June 1, 2010
Click here to secure your season tickets for the 2010-11 campaign
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - In his first two years at UCF, P.J. Gaynor was asked to give the Knights quality minutes in the front court. That meant that the lanky forward had to battle against bigger, more physical players down low.
Entering his junior campaign, the Jacksonville native is happily moving outside the paint. New head coach Donnie Jones and his staff think that the 6-foot-8 Gaynor can provide the most help for the Knights from the small forward position. As a result, Gaynor is working hard this offseason.
"I am working on a lot of my guard skills," Gaynor said. "They tell me that it is basically about matchups. I need to go around bigger people if they are guarding me, and post smaller people up. I kind of played all five positions (in high school). Whatever was needed was what I did. I plan on doing something like that here."
Gaynor is spending plenty of time inside the UCF Practice Facility, working on his offensive game. He is taking around 400 shots per day, mostly from the perimeter. He is also working on his ball handling.
Gaynor never complained about playing power forward, but he is clearly excited about moving outside the paint.
"I was not uncomfortable playing in the post. I wanted to have a little more room to work. I am undersized as a four man. It was hard playing the post all the time and having to bang with the big guys."
In addition to working on his offensive game, Gaynor has another project for the summer.
"My main goal is to get stronger - that has been my goal since I have gotten here," he said. "I have been getting stronger every year. I am trying to put on like 10-15 more pounds of muscle over the summer."
He says that his ideal weight is 225 pounds, and that he has already gained around five pounds to date.
The UCF ticket sales office is currently accepting season-ticket deposits for the 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.