Dons’ Season Has Come to an End

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Photo by: Christina Leung

3/17/2019 6:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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SAN FRANCISCO – The sun has set on the 2018-19 season for the University of San Francisco men's basketball team. The Dons did not receive an invitation to play in the National Invitational Tournament and have elected not to participate in the CBI (College Basketball Invitational) or CIT (College Insider Tournament) this year.

The Dons wrap up the year 21-10 and have won 20 games in three consecutive seasons for the first time in 37 years. USF's .677 winning percentage is its best mark since 1999-00, when the Dons went 19-9 and boasted a .679 winning percentage.

Head Coach Kyle Smith has guided USF to three straight 20-win seasons in his first three years with the program, becoming the first coach to accomplish the feat in the Hilltop's storied history.

"The disappointment of not getting an invitation to the NIT is a testament to how far the program has come so quickly," said head coach Kyle Smith.

Seniors Matt McCarthy and Nate Renfro wrap up their careers first and second all-time in games played at USF, respectively. The two boast a .586 winning percentage with a 77-55 record for their careers. Fellow senior Frankie Ferrari went 77-58, became the 36th player in USF history to score 1,000 points, and earned back-to-back First Team All-WCC Honors.

The future remains bright for the Dons. USF returns a wealth of talent for the 2019-20 season, including starters Jimbo Lull, Charles Minlend and Jordan Ratinho. On top of that, the Dons will return Jamaree Bouyea, Trevante Anderson and the addition of Khalil Shabazz. Talented forwards Remu Raitanen, Taavi Jurkatamm, Dzmitry Ryuny, and Dylan Belquist will also be back in the green and gold next year.

The Dons want to thank the fans for the incredible support this season. USF boasted its best average attendance since the 2010-11 season. War Memorial at the Sobrato Center was rocking. Seven sellout crowds saw USF go 13-3 at home and provided the Dons the spark they needed for home wins over Stanford, Saint Mary's, and BYU, among others.