Just How Good Are They (basketball)

[ucf_71127]

So I have been thinking about our recruiting class, our returning stars, and our possibilities this year. It made me curious on how good our freshmen were last year and how would they compare to years past. So after looking at stats from the past 20 seasons (1994-95 season) I collected a list of the top freshman seasons and I was surprised at how well BJ and Adonys finished on the list. Take a look at UCF's greatest:

8 Best Freshman Performances

B.J. Taylor- 12.8 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 2.5 Ast
Keith Clanton- 9.7 Pts, 6.8 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Adonys Henriquez- 10.8 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 2.1 Ast
Joey Graham- 8.5 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Marcus Jordan- 8.0 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 2.5 Ast
A.J. Rompza- 4.3 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 5.2 Ast
Isaac Sosa- 8.2 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Jason Thornton- 7.7 Pts, 1.9 Reb, 1.1 Ast

BJ and Adonys had some of the best freshman performances in the past 20 years! It makes it even tougher because they were teammates. I will admit that these players had many opportunities their freshman year, more than players that were perhaps even better players in other years.

I think it's also important to mention that our incoming freshman class doesn't have to perform at an elite level to be successful. For example, just because Tacko Fall is 7'6 doesn't mean he needs to have 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks a game. Let's just hope that he contributes when he gets minutes and that he grows as a basketball player (grows statistically not physically).

 

[ucf_71127]

Here are some of the best sophomores that have played at UCF. We just lost Brandon Goodwin who made the Top 12.

12 Best Sophomore Performances

Keith Clanton- 14.2 Pts, 7.7 Reb, 1.6 Ast
Marcus Jordan- 15.2 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 3.3 Ast
Joey Graham- 13.3 Pts, 5.6 Reb, 2.4 Ast
Isaiah Sykes- 12.3 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Paul Reed- 11.4 Pts, 6.5 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Brandon Goodwin - 10.2 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 4.2 Ast
Stephen Graham- 12.0 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 2.8 Ast
Josh Peppers- 13.1 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Jermaine Taylor- 12.7 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Jason Thornton- 12.7 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 1.6 Ast
A.J. Rompza- 8.6 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 4.6 Ast
Mike O'Donnell- 8.3 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 4.0 Ast

I hope BJ and Adonys perform like the Clanton/Jordan combo. Another combo that made the team are the Graham brothers. It's sad to see Brandon go because he had a very successful sophomore season.

 

[goodknightfl]

We may get a bit of a feel soon with bahamas trip.

 

[ucf_71127]

I don't know if we will have any juniors that show up on the list for this upcoming year, but Tanksley, Justin, and Matt will all have opportunities. Transfers and JUCO's start making the list too. Anyways, here is the junior list:

16 Best Junior Performances

Jermaine Taylor- 20.8 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 1.7 Ast
Isaiah Sykes- 16.0 Pts, 7.5 Reb, 4.5 Ast
Keith Clanton- 14.5 Pts, 8.1 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Harry Kennedy- 17.2 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Paul Reed - 14.0 Pts, 7.4 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Brad Traina - 15.4 Pts, 4.8 Reb, 2.2 Ast
D'Quarius Stewart- 13.9 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Josh Peppers - 13.7 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Marcus Jordan- 13.7 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 2.4 Ast
Ray Abellard- 13.0 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 2.9 Ast
Tristan Spurlock- 11.4 Pts, 5.8 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Anthony Williams- 11.0 Pts, 5.6 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Roberto Morentin- 10.3 Pts, 5.7 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Mario Lovett- 9.8 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Dexter Lyons- 9.8 Pts, 5.0 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Mike O'Donnell- 10.3 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 3.7 Ast

 

[ucf_71127]

Senior List! This is the list that all players would like to make because your senior year matters. This is my favorite list because these are the leaders and the players that choose to come, play, and stay at UCF.

