Nov. 8, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF kicked off the 2008-09 basketball campaign in exciting fashion Saturday evening with the inaugural postgame madness at the UCF Arena. The free event included an intra-squad scrimmage, plus a chance for fans to select their season ticket seat location.
The scrimmage gave fans their first opportunity to see this year's edition of the Knights. The squad, led by All-Conference USA Preseason Team selection Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.), includes seven true freshmen.
An estimated 2,000 fans watched the Black squad post an 89-83 victory over the Gold team. The event was held following the UCF-Southern Miss Homecoming football game at Bright House Networks Stadium.
Taylor, who enters the campaign as the 10th-leading returning scorer in the nation, paced all players with 31 points. Freshman guard Isaac Sosa (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) added 23 points in the win.
The Black led for most of the contest, and the Gold squad got within two points late in the game on a basket from freshman forward P.J. Gaynor (Jacksonville, Fla.). Black answered on its next possession as Taylor found senior center Kenrick Zondervan (Hoofddorp, Holland) in the paint and Zondervan scored and was fouled. The 3-point play gave Black an 87-82 edge.
Freshman forward Dave Diakite (Washington, D.C.) led Gold with 20 points. Sophomore forward Jean Michel Yotio (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) chipped in with 17 points in the losing effort.
"It was a great environment," said Speraw. "Our guys gave a good effort out there and put on a good show for the fans. They shot the ball well and passed the ball well, but there is still a lot to learn."
Sosa and Taylor both drained five 3-pointers in the win.
Associate head coach Mike Jaskulski served as the coach for the Black team, while assistant coach Craig Brown guided the Gold squad. Speraw provided instruction for both teams.
Following the scrimmage, the Knights stuck around to participate in an autograph session. UCF President Dr. John C. Hitt and director of athletics Keith Tribble were among the spectators in attendance for the game.
The Knights are slated to return to the court on Tuesday, hosting Flagler in an exhibition game. Admission is free for the preseason contest.
Speraw's team will open the regular season on Nov. 16, hosting North Carolina A&T at the UCF Arena. The Knights will play 16 contests at home in 2008-09, including a non-conference clash with cross-state foe USF and a Conference USA game with national power Memphis.
Season tickets are currently on sale. To order your season tickets, 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.
Unofficial Scrimmage Scoring Statistics
Black
Jermaine Taylor 31
Isaac Sosa 23
Kenrick Zondervan 16
A.J. Tyler 9
Jakub Kusmieruk 5
Chris Baez 4
A.J. Rompza 1
Gold
Dave Diakite 20
Jean Michel Yotio 17
Taylor Young 15
Drew Speraw 12
P.J. Gaynor 9
Amara Thompson 6
Will Weathers 4