Showcasing dazzling assists and scoring prowess, UCF's playmaker ignites his PIT debut, proving his potential against top college seniors.
Fifth-year senior point guard Themus Fulks posted a strong showing in his first game at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
Both Fulks and UCF senior combo guard Riley Kugel have shown out in the early stages of the tournament, making the most out of their additional opportunity to show their skills against the top seniors in college basketball.
On Thursday, Fulks made his PIT debut, scoring 12 points, adding six assists and two steals.
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.
For his play, Fulks earned Third-Team All-Big 12 Honors, marking the first time a Knight has found their way onto an Big 12 All-Conference Team. He also was named to the Big 12 Starting Five three times throughout the season, providing consistent playmaking and efficient scoring to head coach Johnny Dawkins and the Knights.
Earlier this month, Fulks announced his decision to enter the NBA Draft, thanking Knight Nation for his lone year in Orlando.
"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."
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.
Fulks scored 24 points while dropping 11 dimes. His tenth made history, breaking the UCF single-season record for assists. Fulks now has 185 assists on the year, breaking the previous mark of 183 set by Knights Hall of Famer Sinua Phillips (1991-1994).
Phillips was part of the first UCF squad to make the NCAA Division 1 Tournament, leading the 1994 Golden Knights to a 21-9 record and an Atlantic Sun tournament title. He remains the only player in UCF history to score more than 1,000 points and dish out more than 500 assists, according to UCF Athletics.
Fulks' top scoring performance of the season came against then-ranked No. 1 Arizona, where he gave the Wildcats a "30-piece," according to Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd.
"He's [Themus] a heck of a player. He's got good speed, he's got good swag and good confidence. You know, we kind of had him pegged as a little bit more of a passer. You know, he's had twelve assists each of the last two games," Lloyd said. "We knew he could score a little bit and we told our guys that he's also a double-figure scorer, but you know, he hit some pretty tough shots."
Fulks' next matchup is Saturday night at 5:00 p.m.
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