The Orlando Sentinel is asking readers to help us select the Knights' top performers during the past year. Every day this week, I'll be highlighting five male and female nominees for your consideration. On Friday, the polls will open and readers will decide who deserves recognition for the best athletic performances of the year.

I have 10 nominees in mind, but feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of the blog and let me know who you think absolutely must be among the candidates.

All-American return specialist and cornerback Joe Burnett and Conference USA tournament MVP Emma Cannon are our first two nominees.

JOE BURNETT, FOOTBALL
It was a tough season for UCF football, but cornerback and return specialist Joe Burnett was a bright spot for the program.

Burnett easily was the most entertaining athlete to watch on the field every game. He earned first team All-Conference USA honors as a cornerback, kick returner and punt returner, becoming the first athlete in C-USA history to be earn first team honors at three different position. Burnett also was named a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated and ESPN.com. He also was named second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Burnett was the only player in the nation to rank in the top 20 of both kickoff (28.7 yards per return) and punt returns (14.5 yards per return) during the 2008 season. Burnett, in his first season as a kickoff returner, ran two back for touchdowns. The first kickoff return for a touchdown came against rival USF, while the second kept the Knights in a close contest at Miami. He racked up four interceptions and returned them for a team-high 103 yards. He led the Knights with 102.2 all-purpose yards per game despite never playing a snap on offense.

Burnett completed his UCF career as the school's record holder in numerous major categories including career interceptions (16) and punt return yards (1,304). Burnett is the Conference USA career record holder for most punt return yards and ranks 19th in NCAA history in that category. He stands second in C-USA record books with his 16 career interceptions. He scored a total of five career special teams touchdowns including a UCF-record three on punt returns.

He continues to represent the Knights on the pro level after being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2009 NFL Draft.

EMMA CANNON, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
It was a breakout season for sophomore forward Emma Cannon and the UCF women's basketball team.

Cannon was a force for the Knights inside, averaging 15.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. She improved during conference play, averaging 16.8 points and 12.0 rebounds during 16 Conference USA games. Cannon played an integral role in UCF's four-game run through the conference tournament to claim the first C-USA league title in school history. Cannon earned first team All-Conference USA honors and was named the most valuable player of the C-USA tournament. She shined in challenging games, finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds against powerhouse North Carolina during a first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament.

In interviews with the Sentinel, Cannon said she recognized the merits of crashing the boards at an early age and dedicated herself to becoming a rebounding machine.

"That's one thing that I love to do is rebounding," Cannon told the Sentinel's Andrea Adelson. "It excites me, being able to get the ball over somebody. Just to know nobody can stop you off that, nobody can jump higher than you. When I was little, I really wasn't a scorer, but I could always rebound."

Cannon noted the Knights' ability to corral missed shots helped set them up for their conference tournament championship run. Cannon grabbed 393 rebounds during the 2008-09 season, breaking the previous UCF single-season record by 48 boards. In two seasons at UCF, Cannon has 878 points and 654 rebounds. She already ranks third on the school's career rebounding list.

Taylor is participating in Rockets' offseason workouts. You can check out this Houston video featuring a brief interview with Taylor and some highlights of him practicing with the team.

When Taylor was asked what things Rockets coaches have told him during the practices, he said, "They’re just telling me what I need to work on. Get better at shooting the 3-point, my ball handling. Things like that."

My colleague Josh Robbins wrote an article outlining how every Division I conference will handle media days this year. No surprise, the SEC will plow ahead with its big media event in Birmingham, Ala., later this month. Others are going the same route as C-USA and scaling their events way back.

Here's a closer look at Conference USA's new football preseason virtual media days format:

July 27
C-USA coaches will still have a brief media availability at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Golf Tournament in Memphis. I won't be going all the way to Tennessee just for brief media opportunity. I'm guessing Memphis media outlets and possibly the Associated Press will be the only ones covering the event.

July 28
C-USA coaches preseason all-conference team will be announced.

July 29
Teleconference with C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky.

July 30
C-USA video conference. All 12 head coaches and select student-athletes will be made available to preview the upcoming season on an interactive video teleconference. Coaches will be available in person at a location on their respective campuses. UCF Coach George O'Leary is scheduled to speak on the videoconference at 12:30 p.m.

July 31
The C-USA Football Kickoff Show previewing the 2009 season will be broadcast from 8-9 p.m. on CBS College Sports.

I understand the need to slash expenses, but it is a little disappointing I won't be able to do a bunch of interviews with Conference USA coaches and players that typically help fill the news void before preseason camp gets under way. It also means I need the football team to win the Conference USA championship in order to get any delicious Memphis barbecue this year.

The Puerto Rican team will begin open brack play with a game today against France.

Sosa is averaging 15.3 points at the 16-team tournament. He leads the event in 3-point field goal percentage. In three games, he has connected on 68.8 percent (11-of-16) of his shots from 3-point range.

Check out the UCF athletics Web site for more updates on Sosa's performance in New Zealand.

The university is the host site for the NORCECA's FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship Pool G qualification tournament that runs today through Wednesday. Pool G is a four-team, round-robin event played over three-consecutive days. The U.S. women's national team, Costa Rica, Netherlands Antilles and Barbados will comprise the four-team pool, with the pool winner advancing to the 2010 FIVB World Championship next fall.

Angie Pressley, a Lake Mary standout, is on Team USA.

