The 2008-09 version of Cougar men's basketball is optimistic that change does indeed translate into a successful future for the program. This squad has little resemblance to the team that last competed on February 28 in a disappointing loss to Northwestern College in the second round of the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament.

Not only has this team made significant changes on the floor this season, the bench has also seen a substantial adjustment.

The changes began at the top for USF. On June 26 the university named Chris Johnson as the next head coach of the Cougar program.

Johnson comes to USF from the University of North Dakota, where he spent the past three seasons as the top assistant for the Fighting Sioux men's basketball team. He previously spent one year as the head coach at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo., where he was named the 2005 Heart of America Conference Coach of the Year, while leading the Wildcats to a 16-15 record, and the first home conference playoff game in team history.

Taro Fujimoto, who spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach for USF, was named the top assistant coach. Also new to the coaching staff this season is Jack Nelson, who spent this past season as the men's assistant coach at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona, Minn., where he also played for two seasons.

Both are integral parts in the recruiting process for the Cougars. Both were a factor in some late searching to acquire some players, but their hard work paid off.

Thomas Frames (transfer from Los Medanos College), Jaden Voth (North Dakota State College of Science), TJ Nettles (Culver-Stockton College), and Luther Suggs (Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College) will be joining the Cougars for the 2008-2009 season. Coach Fujimoto is pleased with the guys they were able to get.

"With the time frame, and bringing in that number of guys, we truly believe that all these guys are really good kids, and they've really gotten off to a great start here," Fujimoto said.

USF returns seven players from a 2007-08 team that finished 12-19 overall with an 8-10 conference mark. The Cougars had a convincing 87-58 win against Concordia University (Neb.) in the first round of the GPAC tournament before falling to the Red Raiders, who reached the NAIA final four last season.

The Cougars will be aided by the return of reigning GPAC freshman of the year Matt Malloy (Parkston, S.D.). Malloy had one of the strongest first-year seasons in USF history, as he averaged 10.8 points and 2.6 rebounds. Adam Herther (Sioux Falls, S.D.), who hit 52 three-pointers last season, is also back. Herther was seventh in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage last season (41.9%).

He'll be joined by inside players Kyle Johnson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Gerad Van Leur (Emery, S.D.). Van Leur led the GPAC in field goal percentage last season, shooting 62 percent from the floor. His 5.4 rebounds per game ranked him 13th in the conference.

Going into 2008-2009, the GPAC conference once again appears to have a multitude of contending teams, including Dakota Wesleyan, who is the preseason favorite. Northwestern, who won the conference last season, is also up there, along with Morningside, Dordt, and Briar Cliff; the Cougars have been picked to finish fifth by league coaches in the 2008-09 GPAC preseason poll.

The Cougars open the season on Nov. 1, with a road trip to Clinton, Iowa, to face Ashford University. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.

The Cougars have a tough early schedule, including games against Augustana College (S.D.) at the Sioux Falls Arena on Nov. 19, and Olivet Nazarene University, a preseason NAIA Division I top 25 team, on Nov. 15 in Davenport, Iowa.

The Cougars will open their home slate on Nov. 7 at the Stewart Center against Johnson & Wales.


USF opens its GPAC schedule on Nov. 25 with a trip to Mitchell, S.D., to face Dakota Wesleyan. Coach Johnson knows it won't be easy, but he is confident they can handle the pressure.

"The early part of the schedule, for lack of a better term, is what it is," Johnson said. "Augie, that game takes care of itself; we don't have to do a whole lot of talking about that game with our guys. The biggest job will be to keep them focused on the game before and, after that, get ready for the next one. The reality is I'm not looking so much at wins and losses the first three weeks, but that we're getting better as a team."