Oct. 22, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Since arriving at UCF in 2006, junior forward Tony Davis (Sarasota, Fla.) has never had to be a scorer for the Knights. Instead, UCF's coaching staff expected to the lanky Davis to rebound and contribute on the defensive end.
Following the departure of two of the squad's top scorers from a year ago, guard Dave Noel and Mike O'Donnell, UCF head coach Kirk Speraw now needs Davis to increase his offensive output. In 2007-08, Davis averaged 6.4 points per game to go with a team-high 5.9 rebounds. He appeared in 29 games, making nine starts at power forward.
This season, Davis hopes to take pressure off of UCF's offensive leader, senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.). Taylor averaged 20.8 points last year, but had the benefit of playing with Noel and O'Donnell.
"I have to take over the scoring role and help Jermaine out," Davis said. "Last year, it was O'Donnell and Noel and Jermaine. Now it is time for me to step up to one of their roles."
Davis had some strong offensive performances last season, including a 16-point performance in a home win over UTEP. During the year he did struggle with his shot, and connected on just 6-of-34 (.176) of his 3-point attempts.
The 6-foot-7 Davis bulked up over the summer and now weighs 200 pounds. He was listed at 195 pounds a year ago. With the added muscle, he expects to be more of a presence in the paint as a junior.
"Coach wanted me to work on (my game) in the low post more. We have a lot of guards, so we need some scoring there down low," Davis said.
Davis and the Knights are slated to open the regular season on Nov. 16, hosting North Carolina A&T at the new UCF Arena. UCF will play 16 home contests this year, including a showdown with cross-state foe USF on Dec. 6 and a Conference USA contest with national power Memphis on Jan. 10.
Season tickets are currently available. To order your season tickets today, and to learn more about the Fastbreak Club and other premium seating options, 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.
Notes: For the first time since practice officially began last Friday, the Knights are not slated to practice Wednesday. The team will return to the practice court on Thursday afternoon... On Saturday morning, the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches will hold a free clinic for coaches at all levels at the UCF Basketball Practice Facility. Visit FABChoops.com for more information.