Dec. 17, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Three years ago when Carlos Arroyo joined the Orlando Magic, the organization's marketing staff reached out to Hispanics in central Florida. Arroyo, a Puerto Rican, helped the team attract fans that previously never attended National Basketball Association games.
UCF is hoping that freshman guard Isaac Sosa (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) can also help the school tap in the region's large Hispanic market.
Sosa, who speaks both English and Spanish, is currently second on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game. Earlier this week, he received Conference USA Rookie of the Week honors after hitting six 3-pointers and finishing with 22 points in the Knights' win over Florida Tech.
Before the season began, Sosa's image was used on a Spanish schedule poster. He is also the face of a promotion for UCF's next home contest - Hispanic Heritage Night on Dec. 22 versus Valparaiso.
Sosa, who is in his third year in the United States, is happy to help UCF with its marketing efforts.
"It is great that they are trying to use my image to bring people from Latin countries to our games," Sosa said. "I never thought it would be like that. I am very happy about that. My mom and dad are very happy about that."
Earlier this week, Sosa helped get the word out about the UCF program by appearing on Hablemos de Negocios, a radio program that airs on Mega 98.1 in Orlando each Sunday morning at 9 a.m. The show is sponsored by the Metro Orlando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
During the taping of the show, Sosa spoke to the chamber's marketing director, Gaby Ortigoni, about his path to UCF. The episode will run in the near future.
Sosa and the Knights will face a tough test Saturday as the team will play Florida in Jacksonville. Tip-off at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. The contest will be televised live statewide on Fox Sports Florida.
A UCF Basketball Outback Steakhouse Four-Pack is currently available for only $50 by calling the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000. The four-pack offers the best seat available at the UCF Arena for the Knights' Jan. 10 contest with national power Memphis. The package also includes tickets to UCF's Conference USA games with SMU (Jan. 28), Houston (Feb. 4) and East Carolina (March 7).
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: When the Knights meet Florida, it will mark the team's second contest against a Southeastern Conference program this season. The squad played at Ole Miss on Nov. 26... The Knights will head north to Jacksonville on Friday afternoon. UCF will practice at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena that evening.