Nov. 5, 2009
By Andrew Gavin
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The transition from high school to college basketball can be a difficult adjustment for some. Many players ease through the transition, spending time early in their freshman seasons watching from the bench and gradually working their way into the rotation. For Aisha Patrick, things went at a much more rapid pace.
The Rockledge, Fla., native not only saw action in her first collegiate game, a road contest at Colorado, but she started and played 37 minutes while guarding All-BIG 12 player Brittney Spears in the process. Patrick did not show many signs of nerves, posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Buffaloes.
The rest of the year meant more of the same for Patrick, who started 33 of the team's 34 games and led the Knights averaging 33.3 minutes per game. She averaged 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds and dished out 95 assists.
While her offensive numbers were solid, it was on the defensive end where Patrick showed her value. The 5'9" guard took the challenge of defending the other team's best perimeter player night in and night out, and in most cases got the better of the matchup. She forced a number of the league's best players into horrific shooting nights, and will enter 2009-10 with a streak of 13-straight games with a steal.
Despite her success as a freshman, Patrick was left off both the C-USA All-Freshman team as well as the all-defensive team, two things that provided her with motivation during the offseason. Patrick says she worked on expanding her game offensively as well as becoming more of a leader.
The Knights will play a tune-up for the regular season on Nov. 8 when they host St. Leo for an exhibition game at UCF Arena. The Sunday afternoon contest is slated to tip-off at 3 p.m.
UCF will officially get the 2009-10 season underway on the road, playing at No. 24 Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 15. The Knights will play six of their nine non-conference games at the UCF Arena, including the home opener on Nov. 20 against Bethune-Cookman.
Season tickets for both teams are currently on sale with the UCF Ticket Office. For more information on tickets, contact the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
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.