Nov. 29, 2009
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - On Tuesday, the head coach leading UCF's opponent at the UCF Arena will know all about the Knights' complex offense. He will also be aware of what head coach Kirk Speraw's squad likes to do defensively.
First-year Newberry head coach Steve DeMeo spent the 2008-09 campaign as an assistant at UCF, and will bring a deep knowledge of the Knights to the visiting bench Tuesday.
"He certainly is going to know what we do," Speraw said. "He knows all of our calls that we do. He knows our personnel and everything. He is going to know a lot about us."
In his lone year in Orlando, DeMeo made a big impact on the UCF program. On the recruiting trail, he helped the Knights secure redshirt freshman forward Dave Diakite out of Washington, D.C. Diakite totaled a career-high 21 points in UCF's 76-72 win over visiting Albany Saturday.
Speraw will watch some Newberry film Sunday. He already knows that DeMeo's offensive and defensive schemes will have several different elements.
"What they do might be a little bit different. I think it will be a mix of what we do, and it might be a lot of what he used (to do) at Providence," Speraw said.
Before joining the UCF staff, DeMeo was the associate head coach at Providence.
The contest will not mark the first time that Speraw has coached against one of his assistants. In 2006, the Knights defeated visiting Texas-Pan Am in the UCF Holiday Classic title game. The Broncs were coached by former UCF associate head coach Tom Schuberth.
Newberry, a Division II program in South Carolina, has won three-straight games.
A special "Pick Your Starting Five" ticket plan is currently available for UCF home contests at the UCF Arena. 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: After meeting Newberry, the Knights will leave Florida for the first time this season when the squad heads to Indiana to meet Notre Dame on Sunday... The Knights are 3-0 at home this season... Sophomore guard Isaac Sosa hit three triples against Albany. On the year, he is shooting 52.9 percent (18-of-34) from 3-point range.