17 Best Senior Performances

Jermaine Taylor- 26.2 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Mark Jones- 20.8 Pts, 7.2 Reb, 2.2 Ast
Ochiel Swaby- 19.0 Pts, 6.7 Reb, 3.0 Ast
Isaiah Sykes- 17.2 Pts, 7.2 Reb, 3.5 Ast
Dexter Lyons- 18.3 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 2.8 Ast
Harry Kennedy- 17.5 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Keith Clanton- 14.8 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 2.5 Ast
Paul Reed- 13.8 Pts, 8.9 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Ray Abellard- 16.3 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 3.0 Ast
Brad Traina- 16.7 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Roberto Morentin- 13.5 Pts, 6.9 Reb, 1.8 Ast
D'Quarius Stewart- 16.1 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Jeff Jordan- 15.0 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 3.5 Ast
Josh Peppers- 14.3 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Gary Johnson- 13.6 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 3.8 Ast
Dave Noel- 13.3 Pts, 4.2 Reb, 3.1 Ast
Ed Dotson- 13.8 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 0.6 Ast

My biggest surprise is seeing JEFF Jordan on the list. Pretty cool to see him finish strong here (unlike his brother). Keith Clanton was a beast and it was special getting to watch him play. Also, Jermaine lighting it up his senior year was something rare to watch! Can Staphon, Shaheed, or Daiquan make the list? Who's next...

 

[ucf_71127]

Top 5 Loses
Marcus Jordan
Joey Graham
Stephen Graham
Brandon Goodwin
Tony Davis

Top 5 Gets (JUCO or Transfer)
Mike O'Donnell
Jeff Jordan
Dave Noel
Tristan Spurlock
Anthony Williams

If you would like to add someone, please do. I don't know the older rosters (aka transfers).

 

[mattropolis]

So I have been thinking about our recruiting class, our returning stars, and our possibilities this year. It made me curious on how good our freshmen were last year and how would they compare to years past. So after looking at stats from the past 20 seasons (1994-95 season) I collected a list of the top freshman seasons and I was surprised at how well BJ and Adonys finished on the list. Take a look at UCF's greatest:

8 Best Freshman Performances

B.J. Taylor- 12.8 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 2.5 Ast
Keith Clanton- 9.7 Pts, 6.8 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Adonys Henriquez- 10.8 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 2.1 Ast
Joey Graham- 8.5 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Marcus Jordan- 8.0 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 2.5 Ast
A.J. Rompza- 4.3 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 5.2 Ast
Isaac Sosa- 8.2 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Jason Thornton- 7.7 Pts, 1.9 Reb, 1.1 Ast

BJ and Adonys had some of the best freshman performances in the past 20 years! It makes it even tougher because they were teammates. I will admit that these players had many opportunities their freshman year, more than players that were perhaps even better players in other years.

I think it's also important to mention that our incoming freshman class doesn't have to perform at an elite level to be successful. For example, just because Tacko Fall is 7'6 doesn't mean he needs to have 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks a game. Let's just hope that he contributes when he gets minutes and that he grows as a basketball player (grows statistically not physically).

I thought those two looked very good for freshman. They just need help around them...to even get better. Thanks for mashing through the stats. Good stuff!

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

We need to at least finish .500 this year (a very minimum). Losing Blair for next year may hurt.

 

[firm_bizzle]

We just need Blair and McBride to be double double machines and we'll make the tourney.

 

[ucf_71127]

I say we would win the AAC championship and make the sweet 16 with two players averaging a double double.

I actually looked into the stats for rebounding and since 1996 the top 100 players have averaged more than 11.06 rebounds a game. Of those 100 players, none of them were from the same team and season. I also tried finding an article on teammates averaging a double double but I couldn't. Not to mention, I don't think any UCF player has ever averaged more than 10 rebounds a game for a season. So if we had 2 players average a double-double then we would be very successful!

And about Stephon Blair. He might be a huge gap to fill and I don't know who could take his minutes. It's hard to look at next year and try to get a sense of our roster when we haven't even seen 4 of our players from this past recruiting cycle, plus a transfer (Tanksley, Tacko, AJ Davis, Chance, Chad).

Next year we lose the following (junior season stats):
Blair- 24.9 Mins, 7.8 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 1.3 Blk
Daiquan Walker- 23.4 Mins, 7.4 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Shaheed Davis- 13.9 Mins, 4.4 Pts, 3.0 Reb, .6 Blk

Total 62.2 minutes, 19.6 pts and 10 rebounds

I can easily see Justin McBride filling the role at center. Tacko will be contributing as a sophomore and he will be able to fill the rebounding and blocks void from Blair and Shaheed. I think Chad Brown could be the hidden gem. He almost averaged a triple double in high school. I am very eager to watch him play. Chance can take over the minutes for Daiquan. These are all possibilities, not to mention the next class that comes in. Hopefully DJ can real another top class in for UCF!

