WHAT THE KNIGHTS LEARNED FROM SYLVIA FOWLES

This past weekend the UCF Knights received a surprise visit from WNBA All-Star and Olympic stand out Sylvia Fowles.  Sylvia, a native of Miami played at LSU where her position coach was current UCF assistant Bob Starkey.  John Denton wrote a great article on her visit for Knights Insider and you can read it here: http://bit.ly/vBidBc

Sylvia came to the locker room after the Knights game with Hartford and talked to the team about several things that were important to her on her journey.  She also took time to answer several questions from the Knights.  

Here are the impressions of the Knight players on what they got from Sylvia's visit:

SARAH GREEN: One impression that I got from Sylvia Fowles was the fact that she was always hungry to get better and to be a better player even when things were tough for her. 

STEPHANIE TAYLOR: I learned that in order to be successful there are no days off. & how your nutrition is really important. Sylvia said she never ate junk food.

ASHIA KELLY: Talking with Syl was amazing. It was an honor to meet a professional that had once gone through this process. I enjoyed hearing speak about her experiences as a player and how it affected her as an athlete and person. 

MEGHAN KEOUGH: It was inspiring to get to listen to Sylvia speak in our own locker room. I used to watch her play on TV all the time growing up and it really put things in perspective to be able to see her standing there in person telling us about her personal experiences. What I liked most was when she said that her coaches were extremely hard on her and that she would use that as motivation and proof that they really cared. Coach Starkey mentioned that she would text him at night saying "don’t worry about me...keep pushing me tomorrow." That’s the kind of attitude I need to take on to be successful, not shy away from.

KAYLI KEOUGH: I'm never really one to get starstruck but when Sylvia Fowles walked into our locker room I have to admit I was.  One thing I learned from her speaking to us was the importance of working at things day in and day out in order to make greatness a habit.  It is not enough to get it once and move on, you must rep that behavior over and over again until it is instinctual.

RACINE DAVIS: The thing I learned from Syl, was her drive to be great. No matter how much the coaches got on her, she wanted them to continue to push her...to constantly get her out of her comfort zone. 

ERIKA JONES: One thing I learned was that we do have to get onto each other sometimes, not blaming but hold each other accountable as well as ourselves.

BRYEASHA BLAIR: From Sylvia, I learned that film is very important because it allows you to see what you have actually done wrong and how to correct the small things that make a big difference. 

LEO MONTALVO: I really enjoyed when she said that coaches won't get on you if they didn't care.

ANDREA HINES: I one thing that stuck with me was if the coaches are getting on you they are doing it to make you better because they believe in you.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

The UCF Knight Women's Basketball Team would like to extend a very Happy Thanksgiving to our family, friends and fans. Today, each one of our student-athletes took the opportunity  to write down what we are thankful for this season:

BRYEASHA BLAIR

One thing that I am thankful for is the determination and support of my family.

GENEVIA CARTER

I'm thankful to be in good health and surrounded by people that care about me. I'm also thankful for the ability to play basketball and experience something many people would like to experience (playing college basketball). Most of all I'm thankful to see another Thanksgiving! 

RACINE DAVIS

One thing I'm thankful for is my family. It's something everyone says, but I truly believe it to be true. With so much going on in the world, tomorrow isn't promised. Which is why I am thankful for them to be around another Thanksgiving . 

SARAH GREEN

This holiday season I am thankful that I have another opportunity to play basketball. I am also thankful for my teammates and my coaches who are my family away from home. I am most thankful that my family is in good health.

ANDREA HINES

I am thankful for being able to return this season after my injury. I am thankful that I have a family that cares about me.

ERIKA JONES

I am thankful that I have my health and that I have people around me that want to bring me up instead of put me down.

KAYLI KEOUGH

This holiday season I am continually thanking God for the incredible people He has placed in my life. I am so blessed to have family and friends that I love and respect.  The people who I get to be around motivate me in so many ways to be better than I was the day before.

MEGHAN KEOUGH

I'm thankful for my close family and friends and for being brought into such a close knit UCF family. I am thankful for the opportunity I have before me to get better and learn these next four years. I hope to carry over these lessons into every aspect of my life to reach my full potential as a player, student, and most importantly, as a person.

ASHIA KELLY

This holiday season I am most thankful for being fortunate enough to be alive and able to display my talent on the basketball court. Not every person is given the opportunity to play collegiate basketball, but I am most thankful that my coaches continue to believe I possess the skills to help make our team a success.

LEO MONTAVLO

I am thankful for my family and their support they provide me.

AISHA PATRICK

I am thankful for my mom and her toughness, my niece which is a new edition to our family, and I'm also thankful for the things we normally take for granted like my scholarship, a good family-based team, and the ability to contribute on and off the court to many individuals.

STEPHANIE TAYLOR

This holiday season, I am thankful to have a family who I know is there for me and cares for and loves me as I do them.  This is my blood family and the UCF womens basketball team, both are my families.  I am also thankful that I am getting a college education at a great school, I'm able to do something I love at the same time (basketball), and to be here on earth to see another day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHIA!