The Knights' potent three-point threat is back. Carmelo Pacheco ignites UCF's offense, ready to rain down jumpers again this season.
UCF earned its first commitment from a returning scorer in over two seasons, as junior 3-point specialist Carmelo Pacheco announced he would be coming back to the program for his senior season on Friday.
Pacheco averaged 15.6 minutes and 4.6 points per game on 39.4-percent 3-point shooting for the Knights last season, serving as a spark plug of the bench for head coach Johnny Dawkins.
He did almost all of his damage from beyond the arc, making just four 2-point field goals compared to 43 deep balls. Pacheco made two or more 3-pointers in 13 games, including a mid-season streak of four consecutive outings.
Pacheco frequently flashed his ability to get hot quickly, often stringing together consecutive makes from 3-point range immediately after entering the game.
Early in the season, Pacheco recorded back-to-back games with five 3-pointers made, lighting up Florida A&M and Texas A&M in mid-November.
The former Mount St Mary's marksman was a big part of UCF's 86-74 road victory over the Aggies, which ended up being a quad 1 victory thanks to Texas A&M's season success.
Later in the year, during conference play, Pacheco once again caught fire after entering the game in the first half, lacing three long balls early in the period.
The Knights' supporting cast outscored Colorado's bench 30-15, with sixth-year senior Devan Cambridge adding 11 points in one of UCF's best offensive performances of the year.
Following the game, Colorado junior point guard Barrington Hargress talked about Pacheco's shooting performance.
"We want to take away three-point shooters," Hargress said. "Some of the shooters got off. No. 11, Carmelo (Pacheco) had three in the first half. So that's a shooter on our scout. So some of it was our defense, some of it was shots that we were willing to live with. But either way, you can't let a team hit 15 (3-pointers) on your home court."
Seven days after UCF's offensive explosion, the Knights knocked off then-ranked No. 11 Texas Tech. Pacheco knocked down two 3-pointers and added a season-high four rebounds, providing valuable minutes off the pine.
Bringing back Pacheco provides UCF with an automatic shooter on the outside who can provide spacing and production without the ball in his hand. He should fit nicely next to Oklahoma State transfer guard Arturo Dean, who redshirted last season with UCF.
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