Aug. 21, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Before getting classes started again on Monday, the UCF women's basketball players arrived back on campus and teamed up Friday to begin the 2009-10 school year the right way - by giving back to the community. The Knights' players and staff took a trip to the Coalition for the Homeless in downtown Orlando to spend time with the children at the organization.
After arriving at the Coalition for the Homeless, head coach Joi Williams talked to the children and introduced the team and the staff. The children also introduced themselves to the Knights, and then it was off to the court to play basketball.
A couple of intense games of "Knockout" were played, and the children gave the UCF players everything they could handle with some clutch shooting. One of the young boys even knocked out junior Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.), the reigning Conference USA Tournament MVP.
"Getting the team together to give back to the community is the perfect way for our program to get back together as a family and begin the school year," said head coach Joi Williams. "It is an important reminder that we are in the positions we are in at UCF to do more than just play basketball and go to class. Our players do a great job with the kids and have a lot of fun."
After playing basketball, a high-spirited kickball game ensued as the UCF players took on the children and the women's basketball staff. The back-and-forth contest featured a home run by freshman Gevenia "Ne" Carter (Houston, Texas), strong pitching by associate head coach Greg Brown and a 2-for-2 performance at the plate by Williams, but in the end it was the Knight players earning a 14-13 victory.
The players and the kids also autographed the court in chalk with their names.
"Doing community service is good for our team because it gives us a chance to stay grounded, to get away from being student-athletes for a day and to be humanitarians," said senior Jessica Hall (Tallahassee, Fla.). "The best part about today at the Coalition for the Homeless was the chance to hang out with the kids and play with them. They look up to athletes, so it felt good to spend time with them."
The Knights begin fall semester classes on Monday, Aug. 24 before getting individual workouts underway in the coming weeks. Coming off a C-USA tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament a season ago, UCF begins official practice for the 2009-10 season on Oct. 15.
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.