March 6, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - One of the best players in school history - senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) - will play at the UCF Arena for the final time Saturday when the UCF men's basketball team hosts East Carolina at 7 p.m. The contest will serve as the Knights' regular-season finale and fans are urged to arrive early for senior night festivities before the game.
Taylor, who ranks third nationally in scoring at 26.2 points per game, will be honored alongside senior center Kenrick Zondervan (Hoofddorp, Holland). An All-America candidate, Taylor has led the Knights (16-13, 6-9 Conference USA) in points 28 of the team's 29 games. He is averaging 28.7 points in C-USA action and has already established a league single-season record with 430 points. Taylor is UCF's career scoring leader at the Division I level (1,928).
East Carolina is 13-15 overall and 5-10 in the league.
Tickets for the game are available by calling Ticketmaster at (407) 839-3900 or by visiting UCFAthletics.com. The arena box office will be open before the game. The UCF baseball team hosts Monmouth Saturday and fans who attend the game at Jay Bergman Field can bring their ticket stub to the UCF Arena and purchase a special $5 ticket to watch the Knights face East Carolina. All UCF students are admitted free with a valid school ID.
UCF-East Carolina will air on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and WYGM 740 AM in Orlando. Marc Daniels will handle the play-by-play and will be joined by former UCF standout guard Mike O'Donnell. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. Live statistics and video will be available on UCFAthletics.com.
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.
UCF Tidbits
? The Knights will conclude the regular season at home, hosting the Pirates
? The contest will serve as the final home game for seniors Jermaine Taylor and Kenrick Zondervan
About East Carolina
? The Pirates, who are averaging 73.1 points per game, are one of the best shooting teams in Conference USA
? The squad is connecting on 37.8 percent of its 3-point attempts, good for second in the conference
? Sam Hinnant paces the team in scoring at 14.1 points
? Brock Young ranks first nationally, dishing out 7.6 assists an outing
? East Carolina has not played since falling 82-62 to visiting UAB on Feb. 28
? The Pirates will be looking to snap a four-game losing skid when they face the Knights
Series Information
? The Knights have a 9-1 edge in the all-time series with the Pirates and are 4-0 versus East Carolina at home
? On Feb. 7, the Pirates hit 15 3-pointers at home to post an 89-75 victory over UCF
? East Carolina shot 63.0 percent overall and 62.5 percent from 3-point range
? Jermaine Taylor paced the Knights with 24 points and Jamar Abrams led East Carolina with 25 points
? When the squads met in Orlando a year ago, UCF recorded one of the best offensive performances in Conference USA history as the Knights won 110-75 on Feb. 20
? UCF shot 61.2 percent from the floor and went 15-of-29 (68.4 percent) from 3-point range
? The 110 points ranked fourth on the C-USA single-game register
? Taylor (23 points) was one of three Knights who finished with double-figures in scoring
? In eight career contests versus the Pirates, Taylor is averaging 15.0 points
Last Time Out
? Jermaine Taylor totaled a game-high 29 points but the Knights fell 79-70 at Tulsa
? The Golden Hurricane, who were led by Jerome Jordan's 28 points, shot 51.9 percent overall
Up Next for the Knights
? On Monday, the Knights will leave Orlando for Memphis, Tenn., and the Conference USA Championship
? The first round begins Wednesday at the FedEx Forum
Closing Time
? UCF has claimed seven-consecutive home finales
? A year ago, UCF defeated Rice, 68-60, in the Knights' final contest in Orlando
? The Knights closed out the 2006-07 regular season with a 77-64 victory over East Carolina in the final game at the old UCF Arena
Home-Court Advantage
? The Knights have excelled offensively at home this season, averaging 78.5 points at the UCF Arena, compared to 65.5 away from Orlando
? UCF is 12-3 in Orlando in 2008-09
? Jermaine Taylor is averaging 29.8 points at home
Getting Offensive
? UCF is among the Conference USA leaders in field-goal percentage, shooting 45.2 percent overall
? That mark ranks third in the league
