Sept. 25, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF fans had just one year to enjoy watching Mark Jones play for the Knights. The shooting guard still gave fans plenty of highlights during his short stint in Orlando, as he averaged 20.8 points as a senior in 1997-98.
The Milwaukee, Wis., native arrived at UCF in 1996 after one season at Minnesota. He started 16 contests for the Golden Gophers and averaged 8.0 points in 1995-96. Prior to Minnesota, he spent two years at Anderson Junior College in South Carolina.
Jones made the most of time with the Knights as he proved that he was one of the best players in program history. He helped head coach Kirk Speraw's squad to 17 victories as he totaled a UCF Division I single-season record 581 points.
Jones wasted little showing off his offensive skills. In UCF's season opener against Auburn, he recorded 24 points and also added 11 boards. On 18 occasions he paced the Knights in scoring during the year. He scored over 25 points seven times, including a school D-I record 42 points in a win over St. Thomas.
Jones was a prolific scorer despite the fact that he made just 30 triples during the year.
Following the regular season, Jones became the first player in Atlantic Sun history to earn the league's player of the year and newcomer of the year awards in the same campaign.
In addition to leading the team in points, Jones was UCF's top rebounder in 1997-98, averaging 7.2 boards per contest.
Jones attended the 1998 National Basketball Association Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago, but did not hear his name called on draft night. After playing professionally in both the United States and overseas for several years, Jones became the first UCF player to appear in an NBA game in 2005 when he spent time with the Orlando Magic.
Speraw's Knights are slated to open the 2008-09 campaign on Nov. 16, hosting North Carolina A&T at the new UCF Arena. UCF will play 16 contests at the state-of-the-art facility, including games against cross-state foe USF and 2008 national runner-up Memphis. Season tickets are currently available at UCFAthletics.com. For information about premium seating, 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.