April 13, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team celebrated its impressive 2006-07 campaign on Friday evening when the program held its annual postseason banquet at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center on campus. The Golden Knights went 22-9 overall this past season and with an 11-5 mark, finished second in Conference USA.
UCF head coach Kirk Speraw was honored at the banquet. Bruce Pettway, the president of the Birmingham Tip-Off Club, presented Speraw with the C-USA Coach of the Year trophy. Speraw was named the league's coach of the year in March at the C-USA Championship in Memphis, Tenn.
Several Golden Knights were honored for their individual achievements during the year. Senior forwards Lavell Payne (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Dillard) and Josh Peppers (Memphis, Tenn./Whitehaven) shared the team's most valuable player award.
Peppers led UCF in scoring at 14.3 points per game and was an All-C-USA Second Team selection following the season. In four years with the Golden Knights, Peppers scored 1,376 points, good for seventh all-time in program history. Payne averaged 10.8 points and a team-high 5.5 boards. In C-USA play, he scored 13.3 points a contest and ranked fourth in the league in field-goal percentage (51.8).
Payne was also presented with the squad's top rebounder honor and UCF's most improved player award. As a junior in 2005-06, he averaged 4.3 points and 3.2 boards.
Junior guard Mike O'Donnell (Largo, Fla./Largo) was recognized for leading the team in assists this past year. O'Donnell dished out 116 assists and was second in C-USA in assist/turnover ratio (2.37).
The Golden Knights' top defender award was presented to junior guard Dave Noel (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach). Noel was usually given the task to defend the opponent's top offensive player during the season and excelled in the role. Freshman guard Taylor Young (Orlando, Fla./The First Academy) garnered the most inspirational player honor. Young sat out the season as a redshirt, but made an impact in practice each day.
With its 22 victories in 2006-07, UCF has now recorded 20-victory campaigns in four of the last five years. Since the start of the 2002-03 season, UCF has won 106 games, which ranks 31st nationally and second among all programs in Florida during that span.
In the fall, UCF will move into the new Convocation Center on campus. The 10,000-seat venue will give the Golden Knights one of the top home courts in the nation.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel, log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports.