UCF Knights women's basketball

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UCF Knights
2016–17 UCF Knights women's basketball team
University of Central Florida UCF vertical text logo.svg
University University of Central Florida
First season 1977–78
All-time record 509–554 (.479)
Conference The American
Location Orlando, FL
Head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson (1st year)
Arena CFE Arena
(Capacity: 10,000[1])
Nickname Knights
Student section Knightmare
Colors Black and Gold[2]
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Uniforms
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Home jersey
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Team colours
Home
Kit body vegasgoldsides.png
Away jersey
Kit shorts vegasgoldsides.png
Team colours
Away
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Alternate jersey
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Team colours
Alternate
NCAA/AIAW Tournament Elite Eight
1982
NCAA/AIAW Tournament Sweet Sixteen
1980, 1982
NCAA/AIAW Tournament appearances
1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2011
Conference tournament champions
1982, 1983, 1984, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2011
Conference regular season champions
1982, 1983, 1984, 1999, 2003, 2005

The UCF Knights women's basketball team represents The University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida. The Knights compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the American Athletic Conference (The American).[3] They play their home games in the CFE Arena located on the university's main campus, and are currently led by head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson.

The Knights have appeared in the NCAA/AIAW Tournament eight times, five as a Division I team and three times as a Division II program. The Knights also appeared in the Elite Eight in 1982, and won the 1980 AIAW Division-II Florida State Championship, before falling in their first game of the national tournament.[4] The Knights have won two of the last four conference tournament titles.

History

File:UCF Arena.jpg
The CFE Arena, home to the Knights basketball teams.

UCF began competing in AIAW in 1977-78 in Division II. In their third season, the Knights went 23–9 and won the AIAW D–II Small College Florida State Championship during the 1979–80 season. Although a member of the Sunshine State Conference, it did not organize women's basketball within the conference until 1981. They moved up to AIAW Division I in 1981–82, the last year of AIAW, and advanced to the Division I Tournament quarterfinals.

They moved to the NCAA in 1982–83, initially in Division II with the rest of the Sunshine State Conference, and were promoted to Division I in 1984–85. In all three years playing for the Sunshine State Conference, the Knights won both the conference regular season and tournament titles all three years. In their first year in NCAA Division I, they had a 20–10 record, but were not given a tournament bid since they were non-conference that first year.

The team would struggle in Division I conference play with the New South Women's Athletic Conference (NSWAC) until 1990. After playing in the American South Conference in 1990–91, which merged into the Sun Belt Conference in 1991, the team landed in the Trans-American Athletic Conference (TAAC) in 1992–93. Ironically, the NSWAC had merged into the TAAC the previous year. In 1995–96, the Knights surprised everybody by winning the TAAC Tournament, and making its first appearance in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, though they were eliminated in the first round.

In 1996–97, UCF hired Lynn Bria as their women's basketball head coach, and the team began to see more success. In 1998–99, UCF finally arrived, winning the TAAC regular season title with a 13–3 record and winning the Conference Tournament, earning its second NCAA Tournament bid. Still, Bria was replaced as head coach by Gail Striegler following its NCAA Tournament ouster.

After two years of struggling, Striegler put together a string of four winning seasons both overall and in what had become the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2001–02. The team won the Atlantic Sun regular season title in 2002–03 and 2004–05, but failed to win the Conference Tournament, and thus never played in the NCAA Tournament.

In 2005–06, the Knights moved to Conference USA, and the women's basketball team struggled mightily, resulting in Striegler being fired and replaced by Joi Williams. The team continued to struggle in 2007–08 with a 10–20 record and a last place showing in the conference. But after a 2–11 start in 2008–09, they surprised C-USA by dominating, tying with four other teams with the second-best in-conference record of 11–5 (falling to the fifth seed due to their out-of-conference woes). In the Conference USA Tournament, they beat Rice (66–64), Houston (79–66) and SMU (62–51) in order to face Southern Miss in the Championship game. After fighting to a 52–52 tie in regulation, UCF dominated the overtime period, 13–2, to win the game, 65–54. It was UCF's first C-USA title, earning its third NCAA Tournament appearance. Ranked No. 14 in the Oklahoma City regional in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, they surprised the No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels, ultimately losing 85–80.

After floundering in 2009–10 (10–15, 7–9), the Knights dominated the conference schedule in 2010–11 (22–10, 12–4), finishing 2nd in the regular season and winning their second C-USA title along with their fourth NCAA tournament appearance.

Traditions

Knightmare

File:UCF Arena Interior.JPG
The interior of the CFE Arena

When the basketball program moved into the new New UCF Arena in the fall of 2007, the facility could hold more students than ever before. To go along with its new facility and its new commitment to basketball, a new student section was formed. The "Knightmare" debuted on January 11, 2008 during a men's basketball game.[1] Adorned in their black Knightmare shirts, the students completely filled the bleachered section behind the basket and the overflow section in the upper deck.

One of UCF's most unusual basketball traditions is its free throw chant. Started by students in the 1990s, UCF fans started holding their right arms with clenched fists almost straight up when a UCF player shoots a free throw. When the basketball is made, the fans would stomp their right foot twice, clap their hands twice, make a shooting motion with their right hand while chanting "woosh." In the more recent years, after the appropriately named Stomp Stomp, Clap Clap, Woosh chant, fans will chant U-C-F afterwards, making a U, a C, and an F over their heads. During the 2010-2011 season, a group of students attempted to start a new tradition; if a UCF player makes all of his free throws, the chant is followed by "ballin'." Stomp Stomp, Clap Clap, Woosh, U-C-F is one of the most unusual free throw chants in all of college basketball.

There is also another tradition where if the opponent goes for a shot and gets an "air ball," the chants ring out the entire game for that one player. It's been shown as an effective way to get into the player's mind.[5]

Team record

Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
FTU (Division II Independent) (1977–1978)
1977–78 Judy Martino 10–11
UCF (Division II Independent) (1978–1981)
1978–79 Nancy Sirmons 17–5
1979–80 Nancy Sirmons 23–9 AIAW D–II Florida State Champion
1980–81 Sharon Adamson 13–10
UCF (D–I Sunshine State Conference) (1981–1982)
1981–82 Joe Sanchez 24–15 10–2 1st AIAW Elite 8
UCF (NCAA D–II Sunshine State Conference) (1982–1984)
1982–83 Joe Sanchez 25–5 12–0 1st NCAA D–II First Round
1983–84 Joe Sanchez 23–7 11–1 1st NCAA D–II First Round
UCF (NCAA Division I Independent) (1984–1985)
1984–85 Joe Sanchez 20–10
UCF (New South Women's Athletic Conference) (1985–1990)
1985–86 Nancy Little 13–15 5–7
1986–87 Nancy Little 3–23 1–11
1987–88 Beverly Knight 4–23 1–11
1988–89 Beverly Knight 11–17 2–10
1989–90 Beverly Knight 7–20 3–9
UCF (American South Conference) (1990–1991)
1990–91 Beverly Knight 10–15 4–9
UCF (Sun Belt Conference) (1991–1992)
1991–92 Gail Falkenberg 10–18 5–11
UCF (Trans-American Athletic Conference/Atlantic Sun Conference) (1992–2005)
1992–93 Jerry Richardson 4–24 3–9 7th
1993–94 Jerry Richardson 12–15 8–4 3rd
1994–95 Jerry Richardson 11–16 7–9 6th
1995–96 Jerry Richardson 15–14 7–8 6th NCAA First Round
1996–97 Lynn Bria 13–15 9–7 4th
1997–98 Lynn Bria 17–11 11–5 2nd
1998–99 Lynn Bria 20–10 13–3 1st NCAA First Round
1999–2000 Gail Striegler 9–20 5–13 9th
2000–01 Gail Striegler 10–18 8–10 6th
2001–02 Gail Striegler 17–13 13–7 3rd
2002–03 Gail Striegler 19–11 13–3 1st
2003–04 Gail Striegler 17–13 14–6 4th
2004–05 Gail Striegler 19–10 16–4 1st
UCF (Conference USA) (2005–2013)
2005–06 Gail Striegler 7–21 5–11 11th
2006–07 Gail Striegler 8–22 3–13 11th
2007–08 Joi Williams 10–20 3–13 12th
2008–09 Joi Williams 17–17 11–5 5th NCAA First Round
2009–10 Joi Williams 11–16 7–9 8th
2010–11 Joi Williams 22–11 12–4 2nd NCAA First Round
2011–12 Joi Williams 12–17 7–9 8th
2012–13 Joi Williams 16–18 7–9 8th
UCF (American Athletic Conference) (2013–present)
2013–14 Joi Williams 10–20 3–15 9th
2014–15 Joi Williams 9–21 5–13 8th
2015–16 Joi Williams 7–23 4–14 10th
Total: 525–598

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References

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External links

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