1979 West Coast Conference Champions

 

Overall Record: 22-7 | WCC Record: 12-2 | Final Stats | Final Results | Roster

Head Coach: Dan Belluomini
Overall Record: 22-7    WCC Record: 12-2
All-WCC Team: Bill Cartwright (POY), Doug Jemison
Top Scorer: Bill Cartwright (24.5)    Top Rebounder:  Bill Cartwright (15.7)
USF Hall-of-Famers: Wallace Bryant, Bill Cartwright

The Dons entered the 1978-79 season with a new man in charge as former USF basketball player Dan Belluomini took over head coaching duties from Bob Gaillard. The Dons didn’t miss a beat as they reeled off their fourth consecutive 20-win campaign.

USF opened the season winning six of their first eight games including an 77-67 win over California in Berkeley and a double digit win at home over Stanford. The Dons lost a 68-65 heartbreaker at the hands of Texas A&M in the title game of the Golden Gate Invitational on December 16 and then ran off seven straight wins, two of those coming in overtime.

After losing to the Irish at Notre Dame in January, the Dons swept rival Santa Clara in consecutive contests – 75-74 on the Hilltop, and 94-86 in the South Bay. The Dons roared through West Coast Athletic Conference play with a 12-2 record and earned the fourth seed in the West Regional and a first round bye in the NCAA postseason tournament.

In the second round of the tourney, the Dons ousted Brigham Young as Bill Cartwright poured in 24 points and guard Guy Williams added 12 points and 12 assists. UCLA ended the Dons season winning 99-81 in the regional semifinal. Cartwright paced the Dons with 34 points. For the season Cartwright (24.5), Doug Jemison (15.6) and Williams (10.0) all averaged double digits in scoring and guard Billy Reid handed out 106 assists.

Did You Know? Bill Cartwright came to the Hilltop with quite the resume, having averaged 38 points per game and 24 rebounds as a high school senior. During his tenure, the Dons won 80 percent of their games and rose to a number one ranking. He still holds the USF all-time career scoring record and is ranked number one in field goals and number three in rebounds all-time.

They Said It: “I would like to see a 30 second shot clock used in college basketball, but I doubt it will happen. I think we might have to compromise with the clock, perhaps using it in the final four or five minutes of a game,” USF head coach Dan Belluomini. The Dons coach preferred an up tempo style as the 1978-79 Dons averaged over 81 points per game on offense. The shot clock was adopted by the NCAA in 1985.