TAMPA (Nov. 1, 2022) – There are many women's basketball players who claim to be McDonald's All-Americans. Most once ate at a McDonald's, but weren't truthfully among the two dozen or so from their senior season who actually played in the prestigious all-star game.
The USF women's basketball program has added two McDonald's All-Americans to its roster.
Talk about super-sizing the lineup!
The Bulls, who were a 24-9 NCAA Tournament team last season, reached into the transfer portal and secured a pair of big guards, 6-2 freshman Priscilla Williams (Syracuse) and 6-1 sophomore Sammie Puisis (Florida State).
Both players were disillusioned by a coaching change at their former programs. They sought stability and the opportunity to produce at a high-level for an NCAA-worthy team. Both found what they were looking for with the Bulls.
"I knew USF was a place where I would be taken care of, on and off the court,'' said Williams, who suffered a concussion during her final game of the 2020-21 campaign and did not play last season. "They don't just look at you as a player here. You're a person, too, so this program is a perfect fit for me.
"Working with Coach Jose has been nothing but good. He focuses on the player and developing you individually, which I really like. I already feel like I'm a much better player.''
Williams averaged 8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a Syracuse freshman. She had nine double-figure scoring games, including a career-high 26 points against Miami, when she was 9-for-9 from the field (and 6-for-6 from the 3-point arc).
At Branson (Missouri) High School, where she played her final three prep seasons, Williams averaged 30 points and 10 rebounds as a senior.
"Priscilla is a shooting guard who can play multiple positions,'' Fernandez said. "She can shoot it. She can create off the bounce. She just has a really good feel for the game.
"With Priscilla's size and length, she can get a rebound, handle it, bring the ball up and find guys who are open. I mean, she's just darn good.''
Puisis, originally from Mason, Ohio, is more of a traditional catch-and-shoot guard who's known for lighting it up from the outside.
Fernandez isn't shy about projecting a huge impact for Puisis.
"We've had some unbelievable two-guards here — Kitia Laksa, Courtney Williams, Inga Orekhova, Andrea Smith,'' Fernandez said. "I think you can put Sammie in that category. And I think that's a big part of why she was interested in us. She knows the success that shooting guards have had in our program.
"I don't want to put any pressure on her. But it just seems like every time she shoots it, it goes in. If she misses it, you're surprised. It's a great stroke, but I also love how she's now investing in other parts of her game, like handling the basketball, getting to the rim and working on her pull-up jumper. I think Sammie is going to offer us a lot.''
Puisis became just the third FSU player in history to three times lead the Seminoles in 3-point shooting. Last season, she shot 37.9 percent from 3-point range and it was 39.8 as a freshman. Her FSU statistics look modest — last season she averaged 5.8 points in 22.6 minutes per game — but she performed in the flow of a deep Seminoles offense.
"I really started paying attention to USF when I noticed how the program has risen over the last few seasons,'' Puisis said. "Everyone here works really hard. I've never been on a team where people are in the gym, outside of practice, working on their game like this. It's really exciting to see that I know we can be really good.
"Jose is very direct, which I love. He's straight to the point. He's going to tell you what you need to hear. And he works with me one-on-one a lot, like over the summer, when I really feel I developed new parts of my game. I'm very exciting for what's to
come.''So is Fernandez. USF, a perennial NCAA Tournament team, has never reached the Sweet 16.
With an influx of talent that includes five international freshmen and relentless Ole Miss transfer Caitlin McGee (recovering from injury and maybe not available until December), plus talented returners such as Elena Tsineke and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, the Bulls might have that potential.
"Just getting to the NCAA Tournament, that's now an expectation for us,'' Fernandez said. "We've been knocked on the door and the next step is to do some damage, go deeper into the tournament.
"I do feel we have that potential, but obviously we have to play well and produce to that level. With Priscilla and Sammie, obviously they're going to play a lot. I feel we probably got the two biggest impact transfers in the country, so that's definitely something that will help get you going.''
The Bulls open the 2022-23 campaign with four consecutive home games in 10 days, beginning with their season-opener against Morehead State on Monday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+). South Florida will also face Florida A&M on Friday, Nov. 11 (6 p.m., ESPN+), Jacksonville on Sunday, Nov. 13 (1 p.m. ESPN+) and Alabama on Wednesday, Nov. 16 (7 p.m., ESPN+) during the homestand.
All home games and conference games not televised nationally will be televised on ESPN+.
Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services. A step-by-step guide for subscribing to ESPN+ is located here.
For questions or to purchase season tickets, please visit USFBullsTix.com or call 1-800-GoBulls.
About USF Women's Basketball
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South Florida recorded its 10th 20-win season during the 2021-22 campaign while playing in its sixth American Athletic Conference championship game in its nine years in the conference. The Bulls achieved their highest national ranking of the season when it checked in at No. 13 in the Nov. 30 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, and advanced to their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last nine years.
USF has made 17 postseason tournament appearances and had eight NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 22 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to 10 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship, and has won over 400 career games. Fernandez was named a finalist for the WBCA and semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Awards. He was also tabbed the 2021 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign.
In 2021-22, the Bulls had three players recognized by The American for impressive seasons, including Elena Tsineke (All-Conference First Team), Bethy Mununga (All-Conference Second Team) and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (All-Conference Second Team).
In addition, Tsineke and Mununga were named to the American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team.
– #GoBulls –
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