Ray Morgan
Well-known member
Although there is realignment coming at some point, my understanding is that SJU will still be in a Big East conference that will welcome the University of Central Florida. While many of you attended the SJU-USF game last week, I had the good fortune of being in Orlando on business. At $20 for a 7th row seat, attending the UCF-Marshall game was irresistible. Here is a scouting report of the team and the surroundings:
1. Campus: Nice modern campus with a busy student union and nice facilities. Very nice stadium for baseball.
2. Student body: If there were men on campus, I didn't notice. A very diverse population of students, much like any city that is a melting pot. I was never on a campus filled with so many happy, polite and helpful students.
3. Basketball arena: Modern and comfortable, with reasonably priced food choices. All seats had seat backs except for student section (which was filled). The black and gold section, at $50 a seat, had cushioned seats.
4. Cheerleaders: Two sets, one set under each basket. The more scantily clad group doubled as the halftime dancers. Overall, a good looking bunch, with one real cute blonde with a squeaky voice who kept yelling "Go Knights". she climbed the stairs to my 7th row seat, and spent the first 5 minutes of the game there. I have been hearing "Go Knights" in my sleep ever since. They have been good dreams.
5. Team: Their best player, Kieth Clanton, is a senior, so no worries there. He is a space eater who would have given us some trouble with his slow power moves. Isiah Sykes is an athletic 6'5" guard. He looked to be, in the one game I saw, a very good open floor player. Their PG, Newell,was OK and has hops. Seems shorter than the listed 6'1, which made his dunk off an offensive rebound from a standing start even more impressive. I was told that F Tristan Spurlock was good, but hardly noticed him. The only bench player that got real minutes was a 6'7" sophomore named Wilson that missed some real easy looks and got manhandled underneath by Marshall. UCF shot poorly and lost badly to a Marshall team with a 4 and 7 conference record. The Thundering Herd looked long, athletic, well coached and hungry, with a cocky and talented PG. They were everything UCF wasn't. I think Marshall could make noise in their conference tourney.
Overall: If we ever play UCF in Orlando, I would recommend this venue as a good one for a road trip. Plenty of drink and food options, lots of shopping for those that bring wives or girlfriends, and sun tanned coeds galore to enhance the experience. The airport is a 35-45 minute drive from the hotels near the campus. Disney is less than an hour away.
1. Campus: Nice modern campus with a busy student union and nice facilities. Very nice stadium for baseball.
2. Student body: If there were men on campus, I didn't notice. A very diverse population of students, much like any city that is a melting pot. I was never on a campus filled with so many happy, polite and helpful students.
3. Basketball arena: Modern and comfortable, with reasonably priced food choices. All seats had seat backs except for student section (which was filled). The black and gold section, at $50 a seat, had cushioned seats.
4. Cheerleaders: Two sets, one set under each basket. The more scantily clad group doubled as the halftime dancers. Overall, a good looking bunch, with one real cute blonde with a squeaky voice who kept yelling "Go Knights". she climbed the stairs to my 7th row seat, and spent the first 5 minutes of the game there. I have been hearing "Go Knights" in my sleep ever since. They have been good dreams.
5. Team: Their best player, Kieth Clanton, is a senior, so no worries there. He is a space eater who would have given us some trouble with his slow power moves. Isiah Sykes is an athletic 6'5" guard. He looked to be, in the one game I saw, a very good open floor player. Their PG, Newell,was OK and has hops. Seems shorter than the listed 6'1, which made his dunk off an offensive rebound from a standing start even more impressive. I was told that F Tristan Spurlock was good, but hardly noticed him. The only bench player that got real minutes was a 6'7" sophomore named Wilson that missed some real easy looks and got manhandled underneath by Marshall. UCF shot poorly and lost badly to a Marshall team with a 4 and 7 conference record. The Thundering Herd looked long, athletic, well coached and hungry, with a cocky and talented PG. They were everything UCF wasn't. I think Marshall could make noise in their conference tourney.
Overall: If we ever play UCF in Orlando, I would recommend this venue as a good one for a road trip. Plenty of drink and food options, lots of shopping for those that bring wives or girlfriends, and sun tanned coeds galore to enhance the experience. The airport is a 35-45 minute drive from the hotels near the campus. Disney is less than an hour away.