 

[Hoops McKnight*]

So I have been thinking about our recruiting class, our returning stars, and our possibilities this year. It made me curious on how good our freshmen were last year and how would they compare to years past. So after looking at stats from the past 20 seasons (1994-95 season) I collected a list of the top freshman seasons and I was surprised at how well BJ and Adonys finished on the list. Take a look at UCF's greatest:

8 Best Freshman Performances

B.J. Taylor- 12.8 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 2.5 Ast
Keith Clanton- 9.7 Pts, 6.8 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Adonys Henriquez- 10.8 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 2.1 Ast
Joey Graham- 8.5 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Marcus Jordan- 8.0 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 2.5 Ast
A.J. Rompza- 4.3 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 5.2 Ast
Isaac Sosa- 8.2 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Jason Thornton- 7.7 Pts, 1.9 Reb, 1.1 Ast

BJ and Adonys had some of the best freshman performances in the past 20 years! It makes it even tougher because they were teammates. I will admit that these players had many opportunities their freshman year, more than players that were perhaps even better players in other years.

I think it's also important to mention that our incoming freshman class doesn't have to perform at an elite level to be successful. For example, just because Tacko Fall is 7'6 doesn't mean he needs to have 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks a game. Let's just hope that he contributes when he gets minutes and that he grows as a basketball player (grows statistically not physically).

It's worth mentioning that BJ & Adonys played against much tougher conference opponents.

 

[firm_bizzle]

I see no reason that the big bodies of Blair and McBride can't find 5 put backs each.

 

[Knight_Light]

I say we would win the AAC championship and make the sweet 16 with two players averaging a double double.

I actually looked into the stats for rebounding and since 1996 the top 100 players have averaged more than 11.06 rebounds a game. Of those 100 players, none of them were from the same team and season. I also tried finding an article on teammates averaging a double double but I couldn't. Not to mention, I don't think any UCF player has ever averaged more than 10 rebounds a game for a season. So if we had 2 players average a double-double then we would be very successful!

And about Stephon Blair. He might be a huge gap to fill and I don't know who could take his minutes. It's hard to look at next year and try to get a sense of our roster when we haven't even seen 4 of our players from this past recruiting cycle, plus a transfer (Tanksley, Tacko, AJ Davis, Chance, Chad).

Next year we lose the following (junior season stats):
Blair- 24.9 Mins, 7.8 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 1.3 Blk
Daiquan Walker- 23.4 Mins, 7.4 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Shaheed Davis- 13.9 Mins, 4.4 Pts, 3.0 Reb, .6 Blk

Total 62.2 minutes, 19.6 pts and 10 rebounds

I can easily see Justin McBride filling the role at center. Tacko will be contributing as a sophomore and he will be able to fill the rebounding and blocks void from Blair and Shaheed. I think Chad Brown could be the hidden gem. He almost averaged a triple double in high school. I am very eager to watch him play. Chance can take over the minutes for Daiquan. These are all possibilities, not to mention the next class that comes in. Hopefully DJ can real another top class in for UCF!

Thanks for all the stats.

FYI...on Shaheed Davis...he played in just 13 out of the 18 conf games last year...averaged just over 10 mins per game (in those he played in) and scored just 40 pts in conf play...as many of Shaheed's mins were built in easier non-conf play (scored 76 pts in 9 non-conf games)...before he went into doghouse.

BJ and Adonys might even play less mins this year...which might give them more rest...which could help them improve their shooting percentages...as both his a wall during 2nd part of last season (Adonys did have a big game or two late in the year).

Adonys just needs to be more active EARLY in games...as many times...he didn't even take one shot during the first 5-8 mins of games...waited way too long for the game to come to him...especially when he was the best outside threat for UCF.

 

[ucf_71127]

I just don't know how to respond to that. But we are recruiting this guy.

