Jan. 30, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Upon its arrival home to Orlando from Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, the UCF women's basketball team met Ken Carter, subject of the major motion picture Coach Carter, in Orlando International Airport.
Carter, who was in Orlando for a speaking engagement, approached Coach Joi Williams and her UCF team as they got off their plane Saturday afternoon and offered words of encouragement. Carter told the Knights that he won his first championship coaching a girls' basketball team and mentioned how important it was for the team to win at home. He told the UCF players, who on Thursday begin a four-game Conference USA homestand, that in 10 years of coaching, his teams lost only one home game.
Carter became nationally famous when he benched his entire team at Richmond High School in Richmond, Calif., which at the time was undefeated, for not meeting the academic standard he had set for them. Carter, who was portrayed in the movie by Samuel L. Jackson, quipped to the team that Jackson was taller, but that he [Carter] was better looking.
Today, Carter is an advocate for using sports to inspire kids to do their best academically and to achieve their dreams. For more information on Carter, please log on to www.coachcarter.com.
The Knights return to action Thursday when they play host to Marshall at 7 p.m. in the New UCF Arena. The game will be carried live on UCFAthletics.com with Scott Adams.
UCF will play host to the 2008 Conference USA Women's Basketball Tournament, March 6-9, at the new UCF Arena. Single-game and session ticket packages are now available. Call the UCFAA Ticket Sales Office at 407-823-1000. 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 pictures.