In a follow up of the UCF sports roundtable from several weeks ago, the KnightNews.com Sports Department decided to do another roundtable of questions regarding UCF football and basketball.
From Jeff Godfrey announcing his intent to transfer to the UCF basketball team starting off the season 8-3, there is plenty of UCF sports news to debate.
Once again, KnightNews Sports Editor Allen Levin, and assistant sports editors Nick Wilke and Anthony Scalco go 1-on-1-on-1 in the third edition of the KnightNews.com Sports Roundtable.
Tell us who you think wins the debate by commenting or e-mail us at athletics@knightnews.com.
1. With UCF finally in the Big East, what type of positive changes are you expecting in the near future?
Allen Levin: First and foremost, I’m expecting a huge boost in fan attendance and loyalty for UCF sports, mainly football and basketball. With annual competition against the likes of UConn, USF, Boise State, Georgetown and Marquette, I expect the school spirit and overall attitude towards the Knights to improve.
Overall, I think it will just be a shock in a positive way for most Knights fans. We are not used to the national spotlight, top-notch competition and attention we will be receiving once we join the Big East in 2013. It will be awesome to watch the whole process unfold and see the tradition, which other in-state programs like Florida and Florida State enjoy, form at UCF.
Also, in the near future, I expect a much-better recruiting class as UCF will be able to compete with UF, FSU, Miami and USF for high-profile Sunshine State recruits. It appears that is already happening with the announcement a few weeks ago that Oklahoma guard Calvin Newell is transferring to UCF.
Nick Wilke: Better competition against top level teams, which will prepare UCF for postseason play and build their NCAA tournament resume. As a fan, I am excited to see teams such as Syracuse and Georgetown come play at the UCF Arena. I think that this will draw more students to games and make the student section even stronger.
Anthony Scalco:
AL: I have been firmly against this transfer since the moment rumors began to surface about it. I think the transferring of Jeff Godfrey is a truly sad thing in UCF football history and an overall bad thing for the program.
Despite the unexpectedly poor 5-7 season that the Knights endured this year, there is no reason to believe Godfrey can’t deliver the same type of success that he experience in his freshman year again next season. The fact still remains that he is the only quarterback in Division 1 college football history to lead his team to a conference championship as a true freshman- and he is only one year removed from that.
Whether you believe that Coach O’Leary didn’t design a playbook to match Godfrey’s strengths or that he legitimately just went through a sophomore slump and took a step back, he still deserves another shot. Godfrey brought UCF the type of success that the program has never experienced before. He was a leader, and more importantly he was a play maker. The Knights haven’t had a type of play maker like Godfrey since RB Kevin Smith back in 2007.
Godfrey helped bring other Miami recruits (Josh Reese, JJ Worton) to Orlando and could have easily led UCF to future success as he continues to develop. If Blake Bortles proves himself and leads the Knights to great seasons, that is the only thing that can justify Godfrey transferring. Either way, it’s a bad move.
NW: I believe that it will be good for the program. Godfrey and his father have shown that they are not willing to share the position with Blake Bortles. Late in the year, it was getting to be a distraction for the team as Coach O’Leary debated each week who he would start.
Even though he started Godfrey, Bortles would finish the game and perform well. Clearly Godfrey doesn’t want to be sitting out in crunch time. Bortles is more of a traditional QB who can lead the team, and I believe he will be a great QB for the Knights in the future.
AS: Terrible. Bortles is unproven and has only beaten UTEP to boost his credentials for the job. Losing the best play maker the Knights had means that they will most likely be starting at square one. If images of Bortles getting rocked in the Horseshoe next season aren’t dancing in your head instead of Godfrey dancing around in the pocket, escaping pressure, then you’re in for a rude awakening.
3. What do you make of George O’Leary’s new coaching additions?
AL: I think George O’Leary was smart in partially cleaning house and bringing in some fresh mindsets and character to the UCF football team. I especially like the hiring of new Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof, who was the DC of a national championship winning Auburn team a year ago.
The new coaches will help clean up some of the mistakes that the Knights made last season and bring a new perspective for when UCF enters big boy competition, AKA the Big East.
