Nov. 7, 2011
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By David Buchman
UCFAthletics.com
Orlando, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Freshmen Rod Days of Miami Gardens is hoping to make an immediate impact with the UCF men's basketball team this season. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Days has the ability to play either guard or forward and plays both well.
He had a solid performance in UCF's exhibition win over West Virginia Tech Saturday. Days started and played 35 minutes and totaled 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting. The rookie connected on 3-of-5 shots from 3-point range.
While in high school, his size and on-court speed created matchup problems for any coach whose team was up against him. As a senior at the Sagemont School, he averaged 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
No matter what type of defense high school coaches threw at him, Days' abilities allowed him to adjust and consistently find success. Now that he has taken his talents to UCF, Days believes it's time for him to make adjustments to continue his success at the collegiate level.
"I think I have to strap up on defense more than I did in high school," Days said. "Teams play better defense in college, and I know I'll be guarded better. I'm going to have match that, and step up my defensive game."
Since arriving to campus in the summer, Days has had the opportunity to work with his new UCF teammates and coaches. He even earned some playing time while the club traveled through Canada playing in exhibition games.
"Being able to play in Canada was something that helped me a ton," Days said. "It gave me the opportunity to hit the court and get a feel for the speed and strength of the college game. I feel like I'm ahead of the curve after being able to experience all that before fall practices even started."
Days comes to UCF after attending the Sagemont School in Weston, where he was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 2A Player of the Year following his senior season. Days credits his high school coach, Adam Ross, for fine tuning his skills.
"Coach Ross helped me become the player I am," Days said. "I could always handle the ball and shoot well, but coach helped me become a better team player, and create shots for my teammates."
Even before his senior year began at Sagemont, Days had scholarship offers from Arizona State, Maryland and Wake Forest, along with a handful of other top schools. "I had the opportunity to play at a bunch of schools," Days said. "I chose UCF because of the coaching staff, its workout facilities and its close proximity home."
Days is looking forward to playing at the next level with the Knights and representing UCF as his home-state school.
"I just want to help the team win," he said. "I want to come in and play my role the right way, no matter what my role is."