(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
UCF's 2009-10 basketball season is slated to begin on November 4 with an exhibition game vs. Saint Leo University.
Coach Kirk Speraw is in his 17th year as the Knights' head coach, and he expects nothing short of success. The Knights basketball team has finished in the top half of the C-USA standings each year since Speraw's tenure began.
UCF is currently completing their two months of off-season workouts, and starting Friday, Oct. 16, they will begin regular season practice.
Many players, including Junior guard Taylor Young, are reporting immense improvement in the off-season. “I am shooting the ball more consistently,” Young told reporters. Last year Young shot only 31.6 from the field, but is looking to turn that around in 2009-10.
Young is only one of three upperclassmen on the squad this season, which makes the Knights one of the youngest teams in the nation. The young squad includes Michael Jordan's son Marcus Jordan, a true freshman out of Highland Park, Illinois, and one of the biggest stories of the off-season.
The team's upperclassmen, including Taylor Young, have made it their mission to serve as role models to their younger teammates, going over Speraw's offensive scheme, and ensuring that the group is gelling and progressing at a swift rate.
The kind of leadership that the Knights' coaching staff is palpable; there's no man on the Knights' basketball squad for himself.
Age is nothing but a number for this team. The Knights are expected to continue to dominate in C-USA this season.
Point Guard
Last year, Jermaine Taylor was the star of UCF basketball, winning the C-USA Player of the Year award, and averaging 26.2 points per game. He was selected in the 2009 NBA Draft. A.J. Rompza, a sophomore, is one of the big reasons for Taylor's success.
Rompza will return again this year and see a lot of time at point guard for the Knights, along with Marcus Jordan. Jordan was considered one of the 100 best recruits from many outlets in the off-season, and should add magic to point guard for the Knights.
Shooting Guard
Sophomore Isaac Sosa made eight starts and averaged 8.2 points as a freshman. His three-point field goal percentage was seventh on the UCF single-season register, and will be an integral part of the Knights' success this season.
Drew Speraw has been selected as team captain, and will continue to be a shooting star for UCF, as he had a 55 percent field goal percentage last year.
Other star shooting guards for the Knights include Nik Garcia, R.J. Scott, and Amara Thompson.
Small Forward
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