The entire trip was documented on video and a full-length documentary will be available soon. Here's another trailer for that documentary to give viewers even more insight into what the trip to Panama was like for the Knights Without Borders. Stay tuned for even more in the coming weeks.

At an imposing 6-foot-9 and nearly 250 pounds, Staphon Blair has the look of someone who can make a major contribution for the Knights this upcoming season. And now with a year of college experience, the big man has the potential to be a factor in the paint in 2013-14.

Blair has only been playing organized basketball for a few years after moving to Fort Lauderdale from Jamaica and used last season to get acclimated to playing on the Division I level. He appeared in 29 games, making one start, and averaged 1.9 points in 7.2 minutes per game.

He logged 11 minutes against No. 17 Memphis at home, and utilized his time to show UCF's fans his potential. Blair scored four points against the Tigers and had a huge block on a Joe Jackson dunk attempt.

Despite his efficient performance against Memphis, perhaps his best moments came during practice each day when he battled Keith Clanton, the best big man in program history. Blair should benefit from defending a crafty offensive player like Clanton and also from trying to score on UCF's all-time leading shot blocker.

Blair has great size, strength and potential. With Clanton's collegiate career now over, he will have the chance to earn more minutes utilize his opportunity to make an impact as a sophomore.

The thought of teaching and standing in front of an elementary school class made several UCF student-athletes nervous, but at the end of the day it was a memorable and rewarding experience.

 

13 Knights took part in the first "JA for a Day". A program associated with Junior Achievement of Central Florida. The goal of the organization is to help teach children in grades K-12 how to make smart academic and economic choices.

 

The UCF student-athletes taught five lessons to children between grades 3-5 at Hidden Oaks Elementary School.

 

"It's a wonderful opportunity for our student-athletes to not only develop professionally, but also personally," said UCF Assistant Athletic Director for Student Services Keith Embray. "The number one fear is speaking in the public and they will have to speak in the public to little people, but at the same time were very happy to be here."

 

To find out more about how "JA for a Day" went for the Knights watch the video above.

The first-ever Knights Without Borders trip has been over for nearly a month. But you can be sure the impact of the trip isn't over for the UCF student-athletes and administrators who made the trip to Panama to work in a pair of children's homes there. Of course, the hope is that there was just as big an impact made on the people the Knights Without Borders group worked with in Panama. 

The entire trip was documented on video and a full-length documentary is in the works. Here's the first trailer for that documentary to give viewers just a little more insight into what the trip to Panama was like for the Knights Without Borders. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.

As a junior in 2012-13, Isaiah Sykes developed into one of the most versatile players in the country. Sykes led the nation with two triple-doubles and put up impressive stat lines nearly every game.

The Detroit native finished the year by averaging 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.3 steals in 35.4 minutes an outing. The dynamic Sykes played nearly every position on the floor, including ample time at point guard.

Playing the position for the first time on the collegiate level, the 6-foot-5 Sykes did his best each night and carried the Knights many games. He scored in double figures 27 times and had 12 20-point performances.

Sykes was recognized for his stellar all-around play with All-Conference USA First Team, NABC All-District 11 First Team and C-USA All-Defensive Team honors.

Following the season, Sykes declared for the NBA Draft, but withdrew his name for consideration in April. What is next for him as a Knight?

For starters, he will have the chance to showcase his game and abilities on a larger stage. When the Knights make their debut in the American Athletic Conference in 2013-14, UCF will face the toughest schedule in program history with contests against defending national champion Louisville, UConn, Cincinnati, Memphis and Temple. The team will play on television more often and a national audience will learn more about Sykes.

Additionally, he will have the opportunity to continue to handle the ball and show off his play-making abilities. Daiquan Walker is back for his sophomore year and will handle most of the point-guard duties, but Sykes will again have the chance to log time with the ball in his hands. He recorded 141 assists a year ago, but is working to cut down on his turnovers (109).

Finally, Sykes will have the chance to finish his career as one of the greatest players (and winners) in school history. Since the program moved to the Division I level in 1984, no Knight has been a member of four-straight 20-win teams. Sykes has that opportunity.

