UCF Knights Basketball Preview: Guards

The UCF Knights backcourt will be a major strength of the team heading into the 2015-16 season. Headlined by the return of American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team honorees Adonys Henriquez and B.J. Taylor, as well as senior Daiquan Walker and redshirt junior Matt Williams returning from injury.


#10 Adonys Henriquez

Sophomore Guard

6-6 • 210

Orlando, Fla.

Orlando Chr. Prep

2014-2015 (Freshman)

-First season with the Knights, playing in and starting all 30 games.

-Earned American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team honors.

-Named AAC Rookie of the Week three times.

-Second on the team and 20th in the AAC with 10.8 points per game, which was fourth among freshmen in the league.

-Led the Knights and was fourth in the conference with a .394 three-point field goal percentage.

-Also led UCF with 2.2 three-pointers made per game, which ranked seventh in the conference.

-His 65 made three-pointers were the second most ever by a UCF freshman.

-Led the team in scoring six times, scored in double figures 18 times and recorded three games of 20 or more points.

-Led the Knights and ranked third in the conference with 35.0 minutes played per game.

-His 1,050 total minutes played were the most ever by a UCF freshman and the seventh most by an UCF player in school history.

-Scored a career high 22 points on six threes at SMU (1/31).


#1 B.J. Taylor

Sophomore Guard

6-2 • 200

Orlando, Fla.

Boone HS

2014-2015 (Freshman)

-First season at UCF, playing in and starting 26 games.

-Named to the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team.

-Earned AAC Rookie of the Week honors three times and named to the league’s Weekly Honor Roll once.

-Led UCF and all freshmen in the league with 12.8 points per game, which was 10th overall in the AAC.

-His 334 total points were the most for a UCF freshman since the 1995-96 season.

-Ranked 13th in the conference with a .708 free throw shooting percentage.

-Was also 15th in the AAC with a .349 three-point shooting percentage and 11th with 1.7 threes made per game.

-Led the Knights in scoring 10 times and scored in double figures 17 times.

-Was second on the team with 2.5 assists per game and had four games of five assists or more.


#4 Daiquan Walker

Senior Guard

6-2 • 185

Philadelphia, Pa.

Constitution HS

2014-15 (Junior)

-Played in all 30 games, starting twice as a junior.

-Scored a career high 7.4 points, grabbed 1.8 rebounds and dealt out 1.8 assists per game.

-Shot .393 from the floor and .731 from the free throw line.

-His .385 three-point field goal percentage was second on the team and sixth in the AAC.

-Recorded double figures scoring 10 times.

-Dished out a career high seven assists vs. Southeastern Louisiana (12/22).


#12 Matt Williams

r-Junior Guard

65 • 220

Orlando, Fla.

Jones HS

2014-15 (Junior)

-After playing in the season opener vs. Stetson (11/16), missed the rest of the season due to injury.

2013-14 (Sophomore) Appeared in all 31 games, making three starts as a sophomore

-Averaged 6.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game.

-Led the team and was 11th in the American with a 38.4 three-point field goal percentage.

-Scored in double figures five times and had 16 games with multiple threes.


# 5 Djordjije Mumin

Sophomore Guard

6-5 • 205

Podgorica, Montenegro

American Heritage (Fla.)

2014-15 (Freshman)

-Appeared in five games for a total of six minutes as a walk-on for the Knights.

-Saw first collegiate action vs. Eckerd (11/20).

Prior to UCF

-Attended high school at the American Heritage School in Florida.

-Played two seasons with ELEV-8 Sports Institute.

-Averaged 15.3 points and 5.1 rebounds, while helping lead the team to a 21-8 record in a post-grad year.

-Scored 13 points per game and seven rebounds per outing as a senior with ELEV-8.

-Played for Sports Quest Academy in Richmond, Va. as a junior.

-Played two seasons of club basketball in Montenegro, before coming to the United States.


# 13 Tanksley Efianayi

Junior Guard/Forward

6-6 • 210

Orlando, Fla.

University HS

Prior to UCF

-Spent the last two seasons at Daytona State College.

-Earned National Junior College Athletics Association Second Team All-America honors.

-Averaged 20.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore.

-Shot 45.1 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three-point range.

-Led Daytona State to a 21-7 regular season record and a first place finish in the Mid-Florida Conference in 2014-15.

-Named the conference Player of the Year.

-Also earned FCSAA All-Tournament Team honors.

-Rated as the top junior college player in the state of Florida by 247Sports.

-Played high school basketball at University in Orlando.


#00 Brendan Boyle

Freshman Guard

6-1 • 190

Rahway, N.J.

Montverde Acad. (Fla.)

High School

-Helped lead Montverde Academy to an 28-0 campaign as a senior during the 2013-14 season.

-Montverde also won the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament twice during Boyle’s career.

-Returned to Montverde to play for the newly founded Montverde Academy Prep team, coached by former UNC star Dante Calabria.

-Boyle’s father Kevin Boyle was named the 2013 USA Today All-USA Boys Basketball Coach of the Year as coach at Montverde.

-Is the all-time leader in assists and wins at Montverde.

-Earned the Hometown Hero Award and was named a Mary Kline Classic All-Star.


#22 Chance McSpadden

Freshman Guard

6-4 • 180

Winter Haven, Fla.

Winter Haven HS

High School

-Led Winter Haven to the Class 6A Regional semifinals as a senior.

-Scored 24.4 points and grabbed 6.0 rebounds per game during senior season.

-Earned First Team All-County honors.

-Averaged 28.0 points per game, shooting 80 percent from the field, in three games of the district tournament.

-Played in the Florida vs. USA Hardwood Classic All-Star Game.

-Led Winter Haven to a 19-9 overall record as a junior.

-Averaged 19.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during junior season.

-Earned First Team Class 6A All-State honors in 2013-14.

-Averaged 21 points per game, while leading Winter Haven to a Final Four appearance as a sophomore.

-Father, Thomas McSpadden, played basketball at Norfolk State.