It’s been a long time since season tickets to see the UCF men’s basketball team have been so sought after leading up to the opening tip of the schedule at UCF Arena.
But that’s been the case with the 2009-10 season as the Knight enter the new campaign with a balanced but very young nucleus featuring a mix of returning players and perhaps their strongest recruiting class ever. Tonight the Knights host Saint Leo in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. before the action begins for real on Nov. 13 against Massachusetts.
Among the additions that should help make an immediate impact on the court is local product Keith Clanton at forward and Chicago native Nik Garcia at guard. Off the court the UCF box office is already realizing the immediate public appeal of freshman guard Marcus Jordan.
Jordan is the son of legendary basketball player Michael Jordan as well as a former travel team teammate of Garcia and high school teammate of UCF sophomore A.J. Rompza. With those familiar faces already committed to playing college hoops in Central Florida it made things a lot easier for Jordan to make his decision when it came time to sign on with the Knights.
And with the arrival of a recruit bearing the most famous name in all of sports, UCF Head Coach Kirk Speraw is hardly surprised at the sort of attention that will be afforded his program over the next several years.
“When you get a commitment that is not only (featured) in the local media but then goes to the east coast, the west coast and to forgein countries, just on (getting) the commitment, I think that speaks for itself,” said Speraw.
Fans are now hoping that the hype doesn’t outweigh the talent and that this particular Jordan doesn’t only help the program gain media attention, but also makes big contributions on a regular basis. At least Speraw thinks he can, while assuring skeptics that his spot on the roster is no premeditated marketing ploy.
“Our decision to recruit Marcus was strictly on what Marcus would bring to our team and the skill set that he had,” said the 17-year veteran coach. “It didn’t matter whether his name was Marcus Smith, his skill set is what we needed for this basketball team.”
Entering preseason camp there were still plenty of questions about the 6-3, 200-pounder who describes his game as being “hard-nosed in the paint.” Jordan has spent much of the summer mending an injured knee. Time will tell how soon he and the other new additions can come together and realize their potential despite being one of the youngest teams in the nation.
“My impression as to what he will bring (to the team) is a very competitive individual who has very good instincts for the game of basketball,” said Speraw of Jordan. “Those are two skills that are very critical to being a successful basketball program.”
For Jordan’s part, he says he is going to try to stay under the radar for as long as he can, which may be easier said than done. Since coming to town he’s already had his dad down for a visit and been caught up in some confusion over what brand of basketball shoes he’ll be able to wear during the season. UCF is sponsored by Adidas and his father’s shoes are made by Nike.
If there is one thing that may surprise some people about a kid who grew up as the son of Michael Jordan it’s that he’s embraced who he is long ago and checked the ego at the door. Not only does he come off as being humble, but he’s also both relaxed and approachable with regards to the attention he receives. What he’s now most focused and concerned with at this point in his young life is making a name for himself while also helping UCF win, regardless of the pressure and expectations that may come tied with such an agenda.
“I’ve had those expectations since sixth grade,” said Jordan of living up to his namesake. “Just growing up you learn how to deal with them and learn that you’re not going to be Michael Jordan, Jr., you’re just going to be Marcus Jordan, and I have no problem with that.”
And chances are the Knights won’t have much problem with that either.
Reprinted with permission of KnightNews.com’s sports partner, OrlandoSportsCentral.com.
Visit OrlandoSportsCentral.com for more Knights sports news, plus all your local sports needs including: high school football, Orlando Magic and more!