And with Sykes back, the Knights have the opportunity to make some noise in their first year in The American.

Matt Williams had an incredible college debut. After missing UCF's first five games of the 2012-13 campaign while recovering from an illness, Williams had a performance to remember against Florida Tech. The shooting guard played only 13 minutes off the bench, but finished with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.

In limited minutes, Williams drained 3-pointer after 3-pointer in the victory. His performance was good enough to earn the Orlando native the Conference USA Freshman of the Week award.

The traits that Williams displayed in his debut - a quick release, accurate shot and great feel for the game - helped the Jones High School product average 5.0 points in 15.6 minutes during the season. He appeared in all 26 games after his return and did most of his scoring from long distance. Thirty-seven of his 42 field goals came from 3-point range.

Williams hopes to show a more well-rounded game this upcoming season. A deceptively good athlete, he has the ability to get to the basket and can handle the ball if needed as well.

Williams can also earn minutes with his play on the defensive end. In UCF's memorable home win over Southern Miss, he logged 29 minutes and was on the floor at the end of the game thanks to his ability to guard on the perimeter.

With a continued focus on defense and focus on his all-around game, Williams can show in 2013-14 that he is more than just a knock-down shooter from deep.

Matt Williams had an incredible college debut. After missing UCF's first five games of the 2012-13 campaign while recovering from an illness, Williams had a performance to remember against Florida Tech. The shooting guard played only 13 minutes off the bench, but finished with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.

In limited minutes, Williams drained 3-pointer after 3-pointer in the victory. His performance was good enough to earn the Orlando native the Conference USA Freshman of the Week award.

The traits that Williams displayed in his debut - a quick release, accurate shot and great feel for the game - helped the Jones High School product average 5.0 points in 15.6 minutes during the season. He appeared in all 26 games after his return and did most of his scoring from long distance. Thirty-seven of his 42 field goals came from 3-point range.

Williams hopes to show a more well-rounded game this upcoming season. A deceptively good athlete, he has the ability to get to the basket and can handle the ball if needed as well.

Williams can also earn minutes with his play on the defensive end. In UCF's memorable home win over Southern Miss, he logged 29 minutes and was on the floor at the end of the game thanks to his ability to guard on the perimeter.

With a continued focus on defense and focus on his all-around game, Williams can show in 2013-14 that he is more than just a knock-down shooter from deep.

Who knows how UCF's 2012-13 campaign would have ended had Tristan Spurlock been able to compete for the Knights in their final three contests of the year. Due to an injury, the forward was unable to play at home against No. 17 Memphis and at UAB and Southern Miss.

The Knights picked up a win against the Blazers, but came close to knocking off Memphis and Southern Miss, two Conference USA squads that participated in the NCAA Tournament and the NIT, respectively.

Spurlock's absence was especially felt against the Tigers in a nationally televised game at the UCF Arena. Without Spurlock in the starting lineup, the Knights had little depth and Keith Clanton (39), Calvin Newell (38) and Isaiah Sykes (35) all logged major minutes. UCF battled to the end before falling 76-67.

Despite missing those final three games, Spurlock had a breakout season as a junior. The Virginia native averaged 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds, both career highs. He scored in double figures on 18 occasions and had three double-doubles. Spurlock led the team with 39 3-pointers and was second on the squad with 23 blocks.

What bodes well for Spurlock entering his senior year was his play during C-USA competition. He increased his output to 12.9 points and 6.5 boards against league opponents.

The vocal Spurlock will have more of a leadership role in 2013-14 as the Knights move to the American Athletic Conference. As a junior, he proved that he can score inside and outside and also rebound the ball. For the Knights to be successful against tougher competition, Spurlock will again have to step up and perform to the best of his ability.

As the lone true point guard on the UCF roster, Daiquan Walker appeared in all 31 games as a freshman last year, making 18 starts. He started 15 of 16 Conference USA contests and averaged 4.0 points and 1.6 assists in 20.9 minutes per game during the year.

Like A.J. Rompza in 2008-09, Walker was forced into major minutes as a rookie at one of the game's toughest positions due to a lack of depth. He ably handled the point guard duties while sharing time at the position with both Isaiah Sykes and Calvin Newell, two players who are better off the ball.

