Feb. 5, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - As a rookie in 2005-06, senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) shot just 30.4 percent from 3-point range, making 17-of-56 attempts. Following his freshman year, Taylor worked with head coach Kirk Speraw to improve his shooting form.
Three years later, Taylor is now UCF's all-time leader in 3-pointers. Three triples against Houston Wednesday evening gave Taylor 221 for his career, passing Jason Thornton (1998-02) for the top spot on the school's 3-point field goals made register.
This season, Taylor, who ranks seventh nationally in scoring at 24.0 points per game, has connected on 62 treys. He is shooting 41.6 percent from deep, good for 28th in the country.
Taylor scored 26 points versus Houston. During the game he moved to 10th on the Conference USA career scoring list with 1,694 points. He is fifth in school history in career scoring.
Taylor is 70 points shy of becoming UCF's all-time leading scorer at the Division I level. Ken Leeks, who played from 1988-92, currently occupies the top spot with 1,763 points.
The Knights (15-7, 5-3 C-USA) will return to action Saturday at East Carolina. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the contest will be aired on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and 740 AM in Orlando. The team's next home game is Feb. 14 against Tulsa.
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: Former UCF head coach Torchy Clark attended the game against Houston at the UCF Arena. A member of the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame, Clark guided the Knights from 1969-83, winning 274 games... When the Knights face East Carolina, they will be seeking their 16th victory of the year. In 2007-08, the squad won 16 games the entire campaign... After grabbing 13 boards versus the Cougars, junior forward Tony Davis (Sarasota, Fla.) is averaging 8.4 rebounds in C-USA play, which ranks fifth in the league.