NW: It’s a fresh start for the defense, which started off really strong last year and then crumbled toward the end of the season. It might take the players a little while to get accustomed to the change, but they have time.
AS: We’ll see if this can add some new life and energy to a side of the ball that wasn’t necessarily the biggest flaw in the game plan last season. Special teams and a lack of play making factored in along with youth and a lack of resiliency. These hirings still don’t offset the loss of Godfrey’s transfer, whether you question his mental toughness or not.
4. What do you make of the UCF Basketball team’s 8-3 start?
AL: I think the Knights start to the season is very solid, but I still have my reservations. It’s been brought up a million times, but it’s hard to forget UCF’s collapse last season after starting off 14-0 and then fizzling out with eight straight losses.
However, I do believe that this year’s Knights team is deeper and more talented than last year’s squad. Marcus Jordan and Keith Clanton are a year older and have both shown improvements in their game. Isaiah Sykes has made huge strides in his game, and Josh Crittle and Tristan Spurlock have made an immediate impact.
Even with that, UCF has shown some concerning signs early on, such as giving up leads late and an inconsistent offense that has trouble producing points at times, especially against bigger teams. It’s been a good start, but still very early. Fortunately, UCF has had some impressive wins over UConn and Old Dominion this season that has put them in the top 65 in the RPI rankings and given them tournament credentials, but they still have a long way to go before they can think March Madness.
NW: It’s a great start to the season with wins over ODU and UConn. Two of the losses came against very good teams in FSU and Harvard- both should make the tournament. It’s a promising start, but it doesn’t mean anything yet because there is alot of basketball still to be played.
Last year, the team started off 14-0, and then collapsed in conference play. Consistency throughout the season is key for UCF if they want to win a C-USA title or make the NCAA Tournament.
AS: As I stated eariler in this poll, UCF started 14-0 last year and ended 21-12. Until a more consistent effort is made in conference play, this is just a “nice start” buried under a late season collapse yet again.
5. Who are your most happy with and most disappointed with on the UCF Basketball team so far?
AL: I don’t think there is any arguing that Isaiah Sykes has made the biggest leap in his game on the Knights roster. He has filled in for the suspended A.J. Rompza admirably and become one of the team’s biggest producers. Sykes stats have jumped dramatically from his rookie campaign, from four points and 3.2 rebounds per game to 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
He has become one of UCF’s best rebounders, as well as the Knights “hustle guy” who provides all of the intangibles, such as taking charges, chasing after loose balls and playing hard-nosed defense.
As far as the biggest disappointment, I have to go with Keith Clanton. Don’t get me wrong, Clanton is undoubtedly one of the Knights best players, but I would have expected him to become a 20-10 player by now being that it’s his junior season. While 16.4 and 9.4 is a respectable stat line, Clanton gets a lot of his points from jump shots and three pointers. I would like to see him play more of the traditional big man role and dominate in the paint, which is something UCF is lacking and could make the team better overall.
NW: Most happy with Isaiah Sykes and least happy with Tristan Spurlock. Sykes has shown tremendous improvement in his game. His ball handling skills have improved, and he has done a good job filling in for Rompza at the point guard spot. He has also been aggressive and taking the ball to the hole. He realizes that shooting is not his game, so he tries to get easier buckets around the rim.
Spurlock needs to use his length to his advantage. He is a 6’8″ guard, who can also play the forward positions. He hasn’t shown that he is willing to get inside the paint yet. He shoots too many threes and his percentage is low.
AS: Happiest- I would say the addition of transfers Josh Crittle and Tristan Spurlock have greatly added to the team’s depth inside and on the wing, and they are solid rebounders and defenders. Crittle has tried to spark the team as best as he can in the wake of A.J. Rompza’s absence.
Disappointed- Most definitely Keith Clanton and P.J. Gaynor. Gaynor can’t stay on the court and seems to be in more trouble off the court, making his contributions all the more useless. Clanton may be giving you nearly 17 and 10, but he can’t shoot free throws and still would rather take the corner jumper instead of pound inside.
If he could develop a game both inside and out, he could easily be one of the most dominant big men in the country. Yes, I did say country.