 

[ucf_71127]

So I was looking at our recruiting and target list this year because I am worried about commits for 2016. Last year we had a great recruiting class but it also started out fast! We didn't land everyone that we had early commits from, but our name was out there and we were in the ears of all our local talent.

Are we in the ears of all the talent around here?!

Well, I made the previous list of our top performances and I wanted to see where they all came from (local talent, out of state, or transfers). So here is what I found out,

A.J. Rompza- Chicago, Ill
Adonys Henriquez- Orlando, Fl
Anthony Williams- Omaha, Nebraska (CC)
B.J. Taylor – Orlando, Fl
Brad Traina- Sanford, Fl
Brandon Goodwin- Norcross, Ga
Dave Noel- Boynton Beach, Fl (CC)
Dexter Lyons- College Park, Ga (CC)
D'Quarius Stewart- Lancing, Mich
Ed Dotson- Detroit, Mich (CC)
Gary Johnson- Detroit, Mich (CC)
Harry Kennedy- (CC)
Isaac Sosa- Puerto Rico
Isaiah Sykes- Detroit, Mich
Jason Thornton- Orlando, Fl
Jeff Jordan- Illinois (transfer from Illinois)
Jermaine Taylor- Tavares, FL
Joey Graham – Brandon, FL (transferred to Ok. St.)
Josh Peppers- Memphis, Tenn
Keith Clanton- Orlando, Fl
Marcus Jordan- Illinois
Mario Lovett- Tampa, Fl
Mark Jones- Milwaukee, Wisconsin (transfer from Minnesota)
Mike O'Donnell- Largo, Fl (transfer from NC state)
Ochiel Swaby- Miami, Fl (transfer from Miami)
Paul Reed- (transfer from Old Dominion)
Ray Abellard- Brooklyn, NY (CC)
Roberto Morentin- Spain (CC)
Stephen Graham- Brandon, FL (transferred to Ok. St.)
Tristan Spurlock- Woodbridge, Va (transfer from Virginia)

Out of the top talent at UCF, this is how we got them...
Transferred to UCF- 6
Transferred from UCF- 2
Community college player- 8
High school from Florida (Orlando Area)- 7 (6) (Adonys, BJ, Jermaine, Clanton, Thornton, Traina)
High school OOS- Ill (2), Mich (2), Tenn, Ga, Puerto Rico

As you can see, the local talent is important! Our recent talent has all been from the area of Orlando (Keith, Jermaine, Adonys, BJ). Plus add in our new recruits of Chad, Chance, Tanksley, and Tacko (kinda from here). I am very excited how we have recently recruited our area.

But what about this year?! Is it too early to be concerned? Because when I search the rivals database it shows that we have 16 extended offers. 3 are committed to other schools and 3 are from Florida!! Why aren't we hitting Florida harder!? (do I sound like the GOL haters who talk about offers outside of FL? sorry)

We hopefully have an outstanding relationship with the #1 team in the nation and local talent pool with Monteverde's coach Boyle. Because his son is on our team (freshman Brendan Boyle). But I just don't see our offers out there. I wound feel better if we had "offers" to the following:
Udoka Azubukie (Jacksonville) #2 player in Florida
Howard Washington (Monteverde) #13 in Florida
Bruno Fernando (Monteverde) #26 in Florida
Kouat Noi (Monteverde) #37
Kevin Cham (Monteverde) #38
De'Riante Jenkins (Orlando) #8 in Florida per ESPN
Jean-Michael Tine (Orlando) #17 in Florida per ESPN

floridahoops rankings http://floridahoops.com/?page_id=1187
ESPN rankings for Florida click here

I know these are only rankings and Donnie can recruit anyone he wants but I hope Donnie is working his magic for our open spots (4 scholarships I believe).

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

I see no reason that the big bodies of Blair and McBride can't find 5 put backs each.

McBride has got to lose some weight and get aggressive!

 

[Knight_Light]

While it might boost your ego, almost all of the top players from Monte Verde sign with Blue Chip programs...and yes, DJ knows who is there and has offered 9th and 10th graders in the past very early but those top ranked recruits would almost always say"thanks but no thanks".

I am anxious to see the influence of Coach Webster in and around DC area and other targets up North.

