The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)

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  • nolan887
    Rookie
    • Sep 2009
    • 466

    #76
    Re: The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)


    UCF'S MIRACLE SEASON COMES TO A CRASHING HALT


    #4 UCF Knights 30-4 at #12 Kansas Jayhawks 24-12
    Cox Arena
    San Diego, CA
    March 22, 2014

    San Diego, CA - The Kansas Jayhawks were simply too much for the UCF Knights to handle tonight. Coach Nolan coached the Knights to his first ever 30 win season this year, and took the Knights from the bottom to the top of the conference in his first season as head coach, but was helpless against a hot Kansas team on this night. Kansas jumped out to a quick 12-2 lead before the Knights spurred a 13-0 run making the score 15-12. After this point, the Knights would not see the lead for the rest of the game. Fouls plagued the entire starting lineup and forced J.J. Bone, Dominik Hill, and Pearson Shannon to sit almost ten minutes of the first half. The Knights went on a run to close out the first half and cut the lead from as much as 18 points to just 8 going into the break. Coming out of the half, the Knights were playing inspired basketball with their starters back in, but costly foul mistakes took them right back out of the game. UCF would struggle to stay in the game at all and went on a run at the end of the game to make the final score only a ten point loss. Although the only lost by ten points, the Knights were outplayed and out-coached the entire length of the game. Coach Nolan, who only signed a one year deal with the club, will likely be offered a contract extension in the near future.

    "I'm not even thinking about next year right now," a disappointed and angry Nolan commented. "We played like absolute garbage today. I tell them not to foul, they foul. I tell them to play smart, they foul. I tell them to sit down on the bench, they foul. It is such a shame that our great season ended so poorly. The team that played today in our uniforms was not the team I have been coaching all season. Yea, it is great to just make the tournament, but this group of guys had enough potential to make a deep run in the tournament, but just cashed it in. I am very disappointed in our play today. It's a shame that Kody in his last game was the only one who showed up to play, if I were him I would have a few things to say to my teammates in the locker room after the game."

    The Jayhawk full court press was on all game and the UCF guards struggled to break it all game long. The Knights turned the ball over eighteen times, on top of that, the Jayhawks recorded seventeen steals. Many of the Jayhawks points came off of easy layups caused by steals and turnovers. Another issue for the Knights was their free throw shooting. They made it to the line for 40 shots, but were only able to convert 26 times. Also, when the Knights were fouled they did not make the basket once, so there was never an opportunity for a three point play on any of the Kansas fouls. A ray of light in an otherwise dark loss was the Knights' defense of Jelenic. The Jayhawk's senior guard Jonas Jelenic is projected to be a top pick in the upcoming NBA draft, but the Knights managed to hold him to 1-6 from the floor and 0-2 from deep. Jelenic did however cash in from the stripe shooting 8-9 from the line, ending with 10 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, and 4 steals.

    Central Florida at Kansas
    March 22, 201412F
    #4 Central Florida363470
    #12 Kansas443680
    Top Performers
    Central Florida - Stats
    Kody Kleinzweig - 25 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 Blk
    Nicholas Simmons - 12 Pts, 4 Ast, 2 Stl
    Kansas - Stats
    Harold Haywood - 19 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk
    Neill Crosswhite - 11 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl
    Team Stat Comparison
    UCFKU
    FG Made-Attempted22-5428-59
    3P Made-Attempted0-63-13
    FT Made-Attempted26-4021-31
    Rebounds2536
    Assists1115
    Steals1517
    Blocks33
    Turnovers1823

    Last edited by nolan887; 04-26-2010, 05:55 PM.
    "Yo Soy Fiesta."
    -Rob Gronkowski

    Comment

    • nolan887
      Rookie
      • Sep 2009
      • 466

      #77
      Re: The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)



