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PHILADELPHIA — They may have faded as the calendar flipped to March, ultimately resulting in a 75-71 first-round NCAA Tournament exit against storied UCLA, but the UCF Knights proved they belonged among college basketball's elite in their third year as Big 12 members.
Regarded as one of the country’s premier conferences, the Big 12 sent eight teams to the Big Dance — regular-season and tournament champion Arizona and seven at-larges, including the Knights, making just their sixth appearance in the program’s 41-year Division I history.
Not bad for a squad that did not return a single player who scored a bucket in 2024-25 and was picked to finish 14th in the league's preseason poll.
“A team that battled through ups and downs, that persevered through no matter what critics and media said (and) preseason polls,” said senior guard and Orlando native Riley Kugel. “Just 13 individuals that came together who kind of have one goal. We came up short, but still to come this far; we came far. So just to be able to buy in and lock into what the coach is telling us all year and staying together, I think we got to respect it.”
Head coach Johnny Dawkins rebuilt his roster from scratch, losing top potential returners Keyshawn Hall (Auburn), Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati) and Jaylin Sellers (Providence) to more lucrative opportunities.
College basketball analyst and Field of 68 co-founder Jeff Goodman reported at the end of January that UCF’s NIL budget was “in (the) neighborhood of $3 million.”
That figure is less than the reported deals secured by, among others, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Texas Tech’s JT Toppin and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson. The Knights defeated each of those teams while they were ranked inside the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, broke into the AP Top 25 for a week and eventually celebrated on Selection Sunday.
UCF finished 21-12, its second straight season topping the 20-win mark, with a 9-9 record in the Big 12. It earned a bye and reached the quarterfinals of the conference’s postseason tournament for the first time.
Point guard Themus Fulks shattered the program’s single-season assist record with 222 dimes, entering the NCAA Tournament 11th in the nation on a per-game basis. Jamichael Stillwell, who followed Fulks to UCF from Milwaukee, recorded his ninth double-double of his senior year Friday night.
Kugel set career highs in scoring (14.4 per game) and 3-point shooting percentage (38.7%). Seventh-year senior forward Devan Cambridge made the tourney with his fourth different team, previously doing so with Auburn, Arizona State and Texas Tech.
“I’m proud of us because this was brand new guys, and in the NIL era, it’s kind of hard getting closer. We did just that; we’re very close as a team. And that’s how we got this far,” Cambridge said.
Dawkins, 62, will enter the final year of his current contract in July. He’s due to make $2.2 million, per an executive summary provided to USA TODAY Sports by UCF Athletics, though his salary is not guaranteed.
Terry Mohajir, UCF’s vice president and director of athletics, said he and the university are in contact with Dawkins’ representation over a new deal. Across 10 seasons, Dawkins has a record of 189-132 (.589 winning percentage) in charge of the Knights.
“The most important thing right now in college athletics is patience, stability and continuity. And I think we’ve done that,” Mohajir said on March 19. “Also, resources and continuing to be smart about how you resource your programs. I think (Dawkins) has done a really good job.
“This is a bear of a conference as you can imagine. It’s a gauntlet every single night. … This is a moment in time where I really believe, even in this current landscape, he’s done a really good job. We were close last year to making the tournament, very close. And this year he had to do a whole new roster construction, and I think he’s embraced it the way any coach needs to embrace it in order to have the right attitude. We’re very lucky that he’s our coach, and I’ve said it many times that we wouldn’t want anyone else in this moment in time.”
Renewing Dawkins’ deal will be a top priority for Mohajir and UCF’s administration as the offseason begins. There is the possibility for some staff shakeup as well, as respected assistant Adam Hood, per The Field of 68, interviewed for the head coaching position at Louisiana-Monroe.
SJ Tuohy, formerly the head of UCF’s NIL collective, took over as Louisiana-Monroe’s athletic director on Nov. 28.
Finally, there’s an entire roster to sort out, though the Knights should be in stronger position to potentially keep some of their top players.
Six players have exhausted their eligibility, including three starters: Fulks, Kugel, Stillwell, Cambridge and reserve guards George Beale Jr. and Poohpha Warakulnukroh.
However, the Knights have several important contributors that could come back.
Jordan Burks started all 34 games and closed with one of his best shooting performances of the year, scoring a team-high 22 against UCLA. John Bol blocked 35 shots and improved on the offensive end throughout his sophomore season.
Chris Johnson and Carmelo Pacheco emerged as key reserves and would seemingly have expanded roles on next year’s roster, both having shot better than 36% from long range.