Now that UCF is off recruiting sanctions, DJ has.offered more scholarships to national players vs focusing on mostly FLA players when NCAA sanctions were in place.

I've never cared what zip code a.player is from as long as they help UCF win games

 

[ucf_71127]

Thanks Knight Light for the input. I sure hope he has offered the local blue-chippers because if by chance they say yes, or need a fall back late in the process, it's good to be there.
I'm all for getting the best players that we can get regardless of the location. But in my opinion it's a lot easier to sell to the local players who have family, friends, and ties to the area. I guess you just have to decide how much time is worth the possibility??

And I "know" DJ is a great recruiter and I have a lot of faith in him, I am just anxious to see the results of his recruiting. Last year we had commitments from Corey Sanders (#5 in state), Anthony Lawrence (#9), Tacko Fall (#10), Alex Owens (#11), Chance McSpadden (#21), and Chad Brown #26). Not to mention interest from the #1 and #2 guys from the state Dwayne Bacon and Antonio Blackney (who rose up the ranks with crazy senior years!).

In 2014 we got Adonys (#7) and BJ (#14). They were both very solid and contributed more than most expected as freshman.

 

[pittstoner74]

comparing our past frosh and sophs to this teams doesn't help matters...all our past guys weren't good...why try to say they will be just as good as them?

 

[Knight_Light]

Thanks Knight Light for the input. I sure hope he has offered the local blue-chippers because if by chance they say yes, or need a fall back late in the process, it's good to be there.

I'm all for getting the best players that we can get regardless of the location. But in my opinion it's a lot easier to sell to the local players who have family, friends, and ties to the area. I guess you just have to decide how much time is worth the possibility??

Remember, most players at Monte Verde are not originally from the Orlando area (its a private residency school), as most come from out of state and obviously, from out of the country too...so in recruiting circles, they really aren't that local.

As most UCF Hoop season tix holders know...DJ and his staff are always involved/in communication with Monte Verde staff as fans see Monte Verde players/staff attend probably more UCF Home Games than any other school in the area. (And maybe that hurts too...as those players see pathetic student/fan attendance at most games).

 

[MISterKnight]

Here are some of the best sophomores that have played at UCF. We just lost Brandon Goodwin who made the Top 12.

10 Best Sophomore Performances

Keith Clanton- 14.2 Pts, 7.7 Reb, 1.6 Ast
Marcus Jordan- 15.2 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 3.3 Ast
Isaiah Sykes- 12.3 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Paul Reed- 11.4 Pts, 6.5 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Brandon Goodwin - 10.2 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 4.2 Ast
Josh Peppers- 13.1 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Jermaine Taylor- 12.7 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Jason Thornton- 12.7 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 1.6 Ast
A.J. Rompza- 8.6 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 4.6 Ast
Mike O'Donnell- 8.3 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 4.0 Ast

I hope BJ and Adonys perform like the Clanton/Jordan combo. It's sad to see Brandon go because he had a very successful sophomore season.

FIFY. TWSRN do not deserve to be on any UCF list.

 

[ucf_71127]

comparing our past frosh and sophs to this teams doesn't help matters...all our past guys weren't good...why try to say they will be just as good as them?

I am not saying that we are trying to be our past. It's just statistical proof that our team and program is improving. Our program and talent are getting better and we are also playing tougher competition.

 

[akhenaten]

I would like to think that B.J. and Adonys's strong freshman seasons are indicative of Donnie finally recruiting a few building blocks to get this team back to respectability. But I'm skeptical. He won the first few seasons with mostly Kirk recruits, and it's gone way downhill since then. You have to be careful about putting any stock in a good freshman season for a player. If freshmen are playing a lot of minutes, which B.J. and Adonys did, then that is typically a bad thing (unless you are Kentucky or Duke with blue-chip one-and-done freshmen). They seem to be fairly talented players, but their numbers were largely due to being forced to play huge minutes because the talent level on the team was so depleted. The jury is out on whether they will be great players who showed their greatness early, or ordinary/decent players whose freshman season numbers were inflated by necessity.

