Oct. 17, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Practice is now in full swing for the UCF women's basketball team, as the Knights kicked off the 2008-09 season Friday with the first practice in their brand-new practice facility located in The Venue.
The practice marks the beginning of the second season of the Joi Williams era. Williams' first season saw the Knights hit double figures in wins for the first time in the past since 2005-05. UCF finished the season at 10-20 overall and 3-13 in Conference USA action.
"It is exciting in this time of year," said Williams. "There were some things that we had to work on, but overall our energy and enthusiasm were both good. Our returning players were a lot more vocal, and you can tell they are a lot more comfortable."
While the Knights welcome back eight sophomores who played important roles in 2007-08. The freshmen class accounted for 91 percent of the team's minutes a season ago. Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) is the squad's leading returning scorer at 11.7 points per contest.
It was the first collegiate practice for a trio of freshmen - Racine Davis (Tamarac, Fla.), Ashia Kelly (Kilgore, Texas) and Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.).
"I was really excited to start practice," said sophomore guard Jelisa Caldwell (Macon, Ga.). "We started off with a lot of intensity and we did really well today overall on defense. We have some things we need to work on, but overall I was excited to get started."
The first game for UCF is less than one month away when the Knights travel to Boulder, Colo., for a meeting with Colorado.
Fans will get their first look at UCF on Nov. 8 when the Knights host DT3 in an exhibition game at the new UCF Arena. The regular season home opener will take place on Friday, Nov. 21, when Florida A&M visits for a 7 p.m. contest. The following day, Florida Atlantic visits for a 5 p.m. tip-off.
Season tickets for the UCF women's basketball program are currently on sale through the UCF ticket sales office. For more information about the arena's premium seating options, including club seats, group discounts, courtside tables and suites, contact the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000 or visit the women's basketball ticket page at UCFAthletics.cstv.com/tickets/w-baskbl-tickets.html.
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.