What are the disadvantage of not being affiliated with a conference?  First you are an independent so you really don’t have any idea who you’re playing on any given night and you are traveling to all regions of the country to find an opponent.  Second, you have very limited talent because you have only been able to recruit at the division level for a small period of time.  Third, the players you do have are second best recruits and really did not get to know each other until the season was half over.  Should I go on? 

There is some hope in the world of Disney fandom ala every underdog sports story this movie studio has ever produced.  If Coach Clark is going to be the Gordon Bombay for these Knights he better find some talent and he better not have to go to the African Jungles to find someone even if he can outrun a cheetah like Nanu.  Coach Clark has some home-grown talent sitting at his kitchen table and took advantage of it.  His two sons began the season as the starting backcourt for their Dad.  Juniors Mike and Bo Clark were carryovers from the great Division Two teams and both can flat put the ball in the basket.  Neither is especially athletic in nature but they can score.  Mike was the very first player that his Dad recruited and his younger Bro came along for the ride.  Bo soon became the star of the team as Dad er Coach Clark had to make one of them the point guard though both are really shooting guards.  Bo may not have Division one athleticism but he made up for it with his ability to shoot.  Bo knows the three point line and can flat score in bunches.  He was leading the team in scoring when he broke his foot 10 games into last season.  He missed six games and came back but was not quite the same.  He still averaged over 13 points a game and has two more years to try and take this team and his game to another level.  If he can learn to play defense a little he has a chance to be special.  He is already a legend in Orlando. 

Mike had a very different season.  It started okay but it soon became apparent he was not going to be able to match up with some of the quicker guards playing point in Division One.  Coach Clark had no choice but to try and find other options.  When his brother went down (and ironically it was during their first win of the year versus Prairie View) it seemed like a find time to cut the umbilical cord.  No, they are not twins but they play that way and this team needs more athleticism.  Still, no one really stepped up to the plate and the likelihood is that Torchy will be platooning his boys are the point as he puts some of his athletic recruits on the wings.  Talk about Sibling Rivalry?  That should be a blast. For the opposing fans.  Not so much at the Clark dinner table though. 

Junior Jerry Prather is the primary returning front court player for the Knights.  He is not the Beaver but he is a hard worker who can definitely build a dam.  The undersized Prather is a terrific athlete who can really run the court and finishes with a flair.  He works hard under the boards and can hit the open shot.  Prather is the kind of player a team needs to succeed as he can do the dirty work and he can also take over a game offensively.  He was superb after the Clark injury and led the Knights in both scoring (total points) and rebounds (average) for the season.  He needs to get a little more consistent on his jumper but what he does he does extremely well.  This kid from New Albany Ohio has two more years to shine in the Sunshine State and then who knows where this kid who loves all sports will go?  The Buccaneers need a tight end to back up Jimmie Giles…

Coach Clark tried many options to replace his son at point and this definitely improved the quickness of the team.  Junior Cleveland Jackson got the most minutes and he showed he could score and distribute from the point.  He is not a terrific passer as he would rather score but he is solid and athletic and not afraid to take a clutch shot.  

Clark had a decent bench with some upside and the kids got a chance to show what they had as the season ran into a brick wall.  The best may have been JC transfer Benny Shaw who got stuck behind Clark but boy did he shine when he Little Joe of the family got hurt.  Like the Clark boys, Shaw also can score and will push hard for more time but it is hard being behind the Coaches son.  He is not the long-range bomber that Bo is but he knows how to get to the hoop and can finish.  He really should not be guarding bigger wings but might have to but will be on the court often this year.  Maybe the biggest upside on the team could be sophomore Dan ‘Turk’ Faison.  He is not much of a perimeter shooter but this kid can score and though he is only 6’6 mixes it up inside.  Big Man Willy Belotte also has some potential and is the best inside scorer on the team but he needs to stay on the court as well. Fellow junior Ed Fluitt is a gamer who will do whatever it takes to stay on the court and though he is limited was a huge fan favorite for his all out hustle.   Ruben Cotton is another junior who rotates in up front. He is a gifted rebounder and banger who can play and may have as good of a chance as anyone as starting at the point if he was not so valuable off the bench.  Sophomores Pat Crocklin, Fred Crawford, Bob Blackwood and Ben Morton (the 6’7 guy) are also in the mix but did not play much last year outside of a few JV games and mop up duty on varsity. 

The Central Florida Knights had a difficult season in their entry into Major College basketball.  They want to get into a conference as soon as possible and have some talent to compete next year.  Coach Torchy Clark is trying to lure some talent to play here and understands that his boys, as good as they may be, may not be Division One type players.  They are the best he has though and he might have to keep it all inf the family once again in in the Magic Kingdom which makes sense cosmically.  The future is not bright in Sunny Orlando as long as the Knights do not get some size.   

The Game versus Memphis has become legendary in Central Florida.  They only were able to bring five players to the game due to fog in the Orlando airport and played the Tigers close for the whole game!