Dec. 5, 2009
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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A.J. Rompza is the type of hyperactive point guard who normally plays at 100 miles per hour, diving for loose balls, taking on players nearly twice his size and just generally being a pest for the opposition.
So just imagine how he'll be on Sunday at Notre Dame, playing before his own cheering section of friends and family. Rompza, a Chicago native, spent plenty of time as a kid in South Bend, Ind., attending numerous Notre Dame games and camps. So you can only imagine how excited UCF's Rudy-like point guard is to face the Fighting Irish on Sunday afternoon.
``It might be a little better for me because I'll be around my family,'' Rompza said of his off-the-charts energy. ``My parents are from South Bend so I went to a lot of the Notre Dame games and a lot of the camps there in the sixth and seventh grades.
``I could only put a limited amount (of requested tickets) on the list, but I'll probably still have 60 to 65 there,'' Rompza said with a snicker.
The game between UCF (6-1) and Notre Dame (7-1) serves as somewhat of a homecoming for Knights guards Marcus Jordan, Nik Garcia and Rompza. Jordan grew up in nearby Highland Park, Ill. Jordan and Rompza played together at Whitney Young High School and Garcia joined the group on the same AAU team.
Like Rompza, Jordan said the thought of playing close to home energizes him.
``I'm excited and I can't wait,'' said Jordan, a true freshman reserve. ``I have a lot of friends and family coming to the game, so I can't wait.''
UCF coach Kirk Speraw can't wait to see how his Knights respond to their first true road game of the season. The Knights played three games on a neutral court in Daytona late last month, but the combination of a tough Notre Dame team and a hostile crowd will put UCF, statistically the nation's third-youngest team, to the test.
``The first time on the road will be a new experience for a lot of our guys,'' said Speraw, who is excited himself by playing at Notre Dame, the site of some of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. ``We went to Daytona, but that's not somebody else's homecourt and there's a huge difference. We're going into an environment that's as tough as any to play in. There are so many things we will experience on this trip. It'll be a big challenge and I'm excited to see how our guys respond to that challenge.''
Notre Dame has the biggest star in the game in senior forward Luke Harangody, who is averaging 25.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. But it's the Knights who enter with the better overall resume. Whereas the Irish haven't beaten a significant team and were routed by Northwestern, UCF already owns victories over Auburn, UMass and Drake.
UCF's strength this season is its balance, but its unquestioned leader is Romza, the 5-foot-9, 160-pound dynamo at point guard. At the recent tournament in Daytona, Rompza ended up with cuts on his knee, a nasty floor burn across his shoulder and a self-diagnosed ``small concussion.''
He said all-out is the only way he knows how to play and he said it's the only way he can succeed because of his lack of size. But there are times when Rompza plays like a burly 7-footer in the way he likes to talk to foes and generally bother them with his peskiness.
``Me being smaller I had to figure out all of the tricks to get into everybody's head and I have to be in better shape than everyone else,'' said Rompza, who is averaging 7.6 points and 4.3 assists in seven games. ``It's tough being this size and I have to think ahead a lot, but I love it. I try not to get too into it with other teams because coach doesn't want me to get that rep. But I try to do it under the table and do it to affect their offense and be a real pest on defense.''
Jordan's contribution has been primarily on the defensive end of the floor. Six weeks off to a heal tendinitis in his knee just before the start of the season botched much of Jordan's offensive rhythm and he hasn't started getting his feel back until recently.
Jordan enters Sunday's game averaging 3.3 points and 1.3 steals a game while shooting just 33 percent from the floor. He said he's worked hard on trying to improve his wayward jump shot.
``I'd say about a C (as a personal grade), but hopefully by the end of the season I'll be up to an A-plus,'' he said. ``I've been focused on defense because that's one of the hardest things to pick up on the next level. But now I've got to get my timing down on offense. I lost a step while I was out, but I'm in the gym trying to get it back.''
In addition to watching how his team full of freshmen and sophomores react to playing at Notre Dame, Speraw said he'll keep a close eye on Rompza and Jordan. He doesn't want them trying to play outside their normal roles just because they have friends and family in attendance.
``Some people can handle it better than others,'' Speraw said. ``Sometimes they do get caught up in (being back home) and start doing things beyond what they should be doing because they want to play well in front of family and friends. I'm not worried about it, but some people handle it better than others.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears several times per week on UCFAthletics.com. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.