UCF’s Johnny Dawkins believes Knights has proven the Big 12’s worth

We belong.

That was the message UCF men’s basketball coach Johnny Dawkins emphasized to his players as they prepared for their first season in the Big 12 last fall. On the surface it was a simple belief, but the veteran coach knew his team needed to hear it before he would embark on what will undoubtedly be a challenging year.

“I wanted our guys to have something in terms of games, practices where there was a belief that we were trying to generate throughout the group that we could compete and that we could win games in this conference,” Dawkins recently told the Sentinel.

“I was really proud of our guys for accomplishing some of those things.”

UCF was one of four new member schools, including BYU, Cincinnati and Houston, to join last season. While the Knights enjoyed relative success in the American Athletic Conference for a decade, the move to the Big 12 felt like graduating from middle school to high school.

“Nine of the last 11 years it has been the No. 1 basketball conference in the country, so we knew what we were getting into,” Dawkins said.

To his credit, Dawkins was well prepared for what awaited him.

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A two-time All-American and Naismith Player of the Year at Duke in the ACC, Dawkins was no stranger to the world of competitive basketball. His coaching career began as an assistant with the Blue Devils under Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.

His first head coaching job was in the Pac-12 at Stanford, where he led the Cardinal to five postseason appearances.

UCF finished 17-16 overall, its seventh winning season in the past eight years under Dawkins, including 7-11 in the Big 12. They did qualify for the National Invitation Tournament and notably won for the first time in the program three games against ranked teams. history.

“Is this where we want to be? Of course not,” Dawkins said. “My vision for this program and our standards are not yet where we were, but I think it was something to build on. Now we have a floor to build on. How can we improve? How can we build on this?”

The Knights lost eight of their last 12 games but qualified for the Big 12 tournament. They defeated Oklahoma State before being eliminated by BYU. The team finished better than the expected last place in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Still, Dawkins was impressed with the Knights’ competitiveness.

“One thing that stood out to me the most was the amount of fight they had against every opponent we played,” he said. “There was never any question of giving up. People never looked at the name on the front of the jersey and got overwhelmed, and that’s not common. So they did some unusual things during the year.”

UCF and basketball coach Johnny Dawkins agree to a two-year contract extension

Dawkins is quick to also thank the fans for providing a spark, citing the fantastic crowds at Addition Financial Arena. UCF averaged 7,065 spectators for its 19 home games and finished in 12th place among the 14 member schools.

“I thought our community did such a great job,” he said. “I don’t think we could have even achieved what we achieved this year if they hadn’t played a significant role. Their energy and enthusiasm gave us a great home court.”

That included several sellouts, such as the one against then-No. 3 Kansas on Jan. 10, which was a stunning 65-60 victory.

“I’ve been in a lot of environments and played in a lot of great games. It felt so special to be part of this program that night,” said Dawkins.

Shortly after the season ended, UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir offered Dawkins a multi-year contract extension. It became a reality last week when the sides struck a deal to keep the 60-year-old coach with the program through the 2026-2027 season.

“I’m just really grateful for this opportunity,” Dawkins said of the two-year deal. “I have always been grateful for the opportunity to coach here at UCF and to now continue that because we have unfinished business. I want to do some extraordinary things here at UCF.

Building 🧱 pic.twitter.com/gtsRrJskRR

— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) June 17, 2024

“That has been my vision and goal, and I see no reason why it couldn’t happen.”

As UCF begins its summer workouts, the Knights will face several challenges heading into Year 2 of the Big 12.

The league added four new schools, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, to compensate for the departure of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC.

The Big 12 is also expanding its conference schedule, from 18 to 20 games.

UCF’s roster has once again undergone significant changes, with more than half of its players leaving via graduation or the transfer portal. Dawkins and his staff had to rebuild the game by adding six players, including Benny Williams, Keyshawn Hall and Dallan Coleman, through the portal.

“In terms of talent, we have to continue to grow,” Dawkins said. “We have to make sure we find guys who are capable of competing and excelling in the Big 12. I thought we had some guys who were capable, but we need some more talent to make the mark that we want to make in this competition. ”

There’s a lot of excitement ahead, but for Dawkins it’s all about showcasing his players.

“I’m very proud of our guys,” he said.

Matt Murschel can be reached at [email protected]