Overall Record 24-7 | WCC Record 11-3 | Final Stats | Final Results | Roster

Head Coach: Pete Barry
Overall Record: 24-7    WCC Record: 11-3
All-WCC Team: Quintin Dailey (POY), Wallace Bryant
Top Scorer: Quintin Dailey (22.4)    Top Rebounder:  Wallace Bryant (9.2)
USF Hall-of-Famers: Wallace Bryant

The 1980-81 Dons won 14 of their first 16 games with the only losses coming on the road at Dayton in overtime and versus highly regarded Villanova in the Sun Bowl Classic in El Paso, Texas. USF won the 4th annual Golden Gate Invitational in December sweeping past Duquesne 91-83 and New Mexico State 93-78.

After two straight losses at the hands of Notre Dame and rival Santa Clara USF got hot once again winning eight of their next nine games including a 101-71 pasting of St. Mary’s. The Dons gained revenge against Santa Clara defeating the Broncos at home 90-63. The only loss during that nine game stretch came on the road at Pepperdine as the Waves prevailed in overtime 101-99. The Dons won 11 of their 14 league games to capture their 5th consecutive West Coast Athletic Conference title.

The Dons were seeded 9th in the NCAA West regional and lost 64-60 at the hands of Kansas State in the opening round of the postseason tournament. Standout guard Quintin Dailey played all 40 minutes in the loss, scoring 20 points. Dailey led the Dons in overall scoring, pouring in 693 points for the season - 22.4 points per game. Other contributors on offense included Wallace Bryant and John Hegwood who each averaged 16.1 points per contest and Ken McAlister who added 10 points per game and handed out three assists per game.

Did You Know? Coach Barry’s background as an athlete was stronger in baseball than in basketball. Barry played baseball at USF in the late 1960’s and he signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played professionally as an infielder for two seasons before turning to coaching.

They Said It: “USF has had an outstanding basketball heritage. I believe this great tradition will continue, however I am finding out about the reality of living in that particular framework. As Dick Vermeil once said ‘Don’t look back unless you are going in that direction.’ We are going to move in a positive direction here at USF. We have a great deal to prove. New traditions must be created,” USF head coach Pete Barry.