Jan. 8, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After an impressive high school career, Jason Thornton arrived at UCF in 1997 as a walk on. He left the program five years later as the most prolific 3-point shooter in school history.
The Orlando native connected on a UCF record 220 triples from 1998-02. Playing for head coach Kirk Speraw, Thornton developed into one of the top long distance shooters in the nation.
As a junior, he ranked second in the country, making 49.5 percent of his attempts from deep. Thornton made a then school-record 94 treys that year. Against Jacksonville State on Jan. 10, 2000, he tied a UCF record by hitting eight 3-pointers.
For his career, Thornton shot 43.6 percent from deep. He had his best overall offensive campaign as a sophomore, averaging 12.7 points and 3.1 boards. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard started all 32 of the Knights' contests that year. Speraw's 2008-09 squad has a big game Saturday, opening Conference USA play against national power Memphis at the UCF Arena. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.
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 Memphis contest. 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.
The 2008-09 campaign marks the UCF men's basketball program's 40th season. To commemorate the anniversary, UCF is unveiling the top-40 players in school history. Members of the UCF athletics communications office worked with UCF basketball historian Bill Beekman to select the best players who finished their collegiate careers as Knights. One player from the list will be recognized each Thursday at UCFAthletics.com.