Aug. 12, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - As a member of the United States Marines, Stanley Billings traveled all over the world, working in various countries, including Cuba, Japan and Iraq. Basketball will take Billings to a new location this fall, as the former UCF center recently signed a professional contract with a team in Mexico.
Billings, who concluded his UCF career this past season, will join Bravos de Piedras Negras of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Professional in September. Piedras Negras is located in the northern part of Mexico and is three hours from San Antonio, Texas.
The 6-foot-11 Billings started 23 games for the Knights last season and averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 boards. In two campaigns at UCF, the Orlando native swatted 51 shots.
Billings joined the Knights in 2006 after spending two seasons at Independence Community College in Kansas. He did not play organized basketball while in high school and took up the game while in the Marines. Billings spent eight years in the military.
During his time at UCF, Billings garnered national media attention for his unique path to Division I basketball. Last year, USA Today included a story on Billings.
Season tickets for the Knights' 2008-09 home campaign at the new UCF Arena are slated to go on sale later this summer. Head coach Kirk Speraw's squad won 12 contests in Orlando in their inaugural campaign at the state-of-the-art venue a year ago.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.