Booker Washington was a 6' 8" forward who played for the Dons from 1992 to 1996.
The USF strong forward position should be exactly that. Back for his senior year is
6-6 Alvin Brown, who's weight is down significantly from the 245 pounds he packed last season, when he started 18 of 29 games and averaged 9.3 points and 5 rebounds per contest. He'll get plenty of playing time competition from 6-6, 215 pound Kent Bennett, who averaged 20.8 points and 11.7 rebounds last season for Los Angeles' Harbor Junior College en route to winning an All State team berth. Should either falter, Brovelli can look to 6-7 freshman Booker T. Washington, Las Vegas' Prep Player of the Year last season, when he averaged 22.3 points and 9 rebounds per game for Western High School. Thus the Dons appear to be deeper, stronger and more powerful offensively.
USF forward Booker T. Washington summed it up best when he said that losing two straight to St. Mary's really hurt. "To lose two in a row, we've never lost two in a row. To play as hard as we did and lose, it hurts." Going into the St. Mary's series the Dons were 17-8 and had not only the local media looking more closely at USF, but USA Today had just written a national story on how the Dons men's basketball program was looking at a brighter future. Now after being swept by the Gaels (9-14, 5-7 in the West Coast Conference) for the first time since the 1987-1988 season, the Dons future might be a little tarnished. It was the first time this season that USF had lost two straight this season, a season in which the Dons (17-10, 7-5 in WCC) reached a milestone by achieving the most wins in a single season since the program was revived in 1985. "When we got here, there was absolutely zero - no money, no staff, no players," said Coach Jim Brovelli. "Now we're at the point where we hope to get to the next level: the post season tournament (TheFoghorn)."
