Dec. 8, 2009
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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UCF's stirring 6-2 start to the basketball season has helped the Knights pick up a local star as a devoted fan.
Orlando Magic starting small forward Mickael Pietrus is an unabashed fan of the Knights after attending a couple of games already this season. Pietrus, who played professionally in France before getting drafted into the NBA in 2003, said he enjoys the spirited atmosphere at UCF and likes the hustle the men's basketball team plays with.
``I love UCF. That's my team,'' said Pietrus, a native of the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. ``I never got a chance to go to college, but I've found that I really enjoy the college game. It's so much fun to watch those kids at UCF grow and learn and get better.''
UCF has already notched big wins this season against Auburn, UMass and Drake. The Knights' three-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday when a tied game at halftime resulted in a 90-72 loss at Notre Dame. The Knights next play Bethune-Cookman on Saturday at 5 p.m. at UCF Arena.
Pietrus, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound seventh-year pro, is averaging 10 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.06 steals for the Magic. He's shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range and ranks 19th in the NBA in 3-pointers made (35).
Pietrus has known UCF associate head coach Mike Jaskulski for a few years. He also has a close friend who works on campus and he saw he loved what he saw when he attended a game recently at UCF.
``It's so much fun there with all of the energy in the crowd,'' Pietrus said. ``Their fan support is great and I'm going to support them, too. I've got to get me a UCF t-shirt now because I'm a UCF fan.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears several times per week on UCFAthletics.com. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.