Louisville head coach Rick Pitino compares playing against South Florida to getting a root canal.

The slow, deliberate style of play orchestrated by USF head coach Stan Heath frustrates and sometimes flusters opponents. It’s an unusual style in the modern Big East, and it has forced opposing coaches to game plan accordingly.

“They control the tempo, they use the clock,” Pitino said in the Big East coaches teleconference Jan. 10. “They play an old school-style of play where they play possession basketball, and they have a point guard that can dominate those possessions.”

Heath holds onto a coaching style the Big East’s traditional powers have largely abandoned. Ball and tempo control is a priority for the Bulls. Heath teaches his players hard-nosed defense to draw out opponents’ possessions, but when teams resist the temptation of quick shots, the lack of possessions can backfire.

Though it is effective in spurts, Big East teams have figured out how to get over the “root canal” this season after struggling against it last year. Heath continues to stick to his strategy even as USF (10-7, 1-4 Big East) has stumbled to a slow start in the conference.

The key for opponents this season has been controlling the tempo.

“You’ve got to understand that certain nights you have to play slow and you’ve got to be better at playing their game than they are,” Pitino said. “If you can speed them up and have your runs, then obviously you’re in control of your own destiny.”

The Bulls attempt to control the ball to limit opponent scoring. Heath has held this mantra as a coach since his time coaching under Tom Izzo at Michigan State. He taught it in one season as head coach at Kent State and through a five-year stint as head coach at Arkansas. Since 2007 at USF, he has maintained his commitment to the style, teaching his players to resist another team’s tendency to quicken the game’s pace.

“One thing that Louisville wants to do is to try to speed you up and get you to play a lot quicker and a lot faster than normally play,” Heath said in the Big East coaches teleconference before a Jan. 12 loss to Louisville. “We’ve got to make sure we do a good job of playing quick but not being in a hurry.”

The Cardinals managed to force the Bulls into quick releases and USF shot a dismal 26.7 percent in the 64-38 loss.

Heath’s coaching style usually translates to defensive success. USF led the Big East with 56.9 points allowed per game last season on its way to a respectable 22-win season.

The Bulls’ scoring defense has faltered slightly this season, allowing 61.6 points per game. Still, Heath’s team managed to hold two of the conference’s highest-scoring teams, Syracuse and Louisville, to 55 and 64 points, respectively, this season. Its ugly style of defense and ball control is largely responsible for that.

Where Heath’s team has struggled, though, is in its own ability to score.

USF shoots more infrequently than most teams because of how long it holds the ball, and inconsistent shooting, turnovers and a lack of rebounding have limited South Florida’s opportunities even more. The struggles against Louisville were no aberration – USF ranks at the bottom of the Big East in scoring offense, averaging only 52.6 points per game.

The Bulls simply haven’t been able to pull ahead early in the game, which limits their opportunities to control the pace.

“They’re a dangerous team when you get behind them,” Villanova head coach Jay Wright said after a Jan. 9 win against USF. “Once you get behind them, it’s almost impossible.”

Big East teams have been able to rack up early leads in games against the Bulls. With its measured, clock-consuming game plan, South Florida has difficulty keeping up once it falls behind. The Bulls are usually incapable of scoring in the spurts necessary to come back in Big East competition.

Heath’s coaching style likely won’t set any trends in 2013. It’s a traditional, gritty approach to basketball, one that can either infuriate or elate the Bulls’ opponents, depending on how USF shoots that particular day.

On Saturday, the Bulls overcame poor shooting early to come back from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat Georgetown 61-58. The game, which featured a gritty USF defensive stand, defined why Heath’s coaching style could still work.

“I don’t care if we shot one percent,” Heath said with a laugh in a postgame press conference Saturday. “We won, that’s all that matters.”

Published on January 23, 2013 at 12:02 am

Contact Jacob: jspramuk@syr.edu