 

[Central Floridave]

Marc Daniels and Taylor Young Talk UCF Men's Basketball (7-27-15)

 

[ucf_71127]

I would like to think that B.J. and Adonys's strong freshman seasons are indicative of Donnie finally recruiting a few building blocks to get this team back to respectability. But I'm skeptical. He won the first few seasons with mostly Kirk recruits, and it's gone way downhill since then. You have to be careful about putting any stock in a good freshman season for a player. If freshmen are playing a lot of minutes, which B.J. and Adonys did, then that is typically a bad thing (unless you are Kentucky or Duke with blue-chip one-and-done freshmen). They seem to be fairly talented players, but their numbers were largely due to being forced to play huge minutes because the talent level on the team was so depleted. The jury is out on whether they will be great players who showed their greatness early, or ordinary/decent players whose freshman season numbers were inflated by necessity.

Nice post. I agree that their freshman season had a lot to do with the amount of minutes that they played. Adonys was 3rd in the conference for minutes per game.
But it doesn't take away from the player that they are. They are both still young and have been transforming to playing multiple times a week, traveling many hours, and watching many hours of game film. All while practicing as much as possible and still keeping their grades up. They had impressive seasons. Minutes effect all stats positively EXCEPT percentages. High minutes bring fatigue and can lower shooting averages.
Adonys had the 16th best FT% (.786) in the AAC. He also had the 9th best 3PT% (.394). So even though he played lots of minutes, he is still a pure shooter that will only get better.

I can't make the same argument for BJ though. He's not a pure shooter like Adonys. BJ can score though and he finds a way to do it. He was the 10th leading scorer in the AAC (top freshman) this year and he was only a freshman (12.8 Pts). He was the 20th top-scoring freshman in the nation!

It is impressive what they have done and they just might be the best tandem that UCF has ever seen! The next 3 years are going to be fun watching them!!

 

[Knight_Light]

Marc Daniels and Taylor Young Talk UCF Men's Basketball (7-27-15)

View embedded media

Interesting comments by Taylor on just the impact the 5th year and highly unused transfer Herzog had on his one and only season with UCF...and how Tacko might be able to do much the same on his first year.

Also, toward end of video, fans can see the rebounding/dish machine...which automatically feeds shooters. That equipment was bought with donations from those in the Victory Club.

 

[Knight_Light]

I would like to think that B.J. and Adonys's strong freshman seasons are indicative of Donnie finally recruiting a few building blocks to get this team back to respectability. But I'm skeptical. He won the first few seasons with mostly Kirk recruits, and it's gone way downhill since then. You have to be careful about putting any stock in a good freshman season for a player. If freshmen are playing a lot of minutes, which B.J. and Adonys did, then that is typically a bad thing (unless you are Kentucky or Duke with blue-chip one-and-done freshmen). They seem to be fairly talented players, but their numbers were largely due to being forced to play huge minutes because the talent level on the team was so depleted. The jury is out on whether they will be great players who showed their greatness early, or ordinary/decent players whose freshman season numbers were inflated by necessity.

BJ and Adonys played a lot of mins last year because they were the best options, plus, UCF had just 9 scholarship players last year...so DJ really didn't have many other options to pick from.

Sanctions (and injuries like Williams) suck...but I'm glad Stansbury allowed DJ to use one of the few available scholarships on 6'9" transfer AJ Davis, who redshirted but still has 3 years of eligibility...as it was worth the gamble (vs using same scholarship on another HS recruit last year).

Challenge for Adonys was not his total mins played last year....it was more that he waited way too long for the game to come to him...as in way too many games...he didn't even take a shot during the first 5-8 plus mins of a game...and the best shooter on a team can't do that.

BJ and Adonys will have more scorers on the court this year...so they should end up with more open shots, plus more assists.

 

[ucf_71127]

FIFY. TWSRN do not deserve to be on any UCF list.

Well they don't have to be on YOUR list or even many others but I included them so EVERYONE can compare our current freshman to top performances from UCF's past.

I don't know the full story of the twins transferring but it should be a lot easier to swallow now because of the talent that we have had since them: Jermaine, Keith, Sykes The twins aren't at the top of our list anymore. They mean less and less every year, not just because of time passing, but because our program is getting stronger.

