Dec. 9, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - With the loss of Josh Peppers due to graduation following last season, junior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) was expected to become UCF's go-to-player on offense in 2007-08. Eight games into the campaign, Taylor has done just that.
He currently paces the team in scoring at 17.6 points per game, which ranks fifth in Conference USA. Taylor has led the Knights in points in each of the last five contests.
Against Ole Miss yesterday, Taylor led all players with 19 points. He is starting for the first time as a Knight.
Last year, Taylor was second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game. An All-C-USA Second Team selection, Peppers paced the squad in points (14.3).
UCF head coach Kirk Speraw has been impressed with Taylor's progression, but notes that the swingman still has room to improve.
"I think that Jermaine is getting better," Speraw said. "He is a great listener and tries to improve. I think that he is at a very important stage of his development. He is getting better defensively and making fewer mistakes there. He is getting better offensively."
UCF returns to the hardwood on Tuesday, hosting Louisiana-Lafayette at 7 p.m. at the new UCF Arena.
Single-game tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and at the UCF ticket office at Bright House Networks Stadium.
Season tickets are still available by calling 407-UCF-1000.
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 UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports photos.
Notes: The Knights are slated to practice for two hours on Sunday afternoon at the new UCF Arena... Ole Miss entered Saturday's contest averaging 94.5 points per game, which ranked second in the nation. UCF limited the Rebels to a season-low 76 points.