Heath chooses Roccaforte for his staff at USF

Former Lamar University head basketball coachSteve Roccaforte, where he served for five years, has been hired as an assistant coach with the USF men’s basketball team.

"Roc is a terrific addition to our staff," USF head coach Stan Heath said. "His track record as a coach, recruiter and worker is at a high level. I fully expect Steve to hit the ground running in all areas on our Bulls staff."

"I'm very excited to work for Stan Heath," said Roccaforte. "I think he is on the verge of something very big at USF and I am happy to be a part of that, while also joining the best basketball league in the country - the BIG EAST Conference."

With nearly 20 years of experience at the NCAA Division I level, Roccaforte has worked with some of the top coaches in the business and has recruited some of the top talent in the country. He has served under Billy Tubbs, John Calipari and Perry Clark and helped develop multiple nationally-ranked recruiting classes.

Roccaforte is also no stranger to postseason play, having served on the staff of seven teams that extended their seasons. He has been to a pair of NCAA Tournaments, one each with Tulane and Memphis, and five NITs with Tulane, Wyoming and Memphis. Tulane advanced to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden in 1996. Memphis made a pair of trips to MSG, including a championship run in 2002.

Known as a relentless recruiter, Roccaforte put together top 25 recruiting classes at Tulane, Memphis and Lamar. Lamar's class in 2004, the first full recruiting class with Roccaforte on staff, was rated among the top 10 in the country by HoopScoop.com.