A day after receiving all-league first team honors, UCF men’s basketball standout Isaiah Sykes was selected to the Conference USA All-Defensive Team Tuesday. The junior was one of five conference players to earn a spot on the squad.

Sykes, who helped UCF record its third-straight 20-win campaign, has developed into one of the top perimeter defenders in the country. He averaged 2.3 steals per game in both league play and overall games to pace C-USA and rank 19th in the nation in the category.

A Detroit native, Sykes registered 72 steals, good for seventh on the UCF single-season list. The guard helped the Knights limit opponents to only 30.5 percent shooting from deep in conference play, the lowest mark in C-USA.

Sykes is the third UCF player to garner C-USA All-Defensive Team honors, joining Keith Clanton (2011-12) and Dave Noel (2007-08).

2012-13 CONFERENCE USA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

  • Jonathan Mills, Southern Miss, F, 6-5, 240, Sr., Chicago, Ill.
  • D.J. Stephens, Memphis, F/G, 6-5, 188, Sr., Killeen, Texas
  • Isaiah Sykes, UCF, G/F, 6-5, 215, Jr., Detroit, Mich.
  • TaShawn Thomas, Houston, F, 6-8, 215, So., Killeen, Texas
  • Julian Washburn, UTEP, F, 6-7, 205, So., Duncanville, Texas