This isn’t your typical UCF basketball season.
An NCAA investigation, a three-game suspension to coach Donnie Jones and an indefinite suspension for senior guard A.J. Rompza have marked the start of the Knights 2011 basketball season.
After news broke that UCF is under investigation by the NCAA for possible recruiting violations, the school’s athletic programs has been surrounded by controversy before the Knights have even stepped onto the court.
Despite all the controversy and speculation, the UCF basketball team is just looking to move forward and focus on building off the success they attained last season.
“We made some mistakes that we’ll get better from. We’ll continue to build; that’s what we came here to do, as well as win,” head coach Donnie Jones said.
The Knights are looking to improve in their second year under Coach Jones, who led the team to a 21-12 record and a College Basketball Invitational tournament birth last season.
UCF had an up-and-down season, starting off 14-0 in non-conference play, which propelled the program to its first top 25 ranking, only to lose its next eight games and fall out of Conference-USA contention.
The Knights will be looking for more consistency this year, and they will have a great shot at doing that with all their incoming and returning talent.
“There is a lot of lessons to learned from that (last year’s inconsistency), and there were a lot of reasons for that,” Coach Jones said. “Hopefully, the guys understand that. I don’t live in the past, and I think these guys are growing from that. This is a completely different team from last year with what we can do. We’ve gotten better.”
Last Season’s Success
The Knights are coming off arguably their best season in program history, garnering their first-ever national ranking and first 20-win season since 2005, capping it off with a CBI birth, where they advance to the semi-finals before losing to Creighton.
Despite the 20-win season, the Knights stumbled after their hot start, losing 12 of their final 19 games, and finished only 6-10 in league play.
“Last year is last year, you can stay in the past if you want to, but we’ve moved on,” Rompza said. “We started out great- as a leader, I’m going to let that go. It’s my last year, so I’m going to make sure I get the best out of everyone.”
UCF had memorable wins during their perfect non-conference run, highlighted by an upset over then-ranked No. 16 Florida, as well as victories over Miami, USF and Princeton.
The team went 15-1 against non-conference opponents last season, with the CBI loss to Creighton being the only defeat. UCF has not lost a non-conference game at home under Donnie Jones, going 11-0 last year.
Marcus Jordan emerged as the Knights leader, posting a team-high 15.2 points and 3.3 assists per game, to go along with 28 steals in his sophomore campaign. He also set a school single-season record with 165 made free throws.
The son of the legendary Michael Jordan had eight games where he scored 20 or more points, including a season high 28 against West Florida. The 6’3″ guard was named to the preseason All C-USA Second Team.
Power forward Keith Clanton also emerged as a star for the Knights in 2010. The sophomore was second on the team in points with 14.2, while leading the team in rebounds at 7.7 per game. “Big Cat” also led the team in blocks (60) and shot 53 percent from the floor, both ranking third in the conference, in 30.5 minutes per game.
His strong play earned him a spot on the preseason All C-USA First Team.
“He’s a better athlete, he moves better; he’s stronger, quicker, more fluid and more confident. His skill level has improved, so I think that has helped him a lot,” Jones said regarding the improvement of Clanton.
Jordan and Clanton will need to continue to improve as they will be the pillars for UCF this season.
What Went Right
Last season, the Knights utilized Donnie Jones up-tempo style of play to their advantage, outworking their opponents early on in games, which helped them gain big leads.
The Knights were effective in the open floor, pushing the ball and using a fast-tempo offense to set the tone in games, which helped them tire out opponents early in the season. UCF used this style to propel them to a 14-0 start before fizzling out in conference play.
However, it was the Knights defense that really made them an effective team last season. UCF limited opponents to 63 points per game, which was top 50 in the country and good enough for No. 3 in Conference-USA.
The Knights also limited opponents to 41 percent shooting from the floor, ranking them second in the conference, and their 5.8 blocks per game led C-USA last year.
UCF protected the paint very well last season, with Clanton and center Tom Herzog keeping opponents from scoring inside.
The Knights also shot pretty well from the floor as well, shooting at a 45 percent clip, ranking them fourth in the league.
The team will need to continue to stress defense as their offense doesn’t have as many weapons as other teams in the conference. Fortunately, the Knights will have some big bodies in the paint to defend, including Clanton, Dwight McCombs, Oregon transfer Josh Crittle and P.J. Gaynor.
The frontcourt will need to play a big role this season for the Knights to be successful.
“I expect a lot out of the frontcourt. I know the backcourt had to hold us down a lot last year. I feel like this frontcourt, we can step up, and we can have better games this year and be just as good,” Clanton said.
Still Needs Improvement
The UCF offense had its moments last year when it ran a fast-paced style. However, more often than not, the Knights offense became stagnant and struggled to put the ball in the basket.
The Knights averaged 69 points per game last season, which was in the top half of the league, but the team often went through major scoring droughts in critical parts of games.
It is something they will need to improve on this season.
In addition, the Knights will need to improve their shooting from the perimeter, especially after losing three-point specialist Issac Sosa to a transfer.
The Knights shot a mere 34 percent from beyond the arc even with Sosa’s strong shooting last season. Virginia transfer Tristan Spurlock, as well as the Jordan brothers, will need to step up from the perimeter to make due for Sosa’s absence.
Additionally, UCF will need to work on their perimeter defense, as they allowed opponents to shoot 35 percent from three-point range.
