May 24, 2010
Click here to secure your season tickets for the 2010-11 campaign
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With the arrival of head coach Donnie Jones at UCF, some of the returning members of the men's basketball squad will have new roles in 2010-11. Many will be asked to contribute to the team in different ways than they are accustomed to.
One player who does not expect his duties to change much is junior guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.). The point guard knows that he needs to continue to provide leadership.
"I don't think my role will be different," he said. "I need to lead the team. I am junior now. I am an upperclassman. I need to make sure that I am leading by example every day and that I am very vocal. I need to make sure that I stay on top of that and that everyone is doing the right things."
Being vocal has never been a problem for Rompza. He has exhibited leadership qualities since arriving in Orlando two years ago. But still, he would often defer to older players like Jermaine Taylor and Kenrick Zondervan. Now Rompza is one of the older players.
Rompza, along with all of the other returning Knights, plus freshman guard Jarvis Davis (Columbia, S.C.) and junior college transfer Dwight McCombs, are currently on campus for the first summer session. Although he is spending plenty of time in the UCF Practice Facility putting up shots and playing in pickup games, Rompza is focused on improving his strength and conditioning this summer.
"I am working on getting bigger. Coach wants me to put on 10 pounds," Rompza said. "Already, I feel like I have gotten a lot stronger. With this up-tempo style of play, I need to continue to run. I pretty much run three to four times a week. I am continuing to stay in shape."
The UCF ticket sales office is currently accepting season-ticket deposits for the 2010-11 campaign at (407) UCF-1000 or online at UCFAthletics.com. By placing their deposit now, fans will receive a free 2010-11 NIKE Knightmare t-shirt with their ticket purchase. Season tickets start at just $99.
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.