After he was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids Thursday, UCF forward Deshorn Brown has received plenty of media attention:

MLSSoccer.com Video: Brown talks about starting professional career

ColoradoRapids.com Video: Brown talks about heading to Colorado

ColoradoRapids.com Video: Rapids head coach Omar Pareja on Brown

Orlando Sentinel: UCF forward Deshorn Brown selected sixth overall by Colorado Rapids in MLS SuperDraft

Denver Post: Rapids get three in MLS Draft, including Jamiaca striker Deshorn Brown

UCF head volleyball coach Todd Dagenais was featured in this month's edition of AVCA Coaching Volleyball Magazine. Dagenais, who will soon kick of his sixth season at the head of the Knights volleyball program, discussed in detail the libero position and how it can affect a team's offense as much as its defense.

The evaluation of a successful libero does not simply come down to the number of digs but to a player's ability to take up space on the court and be, what Dagenais believes to be most important, a perfect passer. Dagenais, setting the bar quite high, has his liberos shoot for a perfect pass percentage greater than 65%.

The article discussed the varied measures of determining libero quality, from the 5-point system to the perfect pass percentage statistic, both of which aim to gauge a libero's success when passing to their primary receiver, the setter. However, UCF's lead man finds the intangible factors to be of valued importance. Whether a player is energetic or confident, being able to bring a positive attitude to the court carries much weight when coach Dagenais evaluates his players' performance.

For UCF, it is all about top quality. Dagenais takes into account not just a raw dig, such as a crowd-pleasing pancake, but the essential quality digs. These digs are unique for the fact that they give the setter a chance to truly create kills, an opportunity to terminate play.

From a libero's skill in serve-receive to a player's intangibles, including leadership and play-range on the court, Dagenais argues that a libero's impact in creating opportunity is what bears meaning when defining a truly great libero. The measures are in place to evaluate success, yet Dagenais finds the methodology to what coaches view as important tools when labeling a libero great to be flawed.

For the full article, click here:  http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/dd3383fd#/dd3383fd/10

UCF head baseball coach Terry Rooney has done many things for his program in his fifth year on the job. Not only has he created a winning environment with back-to-back regional appearances, but also welcomes back former Knights who are preparing for their professional seasons.

Early in the spring, if you stop by the UCF baseball complex you will see many familiar faces who helped put UCF on the map. One of those former Knights that works out on campus is current New York Yankees minor leaguer Shane Brown.

A mainstay in the lineup at UCF from 2007-10, Brown closed out his four-year career starting 175 games and totaling a .363 batting average, 25 homers, 148 RBI while slugging .565 with a .464 OPB. His stellar senior campaign saw him hit .428, fourth-best in program history, while earning All-America honors and a spot on the All-C-USA First Team.

Since being drafted in the 23rd round by the Yankees following his senior year, Brown has served as the ultimate utility man in all of his stops. After spending 2011 in low-A and A ball, the Winter Park native began 2012 in high-A Tampa before being bumped up to AA Trenton. While playing for the Thunder, Brown saw time at first and third base, all three outfield positions and even pitched in a 16-inning game where he got the win on the mound after knocking in the game-sealing run. Check out those videos HERE and HERE.

Make sure to watch the former Knight in the video below talk about his time at UCF and life in the minor leagues.

The next UCF Victory Club luncheon is set for Tuesday, Jan. 22 at the Fairwinds Alumni Center on campus. During the luncheon, which begins at Noon, head coach Donnie Jones will offer insight into his program and answer questions from supporters.

The UCF Victory Club is an organization created to support the men's basketball program. The club hosts exclusive functions throughout the year and provides numerous opportunities for members to network and become part of the program.

To RSVP for the Jan. 22 luncheon, please contact director of operations Craig Brown at cbrown@athletics.ucf.edu by Friday, Jan. 17. Lunch is $12 per person for Victory Club members and their guests, $8 for half court and center court members, $5 for UCF students and free for two for supreme court.

