Updates on Gilchrist and Crater

Posted Jan 27, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Jan 27, 2010 at 01:17 AM

USF men’s basketball coach Stan Heath’s master plan includes two players who have yet to share the court together: injured F Gus Gilchrist and transfer G Anthony Crater.

When will the two highly touted players finally play together?

Heath hopes Gilchrist, who was leading the team in scoring at 18.8 points a game when he went down in practice Dec. 7 from a severely sprained ankle, returns by Feb. 3 at Georgetown.

Gilchrist ran the court and participated in some drills by himself Tuesday, the latest test during his rehab.

“That’ll answer a few questions for us as we see what he does,’’ Heath said Tuesday. “I think he’s highly unlikely for our next game [Thursday against Seton Hall] and pretty doubtful for Pittsburgh [on Sunday]. I don’t know this—there is no doctor who has told me this—but I seem to have a gut feeling that Georgetown may be the X on the calendar that has a really good chance of him playing.’‘

As for Crater, the speedy point guard who transferred from Ohio State and then had to serve a suspension before making his USF debut Jan. 10 at Syracuse, the prognosis is looking up according to Heath.

While Crater is shooting just 22.2 percent (6 of 27) and is 2 of 21 from 3-point range, he is averaging 28 minutes a game. Crater’s speed and ball-handling skills have taken pressure off guards Dominique Jones and Chris Howard, especially against teams that like to press and speed the game up such as Providence in USF’s 109-105 overtime win on Saturday.

“Crater will as time goes on be a very good player for us,’’ Heath said. “He is trying to fit in with his teammates. He is trying to learn how he can really help the team in different ways. What sometimes gets looked at I guess from the outside is, ‘boy, he is not shooting well from the 3 or he is not shooting well percentage-wise.’

“But I think what doesn’t get looked at is, ‘boy, he gives us a speed dimension that really helps our team.’ Now you have another ball-handler who takes the pressure off Dominique. That’s a dimension of Crater that really helps our basketball team, along with his ability to get into the lane and make some plays.’’