April 26, 2006
ORLANDO - Head coach Kirk Speraw announced on Wednesday that the UCF men's basketball program has received a National Letter of Intent (NLI) from Chip Cartwright. Cartwright is a 6-foot guard from Angelina College in Texas and will join the Golden Knights this fall.
This past season, Cartwright was a National Junior College Athletic Association Honorable Mention All-America selection. The point guard averaged 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game and shot 43 percent from the field. Cartwright helped the Roadrunners to a 26-7 record in 2005-06 and the team finished the season ranked 19th nationally.
"Chip is a great addition to our basketball family," said Speraw. "He is an outstanding playmaker who creates opportunities for teammates. We are very excited for Chip to join our program."
Following the regular season, Cartwright was selected to the All-Region XIV First Team. He also earned all-region tournament honors. Cartwright played for the Region XIV team in the inaugural NJCAA Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Classic and scored 14 points.
A native of Houston, he attended Phillis Wheatley High School where he was a two-time all-district pick.
Cartwright is the fourth recruit to sign with UCF this year. Center Stanley Billings from Independence Community College in Kansas inked an NLI with the Golden Knights on April 13. A pair of high school forwards - Tony Davis of Sarasota, Fla. and Andre Thornton of Memphis, Tenn. - both signed with UCF in the fall.
This past season, UCF finished fifth in its first campaign in Conference USA. The Golden Knights went 7-7 in league play and 14-15 overall and closed the season by winning four of its last six games.
The top four teams in C-USA (Memphis, UAB, UTEP, Houston) combined to lose just three games in 2005-06 to the other eight league teams. UCF recorded two of the three victories, topping Houston and UTEP. Dating back to the start of the 2002-03 campaign, the Golden Knights have won 84 games, ranking second among all programs in Florida during that span.