Dec. 27, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Slow down. Freshman guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) has heard the advice from UCF's coaching staff virtually every day since he arrived on campus over the summer. When Rompza has the ball, head coach Kirk Speraw and his assistants want the point guard to take his time, survey the defense and make good decisions.
A look at his statistics over UCF's last four games shows that Rompza is following the advice. During that span, he dished out 28 assists and had just nine turnovers as the Knights went 3-1. He also averaged 7.3 points while shooting 57.9 percent overall and 66.7 percent from 3-point range.
Rompza recognizes that slowing down his game is vital for him to be successful on the collegiate level. He began his career by totaling 19 assists and 15 turnovers in UCF's first six games of the campaign.
"In a way, I think it is definitely slowing down. The coaches really helped me through that," Rompza said. "At first, I was just going one speed. I still might be going one speed, but there are still transitions and times when I will slow down. I know when to go and when not to go."
Speraw notices the change in Rompza's pace.
"He is making good progress right now," he said. "You can see that he is much more comfortable with his tempo and what he is doing out there. He is not so rushed. He is making good decisions. He is not turning the ball over. He is creating and getting in the gaps and creating for his teammates."
Rompza and the Knights will return to action Monday, hosting Penn at 7 p.m. as part of the UCF Holiday Classic. The following day, UCF will face either Campbell or Chicago State.
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: Rompza ranks fifth in C-USA in assists per game (4.7)... When UCF meets Penn, the programs will be playing for the first time on the hardwood... The Knights have not met Campbell since Feb. 26, 2005, when UCF posted a 63-52 win over the Camels in the program's final Atlantic Sun Conference regular season game.