      ROUND 2 UPDATE: TICKETS PUNCHED TO SWEET SIXTEEN
      March 23, 2014

      The second round of the NCAA tournament concluded today. The Sweeet Sixteen games will be held next Thursday and Friday, March 27 & 28 and the Elite Eight games will follow on Saturday and Sunday, March 29 & 30. This year's tournament is somewhat bland as there were not many upsets in the first weekend. The lowest seeds continuing on to the Sweet Sixteen are the #12 Kansas Jayhawks, #10 Seton Hall Pirates, #10 Oregon Ducks, and #7 Georgetown Hoyas. Although these teams have lower seeds, they are still very powerful programs. It is interesting to note that the only mid-major team taking it's trip to the Sweet Sixteen this year is the Nevada Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack ended the season with a conference tournament win and a #25 AP Ranking. The Wolf Pack also finished #2 in the top 25 Mid-Major poll, trailing only the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who have been eliminated. Conference USA seemed to be stepping it's game up this year with three teams making the tournament, but Houston and UCF fell off early and only the Memphis Tigers fight on to the second week of play.








      "Yo Soy Fiesta."
      -Rob Gronkowski

      Comment

      • nolan887
        Rookie
        • Sep 2009
        • 466

        #78
        Re: The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)


        ROUND 3: HOW SWEET IT IS
        March 28, 2014

        College basketball fans around the nation are somewhat disappointed with this year's tournament. The top seeds are still dominating play, and the only low seed left fighting in the Elite Eight are the Georgetown Hoyas. All four #1 seeds are still left standing, and all four of them look to have a good chance to make the Final Four. Fans of Michigan State, USC, Arizona, and Florida may be happy, but fans of the other 343 DI basketball schools are surely bored with the tournament. The Elite Eight games will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 29 & 30. Winners of these games will advance to the Final Four next week in hopes to play for the National Championship.








        "Yo Soy Fiesta."
        -Rob Gronkowski

        Comment

        • nolan887
          Rookie
          • Sep 2009
          • 466

          #79
          Elite Eight



          ROUND 4: A ROAD SELDOM TRAVELLED, THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR
          March 30, 2014


          Elite Eight play wrapped up this evening with all four #1 seeds advancing to the Final Four. The USC vs California game was the only game this weekend that wasnt a total blowout, but USC still acchived the eight point win in the end. A lack of buzzer beaters and upsets has many college hoops fans distrought and already looking forward to the 2015 NCAA tourney. The company secretaries and college hoops numbskulls who picked all #1 seeds in the Final Four will definately have the last laugh this year as this move is looked down upon by almost any avid hoops fan. The Final Four games will be held Saturday, April 5, and the Championship game will be held Monday Night, April 7. Can Michigan State, the overall #1 seed take home the crown? Can Florida, the SEC conference winner pull it out? Will the PAC-10 co-champion Arizona Wildcats claw their way to victory? Or will the USC Trojans slash everyone's hopes and dreams to claim the title for themselves? All of these questions will be answered next week, at the Final Four.








          "Yo Soy Fiesta."
          -Rob Gronkowski

          Comment

          • nolan887
            Rookie
            • Sep 2009
            • 466

            #80
            Re: The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)


            FINAL FOUR: "UPSET" SPECIAL
            April 5, 2014

            The top four seeds in the tournament, in order, were (1) #1 Michigan State, (2) #1 Arizona, (3) #1 USC, and (4) #1 Florida. All four number one seeds made it into the final four games this weekend, but only two made it out. Although all teams were ranked #1, Michigan State held the edge over USC, and Arizona held the edge over Florida. In this case, both teams were "upset" in a way. The Championship game is now set in stone and the Trojans of South California will battle against the Gators of Florida. As per the normal outcomes this tournament, USC and Florida both won their games by double digit margins and for the average viewer, the games were not very exciting. Monday, April 7th will be the last game of the season, and one can only hope that the game comes down to the wire.