Luncheons are also scheduled for Feb. 5 and Feb. 19.

A tough overtime loss for the UCF men's basketball team overshadowed career games for Keith Clanton and Tristan Spurlock, the Knights will look to bounce back this weekend when they hit the road again and travel to Houston to take on the Cougars Saturday night.

Clanton scored 36 points and Spurlock added a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds in UCF's 88-85 overtime loss against ECU. The Knights will face the Pirates one more time this season when ECU travels to Orlando on February 9^th.

The women's basketball team will be back home this upcoming weekend after a tough 69-54 loss against the SMU Mustangs. UCF will host the Southern Golden Eagles Sunday afternoon in the UCF Arena.

The women's track and field is coming off a very successful Kentucky invitational where the team finished with  eight marks that rank among the NCAA's top 10 and a new freshman record in the 3,000 meters by Anne-Marie Blaney.

The Knights will travel to Gainesville to compete in the Gator Invitational and to Birmingham, Alabama to take part in the Auburn Invitational.

Also, keep a close eye Thursday night on the MLS Draft. UCF men's soccer standout Deshorn Brown is expected to be a Top 10 selection. Find out more about Brown and the rest of the UCF athletic squads in the video above.

This week's edition of Inside UCF Basketball with Donnie Jones, which debuts Monday at 10:30 p.m. on Bright House Sports Network, includes a feature on junior forward Tristan Spurlock.

The show also airs Tuesday at 11 p.m. on Bright House Sports Network and statewide each Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on Sun Sports.

Spurlock is coming off a career-high 23 points Saturday at East Carolina. The Virginia native added 11 boards vs. the Pirates to record his second career double-double. He is averaging 10.8 points and 5.4 boards in 2012-13.

This week's show includes highlights from the game at East Carolina and UCF's Conference USA-opening win over UAB. The program also has features on director of operations Craig Brown and in-game host John Evans.

The Donnie Jones Radio Show returns Monday to Buffalo Wild Wings on University Boulevard. UCF fans are invited to attend the show, which begins at 7 p.m. and airs on the UCF IMG Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 The Game, in person.

Jones and host Marc Daniels will talk about the Knights' start to Conference USA play.

UCF's next contest is Saturday at Houston. The squad will not play again at home until Jan. 23 when it hosts Rice.

After opening C-USA play with a big win over UAB, the Knights are in Greenville, N.C., to face East Carolina Saturday.

• @ECUPirateHoops (9-5, 0-1) vs. @UCFMBasketball (11-4, 1-0)
• 
  
• Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum - Greenville, N.C. - 7 p.m.
• 
  
• Listen on WYGM @740thegame
• 
  
• Follow the action all game long with updates from @UCFMBasketball and @UCF_Athletics on Twitter. Don't forget to "Like" the Knights on Facebook as well.

  

• The Knights will be playing away from Orlando for the first time since Dec. 14 #ReturntotheRoad
• #UCF won both of its contests vs. the Pirates a year ago #TheSweep
• The Knights have a 13-5 all time advantage against East Carolina#SeriesEdge
• #UCF leads C-USA and ranks 14th nationally in FG percentage at 49.2 #OnTarget
• The Knights are 11-1 when leading at the half in 2012-13 #TheHalfoftheMatter
• UCF's opponents are shooting only 30.0% from 3 point range #NoThreeforYou
• Isaiah Sykes has 74 assists this year after recording 65 in 33 games last season #TheDistributor
• Sykes leads C-USA in steals per game at 2.0 #ManofSteal
• Daiquan Walker grabbed a season high 7 boards in the win over UAB #GuardontheGlass
• Keith Clanton is 10th in C-USA with 3.0 assists per contest #TheBigDistributor

UCF head baseball coach Terry Rooney has done many things for his program in his fifth year on the job. Not only has he created a winning environment with back-to-back regional appearances, but also welcomes back former Knights who are preparing for their professional seasons.