? The Knights are also third in C-USA in 3-point field goal percentage (35.9)
? The team is connecting on 7.2 triples an outing, good for second in the league
? UCF is attempting an average of 20.0 treys per game
Sharing the Rock
? Thanks to A.J. Rompza and Taylor Young, the Knights pace Conference USA and rank in the top-40 nationally in assists, averaging 15.5 a contest
Hit the Freeway
? The Knights lead Conference USA, shooting 79.7 percent at the free-throw line in league action
? The C-USA team single-season conference record in the category is 79.3 percent, which Houston achieved a year ago, making 234-of-295 attempts
? The fact that the Knights are enjoying success on the line should come as a surprise to those who watched the team play at the start of the year
? UCF shot 70.1 percent at the line during non-conference play
? UCF especially struggled at the charity stripe at the start of the season as the squad shot just 61.1 percent from the line during six games in November
? On the year, the Knights are shooting 74.7 percent at the line, which ranks second in C-USA
Free Falling
? If the campaign ended today, UCF's free-throw percentage (74.7) would be good for a school Division I single-season record
? The current D-I record is 73.0, which came during the 2002-03 campaign
? The school joined the D-I ranks in 1984
? UCF's 1975-76 squad established a program record by shooting 76.1 percent at the charity stripe
Moving On
? UCF's recent struggles can be traced back to when the team's starting power forward, Tony Davis, left the squad on Feb. 18
? In 11 Conference USA games with Davis, the Knights averaged 71.8 points, shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range and enjoyed a +4.7 rebound margin
? The Knights have played four games without Davis and have averaged 67.5 points, shot 29.8 from deep and posted a -4.7 rebound margin
? Davis appeared in 22 games this season and was the team's leading rebounder at 6.8 per contest
? He ranked second on the squad in scoring, averaging 9.8 points an outing
Hey Young World
? With eight true freshmen and 12 total underclassmen, UCF is the fifth youngest team in the country
? The Knights currently have just three upperclassmen - seniors Jermaine Taylor and Kenrick Zondervan and junior Drew Speraw
The Get Fresh Crew
? Freshmen have accounted for 38.7 percent of UCF's minutes this season
? That number would have been higher, but forward Dave Diakite only played in five contests early in the season before suffering an injury
? In the five games, he averaged 2.2 points and 3.6 boards in 14.2 minutes of action
The Youngsters
? During the campaign, underclassmen have played 62.4 percent of the minutes for the Knights
? The group is responsible for 42.7 percent of UCF's scoring
Senior Moments
? Kenrick Zondervan has clearly elevated his game in Conference USA play
? He is averaging 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds against league foes
? During the non-conference portion of UCF's schedule, he averaged 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds
Grab a Rebound
? Since being inserted into the UCF starting lineup against Houston on Feb. 21, A.J. Tyler has been strong on the glass for the Knights, averaging a team-high 6.8 rebounds in four contests
Pass it On
? A.J. Rompza is third in Conference USA and among the top-40 in the country, dishing out 5.1 assists per game
? He has registered at least five assists 16 times and on three occasions, the freshman has recorded at least 10 assists
? Rompza has played in 27 of UCF's games and has registered 139 assists
? The 139 assists are tied for seventh on UCF's single-season register
? A year ago, Chip Cartwright paced the squad with 107 assists on the season
Handle with Care
? Taylor Young is third in Conference USA and among the top-20 nationally with a 2.68 assist/turnover ratio
? The redshirt sophomore has recorded 102 assists with just 38 turnovers this year
Three's Company
? Isaac Sosa is shooting at a 47.4 percent clip from deep, making 55-of-116 attempts
? The percentage would lead Conference USA, but he is averaging less than two 3-pointers per game
? If the campaign ended today, his 3-point field goal percentage would rank third all-time at UCF
? Jason Thornton is the school's single-season record holder, connecting on 49.5 percent of his tries from deep in 1999-00
? Sosa, who has made six starts for the Knights, is second on the team among active players, averaging 8.3 points
