Adonale Foyle

Originally selected by Golden State in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1997 NBA Draft, Foyle (6’10”, 270, 3/9/75) appeared in 733 regular season games during his 13-year NBA career with Golden State, Orlando and Memphis, averaging 4.1 ppg., 4.7 rpg. and 1.63 blkpg. in 17.8 minpg.  Foyle remains Golden State’s all-time franchise leader in blocked shots with 1,140.  He spent the final three seasons of his professional career with the Magic before retiring in August 2010.

Born on March 9, 1975, Foyle grew up on the small island of Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and did not play organized basketball until the age of 16.  During his time in the NBA, he was extremely active off the court.  In the summer of 2001, Foyle founded “Democracy Matters,” a non-profit political organization that encourages grass-roots involvement in the campaign finance reform movement.  Democracy Matters currently has more than 70 chapters on college, university and high school campuses in 23 different states.  In 2006, he established the Kerosene Lamp Foundation, named after the type of light Foyle used to study at night on an island with no electricity, with the goal of empowering youth of the Eastern Caribbean and the United States to take control of their future. All of Foyle’s off-the-court activities can be found on his personal website – www.adonalfoyle.com.

Foyle has been inducted into both the Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Hall of Fame. He also served as first vice president of the National Basketball Players Association.

For Orlando Magic ticket information, call (407) 89-MAGIC or log on to orlandomagic.com.

Before I’d even left for the stadium my nerves where shot. I had just been the most violently ill I’d been this decade on Thursday night. It was a horrible ill that I will further discuss another time but needless to say, I didn’t feel 100-percent yet. The butterflies in my stomach churn and bubble as I check my directions and the contents of my pockets: phone, cigarettes, lighter, money for the eleven-ty tolls on 417 (I highly recommend a Sun-Pass) making sure I’m ready for UCF’s opening day.

As I drove around Gemini Boulevard searching for my garage, I surveyed the crowd marching into the Brighthouse networks stadium all black and gold from their game jerseys to their fake novelty afros. Parking my car I looked for the shuttle to the stadium to no avail, I’d decided to walk with the fans to get more of the feeling. These fans had come to party and rightfully so; I entered the media room for the first time at UCF to watch the opening drive for the Knights result in a 10 play, 75 yard romp down the field, capped off with a Jonathan Davis 1 yard touchdown run.

I know what you’re thinking: Jonathan Davis the lead singer for Korn plays Halfback for the UCF Knights? I know, threw me for a loop too. Even though it would be the only touchdown JD would score, his 9 consecutive carries in the 2^nd quarter would have me thinking I was watching game tape on him.

Quarterback junior Rob Calabrese beat out freshman Jeffrey Godfrey this preseason and showed why, going 9 for 9 in the first half with 1 touchdown. Calabrese looked ambitious and efficient even if it was against a seemingly sluggish South Dakota secondary. Even Jeffrey Godfrey popped his cherry, procuring his first career touchdown pass to Sophomore Quincy McDuffie.

The Knights looked dominant on both sides of the ball, their defense looks big, quick, and jumpy. I love when outside linebackers and cornerbacks are flying through the air, swatting footballs to the ground. The only thing the Coyotes did well was utilizing their punter Cole Zwiefelhofer. That’s a fun name to say, I hope he goes pro.

By the end of the 3^rd quarter the score was 31-7 in favor of UCF, the knights had 22 first downs compared to South Dakotas 8 and it was all over except for the screaming. If the Coyotes could have tapped out they would have, when I play Madden with my cousin we have a mercy rule and this game would have been stopped. The end of the game would come after one more UCF touchdown and put a cherry on top of this cake of a game. Final score 38-7.

I had a spectacular time, ate 2 free Hotdogs, chicken strips, and potato chips. Next week UCF plays North Carolina State and now I know my way around I’m going to slip my way a little closer to the action. Stay tuned same UCF time, same UCF station.

This season I’m lucky enough to be covering UCF Knights Football for this lovely online publication (West Orlando News Online if you don’t know where you are). But before I go calm into the night on an NCAA writing spree, I have a little bit of NFL fever to get out of me (I can get it right back shall the Bucs call). So here my friends are my thoughts on this year’s NFL 2010 Season.