Early in the spring, if you stop by the UCF baseball complex you will see many familiar faces who helped put UCF on the map. One of those former Knights that works out on campus is current Oakland A's minor leaguer Beau Taylor.

Starring at UCF from 2009-11, Taylor made an immediate impact behind the plate as a catcher for the Knights. For his career, the Rockledge native hit .337, belted 16 home runs, drove in 105 RBI and slugged .503 with a .398 OBP. The two-time Johnny Bench Award Watch List catcher wasn't just known for his bat, but his stellar defense as well. In his time at UCF, Taylor threw out 58 runners in his career, including 26 his rookie season, which led Conference USA and gave him a spot on the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Team.

Since being drafted in the fifth round by the A's following his junior year, Taylor has made an immediate impact in Oakland's organization. After spending the 2011 summer in A-ball, he started 2012 in high-A Stockton where he hit .328 before being bumped up to AA Midland on July 12. Splitting duties between catching and as a designated hitter, Taylor still showed off his defensive prowess with 17 runners caught stealing last year.

Recently, Taylor received the news that he had been invited to big-league spring training at in Phoenix, Ariz., as a non-roster invitee. Make sure to watch the former Knight in the video below talk about his time at UCF and life in the minor leagues.

With the second-largest enrollment of any university in the United States, UCF is becoming well-known in the U.S. and beyond. That representation can be seen on the playing field, as 40 International Student-Athletes from 22 different countries compete for the Knights. That's nearly 10 percent of all Knight student-athletes.

All of these student-athletes have experienced success both on and off the field, all while making the transition to a new country and culture.

Of those 40 student-athletes, tennis player and Alicante, Spain native Jorge Blasco is the only one in graduate school. He is currently working on his degree in Civil Engineering and arrived on campus back in the fall of 2011. Blasco admits he was nervous to go to school in another country, but says the staff in the UCF athletic department helped him make a smooth transition.

"It was tough for me because I didn't know anyone, but in the first two or three weeks I met a lot of people," Blasco said.

While Blasco was adjusting to life in the U.S., many of his teammates had either already made the transition or were going through that transition at the same time.

"That helped a lot," Blasco said. "The tennis team has about 80 percent international students. They're all either from Europe or South America, so we all had the same difficulties. But we all helped each other."

Senior and Berlin, Germany native Bianca Joswiak has spent the past four years as a member of the women's soccer team. This year, she will graduate with a degree in Business Marketing. This past fall, she helped guide the Knights to their first Conference USA Tournament Championship.

When Joswiak was in her home country, she spent several years taking English classes to prepare her for an opportunity here.

"For me, it's a great experience to live in another country for a couple years," Joswiak said. "You have to do things on your own and figure stuff out on your own without your parents and close friends from home. The academic advisors here help you make sure you do your work on time and help you adjust to the full schedule with all of the practices and you still find room for your homework and other assignments."

UCF staff members are always prepared to help the students with their transition to another country. The school makes sure all of the incoming student-athletes are prepared and stays in touch with them as much as possible before they move to the United States.

"Our contact with the international students starts way before they even arrive in the U.S.," Rocky Blesso from the UCF International Services Center said. "We have an admissions team dedicated to international admissions and these individuals reach out anywhere from six to 10 months in advance. We try to give them a better feel of what to expect at UCF before they arrive and also some of the requirements we have at UCF."

All of the international student-athletes are flourishing at UCF. The 40 students have combined for a 3.29 GPA, on top of setting aside time for their sports and giving back to the community.

"I'm always extremely impressed and in awe of how focused our international student-athletes are upon their arrival," Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services Kimya Massey said. "They truly know what they want regarding their academics and always find a way to get it done at a high level. They continually find a way to be successful with their incredible work ethic and ability to adapt in everything they do. They are great role models for all students and we are much more diverse and grateful for their presence here with us."