Jermaine Taylor Notes
Scoring Machine
? One of the premier players in the country, Jermaine Taylor ranks third nationally in scoring at 26.2 points per game
? The shooting guard has led the Knights in scoring in 28 of the team's 29 contests in 2008-09
? Taylor has paced the squad in points in 24-consecutive games
? He has recorded eight 30-point showings and one 40-point performance
? In each of UCF's last 13 games, Taylor has scored at least 20 points
? Below is a list of the leading scorers in the nation, through games of March 5:
1. Stephen Curry, Davidson (28.4)
2. Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin (27.1)
3. Jermaine Taylor, UCF (26.2)
4. David Holston, Chicago State (25.8)
5. Jodie Meeks, Kentucky (25.0)
Major League
? The senior is averaging 28.7 points in Conference USA play and his 430 points are a league single-season record
? He established the record Wednesday at Tulsa
? Robert McKiver of Houston previously occupied the top spot with 406 points last year
? If the season ended today, Taylor's conference scoring average would be a league record
? Morris Almond of Rice holds the league's overall single-season scoring mark with 844 points in 2006-07
? Taylor has scored 761 points this year, already good for a school Division I record
? Almond averaged a C-USA record 26.4 points in 2006-07; Taylor's average is second
Field Day
? Taylor's 274 field goals in 2008-09 are already a Conference USA single-season record
? In league play, his 151 field goals are also good for a conference best
Moving On Up
? Taylor needs only 18 points versus East Carolina to move to fourth on the Conference USA career scoring list
? Louisville's Reece Gaines (1999-03) is fourth at 1,945 points
Award Tour
? Taylor received what should be the first of many accolades this spring on March 4 when he earned a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 11 First Team
? He is now eligible for NABC All-America honors, which will be announced at the Final Four in Detroit in April
? Taylor was joined on the first team by fellow Conference USA standouts Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Jerome Jordan (Tulsa), Aubrey Coleman (Houston) and Robert Dozier (Memphis)
Pick Six
? Taylor averaged 35.0 points over UCF's last six contests
? During games against UTEP, Tulsa (twice), Houston, Rice and Marshall, he shot 47.9 percent overall and went 52-of-61 (85.2 percent) at the free throw line
? He averaged 10.2 trips to the charity stripe per game during the span
The Number One Spot ? During the first half of UCF's victory over Tulsa on Feb. 14, Taylor became UCF's all-time leading scorer at the Division I level (since 1984-85)
? He has totaled 1,928 points during his time in Orlando
? Against the Golden Hurricane, he passed Ken Leeks, who scored 1,763 points from 1988-92
? Taylor is third all-time on the school's overall career scoring list
? Bo Clark (1975-77, 78-80) is the program's career leader with 2,866 points
Shot Caller
? Taylor, who is hitting 49.0 percent of his shots, is the most accurate shooter among the top-10 scorers in the country
? Davidson's Stephen Curry, who paces the nation in scoring, is shooting 45.6 percent overall
? Taylor is sixth in Conference USA in the category
Triple Trouble
? Taylor is shooting 38.7 percent from 3-point range, good for fourth in the conference
? Taylor leads the league with a 3.5 triples per game average in conference games
? Against Houston on Feb. 4, Taylor hit three treys to become UCF's career leader in 3-pointers
? He has made 245 triples at UCF
? Jason Thornton was the all-time leader in the category as he hit 220 3-pointers from 1998-02
? Taylor has attempted a school record 646 3-pointers during his career
More with Less
? Last season, Taylor averaged a team-high 20.8 points in 33.5 minutes per game
? This year, he has been more productive despite playing less minutes, averaging 26.2 points in only 31.6 minutes
Honor Roll
? Taylor has garnered five Conference USA Player of the Week honors this season
? The five C-USA Player of the Week awards for Taylor are the most in a single season for a league player since the 2002-03 campaign, when Dwyane Wade of Marquette was recognized five times
? Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati holds the league single-season record, earning six honors in 1999-00
? During his career, Taylor has been honored seven times