Sept. 11, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - During the 1975-76 season, head coach Torchy Clark's Knights were one of the nation's most exciting teams, averaging 94.8 points per game. With skilled offensive players like Bo Clark, Jerry Prather and Bennie Shaw on the squad, scoring was not a problem for the Knights.
While Bo Clark, Prather and Shaw were busy putting the ball in the basket, Willy Belotte was taking care of the dirty work. The undersized post player grabbed rebounds and defended in the post, making it possible for his teammates to concentrate on scoring.
As a senior in 1975-76, Belotte helped UCF win 20 games and earn a spot in the Division II NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Knights defeated a pair of No. 1 nationally-ranked teams (Florida Southern, Rollins) in a seven-day span during the year and then beat the Tars to claim the inaugural Sunshine State Conference Championship title.
Belotte averaged just over five points that season, but was one of the team's leaders on the glass. The previous year as a junior, he averaged 10.6 points and 8.6 boards.
He finished his career with 698 rebounds, good for third in school history.
Season tickets for UCF's 2008-09 campaign are currently available. Head coach Kirk Speraw's Knights are slated to open the year on Nov. 16, hosting North Carolina A&T. The squad will play 16 games at the new UCF Arena, including a Conference USA contest with national runner-up Memphis. For more information about season tickets, contact the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to 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 UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
The 2008-09 campaign will mark the UCF men's basketball program's 40th season. To commemorate the anniversary, UCF is unveiling the top-40 players in school history. Members of the UCF athletics communications office worked with UCF basketball historian Bill Beekman to select the best players who finished their collegiate careers as Knights. One player from the list will be recognized each Thursday at UCFAthletics.com.