Nov. 20, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Three UCF starters will be in familiar territory when the Knights begin play at the Old Spice Classic at Disney's Wide World of Sports on Thursday. Senior guards Dave Noel (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach) and Mike O'Donnell (Largo, Fla./Largo) and junior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) all participated in numerous AAU tournaments inside the Milk House in Lake Buena Vista while in middle school and high school.
Taylor, the youngest player in the group, estimates that he played around 40 games inside the facility, dating back to his middle school days. O'Donnell played around 30 games at the venue, with Noel playing 16 games during three tournaments.
UCF opens the event on Thursday, facing 19th-ranked Villanova at 7 p.m. The contest will be televised live nationally on ESPN2.
Located inside Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, the Milk House has room for 5,000 spectators. The facility hosts the National Basketball Association Pre-Draft Camp each year, as well as numerous high school and amateur events.
On Friday, the Knights will play at 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. against either No. 20 Kansas State or George Mason. NC State, Penn State, Rider and South Carolina are also participating in the tournament, which concludes with games on Sunday.
Every contest at the tournament will be broadcast on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Tickets for the tournament are available at all Ticketmaster outlets. On Thursday, tickets can be purchased at the Milk House box office.
Season tickets for UCF home games are available by calling 407-UCF-1000. Single-game tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and at the UCF box office at Bright House Networks Stadium.
The Knights' next home contest is set for Nov. 28 against Presbyterian. UCF is off to a 2-0 start in 2007-08 after beating national power Nevada and Norfolk State. Both games were played at the new UCF Arena.
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. Also check out www.ucfphotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Notes: The Knights will practice at the new UCF Arena on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, the team will have a practice session at the Milk House... NC State and George Mason are receiving votes in both national polls.