The American Athletic Conference announced the 2024-25 men’s basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll along with the Preseason All-Conference Teams. The University of South Florida men’s basketball team was voted to finish third by the coaches in the conference and Jayden Reid was named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team.
The Bulls return to the court in November following a historic first season under head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim in which the Bulls posted a school-record 25 wins and won their first conference regular season title in program history. USF’s 25-8 record in 2023-24 was an 11-win improvement from the 2022-23 season and tied for the seventh-best improvement nationally in the 2023-24 season. The Bulls posted just the sixth 20-win season in program history and earned the program’s first-ever Top 25 ranking, reaching as high as No. 24 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls. The Bulls’ 16 wins in conference play marked the most in program history and USF held the longest win streak in the nation, posting 15 straight victories in conference play to register the program’s longest-ever win streak.
Reid finished the 2023-24 season on nine different record lists for South Florida Freshmen. He was selected to the 2023-24 AAC All-Freshman Team and was named the Freshman of the Week twice. He finished his first campaign with the Bulls with a 3-point percentage of 47.5 percent, which was the best mark as a freshman at USF. He was inside the top-10 freshman marks in 3-point field goals made, free throws made, free throw percentage, assists, assists per game, steals, steals per game, and games played. He made a splash in his collegiate debut with a double-double, with 11 points and career-high 10 assists, and added a career-high five steals, against South Carolina State on Nov. 9. He recorded a career-high 16 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 12. He made a career-high seven free throws against No. 24 Florida Atlantic on Feb. 18. He brought down a career-high six rebounds against Loyola Chicago on Dec. 16. He knocked down a career-high three 3-pointers against Tulane on March 5. He tallied nine games with double-digit points. His 101 assists as a freshman are sixth most in USF history and his 3.1 assists per game are eighth by a freshman. His assist-turnover-ratio of 2.06 was tied for 125th in the NCAA, sixth in the AAC, and 10th among NCAA freshmen. His 40 steals are seventh-most by a USF freshman, while his 1.2 steals a game are ninth. He ranks sixth as a freshman with a free-throw percentage of 77.1 percent.
The first chance to get a look at the 2024-25 squad will be in an exhibition against Edward Waters. The Bulls and Tigers are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip on October 30, inside the Yuengling Center.
Preseason Poll
1. UAB (9) – 141
2. Memphis (4) – 136
3. South Florida – 108
4. Wichita State – 102
5. Florida Atlantic – 97
6. Temple – 86
7. North Texas – 83
8. Charlotte – 65
9. East Carolina – 63
10. Tulsa – 44
11. UTSA – 35
11. Tulane – 35
13. Rice – 18
First-place votes in parenthesis
Preseason Player of the Year
Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB
Preseason Freshman of the Year
Jared Harris, G, Memphis
Preseason All-Conference First Team
Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB*
RJ Felton, Sr., G, East Carolina
PJ Haggerty, R-So., G, Memphis
Tyrese Hunter, Sr., G, Memphis
Jamal Mashburn Jr., Gr., G, Temple
Preseason All-Conference Second Team
Efrem ‘Butta’ Johnson, Jr., G, UAB
Alejandro Vasquez, Sr., G, UAB
KyKy Tandy, Gr., G, Florida Atlantic
Colby Rogers, R-Sr., G, Memphis
Jayden Reid, So., G, South Florida
* denotes unanimous selection
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The South Florida men’s basketball team is led by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was named the 11th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023. In his first season at South Florida, Abdur-Rahim was a unanimous choice for American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Abdur-Rahim has led USF to a 25-8 (16-2, AAC) record and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament as the Bulls claimed the program’s first-ever regular season conference title with a two-game cushion. USF’s win total marks a nine-win improvement over 2022-23, among the top 20 improvements in the nation in 2023-24, and just the sixth 20-win season in program history. The Bulls’ 25 wins set the program record, which bested the 24 wins set in 2018-19.
USF earned its first-ever Top 25 ranking in men’s basketball during the season, reaching as high as No. 24 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls. The Bulls’ 16 wins in conference play are the most in program history and USF held the longest win streak in the nation, posting 15 straight victories in conference play to register the program’s longest-ever win streak.
USF has retired three numbers in its 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 Invitationa