Central Florida's Marcus Jordan (center) makes a move between Florida's Chandler Parsons (left) and Janoris Jenkins during their NCAA college basketball game in Orlando, Florida, in this December 1, 2010, file photo. Central Florida won. Marcus, the secondborn son of NBA great Michael Jordan, has led the team to its best ever Division 1 start.

Marcus Jordan has always wanted to make a name for himself on the basketball court, and not just be known as the son of NBA great Michael Jordan.

He found the place to do it at University of Central Florida. Though not exactly known for its basketball tradition, the 1.9-meter, 93-kilogram guard knew UCF was the program for him.

"It was the first and last visit I made," Jordan said. "I just loved it. The facilities were new and it was definitely a place where I could go in and play right away. I think that was the biggest thing. Me and (UCF teammate) A.J. (Rompza) sat down and said we can start something and create our own little legacy here."

Less than two years later, that conversation between the best friends and former Whitney Young high school teammates in Chicago is turning into prophecy.

Jordan not only led the Knights to a Division I-best 14-0 start, but the sophomore is the face of a program in fast transition under first-year coach Donnie Jones.

After finishing non-conference play unbeaten and achieving the program's first-ever Top 25 ranking with wins over Florida, Miami and South Florida, UCF dropped out of the poll this week following two losses. Still, the Knights are 14-2.

"They are definitely one of the big stories of the season," CBS Sports college basketball analyst Seth Davis said. "Marcus may not be the freakish athlete that his dad was, and nobody is, but he's definitely a capable scorer that is making his own name."

That individuality extends to everything about Marcus. While he has never shied from the spotlight that comes with being Michael Jordan's son - Marcus is his own person.

He wears No. 5, instead of his father's famous No. 23. He has some tattoos. He also sports facial hair and goggles on the court, both departures from his father's clean-shaven look in college.

Michael Jordan, owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, has been to several games in two years. He declined to be interviewed for this story, saying through the Bobcats that he didn't want to overshadow Marcus' success.

Marcus, a shooting guard, leads the Knights in scoring, averaging 16.5 points. He is second in assists (3.2). His scoring average is double that of his freshman year and his field goal, 3-point and free throw percentages are all up as well.

Coming out of high school, Marcus Jordan was a solid, but middle-tier college prospect at best.

He had written offers to schools like Stanford, Iowa, Miami, Butler and Toledo. Older brother Jeff was at Illinois. But then-UCF coach Kirk Speraw sold him on being a member of the first recruiting class to play in the university's new 10,000-seat arena.

Jordan earned C-USA freshman honors last season despite a preseason knee injury.

His dad offered some advice.

"He was just telling me to be in shape," Marcus said. "He was giving me tips and pointers... but really he was just telling me to be focused and work hard every day, because eventually it will pay off."

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