I see a very different picture in the NFC than what most analysts are seeing. I think the Eagles are far better equipped than people think. Kevin Kolb threw for an average of almost 8 yards per attempt in the few games he’s played and he’s behind the second best center (arguably) in the NFL Jamaal Jackson. Andy Reid has seen Kolb for 4 years and felt so confident with Kolb that he got rid of his golden boy Donovan McNabb, which speaks volumes. Don’t forget that old stale Eagles run game gets a shot in the arm with Lesean McCoy and Mike Bell and the Eagles have the best wide receiver entourage in football. I do think it’s funny that Michael Vick doesn’t understand why he’s not a starting NFL quarterback. Really? I think he’s the best second-string quarterback in football though.

Other NFC east predictions, I think the Cowboys will screw themselves out of another Super Bowl but will probably take a couple teams down viciously before falling apart. The Redskins have once again one of the best individual rosters in football but with a new defense anchored by the unmotivated nose Albert Haynesworth, I expect a high degree of friction leading to an implosion after Donovan McNabb throws a couple 500 yard games. The Giants just aren’t very good.

I love ‘Hard Knocks’ on HBO! Have you seen this show? It’s amazing. Darrelle Revis is mentioned every 3 minutes, Rex Ryan runs around spouting profanity like a truck stop short order cook, fantastic! But it also lets you see what the Jets are made of, I knew they were good because they were in the AFC Championship game last year. Plus they have a great Offense with Braylon Edwards, Mark Sanchez and now LT, who despite last year’s finale in San Diego is still LT.  After watching Hard Knocks I think they have a better team than last year, if Revis comes back of course.

I also like the Ravens this year. Their offense is way improved with Anquan Boldin and they have a real threat in Ray Rice. The Patriots will make some noise but not enough. The Colts are still the Colts and the Steelers are still the Steelers but if we wrote out (S=S) (C=C), then they cancel each other out. I also don’t want to think about how great Peyton Manning might be and Ben Roethlisberger is a weirdo.

I think the Raiders are better than they were and will actually contend in a weak AFC west. The chargers have lost amperage and the Broncos are stomping their hooves over Tim Tebow, good luck on that one.

I think the Packers and Saints are going to disappoint a lot of people when the Vikings and Falcons steal their playoff spots, and don’t forget the Madden curse, Drew Brees! The Bengals and the 49ers both have a chance to go somewhere, maybe not Dallas but maybe a division playoff game.

So write it down and read it when the season’s over. If I’m right I’ll brag and tell you I said so. If I’m wrong I forgot what I said. That’s how it goes when you’re a sports writer. I think that’s how it goes.

Tickets are available for purchase:

• Online at www.orlandomagic.com

• At the Orlando Magic ticket office at the RDV Sportsplex
  (cash, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover)

• At all TicketMaster outlets (cash only)
• By calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover)

Remaining preseason tickets available range from $5 to $130, with 12 different price points.

Orlando Magic season tickets, partial plans, group and single-game Amway Center suite rental opportunities are on sale now.  Ticket highlights in the new Amway Center include: 2,500 seats priced $15 or less and 7,000 seats priced $25 or less. Single-game tickets for the regular season will go on sale in October.  A limited number of season tickets are available through the Orlando Magic box office by calling 407-89-MAGIC or visiting orlandomagic.com.

Orlando Magic season tickets, partial plans, group and single-game Amway Center suite rental opportunities are on sale now.  Ticket highlights in the new Amway Center include: 2,500 seats priced $15 or less and 7,000 seats priced $25 or less. Single-game tickets will go on sale in October.  A limited number of season tickets are available through the Orlando Magic Box Office by calling 407-89-MAGIC or visiting orlandomagic.com.

Orlando opens training camp on September 28 at the Amway Center. The Magic’s complete schedule is available through their official website: orlandomagic.com.  The entire NBA schedule can be found on the league’s official website: NBA.com.

Orlando has 22 national television games scheduled.  The Magic will appear five times on ABC, eight times on ESPN and nine times on TNT.  The national TV slate is punctuated by a Christmas Day contest vs. Boston on ABC (2:30 p.m. tip). Orlando will play for the third consecutive time on Christmas Day and eighth overall (4-3 in those outings, including a loss last Christmas vs. Boston).  The Magic will also appear seven times on NBATV.

The Magic’s local broadcast schedule will be released at a later date.

Each NBA team will play an 82-game regular season: 41 home and 41 away. The Magic will play 52 games vs. the Eastern Conference (18 games vs. the Atlantic Division, 18 games vs. the Central Division and 16 games vs. the Southeast Division) and 30 games against the Western Conference (10 games each vs. the Northwest Division, the Southwest Division and the Pacific Division).

