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Men's Basketball Players Earn Preseason Recognition

Sept. 11, 2006

ORLANDO - Several UCF players have earned individual recognition in Lindy's College Basketball preview. Senior forward Josh Peppers (Memphis, Tenn./Whitehaven HS) was named First Team All-Conference USA and junior center Stanley Billings (Orlando, Fla./Oak Ridge HS) and freshman forward Tony Davis (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS) also garnered accolades.

Peppers, who is the third-leading returning scorer in the conference after averaging 13.7 points per game in 2005-06, is one of the top offensive players in the league. The Memphis, Tenn. native recorded double figures in scoring on 21 occasions last year. He connected on 59 3-pointers and shot 36.9 percent from deep.

The publication cited Billings as the top rebounder in C-USA. A transfer from Independence Community College in Kansas, Billings averaged nine rebounds per contest as a sophomore. The 6-foot-11 center graduated from Oak Ridge High School in Orlando in 1996. Following high school, he spent eight years in the Marines.

Davis was recognized by the magazine as the C-USA player who will "take you by surprise." The publication highlighted his accomplishments on the high school level, which included earning the Florida Class 6A Player of the Year award in 2005-06. As a senior, Davis averaged 20.7 points and 12.2 boards per game for Riverview High School in Sarasota and finished third in the voting for the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Basketball Award.

UCF opens the 2006-07 campaign at home against Rollins on Nov. 15. The Golden Knights return eight letterwinners from last year's 14-15 team that finished fifth in C-USA. In the last four years, UCF has won 84 games, a mark that ranks 39th nationally and second among all programs in the state of Florida during that span.

Season tickets are currently on sale. Call 407-UCF-1000 for more information or to purchase tickets.

For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel, log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.