Nov. 20, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - There will be no sleeping in late for the Knights on Friday morning. Less than two days after returning to UCF after their first road game of the season, members of the team will embark on another long trip.
Head coach Kirk Speraw's Knights are scheduled to depart campus at 5:45 a.m. Friday to head to Orlando International Airport, where the squad will fly to Albuquerque, N.M. UCF will continue a stretch of five-straight games away from home when it plays New Mexico on Saturday evening.
Typically, UCF begins the season with a bevy of home games. This season is different. Despite have seven true freshmen, the Knights are barely in Orlando to start the campaign. The tough string of contests began on Tuesday at Valparaiso. Speraw believes that the road games could be beneficial for his team.
"It could be helpful in regards to getting to know one another and spending time away from their normal routines," he said.
After facing New Mexico, the Knights will head back to Orlando Sunday. Two days later the squad will again leave the Sunshine State, this time traveling to meet Ole Miss on Wednesday. Following the contest with the Rebels, UCF will fly to Cancun, Mexico, for a pair of games at the Cancun Challenge.
Sophomore guard Taylor Young (Orlando, Fla.) agrees with Speraw that the time away from home could aid the Knights in the long run.
"It will help us grow early. We are going to have some early tests on the road," Young said. "We are going to have to come together as a team earlier than later. With a lot of new guys, it will be a good way for us to get to know one another better and go through some good tests early."
UCF will not play again at home until Dec. 6 when it hosts cross-state foe USF. Season tickets are still available, starting at just $99. To order your season tickets today, and to learn more about the Fastbreak Club and other premium seating opportunities, 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: After signing a National Letter of Intent to play for the Knights yesterday, Keith Clanton received considerable media coverage in Orlando. A 6-foot-8 forward from Orlando Christian Prep, Clanton was featured in Thursday's Orlando Sentinel and on a few local television newscasts last night... A day after traveling from Chicago to Orlando, the Knights practiced on Thursday afternoon on campus. Speraw gave the team the day off yesterday... A pair of former Knights watched UCF play at Valparaiso. Eric Riggs (1995-96) recently finished a minor-league baseball career and lives in the Indianapolis area. Adam Gill, who concluded time with the Knights in 2007, watched some of his former teammates play against the Crusaders. The Ohio native is currently in his first year of law school at Michigan State.