Orlando will play a total of 17 home games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this season.  The 2010-11 Magic schedule also features 20 back-to-back contests (40 games played on consecutive nights), including 12 “fly-out” games, where Orlando hosts the first game then hits the road immediately for the second.

After opening at home on October 28 and then playing Oct. 29 at Miami, Orlando will play 16 games in November (10 home, 6 away), 16 games in December, including Christmas Day at home against Boston (2:30 p.m., ABC; 6 home, 10 away), 16 games in January (7 home, 9 away), 11 games in February (8 home, 3 away), 14 games in March (5 home, 9 away) and seven games in April (4 home, 3 away).

The Magic have a season-long seven-game homestand from February 11-March 1 (including the NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Feb. 19-20).  Orlando’s longest road trips are both five games long, taking place January 8-17 (five games in 10 days) and March 9-16 (five games in eight days).

Orlando closes the season on Wednesday, April 13 at home against Indiana.  The 2010-11 schedule breaks down below:

The Orlando Magic will open the 2010-11 regular season at the new Amway Center on Thursday, October 28 against Washington.  Tip-off is 8 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised by TNT.

Other games involving the Magic announced tonight are:

-          Friday, October 29 @ Miami (8 p.m., ESPN)
-          Saturday, December 25 vs. Boston (2:30 p.m., ABC)
-          Monday, January 17 @ Boston (8 p.m., TNT)

Orlando’s game on December 25 marks its third consecutive appearance on Christmas Day and eighth overall. The entire 2010-11 regular season schedule will be announced by the NBA on Tuesday, August 10.

Orlando Magic season tickets and partial plans are on sale now.  Ticket highlights in the new Amway Center include: 2,500 seats priced $15 or less and 7,000 seats priced $25 or less. Single-game tickets will go on sale in October.

For Orlando Magic ticket information, call (407) 89-MAGIC or log on to orlandomagic.com.

Orlando Magic, Jason Williams

“Jason (Williams) played very well for us last season,” said Smith.  “He provides veteran leadership to our backcourt and knows what it takes to win.  We are happy to have him back on our team.”

Williams (#44, 6’1”, 190, 11/18/75) played in all 82 games last season for the Magic, averaging 6.0 ppg., 3.6 apg. and 1.5 rpg. in 20.8 minpg., while shooting .380 (84-221) from three-point range.  He started in 18 outings, averaging 8.6 ppg., 5.1 apg., 2.7 rpg. and 1.11 stlpg. in 29.6 minpg. during that span.  Williams ranked seventh in the NBA in assists-to-turnover ratio (3.43, 298/87).  He also appeared in all 14 playoff games, averaging 2.6 ppg. and 1.6 apg. in 13.7 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft, Williams has played in 761 career NBA regular season games with Sacramento, Memphis, Miami and Orlando, averaging 10.8 ppg., 6.0 apg., 2.3 rpg. and 1.21 stlpg. in 30.1 minpg.  He has also played in 67 career playoff contests, averaging 8.3 ppg., 3.3 apg. and 1.9 rpg. in 25.9 minpg.  Williams was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1998-99, currently stands as Memphis’ all-time leader in assists (2,041) and helped Miami capture the 2005-06 NBA Championship.

For Orlando Magic ticket information, call (407) 89-MAGIC or log on to orlandomagic.com.

“Alex, Otis and Stan have brought great energy, dedication, leadership and vision to our organization,” said Vander Weide. “As a team, both from a basketball and business standpoint, they have us moving in a very positive direction and toward our ultimate goal of winning an NBA Championship.”

Since re-joining the organization in June of 2005, Martins has led the Magic in its business operations, while overseeing a ticket sales effort which saw the largest increase in attendance in the NBA, the growth of the Magic season ticket sales base to its largest point in team history, the most new sales and season tickets sold in the league in two of the last four years, the largest group sales effort in team history and the team’s highest season ticket renewal rate over the last seven years.  Martins was also instrumental in helping to secure the new state-of-the-art Amway Center in Orlando, which is scheduled to open in October 2010.