UCF could also use improvement on limiting their turnovers, which will be key if Rompza is out for an extended period of time.
New Kids On The Block
UCF lost some key players from last year’s roster, including A.J. Tyler, Tom Herzog and Issac Sosa.
Fortunately, they will receive a much needed boost from their transfer students, who are now eligible to play after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
The Knights will add Oregon transfer Josh Crittle, Virginia transfer Tristan Spurlock and Illinois transfer Jeff Jordan to the mix to complement their returning pieces.
“They will definitely help us. Josh down low, Tristan can do so many things with his versatility and Jeff’s just consistent- he brings it every single day, and he’s going to be a big part of this,” Romzpa said.
Crittle adds a much needed big body in the paint, who will form a dynamic frontcourt duo with Dwight McCombs. Crittle slimmed down dramatically in the offseason, losing 40 pounds to come back faster, leaner and more athletic. McCombs also slimmed down in the offseason, shedding 20 pounds.
Crittle and McCombs have already become good friends and feel they will be a dominant tandem in the paint.
“Dwight McCombs has become my best friend in the last couple months- we’ve been roomates on the road, we compete, we push each other,” Crittle said. “We’re going to complement each other very well. It’s going to be a 1-2 punch. Hopefully, we pick up the slack for each other.”
McCombs agreed that the two can complement each other nicely in the paint.
“I think chemistry off the court always helps on the court- knowing that person has your back,” McCombs said. “I think we can play together and do big things. We both have mid-range shots, and we can bang in the post. We can play off each other.”
Spurlock will add nice versatility to the Knights and a much needed shooter, while Jordan will be utilized at the point position, where he can facilitate and distribute the ball.
“I think the biggest thing Spurlock needs is experience. He can shoot the ball from deep, he can play the four, the three or even the two. He’s 6’7″, so he’s long and athletic. He’s very talented,” Coach Jones said.
“Jeff Jordan played three years in the Big 10, averaged over 13 minutes a game with a very good program in Illinois. I think he brings some experience and toughness. He can give us some minutes at the point guard spot,” Jones added.
In addition, the Knights boast three new freshman from last year’s recruiting class, including 6’6″ Rod Days, 6’7″ Wayne Martin, and 6’7″ Kasey Wilson, who all bring different attributes to the table.
What To Look For
Look for the Knights to have a lot more depth and versatility this season. Last year, the Knights often had to rely on Clanton and Jordan to do the heavy workload.
This year, however, the team is a lot deeper and has a lot of athletic players that can make things happen for the Knights.
“I think depth would be the No. 1 word. I think we have a lot of depth with the new guys, with the transfers, with the returning guys. We have a lot of guys that can play different positions,” Coach Jones said. “We are very versatile, very long, and we’re very athletic. I think that’s the mentality. The thing we really focused on is getting tougher and getting smart.”
The team is hungry this year and has their sights set on a Conference-USA championship, as well as a berth in the NCAA tournament. They feel they’ve grown immensely from last season and are ready to show their game on the court.
“I think we’re hungrier,” Clanton said. We’re just playing harder, practicing harder. I feel like we’re going to come out ready to play. I feel like our goal is to win a championship, and that’s what we plan on doing.”
Look for big progression in the games of Clanton and Marcus Jordan, who will need to continue to elevate in order to bring this team to the next level. They will benefit from the added depth and experience, and be able to work off the new pieces on the team.
Rompza, barring a long-term suspension, as well as Clanton and Jordan will form the nucleus of the team, and be the most vocal leaders both on and off the court.
“Rompza, Marcus and Keith will be the leaders on this basketball team. They’ve played the most minutes and probably had the most success. Those three guys, I’m expecting a lot from this year,” Jones said.
The Knights benefit from a relatively easy schedule to start the season, with Florida State and Old Dominion being their two biggest tests early on.
UCF will have a good shot at starting out hot again, with 10 of their first 15 games at home and against easier opponents. The Knights have 17 games in Orlando this year.
The Knights best home games will be against Old Dominion on Dec. 17, and then a conference showdown in January with the Memphis Tigers, who UCF nearly beat last season.
UCF will also play UTEP, Marshall, UAB and Houston at home this year, in which should be good matchups against the top half of the conference competition. Look out to see if the Knights can play better against conference foes this season after last year’s struggles.
Lastly, look out for the huge progression out of sophomore Isaiah Sykes, who has taken significant strides in the offseason. His diverse skill set will allow him to play some point for the Knights this season, among other positions.
“He’s gained a lot of confidence. He can play multiple positions. He makes great decisions,” Coach Jones said. “He can impact the game without scoring. He’s going to score in different ways; he can rebound, he can defend and he makes the right pass. He brings a lot of different intangibles to our team his second year.”
Final Thoughts
The Knights have made some big strides since last season, and should be improved on both sides of the ball. They have added some great depth and talent to the team. Their athleticism and speed will help them out a lot this season as well.
Obviously, it will start with the tone set by Clanton, Jordan and Rompza, who will try and lead this team to new heights.
More importantly, this 2011 UCF basketball team is focused and hungry. They have worked hard to get past some of the inconsistency that plagued them last year, and will utilize their new and returning talent to build of last year and meet their high expectations.
“With this team, everyone wants to win. Being my last year, that’s all I want to do this year. I want to finish on a good note,” Rompza said.
The season starts this Saturday at 5 p.m. against St. Thomas at the UCF Arena.
