USF DONS
USF Basketball

Dons' Young Guns Look to Challenge Under Coach Walters

San Francisco made strides during the second year of its rebuilding process under coach Rex Walters. After a stretch of nine non-conference games on the road, USF showed its resilience by posting a solid showing in a much-improved West Coast Conference. The Green and Gold closed the league campaign on a tear, winning four of five, highlighted by a thrilling 81-77 overtime upset victory against highly ranked Gonzaga. The Dons seized a 72-70 road overtime win at San Diego the next time out and then swept the final homestand of the year against Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.

San Francisco posted its best league record (7-7) and finish (fourth) since 2007. Other improvements under Walters in year two included increases in scoring (+2.8), field goal percentage (.447 vs. .433 in 2008-09) and rebounding (+3.9).

USF welcomes a young and dynamic group to the Hilltop, long on talent, but short on Division I experience — the 2010 roster features nine freshmen and 10 newcomers. The Dons open their 99th campaign Nov. 12 against Seattle University, kicking off seven non-conference home games at War Memorial Gymnasium. The 2010-11 regular season features six games against 2010 NCAA tournament teams, including Sweet-16 participants Saint Mary's and Washington, and 10 contests against squads that competed in the postseason a year ago. This year also marks the inaugural Hilltop Challenge at the end of December, with USF welcoming Colorado State, Dominican and Hampton.

"It's not an easy schedule," Walters said. "In some ways I like it, because we're going to get challenged, which is a concern with a young team, but it says 'USF' across our chests and we have to play well. We accomplished one goal and got more home games this year, which is something we've worked on for two years now. Being at home in front of our fans without traveling will help us get better. We will be tested, but it will prepare us for the conference schedule."

Key dates
USF vs. Colorado:
Nov. 20, 7 p.m.
Hilltop Challenge:
Dec. 28-Jan. 1
USF vs. Gonzaga:
Jan. 22, 7 p.m.

Dons Schedule Marquee Game With Stanford

First-year University of San Francisco women's basketball coach Jennifer Azzi has announced the 2010-11 schedule, featuring a marquee matchup against national powerhouse and NCAA national championship runner-up Stanford at War Memorial Gymnasium. The contest against the Cardinal will be one of a dozen games against opponents that participated in the postseason a year ago.

Dec. 22 will mark the highly anticipated matchup against the perennial Palo Alto powerhouse, as Coach Azzi and associate head coach Katy Steding welcome their alma mater to the Hilltop. Under the guidance of current Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, Azzi and Steding led the Cardinal to their first national championship in 1990. Following their NCAA title, Azzi and Steding played for VanDerveer in the 1996 Olympic games, winning a gold medal. Stanford has appeared in 23 consecutive NCAA tournaments, including appearing in the past two national championship games. Game time for the USF Stanford showdown will be announced at a later date.

In addition to the Cardinal, Azzi and the Dons will welcome UC Davis, San Jose State, UC Santa Barbara, Pacific, Academy of Art and Mount St. Mary's to the Hilltop this season, in addition to the West Coast Conference home slate.

The Dons' away schedule is highlighted by an appearance in the University of New Mexico Thanksgiving tournament. In Albuquerque, USF will face off against the Lobos in the opening game before facing the winner of a contest between Oklahoma State and Rhode Island. Both New Mexico and Oklahoma State advanced to the postseason in 2008. The Lobos advanced to the second round of the WNIT, while the Cowgirls earned their fourth-straight postseason bid, earning a fourth-seed selection in the NCAA tournament.