Jan. 12, 2010
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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Often, designing the Xs and Os is the easiest part of the job description for college basketball coaches. It's having the ability to relate to players, recruit the elite athletes, push their buttons without pushing them too far and getting them to play consistently hard that truly separates the great ones from the ordinary.
It's in those departments where UCF's Kirk Speraw absolutely thrives.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of examples of Speraw exerting his influence over UCF's basketball program in the past 17 years with his fiery passion and motivational skills. One such moment came last Saturday against Rice when UCF trailed by nine points early in the game when an irate Speraw called timeout to get to the bottom of UCF's energy and rebounding issues.
The coach's five-alarm rant was so fiery that it could be heard over the noise of more than 5,000 fans and across the court at UCF Arena. What was even more impressive was the way UCF responded. A game-turning 23-2 run followed leading to an impressive 19-point victory.
Clearly, Speraw knows exactly when to use his tough-love approach and when to challenge players' pride with some in-your-face motivation. The response was the most telling aspect of all because it showed the respect the players have for Speraw's intentions.
``Coach was really into us, but he always does a good job of finding ways to motivate us,'' point guard A.J. Rompza said. ``If we would have put our heads down it would have just gotten worse. But we responded really well.''
Speraw has done such a good job of getting players to respond through the years that he is now on the cusp of some history. Wednesday's game against Conference USA rival Marshall will afford Speraw a chance at getting his 274th coaching victory at UCF, which would tie him with late, great coach Eugene ``Torchy'' Clark for the school record.
Clark, who coached the Knights from 1969 through 1983, was so important to the program that he has a banner hanging from the rafters at UCF Arena. Likely someday a similar honor will follow for Speraw, who has led the Knights to four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Speraw, who loathes being the center of attention, deflected any talk of his upcoming chance at tying some significant school history. Instead, he said his sole focus is on helping UCF (9-6 overall, 1-0 in C-USA play) find a way to beat the rugged Thundering Herd.
``We want to be successful this conference season and that's all that (Wednesday's game) means,'' Speraw said, deflecting talk of his record. ``That's all we're focused on and the job now is just trying to get this team to be the best that it can be. Marshall is next up on the schedule and it's an important game because it is a conference game.''
Wednesday's showdown against Marshall will be televised nationally by CBS College Sports TV and the famed Blue Man Group will perform at halftime. But it's Speraw, who rarely ever sits during games, who will be the main attraction on this night whether he wants to admit it or not.
Success has been a way of life at UCF with the hard-charging, ever-demanding Speraw. Four times he's won at least 20 games, four times he's won conference titles and in 2006-07 he was Conference USA's Coach of the Year. He's mentored 18 all-conference players, including 2008 C-USA Player of the Year Jermaine Taylor.
Taylor, who now plays for the Houston Rockets, is adamant that he wouldn't be where he is today without Speraw pushing him and insisting on daily improvement in all areas of his game. Whereas most recruited Taylor to play football out of high school, Speraw saw greatness in him to be a star on the basketball court. And that proved true when Taylor's scoring climbed from 4.3 to 12.7 to 20.8 to 26.2 points per game in his four seasons at UCF.
``Coach Speraw did such a good job getting me ready for the next level,'' said Taylor, who made sure to get his coach a free ticket recently when he returned to Orlando to face the Orlando Magic. ``A lot of the stuff that we work on here now in the NBA we worked on at UCF. They are always going to have a good team because Coach demands it.''
And, according to Rompza, Speraw knows exactly how to go about driving players. His intensity boils at a high level, but hardly ever is it peppered with any profanity. The ability to morph from friend, to motivator to strategist helps Speraw win over his players.
``With coach, I've only known him for a year, but I'd run through a wall for him,'' Rompza said candidly. ``The relationship that he has with each individual on the team is special and he knows how to motivate guys. He knows when to joke around and when to be serious and that's why he's been so successful. He knows how to get the best out of every one of his players.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears several times per week on UCFAthletics.com. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.