March 2, 2012
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The doubters and the haters booing from opposing student sections never thought A.J. Rompza would amount to much on the basketball court, but the too-short, too-small point guard has a list of accomplishments now proving them all wrong.
As Rompza prepares to play the final regular-season game of his career at UCF, the senior point guard is most proud of the fact that he never let those doubting his abilities detract his determination to be successful.
The fact that Rompza is still here - he's about to start the 93rd game of his career and continue his assault on the UCF record book - is a testament to his drive and unbreakable spirit. There were those who told him years ago he'd never play in college, yet here he is before Saturday's Senior Night against UAB proud most of all of his perseverance.
``I just took it all one step at a time," said Rompza. "People said I wouldn't earn a scholarship and I did. People said there's no way I could play (at the major college level) and I started. Then, when I started playing it was for the team stuff. I felt like I have proven everything I had to prove. I've been proving people wrong since the fifth and sixth grades, and I've had to prove people wrong my whole life. Obviously, I've had that chip on my shoulder to get people to respect me.''
As one of the leaders on a UCF team that is 20-9 overall and 9-6 in Conference USA play, Rompza has certainly earned plenty of respect as a steady point guard. He needs two more steals to move up to second all-time in school history and his 464 assists put him comfortably in third all-time in UCF history. Clearly, Rompza has left his mark on the program and his legacy will always be that of a player who got the most out of his 5-foot-9, 170-pound body.
That's why Rompza figures Saturday's Senior Night will be an emotional endeavor for him. The same goes for fellow senior P.J. Gaynor, who stuck it out in the program over the last four years and has become a key defender this season off the bench. Both players will be honored before the game, and both fully expect their emotions to get to best of them.
``I'm a pretty emotional guy and I can admit that, so you might see a few tears from me,'' Gaynor said. ``I'm sure with my family there that there will be some tears from them, too.''
The game also holds another significant meaning in that the winner will claim a first-round bye in next week's C-USA Tournament in Memphis. UCF defeated UAB (14-14 and 9-6) 48-41 in January, but the Blazers have played well down the stretch by winning seven of the past eight games. But UCF will be playing at home where it is 15-1 this season.
``This game brings a lot of importance because it's Senior Night and having that first-round bye, it's a quicker way to the (NCAA) tournament. It would mean playing three games as opposed to four,'' UCF coach Donnie Jones said. ``We've pretty much set ourselves up to play a three-game tournament with what we did this summer (three games in Canada) and this fall (three games in the Bahamas). So it would be a great edge to potentially have that No. 4 seed.''
To win again, the Knights will need Rompza to get control of his emotions after he is honored before the game. His mother and two sisters will be in attendance, and he knows that a surge of emotions will hit him prior to the game. Rompza predicted that it might take him ``about 35 minutes'' to settle down after the pregame ceremony.
Knights' standout guard Marcus Jordan, who has known Rompza since their high school days in Chicago, is predicting that his close friend will shed massive amounts of tears. He said he has learned plenty from Rompza's unwavering passion for the game and he considers it an honor to have played alongside of his friend for three seasons.
``I think there will be tears, I definitely do. But it's something everybody has to deal with when it's their last game and I think he'll handle it fine,'' Jordan said. ``A.J. has been there for me, especially my freshman year helping me get adjusted to everything. It's kind of sad to see him play his last game here. There have been times when he hasn't been happy with the outcome of things, but he's handled himself professionally. He was a guy who has always worked hard in practice and that's something that I wanted to do. He's pushed me to do more and he's been a leader by example.''
Rompza has a couple of game-winners to his credit and he earned the Conference USA Player of the Week award earlier this season after a particularly efficient stretch of games.
But what will go down as Rompza's favorite memory is his distinct love-hate relationship with fans throughout C-USA. Whereas he's loved by UCF supporters, those backing other teams love to razz Rompza about his size or his waterbug style of zipping around the court with seemingly no regard for his body. In Rompza's eyes, the cheers and the boos are all the same - they are signs of respect that the little guy made it in a big man's game and defied the doubters who said he'd never play major college basketball.
``Since I've been in middle school everybody loved me at my school and everybody hated me at the other school,'' he said with a laugh. ``I don't know if it's something about the way that I play or the way I hustle, but they take it the wrong way.
``It's something I've dealt with my whole life. But I love every minute of it,'' he continued. ``I realized if people are talking about me at away games then obviously I'm doing something right. Obviously, the fans have respect for me. I love being loved here at UCF and hated at other places. It's been a blast for me.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.