Following the announcement that Marcus Jordan will not return to the UCF men’s basketball program for the 2012-2013 season, seniors C.J. Reed and Josh Crittle will also be leaving the squad, according to UCFAthletics.com on Monday afternoon.
The Knights will lose three key players in the aftermath of the NCAA sanctions that UCF received following the school’s major recruiting violations that resulted in a one-year postseason ban and scholarship reductions.
However, the team did receive good news from their star forward Keith Clanton, who decided to remain with the team for his senior year.
“I think to people’s surprise I will be returning to UCF for my Sr. season,” Clanton posted on his Twitter account Saturday night. “I love this team and my dreams and goals can be fulfilled here.”
Jordan, Reed and Crittle decided it was in their best interests to leave the program, however.
Jordan, who had been rumored to be leaving the program for most of the summer, will stay enrolled in classes at UCF, but will pursue opportunities outside of basketball.
Jordan was the team’s second-leading scorer last season, averaging 13.7 points per game as a junior. Jordan had 24 double-digit scoring performances and had many memorable performances as a three-year starter for the Knights.
Reed will leave the program before even playing a single game in a Knights uniform. The former Bethune-Cookman standout sat out of all last season due to NCAA transfer rules, but has decided to leave for Georgia Southern University.
Crittle, who averaged 4.7 points and 2.9 rebounds last season, has been looking at schools in his hometown of Chicago, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
It will be a tough final season in Conference-USA as UCF has to deal with the NCAA penalties bestowed upon them. However, with a strong returning core of Clanton, Tristan Spurlock and Isaiah Sykes, as well as high-profile transfer Calvin Newell, the Knights still have a great opportunity to finish atop the league.