            Last edited by nolan887; 04-26-2010, 06:42 PM.
            "Yo Soy Fiesta."
            -Rob Gronkowski

            Comment

            • nolan887
              Rookie
              • Sep 2009
              • 466

              #81
              2014 NCAA Championship



              NATIONAL CHAMP CROWNED: FIGHT ON, TROJANS, FIGHT ON
              April 7, 2014

              As much as we would all have liked to see a slug-fest battle-to-the-end offensive shootout down to the wire type game, we settled for a complete blowout. The USC Trojans embarrassed the Florida Gators in an 18 point win in the national title game. Some say it was just a boring finish to a boring tournament. Many are already looking forward to next year's NCAA Tournament and hoping to see some upsets and buzzer beaters in the later rounds. USC deserves all the credit in the world, not only did they win the National Championship, but they also knocked off Michigan State, #1 in the country and #1 overall seed in the tourney on their way to the final game. USC Coach Tim Floyd will likely be announced as Coach of the Year later this week when yearly awards are handed out. He must have done some great coaching as USC averaged 93 points per game in the tournament with an average margin of victory of 24 points per game. USC was hands down the most prolific offensive team in the entire field of 64, and ended up coming out on top.


              "Yo Soy Fiesta."
              -Rob Gronkowski

              Comment

              • nolan887
                Rookie
                • Sep 2009
                • 466

                #82
                Season Wrap-Up



                2013-14 SEASON WRAP UP

                Orlando, FL - With the NCAA Tournament finished, yearly awards have been announced around the league. Most notably, Coach Nolan, who coached his UCF Knights from last to first in C-USA, claimed the regular season and conference tournament titles, and led his #4 ranked Knights to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament did not receive Conference Coach of the year. The Knights had one of the best seasons in school history, but did not play well enough to be recognized on a national level.

                NCAA Champions: USC Trojans 31-6 (13-5)
                NIT Champions: Alabama Crimson Tide (def Butler 69-67 in Championship game)
                Player of the Year: C - Chauncey Munir, Sr, Texas A&M - 22.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG
                Mid-Major Player of the Year: C - Richard Wente, Sr, Troy - 24.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG
                Coach of the Year: Tim Floyd, USC
                Defensive Player of the Year: C - Deantoine Minoff, Jr, Michigan State - 7 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.7 BPG
                Big Man of the Year: C - Chauncey Munir, Sr, Texas A&M - 22.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG
                Freshman of the Year: SG - Elmore Salow, Fr, Florida - 7.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.8 SPG
                First Team All-American:
                PG - S Goodson, Sr, Memphis
                SG - I Whelchel, Sr, Michigan State
                SF - L Anthony, Sr, Arkansas
                PF - D Reed, Sr, USC
                C - C Munir, Sr, Texas A&M
                Second Team All-American:
                PG - Z Blackenship, Sr, Illinois
                SG - G Bridgewater, Sr, UCLA
                SF - C Silva, Sr, Missouri
                PF - T Rodgers, Sr, Vanerbilt
                C - K Zachery, Sr, UConn
                Freshman All-American:
                PG - D Shavies, Michigan State
                SG - E Salow, Florida
                SF - N Crosswhite, Kansas
                PF - P Grove, Villanova
                C - S Graham, LSU

                Conference USA Awards:
                Coach of the Year: John Calipari
                Player of the Year: C - Jarryd Watts, Sr, Tulsa - 21.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.5 BPG
                Freshman of the Year: PF - Aaron Videnov, Houston - 6.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.6 BPG
                First Team All-Conference:
                PG - S Goodson, Sr, Memphis
                SG - A Nelke, Sr, Tulane
                SF - M Jelenic, Jr. UTEP
                PF - K Kleinzweig, Sr, UCF
                C - J Watts, Sr, Tulsa
                Second Team All-Conference:
                PG - G Corrigan, So, Houston
                SG - A Draughan, Sr, Southern Miss
                SF - M Cunningham, So, Houston
                PF - P Shannon, Jr, UCF
                C - T Braun, Jr, Marshall
                Freshman All-Conference:
                PG - T Benson, UTEP
                SG - S Thues, Tulsa
                SF - S Esterkamp, UTEP
                PF - A Videnov, Houston
                C - V Winkfield, Southern Methodist
                Last edited by nolan887; 04-26-2010, 07:18 PM.
                "Yo Soy Fiesta."
                -Rob Gronkowski

                Comment

                • Deuce2223
                  Hall Of Fame
                  • Dec 2007
                  • 12571

                  #83
                  Re: Season Wrap-Up

                  That is the first time I have ever seen a Final 4 made up of the 4 #1 Seeds.. That was crazy.. Good to see the Pac-10 representing...


