Veteran guard Themus Fulks ignites UCF's high-powered offense, orchestrating wins with dazzling assists and clutch scoring as they race to an 11-1 start.
After being named to the Second Team All-Horizon League at Milwaukee last season, fifth-year senior Themus Fulks has made a seamless transition to the Power 4 level. Fulks has been a big part of UCF's success, pushing tempo and setting the platter for his teammates to score.
Fulks is currently fourth in the nation in assists averaging 7.2 dimes per contest. This ranks first in the Big 12. Fulks struggled early on with turnovers, but has cut them down tremendously as he has gained camaraderie with an all-new Knights squad.
As of late, Fulks has become a reliable scoring option too, scoring 20 or more in three of his last four outings. However, this past game against FAU, Fulks caught fire. Fulks helped lead UCF to a 14-point comeback win, totaling a game-high 24 points and adding 12 assists.
Fulks 24 points marked a UCF-high and gave him his second double-double in black and gold.
@Scouting_Col on X wrote "Themus Fulks was awesome in UCF’s win over FAU yesterday. One of the quickest and best downhill attackers in CBB. Defends!"
Fulks did a great job of finding space for short pull-up shots against the Owls. When the defense adjusted, Fulks began to draw the extra defender and find the open man - like he has done all season long.
UCF is the fifth stop for Fulks, as he spent time at South Carolina State, Dodge City Community College, Louisiana Lafayette and Milwaukee prior to landing with UCF.
For a UCF team looking to return to March Madness for the first time in nearly a decade, Fulks is someone they will lean on with postseason experience. As a sophomore at Louisiana Lafayette, Fulks matched up with the 4-seeded Tennessee Volunteers and dropped 11 dimes, nearly helping the Ragin' Cajuns to a massive first-round upset. They fell just short, losing 58-55.
As a senior at Milwaukee, Fulks was one of two players to start every game for the Panthers. He scored 20 or more points seven times while being the game-high scorer in 14 outings. Fulks averaged 14.6 points per game, leading his team in scoring and helping the Panthers to a 21-11 record.
In a win over Green Bay last season, Fulks was a perfect 12-12 at the free-throw line, scoring 14 points and hitting the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career.
Fulks' jump to UCF has been a big reason for the Knights' success and they will need him to continue to jumpstart UCF's offense as Big 12 play begins.