Nov. 3, 2009
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Fans can get their first look at the 2009-10 UCF men's basketball team Wednesday when the Knights host St. Leo at 7 p.m. at the UCF Arena for an exhibition game. The contest will serve as UCF's lone preseason game.
Admission is free at the UCF Arena and complimentary parking is available in Garage D.
UCF has one of the youngest teams in the nation this season, but still returns several key letterwinners from last year, including sophomore guards A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) and Isaac Sosa (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico). Rompza was a Conference USA All-Freshman Team pick last season after dishing out 150 assists. Sosa is the Knights' leading returning scorer. He averaged 8.2 points in 2008-09 and shot 45.2 percent from 3-point range.
Head coach Kirk Speraw's heralded recruiting class will play a game on the UCF Arena floor for the first time Wednesday. The group, led by freshman forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.), has been rated as one of the top-50 recruiting classes in the country.
The Knights went 17-14 last year and will be playing without All-America selection Jermaine Taylor, who was third nationally at 26.2 points per game as a senior. Taylor is currently playing with Houston in the National Basketball Association.
A Division II program, St. Leo is a member of the Sunshine State Conference.
Audio of the game will be available on UCFAthletics.com. Marc Daniels will provide play-by-play and will be joined on the broadcast by former UCF point guard Mike O'Donnell. Live statistics will also be available on the web site.
Season tickets for the 2009-10 campaign start at only $79 and are available by calling (407) UCF-1000 or by visiting UCFAthletics.com. The Knights will open the regular season on Nov. 13, hosting Massachusetts.
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.