South Florida basketball: Bulls getting aggressive on transfer trail

By Doug Winkey | Apr 18, 2017

Mar 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brian Gregory gestures from the bench against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half during day three of the ACC conference tournament at Verizon Center. The Cavaliers won 72-52. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

South Florida basketball is trying to rebuild quickly this spring. The Bulls have already brought in two impact transfers with more potentially on the way.

South Florida basketball started out this spring roughly. They have lost five rotation players in a few weeks and six overall since December. That left just three returning players who saw action in more than seven games.

Head Coach Brian Gregory has gone hard after transfers to make up the gap. He secured early verbal commits from Penn State guard Terrence Samuel and Fairleigh Dickenson point guard Stephan Jiggetts. Both are immediately eligible next year, but Jiggetts is the better addition after averaging 13.5 points and 4.2 assists for the Knights this season. Samuel is more of a depth option coming over from PSU but will be a factor in the eventual rotation.

The team also got a potential boost Monday afternoon. Penn State wing Payton Banks will follow his fellow Nittany Lion down to Tampa for their final campaign.

Penn State grad transfer Payton Banks tells me he's committed to South Florida. Immediately eligible.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 17, 2017

Banks averaged 10.4 points and 2.2 rebounds for the Nittany Lions. The Bulls will have a truly intriguing combo with him, Jiggetts, and probable shooting guard Troy Holston Jr. They only combined to shoot 33% for three separate teams, but the experience is there. The Bulls will also have sit-out transfer Malik Martin from USC eligible for the 2017-2018 season, alongside blossoming forward Tulio Da Silva. There are still four open scholarships once Banks is officially part of USF, so expect plenty more activity from the coaching staff in Tampa.

Next: MiKyle McIntosh leaving Illinois State

Getting Jiggetts, Samuel, and Banks are a great sign the South Florida basketball program is trying to energize itself quickly for next season. The team needs more help if it is to compete in the American Conference next year, but the early recruiting returns are strong.