April 28, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team has been selected to compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis, a new early-season holiday tournament at the luxurious Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Head coach Donnie Jones' Knights will be one of eight teams in the event, which is set for Nov. 23-27.
The field also features defending national champion Connecticut, Harvard, Florida State, Utah, UMass, College of Charleston and UNC-Asheville. In addition to Connecticut, Florida State and UNC-Asheville also participated in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Harvard and College of Charleston both played in the postseason National Invitation Tournament.
"We are extremely excited to be playing in the Battle 4 Atlantis," Jones said. "The tournament will give our team the opportunity to face some of the best teams in the country. We heard nothing but great things about the hospitality and competition at the event at Atlantis last year, and we are looking forward to being a part of the tournament this November."
Matchups, television coverage and travel information for fans will be announced at a later date.
UCF enjoyed great success in Jones' first year with the Knights in 2010-11. The squad won 21 contests, defeated No. 16 Florida, Miami, Princeton and USF in non-league play, entered the national rankings for the first time in school history and earned a spot in the postseason. The Knights return two of the top players in Conference USA in forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) and guard Marcus Jordan (Chicago, Ill.) Both players earned All-C-USA honors in March.
The Knights will have the services of three talented transfers - guard Jeff Jordan (Chicago, Ill.), forward Tristan Spurlock (Woodbridge, Va.) and center Josh Crittle (Bellwood, Ill.) - who all sat out this past season. Jones has also landed one of the nation's premier recruiting classes.
UCF will be competing outside the continental United States for the fourth time since 2004 when it plays in the Bahamas. In 2004 the Knights participated in the BP Top of the World Classic in Alaska, in 2006 the squad was in Puerto Rico for the San Juan Shootout and in 2008 UCF headed to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge.