ORLANDO – UCF men's basketball head coach Johnny Dawkins announced Tuesday the addition of graduate transfer C.J. Kelly to the program.
A 6-5 guard from Long Island, New York, Kelly spent the 2021-22 season with UMass where he played 29 games, starting 14. He averaged 10.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, headlined by a season-high 24 points in an 85-83 win against Rutgers. Kelly finished that game 7-of-12 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line.
"We're excited to add C.J. to our program," said Dawkins. "He's a great shooter that can really score and put the ball in the basket. He's also a great defender and is a versatile player that will help our team."
A prolific scorer, Kelly tallied 15 games in double figures and led the Minuteman in scoring five times. He was also strong on the glass, pulling down 118 rebounds headlined by a pair of games with 10 or more. Defensively, Kelly was often tasked with the defending the opposing team's best scorer and he collected 25 steals on the year.
As a sophomore, Kelly started all 14 games he played and led the team with 14.3 points per game. He averaged nearly 29 minutes per game and shot 48.5% from the floor (65-of-134), 27-of-65 from three (41.5%) and led Albany in scoring five times.
He poured in a career-high 27 points at Vermont on 8-of-17 shooting in 36 minutes, along with four assists and an 8-of-9 night from the free throw line in one of his best career performances. He reached double-figures 11 times in 2020-21, including three games with 20 or more points.
Prior to joining the Great Danes, Kelly played one season at Norfolk State in 2018-19. He appeared in 31 games with seven starts, averaging 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game.
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