(Photo by Adrian J. Hernandez / New Day Review)
Joining fellow former seniors Matt Williams and Tanksley Efianayi, forward Nick Banyard will also play at the next level. Williams signed with the Miami Heat after an NBA Summer League stint, and Efianayi signed with BIPA Odessa in Ukraine earlier in August.
Now, it’s Banyard’s turn. He will play for Aomori Watts in Aomori, Aomori.
Though the Flower Mound, Texas, native only played one season with the Knights, he was an instrumental part of perhaps the Knights’ best-ever season. Averaging 6.2 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game, Banyard helped the team to a National Invitation Tournament semifinals appearance, the Knights’ first-ever. UCF would lose to eventual NIT winners Texas Christian University 68-53.
Banyard had his share of highlights with UCF. He hit a game-winning three-pointer in a 65-62 win over the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Dec. 3. He also helped UCF to back-to-back wins over the University of Tulsa and East Carolina University. During those two games, which helped jumpstart the Knights to close out the regular season with a five-game winning streak, Banyard averaged 18.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game.
As for his future, Banyard will play in Japan’s Division 2 B-League. Last season, Aomori went 29-31 in the East Division. The team was led by former University of Idaho center Kyle Barone, who averaged 17.0 points per game.
For more on the hardwood Knights during the offseason, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
