East Hillsborough News

University of South Florida Athletics issued the following announcement on Oct. 4.

The University of South Florida women's basketball team, the reigning American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions, wrapped up its first week of official practice this past weekend, and have their sights set on defending its titles and running it back during the 2021-22 season. The Green and Gold look to raise The American Tournament trophy for the second straight season in Fort Worth, Texas, along with a return trip to the NCAA Tournament and its first appearance in the Sweet 16.

Coming off its 16th postseason tournament appearance, and its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance – including their sixth in the last nine years – the Bulls return its top six scorers from a year ago and nearly 89 percent of its team scoring. In addition, almost 85 percent of South Florida's team rebounding will be back on the hardwood as well.  

"Practice is going well," said head coach Jose Fernandez. "This is a veteran group and they are aware of where we should be at right now. It is good to get Dulcy (Fankam Mendjiadeu) back Monday from playing in FIBA AfroBasket in Cameroon. Odeth (Betancourt) is still out, but when we get her back that will make the interior more competitive than it already is. Right now, I thought we had a really, really good summer and preseason. I would venture to say we are much farther along after four days than a lot of people around the country because of the makeup of our team."

Highlighting the Green and Gold's returnees is guard Elena Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece), the Bulls' top returning scorer from a year ago. Tsineke turned in another marquee season for USF, establishing herself as one of the premier players in The American and one of the top young shooting guards in the nation. The sophomore was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team after averaging a team-high 13.6 points per game – good enough for eighth in The American – 2.2 rebounds per game, and 1.8 assists per outing. She was also selected to the AAC All-Tournament Team, averaging 13.3 points per contest in the three games against Wichita State, Tulane, and UCF, and netted a game-high 23 points against the Knights in the AAC title game.

Joining Tsineke is guard Sydni Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.) who continued to establish herself as one of the top players in The American. She was named the AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and selected to the All-Tournament Team, and was also named to The American All-Conference Third Team. She had another banner season for the Bulls, averaging 11.7 points per contest on the year and 11.6 points per outing in conference games. Harvey finished her junior campaign with 903 career points and is on the cusp of becoming the 25th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Harvey led the Bulls in three-point field goals made with 43, which was also tied for the fourth-most in the conference, and her 1.9 treys made per game was seventh in the AAC. In addition, she finished the season second on the team in assists (40) and assists per game (1.7), and was also active on the defensive end, recording 14 steals, good enough for fourth on the team.

Rounding out South Florida's top three scorers – and the trio of backcourt mates – is Elisa Pinzan (Murano, Italy). Looked at as one of the top point guards in the nation during the 2020-21 campaign, Pinzan was named the American Athletic Conference Most Improved Player and was chosen to The American All-Conference Second Team. She was third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game, and grabbed 3.3 rebounds per contest, tied for third on the team. The classic "Floor General" made her name as an elite distributor and protector of the ball. She led The American, and was seventh in the nation, in assists per game (6.5) and assist/turnover ratio (3.04), and was tops in the AAC, and 10th in the nation, in total assists (149). Pinzan finished the year with 373 career assists, seventh on USF's all-time list, doing so after dishing out seven-plus assists 10 times, and 10-or-more assists twice. That included, a career-high 14 dimes against Houston to go along with 11 points for her second career double-double.

Returning to the frontcourt is the veteran tandem of forwards Bethy Mununga (Zellik, Belgium) and Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.).

One of the top power forwards in the nation, Mununga was an America Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference selection and was named to The American All-Tournament Team, averaging 16.3 rebounds per game in the three AAC tourney games and grabbing a tournament record 49 rebounds. She was just shy of averaging a double-double for the season, netting 9.7 points per game, good enough for fourth on the team, and 12.9 rebounds per outing. Offensively, Mununga shot 44.2 percent (73-for-165) from the field and connected on 50.0 percent-or-better from the floor 11 times. In addition, her rebound-per-game average was tops in The American and third in the nation, while her total rebounds (297) were first in the AAC and 10th in the nation. Mununga finished the season with 589 career boards (324 offensive), 17th on the school's career rebounding list, and her 4.4 offensive rebounds per contest were first in the conference and 11th in Division I.

Leverett has been a consistent presence in the middle for the Bulls as she enters her sixth season in the program and her fifth year of competition, she has been a tremendous leader and example for the Bulls both on and off the court. She was sixth on the team in scoring, averaging 4.4 points per game and second in rebounding, grabbing 6.8 boards per contest, and led the team in field goal percentage, hitting 54.9 percent (39-of-71) from the field. Leverett finished the season with 677 career rebounds, 12th on the school's all-time rebounding list, and hauled down her 600th career board against Cincinnati, with eight on the night.

Bolstering the inside for the Bulls is a newcomer – and arguably the most highly sought-after player in the offseason transfer portal – Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (Nkongsamba, Cameroon). A center, Fankam Mendjiadeu played the last two seasons at American Athletic Conference foe Memphis and was a Second Team all-conference selection after finishing the 2020-21 campaign seventh in The American in scoring (14.1 ppg) and second in rebounding (10.6 rpg), making her the only player in the conference to average a double-double. In addition, she was second in The American in blocked shots, averaging 1.6 rejections per outing, and was third in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 47.6 percent (107-for-225).

In addition to its conference slate, South Florida will, once again, face a demanding nonconference schedule, with the 2021-22 edition possibly being the most impressive yet, and ranking as the toughest in the country. Highlighting this year's schedule is a stretch that will be hard to match by any program in the nation.

After back-to-back home games to open the season against Texas Rio Grande Valley and Alabama State on Tues., Nov. 9 and Thur., Nov. 11, respectively, the Bulls will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to face long time power Tennessee in the AAC/SEC Challenge on Mon., Nov. 15.

South Florida will then play four games in two separate events in The Bahamas, potentially facing three of the four teams that took part in the 2021 Women's Final Four in San Antonio in consecutive games. The Bulls tipoff the four-game stretch in the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis held at the Atlantis Paradise Island Hotel. The Bulls face Syracuse on Sat., Nov. 20.

South Florida will then face either UConn or Minnesota on Sun., Nov. 21, and close out the Battle 4 Atlantis on Mon., Nov. 22, against either Oregon, Oklahoma, South Carolina, or Buffalo.

Following the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Bulls will head to the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship at the Baha Mar Grand Hyatt Hotel Convention Center in Nassau. South Florida will play one game in the event as they take on defending national champion Stanford on Fri., Nov. 26.

The Bulls play two more road games before returning home for two straight contests, traveling to the Lone Star State to face UT Arlington on Thur., Dec. 2, and then to Richmond, Va. to butt heads with the defending Atlantic 10 champions, VCU, on Sun., Dec. 12.

The Green and Gold will return to the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center for back-to-back home games against Stetson on Wed., Dec. 15, and High Point on Fri., Dec. 17.

The Bulls will play their final nonconference road games at the West Palm Invitational against West Virginia on Mon., Dec. 20, and close out the event against Mississippi on Tues., Dec. 21.

South Florida closes out its nonconference schedule – and 2021 – at home against in-state foe Jacksonville on Wed., Dec. 29.

Original source can be found here.