Why can't we name Joey and Stephen Graham? Plenty around here say and talk about Marcus Jordan (left his senior year), Brandon Goodwin (2 years left to play), Kevin Smith (left after promising to come back), Jacoby Glenn (2 years left), Blake Bortles (1 year), and many more, but we still call them by their name! So why do many have a grudge still?

 

[UCFan9906]

We still don't run a discernable offense....our talent is catching up but not better than our conference mates do we lose to those with (for sure) and usually without offended themselves (aka Memphis backdoor dunk City on a down Memphis squad.

We hardly play D....especially our young gun guards (maybe a possession here and there) so that isn't good.

Some talent upgrade = +4 max against decent teams. Haven't checked how many creampuffs Donnie had so overall could be better than that by a few.

 

[ucf_71127]

We still don't run a discernable offense....our talent is catching up but not better than our conference mates do we lose to those with (for sure) and usually without offended themselves (aka Memphis backdoor dunk City on a down Memphis squad.

We hardly play D....especially our young gun guards (maybe a possession here and there) so that isn't good.

Some talent upgrade = +4 max against decent teams. Haven't checked how many creampuffs Donnie had so overall could be better than that by a few.

Some good points and I totally agree with what you said about our defense. I however think our offense efficiency was "average". I was looking at the AAC and we had the 5th most efficient offense with a 0.64 SRS (Simple Rating System; a rating that takes into account average point differential and strength of schedule. The rating is denominated in points above/below average, where zero is average). We scored slightly above average where Cincinnati for example scored below at -1.19. However, they had the best defense in the AAC 11.91 SRS and we had the worst -6.37.

Defense is tough to learn at the college level for young players or those new to the system. Kirk always talked about defense and he said that's why he kept JT off the court early in his career (fresh season) because he had to learn and play defense. It's tough and we had 2 freshman starting for us last year! They grew up a lot and I expect a lot more out of our team this year. We will be better because our defense will be much better.

I believe we have a "Definite" talent upgrade! +4 wins in basketball this year? I think that's accurate and I would take that in conference. That would put us at 9-9 and 5th in the league. I think 5th is about where we will finish this year.

 

[Knight_Light]

Defense is tough to learn at the college level for young players or those new to the system. Kirk always talked about defense and he said that's why he kept JT off the court early in his career (fresh season) because he had to learn and play defense.

JT's minutes as a true freshmen were also limited because he was playing behind a very experienced 3 guard line up (Rose - Senior, MOD, 3rd year, Lindbeck - Senior) and shared mins with 3rd year guard Noel), plus with some struggles on the offensive side of the ball.

JT shot 30% from the shorter 3 pt land and 44% from the FT line as a true Freshmen but his confidence on the offensive end obviously grew starting during his Soph season.

Key for UCF in AAC Conf play is protecting home court and going at least 6-3 at home...then stealing a victory or two upset road wins...so yes, 9-9 (or more) in conf play could be doable.

 

[KNIGHTTIME^]

But I'm skeptical. He won the first few seasons with mostly Kirk recruits, and it's gone way downhill since then.

Kirk wasn't winning with his recruits for the record. Let's see how he does with a full roster this season (well minus 1). We should take a step forward this season vs last year. I'll hope for a good OOC record and maybe 8-10 in AAC play.

 

[Hoops McKnight*]

Interesting comments by Taylor on just the impact the 5th year and highly unused transfer Herzog had on his one and only season with UCF...and how Tacko might be able to do much the same on his first year.

It's telling that with Herzog in the lineup we were undefeated (14 straight?), including UF and national ranking. Once he became injured we tanked.

 

[Knight_Light]

It's telling that with Herzog in the lineup we were undefeated (14 straight?), including UF and national ranking. Once he became injured we tanked.

Can't teach size....and while Herzog didn't play much at all at Michigan State, just having him in the middle did wonders for UCF when he was healthy.

Hopefully Tacko can be an almost immediate impact player like Herzog, but hopefully UCF can have Tacko for years and that he remains healthy.

 

[Good Knight Sweetheart]

Well they don't have to be on YOUR list or even many others but I included them so EVERYONE can compare our current freshman to top performances from UCF's past.

