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The UCF Knights men's basketball team is coming off of a two game losing streak as they head into a battle at home against TCU.

While it is still early in the season, this one might just boil down to a must win game for UCF if they want to keep their tournament hopes alive.

Coach Johnny Dawkins and guard Jordan Ivy-Curry know that the team has to play more consistent and show more fight.

More here from Andrew Cherico ... for the Sons of UCF.

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Former UCF Defensive Back Quadric Bullard (2020-24) joined the Sons of UCF for an interview about his time playing with the Knights.

Having joined the Knights during the shortened COVID season of 2020, Bullard saw a lot of changes in his time with the program, including coaching staff and teammates.

After a tough start to his career, Bullard committed himself to getting better and eventually earned a starting role for the Knights, becoming a key contributor on defense and special teams.

In this conversation, Bullard talks about the numerous coaching changes, how some early discipline helped him get back on track, how his first collegiate touchdown almost didn't happen, and why it was important for him to spend his whole career as a Knight.

Click here to watch.

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The UCF Knights men's basketball team got a big bounce back win over the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday.

It started early as Keyshawn Hall opened on a personal 10-0 run, and the Knights never looked back en route to an 85-58 win.

Coach Johnny Dawkins was proud of the effort he saw, but knows that there will be more challenges ahead for the Knights.

More here from Andrew Cherico ... for the Sons of UCF.

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The UCF Knights men's basketball team got a big bounce back win over the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday.

It started early as Keyshawn Hall opened on a personal 10-0 run, and the Knights never looked back en route to an 85-58 win.

Coach Johnny Dawkins was proud of the effort he saw, but knows that there will be more challenges ahead for the Knights.

More here from Andrew Cherico ... for the Sons of UCF.

New Offensive Coordinator brings a fast style to UCF​

By his own admission, Junipero Serra High School quarterback coach Jalani Eason is often pretty tough with his players. It’s a trait ingrained in him from his own college playing days, particularly from his own quarterbacks coach at Portland State, Steve Cooper.

Click here to learn more about Steve Cooper ... from Caitlin Russo for the Sons of UCF.

New Offensive Coordinator brings a fast style to UCF​

By his own admission, Junipero Serra High School quarterback coach Jalani Eason is often pretty tough with his players. It’s a trait ingrained in him from his own college playing days, particularly from his own quarterbacks coach at Portland State, Steve Cooper.

Click here to learn more about Steve Cooper ... from Caitlin Russo for the Sons of UCF.

Epilogue

Well, it was quite the adventure, and it gets a little better with each retelling. To this day, every Disco Winnebagoer remains a good friend (except James-at-22 who – like D-Day in “Animal House” – screeched out of The Legend’s parking lot, never to be seen again). But there’s even more at work here, though.

Like some “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” experience, Knights’ basketball has become one of those common threads of life for fun, friends and family since that 1975-76 season. For instance, I’ll be forever indebted to the Future Mrs. Cat for introducing me to the Future Mrs. McKnight at Nickel Beer Night at Rosie O’Grady’s (RIP) December 8, 1980. Our first date was a UCF-Florida Southern basketball game – meeting me at “The House That Chuck Built,” she almost turned around on that long, unlit 2-lane University Boulevard then in existence, certain that nothing could possibly be THAT far out in the woods. Afterward (we lost to the Mocs – AGAIN – 57-53) we joined Fifi, CK, Big Ralph and the gang at the Knights’ Den (where Fifi admiringly remarked “Gee, she chews gum, drinks beer and cusses all at the same time!”), and from there on she was hooked (so was I).

The love for basketball expanded to all UCF sports – The Legend got most of us on the Team Host Committee when the Lady Knights won the 1979 AIAW National Championship on campus (now THAT was a fun gig!). Knights Hall of Famer Laura Smith led that dominating squad to an undefeated season, after losing only one match the year before (they refused to change their FTU jerseys to UCF for the tournament). CK, The Legend and I drove to St. Leo later that year to see Bobby Joe Plain slosh his way into Knight immortality in that first football game (now that might be another story…). Ya’ know, they didn’t give us a home-and-home, did they?

And it’s not confined to athletics, either. Among all the gents mentioned in these chronicles are found numerous Alumni Board members, a couple of Alumni presidents, Booster Board members and one Booster president, athletic and academic search committee members, Distinguished Alumni and College Hall of Famers. Almost everyone pays alumni dues annually, a couple are lifetime members (Manny’s gonna audit me on these assertions), Alumni Trust Donors (at $1,000 a pop), scholarship contributors, college donors, FB and BB season ticket holders, booster members and Cornerstone donors to the new athletic facility (at $10,000 each). This isn’t meant to brag – it’s to demonstrate that an enthusiastic, involved student pays off for the University athletically and academically later. And it’s a phenomenon not confined to our little merry band, either.

