March 18, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - With the 2007-08 season now completed for the Knights, members of the UCF men's basketball team have one goal for the offseason: to get better. The team concluded its season on Thursday at the Conference USA Championship and is slated to begin offseason workouts within the next few weeks.
One player who is eager to improve is junior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares). Taylor was an All-C-USA Second Team selection after averaging 20.8 points during the season. He totaled 646 points, which ranked fifth on UCF's single-season register and were the most scored by a Knight since the school joined the Division I ranks in 1984.
Despite hitting six 3-pointers and finishing with a game-high 25 points against Southern Miss in the C-USA Championship quarterfinals, Taylor was not pleased with his performance at the end of the season. Following the game in Memphis, Tenn., he told reporters that he plans to be a team leader next season.
"I think I learned a lot this year," Taylor said. "I know what I need to do for my team to be successful next year. We just have to come out and play hard. We have to give it our all."
Taylor's leadership will be vital for the Knights as the team will lose senior guard Mike O'Donnell (Largo, Fla./Largo), who has served as the squad's captain in each of the last two seasons. Fellow senior guard Dave Noel (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach) also had a leadership role with the Knights this past year.
Taylor paced the team in scoring in 24 of UCF's 31 contests.
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