July 23, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - At this time a year ago, UCF freshman forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) was making a name for himself on the national basketball scene. In 2008, Clanton led Team Breakdown to the AAU 17-and-under national championship at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista.
In the title game, Clanton scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 77-60 win over the New York Gauchos. After his championship game performance, he was named the tournament MVP.
According to UCF associate head coach Mike Jaskulski, Clanton's tournament performance helped raise his recruiting stock. It also showed that he will do whatever it takes for his team to win. Clanton's squad featured two of the top guards in the nation in Brandon Knight and Kenny Boynton. Boynton will play at Florida next year and Knight is listed as the top prep player in the country by Rivals.com.
"The people who voted Keith MVP appreciated the load that he had to carry. He was the only big that they (Team Breakdown) had," Jaskulski said. "He was so unselfish. He created opportunities for his teammates because he is such a good passer."
Clanton signed a National Letter of Intent with the Knights last fall. He had an impressive senior campaign at Orlando Christian Prep, finishing the year as the 60th-best player in the country according to HoopScoop. The Florida Class 1A Player of the Year, he averaged 18.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.9 blocked shots. Clanton led the Warriors to a 30-2 record and their second-straight Florida Class 1A state title.
Season tickets for the 2009-10 campaign are currently on sale. New season ticket orders are currently being accepted by the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000 or by visiting UCFAthletics.com. Head coach Kirk Speraw's team will open the slate on Nov. 13, hosting UMass at the UCF Arena.
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: USF released its non-conference schedule this week and the Bulls are slated to host the Knights on Dec. 15 at the Sun Dome in Tampa. Last year, UCF recorded a 71-63 victory over USF at the UCF Arena. The contest will serve as a homecoming for junior forward A.J. Tyler (Palm Harbor, Fla.). When the Knights played at USF two years ago, Tyler was redshirting after transferring from Clemson.