Walker logged some big minutes early in the season before Newell became eligible in mid-December. He played 31 minutes against Middle Tennessee and spent 34 minutes on the court at No. 7 Florida.

Walker shot the ball well from 3-point range in 2012-13, making 30-of-75 (40.0 percent) of his attempts. He will have to cut down on his turnovers as a sophomore, but should make strides with his game this offseason.

As one of eight returning letterwinners for the Knights this upcoming season, Walker should benefit from the team's continuity. And there is no doubt that logging considerable minutes as a freshman will only help the point guard.

Knights Without Borders Photo Gallery

The first-ever Knights Without Borders service-learning trip concluded a little more than a week ago. While the UCF student-athletes and administrators who took part in the trip to Panama have returned home and returned to their every-day lives, it is safe to say those lives will never be the same.

That's obvious when you see the smiles on the faces of the UCF contingent, but also in the smiles of the children these Knights were there to help. The joy on the face of the youngster in this photo as UCF football student-athlete Victor Gray lifts him high in the air is apparent. Click the link above to see more images from the trip. 
There will be video trailers and a full-length documentary released in the coming weeks and months that will document the experience. We'll share those videos here on UCFAthletics.com. But in the meantime, it was appropriate to have one of the architects of the Knights Without Borders program submit the final blog entry for this trip:
Jessica Reo - Knights Without Borders Blog Entry - May 19, 2013

Now that we've been back in the US for a week or so, we (theadministrators) have had some time to reflect on this process with our student-athletes and how we all changed as a result of this very important educational/mission trip.

When our Director of Athletics approached us about creating this trip for our student-athletes, we knew that it would be something special, but that it would also take a great deal of coordination, because we had never done something like it before at UCF.

We contacted the Office of Study Abroad and worked very closely with their staff to create this project. Angel Cardec was extremely supportive and took two administrators (Kimya Massey and me) to Panama to meet some of the people we would be working with and to get us more comfortable with the surroundings. That turned out to be invaluable in this process. We were able to meet staff members from the Technological University of Panama - and they partnered with us to complete this project with their own students.

When we landed in Panama City just more than two weeks ago, we were all in a state of anticipation - the student-athletes for one set of reasons, the administrators for another. We had to make significant and unexpected changes to our project plans just two days before the trip, but we didn't want to disappoint the student-athletes, so we waited to tell them. The great thing about all of them was that they just "rolled with the punches." They asked some questions, but were very willing to adapt to whatever we needed to do.

We had some logistical tasks that needed to be accomplished before they could actually begin the work, but in the meantime, they created excitement by playing with the children at the orphanage. That was extremely helpful to us - we knew we didn't have to worry about them entertaining each other and the children - sports was our vehicle for communication! It was awesome to see our thoughts in action, to see our student-athletes breaking down barriers by playing a game they all loved.

We subsequently bought our supplies and were able to watch our student-athletes do some amazing work. They were tire - exhausted really - but they kept pushing, because they saw how much the painting was needed. We saw something else that made us proud. In addition to the painting, our student-athletes were constantly looking around to see what else they could help with. They were shocked at some of the conditions of the homes and wanted to do more. We promised that we would come back to this specific orphanage in the future to address some of their concerns. We will be working on fundraising to help with costs for repairs of roofs in the near future!

After completing the work at the orphanage in Colon, we moved on to the orphanage in Panama City. The children were very different than those our student-athletes had encountered in Colon, and I do believe that they were somewhat shocked by it. These children were more mature and had obviously weathered some more serious issues at their young ages. But they really connected with our student-athletes once we brought out a soccer ball and our student-athletes started to climb some trees with them. One of the biggest things we all learned was that even though we didn't speak a common language, it didn't prevent us from communicating.

Our student-athletes represented UCF with excellence and maturity. They made us all very proud - they didn't complain about the heat, the work, or how tired they were. That is very different than many people their age!

We want to thank every individual who provided our student-athletes and staff members with the means to go on this trip. I know that it made a difference in everyone's life!