First, you had Kirk Gibson's miraculous pinch-hit homerun, then there was the “Flu game,” after that was the bloody sock, well now you can add the “wounded Knight” to the list of courageous moments in sports history.
Ok. So this wasn’t for a national championship, or even a conference championship. And sure, UCF vs. Tulsa doesn’t necessarily make headlines across the nation. That’s just fine. What we witnessed on February 14th was nothing short of audacious. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about AJ Rompza coming off the bench, feeling less than 80% and playing 31 minutes of amazing, real basketball.
The Knights, coming off a 3 game losing streak, found themselves down by 17 points with just 11 minutes remaining, but after a little bit of motivating from 'Bluto' Blutarsky, UCF mustered up the strength to mount one of the greatest comebacks in school history. And while the scorecard will show Jermaine Taylor with 35 points, it can’t show you how big Rompza played this night; they just haven’t come up with a stat that measures the heart of a leader. What you can’t see is AJ’s high-octane, nonstop agility that physically wears defenses down, mentally frustrates even the best defender, and extends plays long enough to find the open shot. AJ Rompza is a senior trapped in a freshmen’s body.
Now, for the story.
For the last 10 days, AJ Rompza has been forced into a cheerleading role on the sidelines. Suffering an ankle sprain that hadn’t even allowed him to practice for the Tulsa game, sitting on the sidelines may have been the most painful part of the injury. “To not be able to play is so hard because I want to be out there encouraging everyone. It's so hard from the bench” Rompza said in an interview with Brandon Helwig, of UCFSports.com.
AJ Rompza is the Derek Jeter of UCF sports. Charismatic, confident, and certainly not afraid to jump into the stands, especially if it’s to reverse the momentum.Are you done laughing? Continue if you want, I mean, I did just compare a 5-9 160 pound college freshman to a New York Yankee legend, and earlier, to maybe the most obnoxious pitcher of this era, one of the finest hitters in baseball history, and one of the greatest NBA players in the history of the league. All legends in their time. And here we have AJ Rompza, again. Time for me to defend myself.
Come, jump into the way back machine with me for a moment.
First stop, October 19, 2004-Game 6 ALCS. Curt Schilling pitches lights out baseball in the biggest do or die game in his career, all this with a torn tendon in his ankle and medical procedure that probably belongs in the middle ages. His strength to go out and pitch with the pain he had to deal with helped motivate and rally his team to clinch the game, and eventually the series.
Next up, June 11th, 1997–Game 5 NBA Finals. The “flu game.” Michael Jordan was noticeably ill, weak, fatigued and dehydrated. Yet, he walked out on to that court, put up 38 points and helped will the Bulls to a 90-88 victory.
One last stop, October 15th, 1998- Game 1 World Series. Kirk Gibson could hardly walk, let alone swing a bat, Tommy Lasorda needed a big hit, and the team needed the big run. It’s rumored that Gibson was in such pain in both legs that he was grimacing and nearly collapsing after every swing. Gibson steps to the plate, hits the game winning 2 run homerun. Dodgers go on to win the World Series. Kirk Gibson’s heroic at bat is one of the greatest highlights in sports history.
Saturday night, player introductions. No Rompza. Kirk wasn’t sure he could handle the stress of a full game on his bad ankle. Hell, even AJ wasn’t sure he could handle it, but he knew he wanted it, and he knew his teammates needed him. And like every great star before him, he made sure he got into the game. And like every great star, with the clock ticking down five. Four. Three. He knew he wanted the ball in his hands. Two. He knew he wanted to take the last shot. One.
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George O’Leary and Company had some tough obstacles to overcome this season, starting with the tragic death of Ereck Plancher, the media backlash that followed, and then ending with off-season rumors that O’Leary was going to be fired. Thankfully, the coaching staff was able to move forward and pull in a heck of a class and may have some surprises still lurking over the next week or so.
It should also be mentioned, before I delve into the recruiting class. UCF has one of the best recruiters in the country, definitely one of the best not in the Auto-bid conferences. Coach David Kelly recruited 10 players in this year’s class, and we should all be thankful for his hard work. You can read more about Coach Kelly and where he sits among the best recruiters in the country here.
This recruiting class is pretty exciting, I must say.
Let’s get right to it with Matt's player choices:
S/LB Jonathan Davis (5’9” 205) – I’m already loving this kid. He was recruited by Coach Kelly and originally committed to Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks. Somehow the cocks revealed a mistake they made in counting their scholarships and had to revoke Jonathan’s offer, leaving him high and dry late in the recruiting game. Coach Kelly and Coach O’Leary were quick to schedule an in-home visit with Jonathan and reiterated their scholarship offer to him and he made his decision. I think Jonathan knows he has something to prove, both to South Carolina and many other coaches that strayed away from him due to his size. He’ll prove to be a great asset in the very near future.
It’s been rumored that Jonathan would be playing Safety and returning kicks for the Knights, a great fit for his build and speed. Jonathan is listed as running a 4.4 second forty yard dash, incredible for a guy with his weight and at the linebacker position. Jonathan is a perfect replacement in our defensive backfield for our beloved Jason “The Hammer” Venson. Both are a bit lacking in the height department but make up for it in speed and hitting ability (Jason was 5-11 211 for those of you who don’t know). It blows my mind that Davis has the ability to get his body (which was listed at 200, 205, and 210 on the three different sources I checked) up to speed quickly enough to run just as fast as Josh Robinson, a kid who weighs 30 pounds less and is a much leaner build. I see Jonathan being Venson-like with better coverage ability and a few more interceptions.
