3. #13 Marchelus Avery, 6’7″, 210 lbs., Sr., F, Richmond, Va., Previously at New Mexico State and Northwest Florida State
8.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 38.7 FG%, 34.5 3-PT FG%, 66.7 FT%, 20 mpg
Avery has played at two schools prior to his arrival at Central Florida, and he’s finding out that life in the Big 12 is way different than life in Conference-USA. In UCF’s first six conference games, Avery only has one game with double digit points and is just 6-31 from the field including 1-16 from three-point range.
4. #2 Shemarri Allen, 6’4″, 190 lbs., 5th-Year Sr., G, Arden, N.C., Previously at UMKC and Cowley Community College
7.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 37.1 FG%, 7-31 3-PT FG, 60% FT, 47 ast.-35 TO, 13 blk, 35 stl, 28.8 mpg
Like several other players on the Knights roster, Allen is in his first season with Central Florida. He had two really good seasons at UMKC, but is now adjusting to playing in the Big 12. He did have a great game at Texas scoring 17 points, dishing out seven assists and tallying four steals.
5. #21 C.J. Walker, 6’8″, 215 lbs., 5th-Year Sr., F, Sanford, Fla., Oregon Transfer
6.9 ppg, 5 rpg, 33.3 FG%, 2-14 3-PT FG, 15-23 FT, 21.9 mpg
Walker missed the first 10 games of the season due to injuries sustained in the 2022-23 season, but he’s emerged as a top-five scorer on this year’s Knights team. He has two double-digit scoring games this season and 25 rebounds inn his last four games. Walker is a former five-star recruit coming out of high school and was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic Game as a senior.
6. #11 Ibrahima Diallo, 7’0″, 246 lbs., 5th-Year Sr., F, Saly, Senegal, Previously at San Jose State and Ohio State
6.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 56.9 FG%, 57.1 FT%, 37 blk, 18.8 mpg
Diallo has a lot of college basketball experience, and it’s showing in his first season in Orlando. The fifth-year senior is UCF’s leading-rebounder and shot blocker, and his shot-blocking is good on a national level. He ranked 51st with 1.66 blocks per game and 40th with 58 blocks in 2022-23. In fact Diallo has eight blocks in his last four games and he has been a really good rebounder this season, highlighted by a 19-point rebound game against BYU and a 12-rebound performance against West Virginia Tuesday night.
7. #31 Thiermo Sylla, 6’11”, 216 lbs., So., F, Conakry, Guinea
5.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 35.6 FG%, 29.5 3-PT FG%, 14-23 FT, 14.6 mpg
Sylla is in his second season with Central Florida, after playing high school basketball in Ontario, Canada. He has performed well in UCF’s previous two Big 12 games with 17 combined points and nine combined rebounds.
8. #5 Omar Payne, 6’10”, 228 lbs., 5th-Year Sr., F Kissimmee, Fla., Previously at Jacksonville, Illinois and Florida
4.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 61.1 FG%, 3-7 3-PT FG, 18-26 FT, 23 blk, 15.7 mpg
Payne also brings a lot of experience from his three previous schools, including playing in the Big Ten and SEC at Illinois and Florida. Last year at Jacksonville, Payne led the team in field goal percentage and blocks and he was second on the team in blocks in seasons at both Illinois and Florida.
9. #12 DeMarr Langford Jr., 6’5″, 230 lbs., Sr., G, Worcester, Mass., Boston College Transfer
2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 10-24 FG, 6-14 FT, 10 ast.-9 TO, 9 stl, 11.8 mpg
Look past his small role on this Knights team and you’ll see another experienced player with three years at a Power Five school in Boston College. Over his last two seasons, Langford played in 55 games and started 45 games.
10. #22 Nils Machowski, 6’3″, 180 lbs., Fr., G, Berlin, Germany
1.9 ppg, 9-30 FG, 6-19 3-PT FG, 7-8 FT, 17 ast.-8 TO, 6 stl, 9.4 mpg
Machowski comes from a basketball family overseas in Germany, and he’s had some bright spots in his first season with UCF in the states. The highlight of his season so far is a 13-point performance at Miami (FL) in just the second game of the season.
