Spring football has given second-year coach Scott Frost a chance to start building
Last year the UCF Knights coaching staff knew it was coming.
It was the first year of coach Scott Frost's second stint with the program. Even though Frost had familiarity, there was still a learning curve.
"Last year, you look at Coach Frost, it was his first year," Knights coach Cooper Bassett said. "You're putting together a roster fast. The coaches are getting to know one another. There's not a lot of continuity. You're spending a lot of time just making sure everyone is going in the right direction that sometimes the details can fall off."
It resulted in a 5-7 season for the Knights. They missed the postseason and the struggles were evident. The good news is Frost is no longer feeling his way around like a child on the first day of school.
He knows exactly where he wants the program headed. It's been one of the noticeable aspects of spring practices.
"I think this year they're more of an established identity and who we want to be," Bassett said. "So now we get to coach more to detail ... We can tighten some of that stuff up without losing the boldness."
This should give Frost and the players plenty of confidence entering this season. Perhaps a return to the magic that happened during Frost's first tenure at UCF.
UCF LOSES TOP BASKETBALL PLAYER
On Monday, fifth-year senior point guard Themus Fulks announced he would be entering the NBA Draft. Fulks was one of the Knights' most productive players last season, earning multiple honors, including Third-Team All-Big 12.
"Knight Nation, Thank you for a great year in Black and Gold," Fulks wrote on Instagram. "We achieved so much this year and I will forever be grateful for this opportunity."
Fulks averaged 14 points, 6.7 assists and 3 rebounds, shooting a team-high 46.2% from the field in his lone season with the Knights. He served as UCF's tablesetter, frequently pushing pace and finding his teammates for high-level looks.
During UCF's 97-84 rout of No. 19 BYU, fifth-year point guard Themus Fulks added another accolade to his growing list of achievements.
Join the Community. Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of UCFRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com