Quick note: In my opinion, as long as Jonathan can keep grades, he’ll be the stud of this recruiting class (yes, better than Robinson.)
Highlight tape: Jonathan lays a good hit at the 2 minute mark as well as the 2:40 mark. If you want to see his blazing speed, check the last play of the tape.
S Jarrett Swaby (6’1” 180) – If you keep up with this blog, eventually you’ll learn about my love of Palm Beach County high school sports. Jarrett is from Glades Day High School, straight out of the depths of The Muck.
I doubt Jarrett was one of the infamous kids chasing rabbits along the cane-line. His forty time is a bit slower than I’d like, listed at 4.68, but he’s got a great build (An article in the Sun-Sentinel has it listed at 4.54, definitely more respectable). He’s very strong to the ball and sheds blocks well. Best of all, he’s another kid who seems to love knocking the snot out of receivers. In order to make up for his slight lack of speed, he takes great routes to the ball and has a knack for timing interceptions. If you watch his highlight tape he seems to have the ability to stop ballcarriers in their tracks when he throws that body into them (There’s a nice hit at the 44 second mark too).
Quick note: Jarrett will compete for a first or second string job by his junior year if not his sophomore year. We just lost a great defensive backfield, but this recruiting class should make up for that in two years or less.
Some of Vin’s favorite recruits:
-Josh Robinson, 4* ATH; Recruited by Coach Godsey:
Offers: UCF, South Carolina, USF, Michigan, and FIU
Skinny: He’s the definition of a playmaker. Robinson played WR/DB/KR in high school; and he played each position very well. His forty time clocks in at 4.4 seconds, and with training, he has the ability to break into the 4.3 second mark.
Favorite quote: “I love contact, I tell people to come at me high, that’s why I love playing on defense.” – Josh Robinson
What he means for UCF:
I’m not going to jump the gun and call him the second coming of Joe Burnett, but Josh will be replacing Burnett in the secondary, and most likely on special teams. He has all the intangibles you look for in a CB, and with good coaching and discipline, he should make an impact sooner, rather than later. If I didn’t make it clear, Josh Robinson, as long as he performs in practice, will be a starting DB fresh out the gate.
I said I wasn’t going to jump the gun, but just for fun:
·Joe Burnett back in 2005; 2* recruit:
o5’10” 175 pounds, and ran a 4.5 forty.
·Josh Robinson; 4* recruit:
o5’10” 178 pounds, and runs a 4.4 forty.
Oh, and Joe Burnett graduated UCF with a BA in Criminal Justice. Josh Robinson wants to major in Criminal Justice. I’M JUST SAYING.
Next up on the recruiting list for me is Renato Cunha,
-Renato Cunha, 2* OG [That’s Offensive Guard, not Original Gangsta]; Recruited by Coach Kelly.
Offers:UCF, USF and Vanderbilt
Skinny: A 6’3” 300 pound beast of an 18 year old. Renato has the heart of a competitor. If you haven’t had the chance to read about him, or any of his quotes, you MUST check out Brandon Helwig’s [UCFSports.com] article about Renato, which you can read here, if you have a membership to The Dungeon.
Favorite quote: "We're really determined to put UCF back at the top of the conference. We're going to work really hard this offseason to get it done. UCF will be back. We're not here to lose anymore. No excuses." –Renato Cunha, to Brandon Helwig
What he means for UCF:
Renato is coming to UCF, unsure if he will play Center or a Guard position, but he is enrolled for spring semester so he will have a whole extra semester of practice to go through, which will provide him with excellent experience and a great chance at early playing time.He has the personality of a leader, and that alone excites me about Renato. I love competitors, and while we always rely on star rankings, leadership and passion can never be judged by how many stars a player is ranked. I’ll be first in line for the Cunha jersey.
The last two guys I’m going to comment on are the North Miami Beach Duo.
-Nico Flores, 3* Quarterback; Recruited by Coach Kelly
Offers: FIU, WMU, Mississippi State, USF
-Kemal Ishmael 2* Athlete; Recruited by Coach Kelly
Offers: FIU, WMU, West Virginia
(Not so) Skinny: These two were the center of quite the recruiting circus this year, with multiple articles and “sources” saying they committed to Western Michigan just before national signing day. I don’t want to get into specifics with the recruiting happenings around them, but I will give a brief synopsis.
Western Michigan and North Miami Beach Coach, Jeff Bertani, have built quite the pipeline over the years. WMU is already the home of 9 NMB alumni, and from what I hear, it was very close to 11 with Nico and Kemal. Bertani told many lies to the kids, including telling the kids that Keith Tribble was basically “misleading” them. For reasons like this, Coach Bertani has burned many bridges with many Universities. Don’t let me be misunderstood though, Nico and Kemal WANT to be here at UCF, and we’re fortunate to have them.
Favorite Quote: “I see that they’re real, they don’t lie. They are honest and told me the one thing they can promise me is an education. I won’t go to a big school just because it’s a big school; education comes first for me so that’s important.” –Nico Flores
What they mean to UCF:
Nico adds instant depth to the QB position with UCF having just Rob Calabrese and Joe Weatherford on the QB depth chart [In case you missed it, Michael Greco is now playing Safety]. It seems like Nico has a great head on his shoulders, his Junior season he led NMB to a 12-1 record, but only went 6-5 his senior year, and he took a lot of the blame for it. He told Scout.com that he “didn’t give all of my effort. When we got down I didn’t give my teammates confidence and that’s a mistake I’ll never make again. Even if we are down by 57 points I will be rallying my teammates until the very end.” Nico is a playmaker, and while I don’t expect him to compete for early playing time, I do expect him to challenge for the starting role, eventually.
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