                  You got totally screwed not winning CUSA Coach of the Year. You won both the Regular Season Title and Conference Tourney..

                  BOO BOO BOO BOO BOO BOO BOO the Voters...

                  Comment

                  • nolan887
                    Rookie
                    • Sep 2009
                    • 466

                    #84
                    Re: Season Wrap-Up

                    Originally posted by Deuce2223
                    That is the first time I have ever seen a Final 4 made up of the 4 #1 Seeds.. That was crazy.. Good to see the Pac-10 representing...


                    You got totally screwed not winning CUSA Coach of the Year. You won both the Regular Season Title and Conference Tourney..

                    BOO BOO BOO BOO BOO BOO BOO the Voters...
                    haha yea i know. and i beat calipari both times we went head to head. kinda sucks. i'm more pissed off about my loss still. it was one of those games when i almost threw my controller through my tv. every time kansas drove down to the bucket one of my players would just run over and foul him for no reason at all. the pac-10 was beastly this season. usc won it all and was 3rd in their conference if that tells you how much talent they have. looking forward to another solid season, hopefully i can fill the void left by Kleinzweig down low.
                    "Yo Soy Fiesta."
                    -Rob Gronkowski

                    Comment

                    • nolan887
                      Rookie
                      • Sep 2009
                      • 466

                      #85
                      Re: The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)

                      Question for anyone/everyone following:

                      Would you rather a post for each round of the NCAA tournament like I did or just a final post with the entire bracket filled out? Either way works for me, just wanted some input.
                      "Yo Soy Fiesta."
                      -Rob Gronkowski

                      Comment

                      • nolan887
                        Rookie
                        • Sep 2009
                        • 466

                        #86
                        2014-15 Season Kick Off


                        NOLAN SHAKES THINGS UP A BIT TO START OF THE NEW SEASON

                        Orlando, FL - Although Coach Nolan led his UCF Knights to a 30 win season, regular season conference title, conference tournament title, and 2nd round NCAA appearance, he was not at all happy with the contributions made by his assistant coaching staff. Before Nolan inked his new 2 year deal with the Knights, he dropped both of his assistant coaches calling them "useless." Nolan picked up Kelenna Forney to help out with recruiting, a task he performed alone last season to poor result, and Red Agudio who will be in charge of watching game tape and scouting recruit games.

                        Losses and Additions
                        The Knights graduated three Seniors at the end of last season including point leader and terror in the paint Kody Kleinzweig and 3-point specialist Dominik Hill. With only two signings this past off season, the Knights will look to bench players from last season to help fill the void. The Knights add a 6'-10" center from New Zealand and an additional guard to their roster. This season, Nolan cut many players who saw limited playing time last year in an attempt to open up scholarships for next season to help build a team worthy of a National Championship.

                        Starting Lineup:

                        PG #33 J Bone, 5'-9", 164 lb (Orlando, FL) 72 OVR Junior
                        SG #14 N Simmons, 5'-10", 188 lb (Miami, FL) 69 OVR Junior
                        SF #24 N Cassler, 6'-9", 236 lb (Orlando, FL) 67 OVR Sophomore
                        PF #45 P Shannon, 6'-9" 242 lb (Jacksonville, FL) 71 OVR Senior
                        C #40 M Boyce, 6'-10", 227 lb, (New Zealand) 66 OVR Freshman