I don't know the full story of the twins transferring but it should be a lot easier to swallow now because of the talent that we have had since them: Jermaine, Keith, Sykes The twins aren't at the top of our list anymore. They mean less and less every year, not just because of time passing, but because our program is getting stronger.

Why can't we name Joey and Stephen Graham? Plenty around here say and talk about Marcus Jordan (left his senior year), Brandon Goodwin (2 years left to play), Kevin Smith (left after promising to come back), Jacoby Glenn (2 years left), Blake Bortles (1 year), and many more, but we still call them by their name! So why do many have a grudge still?

The others that left didn't screw UCF over.

.

 

[ucf_71127]

I don't think any of the players helped UCF by leaving. So yes, they all screwed over UCF in some way or another. However, ALL of them left for the best interest of "self".

 

[spacecoastknight]

Goodwin was a terribly selfish player; horrible with shot selection. He wouldn't have been playing for a big time coach. Donnie doesn't emphasize defense and shot selection enough. Those 2 things change the game.

 

[ucf_71127]

Goodwin was a terribly selfish player; horrible with shot selection. He wouldn't have been playing for a big time coach. Donnie doesn't emphasize defense and shot selection enough. Those 2 things change the game.

Terribly selfish player? Those are some harsh and strong words for the player who lead us in assist last year. If he was selfish in his shot selection then I am still ok with that because out of all the guards he had the best 2pt FG%. He shot .500% from 2P%, higher than BJ and Adonys.

Yes, he might not of been the best FT shooter but he tied BJ with FTA per game @ 4.1. BJ made 2.9 and Brandon made 2.5. Yes, FT should be freebies but the difference in BJ and Brandon was separated by 0.4 pts. I don't think it changed any games for us. Like I said, he lead the team in assist and also steals. He was the third leading scorer for us.

Was he selfish? Well, I don't think so. He was 1st in steals and assist, 3rd in scoring, and had the best 2P% for all our guards. He was a starter as a sophomore. He should be missed more than hated or called selfish.

The major thing I would say he needed to work on was his 3PT%. He was worst on the team. But I don't think he took too many. The reason why I say that is because he barely took 2 a game (2.2), which was 6th on the team. His 3's kept the opponents honest, even though he only shot .262%.

Despite what some think, he was a major part of our team last year (played the 2nd most minutes) and he had chemistry with our team. It's sad that he left and it DOES hurt us, but he wasn't the #1 or #2 guy for us.

 

[UCF 10 Georgia 6]

We have some good young pieces on our team..but I'm still not expecting much unfortunately. Maybe 14-15 wins this season depending on our OOC schedule. Donnie Jones is a nice guy, but I hate the way we play right now. We look like we are playing pickup basketball most of the time. It's a shame because he is a young guy who isn't a bad recruiter. Outside of 2010 the only thing he's really done for us is bring NCAA sanctions our way.

 

[KnightsFan99]

Terribly selfish player? Those are some harsh and strong words for the player who lead us in assist last year. If he was selfish in his shot selection then I am still ok with that because out of all the guards he had the best 2pt FG%. He shot .500% from 2P%, higher than BJ and Adonys.

Yes, he might not of been the best FT shooter but he tied BJ with FTA per game @ 4.1. BJ made 2.9 and Brandon made 2.5. Yes, FT should be freebies but the difference in BJ and Brandon was separated by 0.4 pts. I don't think it changed any games for us. Like I said, he lead the team in assist and also steals. He was the third leading scorer for us.

Was he selfish? Well, I don't think so. He was 1st in steals and assist, 3rd in scoring, and had the best 2P% for all our guards. He was a starter as a sophomore. He should be missed more than hated or called selfish.

The major thing I would say he needed to work on was his 3PT%. He was worst on the team. But I don't think he took too many. The reason why I say that is because he barely took 2 a game (2.2), which was 6th on the team. His 3's kept the opponents honest, even though he only shot .262%.

Despite what some think, he was a major part of our team last year (played the 2nd most minutes) and he had chemistry with our team. It's sad that he left and it DOES hurt us, but he wasn't the #1 or #2 guy for us.

People love to rip on players when they leave. I felt he was one of our best players last year and one of the most fun to watch. Was looking forward to seeing what kind of improvement he made. In most games I felt he was the only player we had that would push the tempo.