Jan. 11, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Postgame press conferences are often filled with generic answers and clichés. Not last night. After the Knights nearly toppled national power Memphis in front of a record crowd, the press session at the UCF Arena was filled with emotion, insight and thoughtful responses.
After watching his Tigers, who appeared in the national title game a year ago, hang on for a 73-66 win over UCF before 9,825 fans, urged the Orlando community to support the Knights on a nightly basis.
Senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.), who poured in a game-high 24 points against Memphis, vowed that the contest would be a momentum builder for the young Knights.
Head coach Kirk Speraw concluded the press conference by telling the media members that the atmosphere inside the arena Saturday could be duplicated each game if Orlando fully supports the program.
It was quite a press conference.
Known for his loquaciousness, Calipari started by praising UCF's fans. He ended by questioning why the UCF Arena is not packed for every contest.
"How about that crowd. I'm going to tell you, we played (at) Georgetown. Better environment right here," he said. "But all I'm saying to this community (is) you got a jewel. This is like a jewel here that I don't understand why people here aren't like this is our program. And all I would say to everyone in this community, I'd jump on now. Get great seats, watch this thing go."
Taylor did all he could do to keep the Knights in the game against Memphis. He connected on 9-of-21 shots from the floor, hit three triples and grabbed seven boards in 36 minutes. The nation's seventh-leading scorer at 23.7 points per game, Taylor credited the crowd support for helping his team play with passion versus the Tigers.
"I think that was the reason why we played them so close was because of the fans. They pumped us up. They had us ready to go, especially in the first half. I think they had a big part in us coming as close as we did."
Taylor was asked about his thoughts on facing Memphis for the last time during his career. The Knights are not scheduled to face the Tigers again during the regular season, but Taylor feels that his young team might meet Memphis at the Conference USA Championship in March.
"I don't think this is our last time seeing them," he said. "I think we're going to see them again in the future. We're just going to have to come and give more effort, play harder."
After appearing on UCF's postgame radio show with Marc Daniels, Speraw wrapped up the press conference by commending the fans and echoing Calipari's statements.
"Look what we could have if everybody buys in," the veteran head coach said about the atmosphere inside the arena. "But for whatever reason, we haven't gotten everybody to buy in. But this is what we could have."
The Knights won't have too much time to think about the Memphis game as the squad will return to action Tuesday at UAB. Tip-off from Bartow Arena is set for 8 p.m. Eastern and the game will be televised regionally on CSS and in Orlando on Bright House Sports Network.
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: The Knights are scheduled to practice Sunday afternoon. The team will leave for Alabama on Monday morning... Speraw used a season-low eight players last night. Sophomore forward A.J. Tyler (Palm Harbor, Fla.) led UCF reserves with eight points in 22 minutes... Due to the contest at UAB, The Kirk Speraw Radio Show will be held on Wednesday at Rivals Sports Bar and Grille on Alafaya Trail in Oviedo. The hour-long program, which airs on the UCF ISP Sports Network and 740 AM in Orlando, begins at 6 p.m.