                        Bench:
                        G #12 G Logie, 6'-6", 190 lb (Charleston, SC) 65 OVR Freshman
                        G #32 L Gardner, 6'-2", 217 lb (Coral Springs, FL) 57 OVR Junior
                        G #11 F Cooper, 6'-4" 199 lb (Des Plaines, IL) 53 OVR Freshman (RS)
                        F #54 A Ross, 6'-9", 247 lb (San Antonio, TX) 65 OVR Junior
                        F #42 E Carlson, 6'-8", 227 lb (Jacksonville, FL) 58 OVR Junior
                        F #55 R Rios, 6'-9", 234 lb (Cape Coral, FL) 55 OVR Freshman (RS)

                        Transfer:
                        G #22 C Poole, 6'-5", 199 lb (Tucson, AZ) 71 OVR Junior [Air Force]

                        Conference USA Projections

                        The Knights were projected to finish dead last in their conference last season and stunned all of the critics by going 15-1 in conference play. UCF won not only the conference title, but the conference tournament as well. This year, the critics have no faith in the Knights again. With the losses of Kleinzweig and Hill, two of their top offensive players, the "experts" are picking the Knights to finish second to last in the division.

                        Projected Standings:
                        1. UTEP Miners
                        2. ECU Pirates
                        3. Memphis Tigers
                        4. Houston Cougars
                        5. Rice Owls
                        6. Marshall Thundering Herd
                        7. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
                        8. Southern Methodist Mustangs
                        9. Tulane Green Wave
                        10. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
                        11. UCF Knights
                        12. UAB Blazers

                        Schedule Released
                        With the critics at it again, Coach Nolan decided to try to mix it up a little bit this year by playing much tougher opponents in non-conference play. "We played a lot of poor teams last year and people doubted us going into conference play. This year we have some tough competition and nobody will be able to question our toughness and dedication to the game of basketball." The Knights will be kicking their season off against the Florida Gators who were the runners up in the NCAA tournament last season. Florida returns all five of their starters from last season and will be a very hard team to beat for the Knights. The Knights also have games scheduled against two Big East foes: their rival USF Bulls and the WVU Mountaineers.

                        In an attempt to build up some reputation for his program, Coach Nolan plans to make regular rivalry games every year against Florida, Florida State, Miami, USF and UNF. All five of the schools are in close proximity and all five fight for recruits every season. Nolan will also take on his old school the USC Upstate Spartans again this year. Other notable opponents on this years roster are Army, UNLV, Wofford, UC Davis, and UALR.

                        2014-15 Schedule:
                        red denotes conference games
                        11/1 @ #1 Florida
                        11/5 @ Army
                        11/8 v UNLV
                        11/12 v USCU
                        11/15 v Wofford
                        11/19 @ Miami
                        11/22 @ Florida State
                        11/26 @ South Florida
                        11/29 v North Florida
                        12/10 v UC Davis
                        12/12 v UALR
                        12/17 @ West Virginia
                        1/7 @ ECU
                        1/14 v Rice
                        1/17 @ UTEP
                        1/21 v UAB
                        1/28 @ #11 Memphis
                        1/31 v UTEP
                        2/3 @ Rice
                        2/7 v Tulane
                        2/11 @ So. Methodist
                        2/14 v Houston
                        2/18 v Tulsa
                        2/21 @ Marshall
                        2/25 @ Tulane
                        2/28 v ECU
                        3/4 v So. Miss
                        3/7 @ Houston


                        Potential UCF Knights

                        The Knights only have two scholarships available this year, so recruitment will be tough as it was last year. Making cuts this season will surely open up more scholarships for next season, but Coach Nolan must deal with what he has at the moment. The only graduating senior on the team this year is Pearson Shannon. With Shannon leaving and the cuts made, Nolan should have plenty of scholarships to give out next season. The areas of concern for this year are finding a potential replacement or bench depth for Shannon and also finding one or two more guards to become an outside threat for the Knights. With the departure of Hill, UCF looks very week in terms of three point shooting this year.