Team USA released the following details about the event:

Match times will be 5 p.m. ET and 7:30 p.m. ET, with the United States playing the second match each day. Team USA opens on July 6 versus Netherlands Antilles, followed by Barbados on July 7 and Costa Rica on July 8. The third-round pool winner will advance to the 2010 FIVB World Championship held Oct. 29-Nov. 14 in Japan.

The U.S. Women’s National Team is ranked second in the world by the FIVB world ranking. The squad earned the 2008 Olympic Games silver medal, and although the final competition roster has yet to be determined, the preliminary U.S. roster includes seven Olympians.

Costa Rica, ranked 30th in the FIVB world ranking, finished 17th in the previous FIVB World Championship edition held in 2006. Both the U.S. and Costa Rica will compete at the Eighth Women’s Pan American Cup held June 26-July 4 in Miami before traveling north to Orlando for the FIVB World Championship qualification tournament.

The Barbados Bajans, ranked 50th in the world, finished as runners-up at the last two Caribbean regional competitions held in 2006 and 2008, after winning the four previous tournaments held between 1998 and 2004.

Last year, No. 53 Netherlands Antilles finished in fourth place in the Caribbean behind Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica.

In addition to the matches, Team USA and UCF volleyball coaching staffs will hold a pre-match clinic involving chalk talk and skills demonstration.

Ticket prices are $12 for general admission day pass or $16 for general admission day pass along with pre-match clinic. A general admission tournament pass for all six matches plus the pre-match clinics can be purchased for $43. Premium seating, including reserved center court club seats, pre-match clinic, access to Black and Gold Club, dinner buffet and post-event meet-and-greet with Team USA, costs $40 for a day pass and $100 for the tournament pass of all six matches.

Match tickets can be purchased through the UCF Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, charge-by-phone at (407) 839-3900 or online at www.ucfarena.com. Discounted team and group packages are available by contacting Stan Macko at (407) 823-6062 or at smacko@mail.ucf.edu.

When I spoke with Clinard, he said some heavy hitters offered him jobs after the Knights' strong 2009 performance.

"I got a call from Ohio State, but I wasn't interested," he said. "I was really flattered and have nothing against Ohio State, I just didn't want to live in Columbus, Ohio. Oklahoma also called, but it wasn't the right fit. When Auburn called, it was different. For somebody who grew up in the south around the SEC and the ACC, it's special. Auburn called and with the resources that they had, it was an opportunity that was too hard to pass up. I had a chance to be at a school that has tremendous financial support for all its programs and raise my family in a small town. It was a tough decision and I'm so thankful for everything UCF did for me, but Auburn was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

Check out this UCF athletics news release with a recap of Sosa's latest performance:

Against Greece, he logged 30 minutes and shot 7-of-10 overall. He also added two rebounds as his squad fell to 1-1 at the 16-team tournament.

In two contests in New Zealand, Sosa is averaging 19.0 points per game. He opened the event with 18 points in a victory over Lithuania Wednesday. Sosa paces the tournament in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from deep.

Puerto Rico will close out group play tonight versus Angola. Bracket play will begin Sunday.

As a freshman for the Knights, Sosa averaged 8.2 points in 2008-09. Season-ticket deposits for the 2009-10 UCF men's basketball campaign are currently being accepted. For more information, visit UCFAthletics.com or call (407) UCF-1000.

-- Sophomore guard Isaac Sosa scored 18 points Wednesday to lead Puerto Rico to an 80-73 win over Lithuania to open the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship. The Puerto Rican team plays Greece today.

-- Sophomore forward P.J. Gaynor said he is committed to improving his strength this offseason.

-- Three former Knights are playing the Canadian Football League, which just started its season Wednesday (on Canada Day).

-- Darius Nall, who missed last season while battling cancer, says he hopes to do more than just rejoin his teammates next season. Nall hopes to turn in another dominant season similar to standout freshman year.

-- UCF Athletics' has a great feature on former Knight Chad Hartmann, who talks about living his dream and quickly moving through the San Diego Padres farm system.

-- Men's soccer signee Andrew Quintana has been named an EA Sports All-American.

-- Men's tennis players Joe Delinks and Blaze Schwartz explain why they chose UCF.

-- Former women's basketball player Keunta Miles was among the honorees at the second annual McLendon Hall of Fame reception.

-- UCF athletics has summer updates on women's basketball players Aisha Patrick, Emma Cannon, Chelsie Wiley and Angelica Mealing.

-- UCF volleyball season tickets are now on sale.

-- UCF's new volleyball players Geli Crump, Dani Harrison, Tory McCutcheon, Nicole Reidel and Brittanie Wallace were among the athletes now on campus for the school's Summer B session. (With photo gallery showing the players moving into their dorm rooms).

-- Don't forget UCF is hosting the FIVB women's volleyball world championship July 6-8.

-- Sophomore golfer Katie Detlefsen has been named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team.

-- Three former Knights are competing on the LPGA's developmental tour.

-- Knights goalie Aline Reis has been selected participate in the Brazilian national women's soccer team camp.

-- Sophomore Andrea Rodrigues was picked to participate in Brazil's U19 soccer team camp, while UCF coach Amanda Cromwellwill help with the U.S. U19 team.

-- Softball standout Breanne Javier is another former Knight thrilled to be playing professionally this summer.

-- Tony Giannoni, who helped Florida reach the Final Four in 2008, joined the UCF women's tennis coaching staff.

-- Tiki James had an impressive showing at the USA Track and Field Nationals, finishing 14th in the 100-meter hurdles. The senior finished third among collegiate competitors at the elite meet.

The volleyball video ...

The women's basketball video ...