s a moment.”

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PROJECTED MEN’S STARTERS

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PROJECTED WOMEN’S STARTERS

Jaleel Cousins • center • senior

Courtney Williams • guard • senior

n Appeared in all 32 games last season n Ranked fourth on the team with 23 blocks

n Led the AAC in scoring with 20.3 ppg n Broke USF’s single-season record with 710 points

Angel Nunez • forward • senior

Alisia Jenkins • forward • senior

n Spent the last two seasons at Gonzaga n Averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds

n Recorded 397 rebounds, a program record n Averaged 12.8 points and 11.3 rebounds

Roddy Peters • guard • sophomore

Laura Ferreira • forward • sophomore

n Sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules n Made 10 starts with Maryland in 2013-14

n Had 17 games with multiple 3-pointers n Named to the AAC’s All-Freshman team

Nehemias Morillo • guard • senior n Averaged 10.1 points — the third-best for USF n Recorded a double-double in his Bulls debut

Laura Marcos Canedo • point guard • junior n Finished with 33 assists in 31 games n Native of Salamanca, Spain

Bo Zeigler • forward • sophomore

Katelyn Weber • center • junior

n Ranked second on the team with 35 blocks n Led all Bulls with 19 dunks and 12 alley-oops

n Grabbed 109 boards and scored 102 points n Recorded at least four rebounds 11 times COMPILED BY JEFF ODOM/SPORTS EDITOR

PR

ED STA IC FF TI O N S

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T H E O R AC L E

Jeff Odom SP O RT S

ED I TO R

Jacob Hoag A SST.

S P ORTS

ED I TOR

Tiana Aument STAF F

WR I TER

11

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15

Out

Out

Out

Cincinnati

SMU

SMU

National champion

Michigan St.

N. Carolina

Maryland

Women’s regular season wins

24

22

25

Tournament projection

Final Four

Sweet 16

Sweet 16

AAC champion

UConn

UConn

UConn

National champion

UConn

UConn

UConn

Men’s regular season wins Tournament projection AAC champion

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