Nov. 24, 2009
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With five games in nine days to start the season, UCF's young squad has already passed its first test. Despite a grueling beginning to the campaign, head coach Kirk Speraw's Knights are 4-1 with big wins over Massachusetts and Auburn in the books.
After Sunday's victory over Drake to close out the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, UCF has nearly a week to prepare for its next contest. On Saturday at 5 p.m., the Knights will host Albany at the UCF Arena.
The Knights have won games thanks to their offensive output (Massachusetts, Auburn) and their gritty defense (Howard, Drake). Speraw says that has been pleased with how his squad has shown improvement early on. He is also looking forward to having some time to focus on the fundamentals.
"They've made good progress," he said of the Knights. "We've had to throw an awful lot at them early because games came fast. So a lot was thrown at them before the UMass game, because we knew that we did not have a lot of time to practice and prepare for the games after that. Now we've got a week, so hopefully we can get back to some of the details."
UCF's 4-1 start is the best for the program since the Knights opened 2006-07 with six-consecutive wins. The Knights finished that campaign 22-9 overall. A special "Pick Your Starting Five" ticket plan is currently available. The plan allows fans to select tickets to five games of their choice for as little as $45. To purchase the "Pick Your Starting Five Plan" today, call (407) UCF-1000 or visit 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: The Knights had Monday off, and will be back at the UCF Practice Facility Tuesday afternoon... Through five games, freshman forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) is averaging 2.0 blocks per game. He totaled four swats in UCF's 59-50 win over Drake Sunday in Daytona Beach... When UCF hosts Albany Saturday, it will mark the Knights' first contest against the Great Danes.