Oct. 19, 2009
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Fans expecting one player to fill the scoring role that Jermaine Taylor filled for the Knights last season are going to be disappointed. According to several Knights, UCF will have more of a collective effort on offense this season.
Taylor averaged 26.2 points per game in 2008-09, good for third in the country. The senior shooting guard totaled a school Division I record 812 points during his All-America campaign. Now that Taylor has taken his game to the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets, expect several Knights to increase their offensive output.
"Everyone has to step it up," junior forward A.J. Tyler (Palm Harbor, Fla.) said. "We don't have a scorer like Jermaine. It should be more balanced."
In his first year competing for the Knights after transferring from Clemson, Tyler averaged 7.1 points last year. He actually had his best game of the season when Taylor struggled against Southern Miss at the Conference USA Championship. While Taylor was limited to 15 points, the forward totaled 16 points and connected on two 3-pointers.
Sophomore guard Isaac Sosa (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) was the team's second-leading scorer last season at 8.2 points per game. Like Tyler, he knows that he will have a bigger role offensively without Taylor on the squad.
"It should be (larger)," he said. "Those are big shoes to fill. That is how we all feel. I think the coaches expect more of me compared to last year."
Sosa, Tyler and the rest of the Knights will open the regular season on Nov. 13, hosting Massachusetts at the UCF Arena. Season tickets start at just $79 and are available by calling (407) UCF-1000 or by visiting 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.
Notes: Fans who have already ordered their season tickets should expect to receive the tickets in the mail late next week... When UCF hosts Saint Leo on Nov. 4, it will mark the second time in three years that the Knights have faced the school in an exhibition contest. On Nov. 3, 2007, the Knights met the Lions in the first contest at the UCF Arena.