Smith was originally promoted to general manager on May 3, 2006.  He is responsible for overseeing basketball operations, including player acquisitions via the draft, free agency and trades, player development, scouting and salary cap management.  Under Smith’s leadership, the Magic have posted a regular season record of 210-118 (.640), claimed three consecutive Southeast Division titles (2007-08 to 2009-10) and reached the NBA Finals in 2009.

Van Gundy has a career NBA head coaching regular season record of 282-149 (.654) and a 170-76 (.691) record with the Magic.  During its last three seasons with Van Gundy at the helm (2007-08 to 2009-10), Orlando has won three straight Southeast Division championships, reached the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons (2008-09, 2009-10) and captured the Eastern Conference title in 2008-09.  This past season, he was named head coach of the Eastern Conference in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas and also earned the NBA’s Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honor twice.

There are numerous options to choose from and all partial plans feature top NBA opponents, including the Miami Heat, L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics. Some details about the particular partial plans include:

Two 22-Game Plans:

·         White 22-Game Plan: Guarantee your seats to see the L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics

·         Blue 22-Game Plan: Guarantee your seats to see opening night, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat

Three 15-Game Plans

·         Jameer Nelson 15-Game Plan: Guarantee your seats to see the L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics

·         Dwight Howard 15-Game Plan: Guarantee your seats to see the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat

·         Rashard Lewis 15-Game Plan: Guarantee your seats to see opening night, 13 weekend games and the Miami Heat

As the 2010-11 season approaches, there are just a limited number of prime locations remaining, and some of the many highlights about this season’s partial ticket plans include:

·         Savings off gate prices

·         You can purchase partial ticket plans by calling 407-89-MAGIC or by visiting www.orlandomagic.com.

* All partial ticket plans include these benefits – discount off gate prices and no service charges, guaranteed preferred seat location, playoff priority, the opportunity to buy single-game tickets before they go on sale to the public and the ability to e-mail your tickets and manage your account online.

·         Ticket Forwarding – an easy way to e-mail your tickets to others

·         Ticket Exchange – sell your seats online for games you are unable to attend

·         Access to both regular and playoff* pre-sales for individual game tickets before the public (*Tickets not guaranteed for playoff games)

·         Personal account representative to assist you throughout the season

The new Amway Center will feature more value than ever before for ticket holders. All patron price levels will have access to premium amenities in the Amway Center such as:

* Everyfan’s Bar and Food Court
* Club Restaurant
* Nutrilite Magic Fan Experience and Orlando on Demand
* Kid’s Zone
* North Terrace Bar; Terrace Sign Bar; Ozone Bar; Sky Bar
* Outdoor plaza and covered box office
* Retail stores and novelty stands
* Multiple, wider concourses with convenient access to concession stands and restrooms
* Improved sightlines for all locations and wider seats
* Unmatched technology, featuring 1,000 digital monitors and the largest,  high-definition scoreboard in an NBA arena.
* An environmentally-friendly and LEED-certified building
* Accessible seating in all seating levels and for all seating products

Ticket highlights include: 7,569 seats priced $25 or under per game; a $27 lower bowl ticket; and tickets priced at $10 per game. For ticket information log on to orlandomagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC.

J.J. Redick (via AHH)

“J.J. (Redick) is a valuable part of our organization, both on the court and in our community,” said Smith.  “He has worked extremely hard during his four seasons with us and improved every year.  We’re happy that J.J. will be back to help us reach our ultimate goal.”

Redick (#7, 6’4”, 190, 6/24/84) played in all 82 games last season with Orlando, averaging a career-high 9.6 ppg., 1.9 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 22.0 minpg.  He made nine starts, averaging 13.0 ppg., 2.9 apg. and 2.7 rpg. in 35.1 minpg. during that span.  Redick led the Magic in both three-point shooting (.405, 111-274) and free throw shooting (.860, 191-222), ranking 17th in the NBA in both categories.  He also appeared in all 14 playoff games, averaging 7.5 ppg., 1.7 rpg. and 1.4 apg. in 19.2 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (11th overall) by Orlando in the 2006 NBA Draft, Redick has appeared in 222 career NBA regular season games, all with the Magic, averaging 7.0 ppg., 1.5 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 17.2 minpg.  He has shot .392 (233-594) from three-point range and .863 (353-409) from the free throw line.  Redick has also played in 33 career playoff outings, averaging 6.2 ppg., 1.6 apg. and 1.3 rpg. in 18.7 minpg.

For Orlando Magic ticket information, call (407) 89-MAGIC or log on to orlandomagic.com.