Antigua adds three players to 2014 class

 

Orlando Antigua was known for his recruiting skills while working as an assistant coach at Kentucky. Now, as the head coach for the Bulls, he’s wasting no time in putting those skills to work. As of Thursday morning, Antigua officially added two players to the incoming class of freshmen.

With the Bulls losing several players to graduation and transfers, Antigua and his staff were left with a number of spots to fill on a team for which he has yet to coach a single game.

Nehemias Morillo was the first player to commit to the Bulls under Antigua, signing his National Letter of Intent on May 2. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Morillo played two seasons at Monroe College in New York. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard averaged 12.2 points and 4 assists last season. Morillo joins a class that already features two shooting guards, but Antigua said Morillo’s height and length will allow for some flexibility.

“Nehemias is a really long, versatile wing that can play multiple positions,” Antigua said in a press release. “He’s a skilled, aggressive and an athletic guard. We are extremely excited to have him join our family.”

The second player to commit was Ruben Guerrero, a forward/center from Malaga, Spain. Last season, Guerrero played for Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, averaging 9.3 points and 8.5 rebounds. The 6-foot-10 Spaniard is a member of the 18U Spanish National team and has an ability to play multiple positions, Antigua said. “He’s a long, athletic, skilled big man that can play a couple of positions,” Antigua said. “He’s a great kid coming from a great program in Sunrise Christian. He’s also a good student and will be a great representation of our program at USF.”

The additions of Morillo and Guerrero give the Bulls the depth they needed, including two players who can be moved around the lineup because of their height and athleticism.

On Sunday, CBS Sports reported guard Kareem Canty was officially transferring to USF from Marshall University in West Virginia, where he averaged 16.3 points per game and 5.5 assists per game. The sophomore guard will have to sit out a year for transferring, due to NCAA rules.

Another addition to the Bulls is assistant coach Sergio Rouco. Rouco was formerly the head coach of FIU and more recently an assistant coach at Ole Miss before joining Antigua and new coaching hires Oliver Antigua and Rod Strickland.

Antigua was unavailable for further comment on the new additions to the team because there are still many more to come, according to the sports information director of the men’s basketball team, Steven Schoon.