Tampa Bay, Florida Local News
Speights joining basketball coaching staff at USF
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TAMPA, Fla. — Former NBA and Florida Gators power forward/center Mareese Speights is joining the University of South Florida’s college basketball staff as director of player development, the program announced.
We’ve got some new additions to the staff
📰: https://t.co/FSpnhEDroE#HornsUp🤘| #EDGE pic.twitter.com/i6xUPie2iw
— USF Men’s Basketball (@USFMBB) June 10, 2024
Speights, a native of St. Petersburg, played 10 seasons in the NBA after being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16 overall pick in 2008. He also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, and he spent his last season in the league with the Orlando Magic. He went to the NBA playoffs in seven postseasons, including with the Warriors team that won the championship in 2015.
After completing his NBA career, Speights played for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association from 2018 to 2021.
During Speights’ two seasons with the Gators, he played on the team that won its second national championship in the 2006-07 season under then-coach Billy Donovan.
Most recently, he was an assistant coach at Georgia Southern.
The move to USF is a return home for Speights, who played high school basketball at Admiral Farragut in St. Petersburg. Speights also played at Gibbs High School and Hargrave Military Academy.
The Bulls also hired Luke Moeller as a video coordinator. He had been a graduate assistant for the Bulls the past two seasons.
USF finished the 2023-24 college basketball season with a 25-8 record and for a short time was ranked No. 25 in the AP college basketball poll in Amir Abdur-Rahim’s first season as coach. The Bulls advanced to the second round of the NIT, where they fell to VCU.
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Spectrum Sports Staff
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