“So what!” I asked. [Begin editorial] So, if I were a local AD, coach or athletic administrator I’d be knocking on dormitory, sorority and fraternity house doors (and that of any other student group) before the end of this academic year, schedule cards and posters in hand. I’d beg them to plan their social schedules around home games, and plead for them to fill the stands every time.

I’d encourage the coaches and players to mingle with the student body like Torchy, Bo, Calvin, Jerry, Laura, Noffke and Boles (but maybe not quite as “one-on-one” as Bennie). Put a face and personality on the program. Make the kids feel special and have them want to see their friends play. It’s a cheap way to increase attendance today, and one that will keep butts in the stands and pay off in the bankbook 10-years down the road. [End editorial]

Well that’s it, except that the next generation of Cats, CKs, Eltons, McKnights, et al are already enthusiastic Knights-in-waiting. I sincerely hope that they have nowhere near as much fun, or nearly as many adventures as we did.

That, and I DO start welling up a tear whenever I hear “Staying Alive.”
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It’s been a blast preparing these posts, but in order to get all the scores and stats right I had to conduct a lot of fun research. It wouldn’t have been possible without the knowing help of UCF Library’s Special Collections archives and staff, and the unknowing assistance of John Marini’s basketball media guide, and FuTUre and Orlando Sentinel-Star beat writers of the era:

From the FuTUre there were Rick Jaffe, Tony Hutcheson, Don Coble (at one time sports writer at the Florida Today newspaper), Myron Carden, Mark Hess (last I heard a NASA PR wheel), Fred Lee (a manager at Central Florida’s Largest Single Concentration of Slide Rules and Pocket Protectors) and Vince Cotroneo (radio play-by-play man for the Texas Rangers).

Also from Sentinel-Star sports stories by Bill Buchalter, Larry Greene, Jerry Greene, Larry Guest, Chris Cobbs, Don Archer, Bill Skutt, Nick Sweers, Myron Carden, Mickey McCarthy, AND Bill Marx (long, deep breath!).

And again thanks to CK, BiB and The Legend for sharing their memories, usually obtained at some type of UCF event and/or adult beverage opportunity.

Thanks for reading!!

TCU (10-8, 3-4 in Big 12)
Net rating: 74th
Q1/Q2: 3-7, Q3/Q4: 7-1
Road: 1-3

UCF (12-6, 3-4 in Big 12)
Net rating: 76th
Q1/Q2: 3-6, Q3/Q4: 9-0
Home: 9-2

All about the Knights today. After a heart-breaking home loss to a top-ten team in Houston last Saturday, UCF got bullied on the road by another top-ten program at Iowa State. That's just part of playing in a conference like the Big 12. They must get up off the mat and respond today against TCU.

This kind of feels like a must-win for the Knights to get their season back heading in a positive direction. At full-strength, I like UCF in this spot. But that is the big question of the day...will they be at full-strength? And I'm not just talking about Jaylin Sellers, who seems more and more likely to redshirt this season as each day/week goes by. But starting veteran guard Darius Johnson banged knees with an opposing player last game against Iowa State, and Coach Dawkins is now calling Johnson's status "day-to-day". I was under the impression that Johnson could have returned against the Cyclones, but he was held out because the game was out of reach at that point. Is he really day-to-day? Gamesmanship, or is he actually in danger of missing today's game?

Because if so, that changes everything for UCF.

On another note, it will be a homecoming for TCU big man Ernest Udoh, who starred at Dr. Phillips HS in Orlando (two state championship appearances, won one).

Will Gus and his legacy just please go away......what a shit show he turned out to be.