                        Pre-Season Recruits:
                        G Fernandez Grundy, 5'-10", 160 lb (Richmond, VA) 5*, #6 OVR, #3 PG, Mr BB Virginia, McDonald's All-American
                        F Julian Mundz, 6'-10", 213 lb (Albany, GA) 3*, #360 OVR, #23 PF
                        F Edward Whitehead, 6'-7", 199lb (Fayetteville, NC) 3*, #399 OVR, #69 SF
                        C Cartier Berry, 7'-1", 244lb (Orlando, FL) 2*

                        Pre-Season AP Top 25

                        The Florida Gators, UCF's first opponent of the season, are returning all five starting members of their lineup. Coming in 2nd place last season no doubt lit a fire in their belly, and they will be out for blood this year. The Gators start the season off ranked as the #1 team in the country. The only other pre-season ranked team on the Knights' schedule is conference foe Memphis. UCF dispatched the Tigers in both of their match-ups last season, the latter being for the conference tournament win.

                        NCAA Basketball Rankings - AP Top 25
                        RKTEAMRECORD
                        1Florida Gators0-0
                        2Pittsburgh Panthers0-0
                        3Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets0-0
                        4Texas Tech Red Raiders0-0
                        5Saint Louis Billikens0-0
                        6Oregon Ducks0-0
                        7Arizona Wildcats0-0
                        8Illinois Fighting Illini0-0
                        9Arizona State Sun Devils0-0
                        10Seton Hall Pirates0-0
                        11Memphis Tigers0-0
                        12Vanderbilt Commodores0-0
                        13Michigan State Spartans0-0
                        14Iowa State Cyclones0-0
                        15California Golden Bears0-0
                        16Maryland Terrapins0-0
                        17Wisconsin Badgers0-0
                        18Syracuse Orange0-0
                        19Mississippi State Bulldogs0-0
                        20Georgetown Hoyas0-0
                        21USC Trojans0-0
                        22Indiana Hoosiers0-0
                        23Xavier Musketeers0-0
                        24Clemson Tigers0-0
                        25NC State Wolfpack0-0

                        Last edited by nolan887; 04-27-2010, 09:43 PM.
                        "Yo Soy Fiesta."
                        -Rob Gronkowski

                        Comment

                        • superjames1992
                          Hall Of Fame
                          • Jun 2007
                          • 31382

                          #87
                          Re: 2014-15 Season Kick Off

                          LOL at UCF being picked 11th in C-USA...

                          Good luck this season!
                          Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)
                          Yale Bulldogs (NCAA Football 07)
                          Coaching Legacy of Lee Williamson (CH 2K8)

                          Comment

                          • Deuce2223
                            Hall Of Fame
                            • Dec 2007
                            • 12571

                            #88
                            Re: 2014-15 Season Kick Off

                            Good luck trying to land Grundy. Landing a 5* AA would be huge. You got my support every game excpet the UC Davis game

                            I would've scheduled USF to play the Aggies in my legacy, but after I got done putting in all the teams with players on it from the boards, I only had 1 game left and that went to UCLA my legacy rival. I have beat them every year so far.

                            I am not sure what I am going to do next year with 5 incoming player. I will need to more to a confernce in which has more non-conference games available I guess. Maybe the WCC..

                            Comment

                            • nolan887
                              Rookie
                              • Sep 2009
                              • 466

                              #89
                              Re: 2014-15 Season Kick Off

                              Originally posted by superjames1992
                              LOL at UCF being picked 11th in C-USA...

                              Good luck this season!
                              haha, I know. My team overall is low again as it was last year, but I managed to dominate with my 7 footer down low. He ended up with ~22 PPG last season. I'm hoping Shannon will stop fouling for no reason and my Freshman center can pick up some of the slack. Don't forget that I got Simmons more involved at the end of the season too. The critics down know squat IMO!

                              Originally posted by Deuce2223
                              Good luck trying to land Grundy. Landing a 5* AA would be huge. You got my support every game excpet the UC Davis game

                              I would've scheduled UCF to play the Aggies in my legacy, but after I got done putting in all the teams with players on it from the boards, I only had 1 game left and that went to UCLA my legacy rival. I have beat them every year so far.

                              I am not sure what I am going to do next year with 5 incoming player. I will need to more to a confernce in which has more non-conference games available I guess. Maybe the WCC..
                              Thanks. I'm hoping to get some better players this season, I had 16 on my roster last year so I figured guys could just step up this season, but they are all rated so low. I had a tough time doing my schedule as well. I wanted to schedule games against San Fran and Boise as well as my non-conference games, but it just would have been too many.
                              "Yo Soy Fiesta."
                              -Rob Gronkowski

                              Comment

                              • nolan887
                                Rookie
                                • Sep 2009
                                • 466

                                #90
                                UCF @ Florida

                                OPEN MOUTH, INSERT FOOT - NOLAN'S KNIGHTS SILENCE CRITICS

                                UCF Knights 1-0 (0-0) at #1 Florida Gators 0-1 (0-0)
                                Stephen C. O'Connell Center
                                Gainesville, FL
                                November 1, 2014

                                Gainesville, FL - One of Coach Nolan's strong suits is that he has unbelievable faith in his coaching ability, and in every player on his roster. This was apparent last season when he coached a team compromised of unknown players to a thirty win season, conference title, and 2nd round NCAA birth. This season would be no different as Nolan scheduled the Knights' season opener at #1 Florida Gators. The gators were the runner-up in the title game last year and return all five starters from their lineup last year. Just a few days ago, the critics scoffed at this choice, and projected UCF to finish second to last in their conference. These same critics chose UCF to finish dead last in the conference last year, UCF finished first. Nolan decided to remain quiet, and let his upset over #1 Florida speak for him.

                                The Knights traveled to a hostile Stephen C. O'Connell Center to face the best team in the nation tonight and shocked the world. The Knights did not trail for a single second in their season opener and were able to execute their game plan to perfection. Nolan's offensive style is to pound the ball to the big men down low and to drive to the bucket from the outside with a relentless attack on the basket. His game plan worked to perfection this game as the whole team put forth a great effort on both offense and defense. The Knights were also able to get the Gators into foul trouble all game and had favorable match ups against Florida's short bench. The Knights held 2013-14 Freshman of the Year Elmore Salow to just 8 points and only allowed two Florida players to score double digits.

                                "Eleventh in the conference?" Nolan joked after the win. "I think we yet again proved that we will always be a team to be reckoned with. Pearson Shannon definately stepped up to fill the void left by Kleinzweig and freshman Michael Boyce had a solid start to his collegiate career as well with a nice double-double. Thirty eight free throws is always helpful in a win also! This was a big win for this program, and I think all of our players now truly know their potential and the potential this team has for the rest of the year."

                                Senior forward Pearson Shannon led all in scoring with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Freshman center Michael Boyce started his career off with a double double, 12 points and 11 rebounds and his freshman counterpart Gilbert Logie started his career off with 8 points. Starting guards J.J. Bone and Nicholas Simmons were both able to put up 10 points a piece as well. This win was a total team effort on both ends of the ball, and if the Knights can play like this every game, the could easily win the National Championship.

                                Central Florida (1-0) at Florida (0-1)
                                November 1, 201412F
                                Central Florida403676
                                #1 Florida302959
                                Top Performers
                                Central Florida - Stats
                                Pearson Shannon - 20 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl
                                Michael Boyce - 12 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Stl
                                Florida - Stats
                                Arvydas Matheus - 16 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast
                                Trace Gilchrist - 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Ast
                                Team Stat Comparison
                                UCFUF
                                FG Made-Attempted26-5923-54
                                3P Made-Attempted0-08-21
                                FT Made-Attempted24-385-9
                                Rebounds3330
                                Assists1217
                                Steals112
                                Blocks36
                                Turnovers211

                                Last edited by nolan887; 04-27-2010, 10:19 PM.
                                "Yo Soy Fiesta."
                                -Rob Gronkowski

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