Thought I'd give people who are traveling up to the game some places to check out if you have never been there.
A trolley runs from Covington Kentucky, which is on the other side of river, through downtown & back across river into Newport, KY. It cost a $1 each time you ride. They pick up every 15 minutes. Have used the last 2 times and works great.
A few places I would recommend are Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery. Sports bar in downtown that has a good selection on beers. Food is good but not great. Nadas, is an upper scale Mexican place. Food is good and so are margaritas. A Tavola is a pizza place. Brick oven pizzas and bar. Can't go wring with that combo. Close by that is Bakersfield, it is a taco place with full bar. Was on diners, drive ins and dives. Always busy but good. Next to those last 2 places is an ice cream shop called Graeters. Make home made ice cream. If you can make it over to Newport, which is just across bridge, there are some places to shop and a bunch of restaurants. I Always go to Hofbrauhaus. It is an authentic German place that looks just like the one in Germany, so they tell me. Make their own beers and food is really good. Serve beers in nice big steins . Had to buy one and bring home so I could use while drinking out of my kegerator last February. There is also Tom and Chee, Mitchell's seafood, Strong's brick oven pizza, and several original places.
It is easy to get around and campus is only a few miles north of downtown.
I am staying at Residence Inn downtown, since it has a good bar, with my 2 brothers and nephew. Hope to see some fans up there.
Charge on!

Oh the comments…


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It seems like every few years we see a school do this. With the uncertainty and everything that is happening in the collegiate athletic world today, is this a sign of things to come? Will we soon see full or partial athletic department cuts at all levels?

Anyone else close to someone taking Ozempic as a purely vanity reason? I can't imagine this is more than just a band aid.

I haven't been paying attention but just looked at results.

3 game losing streak in conference and all blow outs:

TCU 92 UCF 52

WVU 80 UCF 58

Arizona 75 UCF 53

wtf?

Let me know

Remembering Bob Snow: Pioneer of Orlando’s tourism and founder of Church Street Station
https://www.wftv.com/news/local/rem...rch-street-station/L4PFGC5LXBHZ3KNJPRSHJGF3FE

Went there hundreds of times in the late-70’s - early-80’s. Met Mrs. McKnight at Nickel Beer Night there in December 1980

-One of the three minority owners of the Commanders lined up a buyer for his stake. Snyder declined the offer, saying that the NFL wouldn't approve the buyer. The same guy purchased a stake in the Atlanta Falcons a year later.
-In a later report, the three minority owners discover Snyder took out a $55M loan against the Commanders. A loan of that size needs approval of the board of directors....which the three minority owners were members of. That board hadn't met for over two years.
-Bank of America asked for a copy of the board of directors approval for years, and never got it. Yet the loan was later approved.
-Snyder is accepting private bids for the Commanders franchise right now. Guess who is managing the sale? Bank of America.

In April 2020, the same month that the partners discovered the $55 million credit line, Snyder had, for the first time, failed to pay his partners their quarterly share of team profits, the arbitration filing alleged. The partners said they already knew the team's local revenues -- those derived apart from NFL media rights deals -- had dropped by one-third over the previous decade, from $241 million in fiscal year 2009 to $160 million in fiscal year 2020.

The partners confronted Snyder about the missed quarterly payment in May 2020 and asked why he had secured the credit line. They also demanded an explanation for what they called "self-dealing transactions." Snyder ignored their questions, the partners allege in the documents, except to eventually tell them the team had borrowed more than $20 million under the credit line.

When Rothman complained that the team's board had not met in years, Snyder responded, "What the f--- do I need a board meeting for?" according to the documents.
----
Their dispute was fought in sealed motions filed in a federal lawsuit in Maryland before landing in confidential proceedings led by an NFL arbitrator and, eventually, the closed-door mediation overseen by Goodell and NFL lawyers.

In spring 2021, the mediation resulted in Snyder paying his partners $875 million for their 40% stake. Nearly two years later, Snyder is seeking to sell the team for up to $7 billion. At that price, the former partners' stake in the team would be worth $2.8 billion.

This on top his team official circulating a video of partial nude Washington cheerleaders and in general ruining one of the top franchises in the NFL.

UCF @ Iowa State happening right not. Iowa State is a Final Four contender, UCF is not.

Looking for a parking pass for the Cincinnati basketball game on 2/5.

Let me know!

Going to be a cold one on the water.


Aaaaaa

Hello All-

My wife and I are heading down to Orlando to attend the spring football game. We'll be down there for a week and have no plans beyond the game Saturday. Just curious, what restaurants do you guys recommend?

We're staying in tourist hell Kissimmee most of the week, although we do move over to the Marriott on campus the night before the game.

I'd love suggestions on good spots to check out anywhere in the greater Orlando area. Totally flexible on price point / cuisine and we don't mind a drive.

edit: one question about spring game. I have a UCF helmet in my office I'd like to get signed by players. Does the spring game have any access to the guys where that may be feasible? I don't want to be annoying or chase people around but if they take time to chat with fans maybe I could bring it along just in case. Is that bad manners? I don't really know how this stuff works.