“I think for the players that will return — you never know in our world; I can't say that with assurance anymore — but they have experienced this now, and they understood what it took along this journey to put us in this position,” Dawkins said.
The NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal officially opens April 7, one day after the national championship game in Indianapolis. Players can announce their intentions beforehand, but they cannot formally enter unless a coaching change occurs.
Teams cannot contact players until they are in the portal, though it’s widely understood that conversations and negotiations occur behind the scenes. Players cannot take official visits until the portal opens.
According to 247Sports, roughly 2,000 players are expected to hit the portal before it closes on April 21.
“I was involved in the discussions last year. We had a plan going into the spring portal, and (Dawkins) was not going to overspend for players,” Mohajir said. “You look around the country, and I’m not saying all of them, but some schools overspent.
“We all talk about the money, but the most important thing is the evaluation. And I think he’s done a nice job with that. This is the day and age where there are new rosters every year, and you either embrace it or you wilt away. I think he’s embraced it, and he’s the right coach right now.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF basketball: What's next following March Madness loss to UCLA
Continue reading...
Regarded as one of the country’s premier conferences, the Big 12 sent eight teams to the Big Dance — regular-season and tournament champion Arizona and seven at-larges, including the Knights, making just their sixth appearance in the program’s 41-year Division I history.
Not bad for a squad that did not return a single player who scored a bucket in 2024-25 and was picked to finish 14th in the league's preseason poll.
“A team that battled through ups and downs, that persevered through no matter what critics and media said (and) preseason polls,” said senior guard and Orlando native Riley Kugel. “Just 13 individuals that came together who kind of have one goal. We came up short, but still to come this far; we came far. So just to be able to buy in and lock into what the coach is telling us all year and staying together, I think we got to respect it.”
Why UCF basketball's accomplishments should not be forgotten
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Head coach Johnny Dawkins rebuilt his roster from scratch, losing top potential returners Keyshawn Hall (Auburn), Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati) and Jaylin Sellers (Providence) to more lucrative opportunities.
College basketball analyst and Field of 68 co-founder Jeff Goodman reported at the end of January that UCF’s NIL budget was “in (the) neighborhood of $3 million.”
That figure is less than the reported deals secured by, among others, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Texas Tech’s JT Toppin and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson. The Knights defeated each of those teams while they were ranked inside the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, broke into the AP Top 25 for a week and eventually celebrated on Selection Sunday.
UCF finished 21-12, its second straight season topping the 20-win mark, with a 9-9 record in the Big 12. It earned a bye and reached the quarterfinals of the conference’s postseason tournament for the first time.
Point guard Themus Fulks shattered the program’s single-season assist record with 222 dimes, entering the NCAA Tournament 11th in the nation on a per-game basis. Jamichael Stillwell, who followed Fulks to UCF from Milwaukee, recorded his ninth double-double of his senior year Friday night.
Kugel set career highs in scoring (14.4 per game) and 3-point shooting percentage (38.7%). Seventh-year senior forward Devan Cambridge made the tourney with his fourth different team, previously doing so with Auburn, Arizona State and Texas Tech.
“I’m proud of us because this was brand new guys, and in the NIL era, it’s kind of hard getting closer. We did just that; we’re very close as a team. And that’s how we got this far,” Cambridge said.
What's next for Johnny Dawkins, UCF basketball?
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Dawkins, 62, will enter the final year of his current contract in July. He’s due to make $2.2 million, per an executive summary provided to USA TODAY Sports by UCF Athletics, though his salary is not guaranteed.
Terry Mohajir, UCF’s vice president and director of athletics, said he and the university are in contact with Dawkins’ representation over a new deal. Across 10 seasons, Dawkins has a record of 189-132 (.589 winning percentage) in charge of the Knights.
“The most important thing right now in college athletics is patience, stability and continuity. And I think we’ve done that,” Mohajir said on March 19. “Also, resources and continuing to be smart about how you resource your programs. I think (Dawkins) has done a really good job.
“This is a bear of a conference as you can imagine. It’s a gauntlet every single night. … This is a moment in time where I really believe, even in this current landscape, he’s done a really good job. We were close last year to making the tournament, very close. And this year he had to do a whole new roster construction, and I think he’s embraced it the way any coach needs to embrace it in order to have the right attitude. We’re very lucky that he’s our coach, and I’ve said it many times that we wouldn’t want anyone else in this moment in time.”
Renewing Dawkins’ deal will be a top priority for Mohajir and UCF’s administration as the offseason begins. There is the possibility for some staff shakeup as well, as respected assistant Adam Hood, per The Field of 68, interviewed for the head coaching position at Louisiana-Monroe.
SJ Tuohy, formerly the head of UCF’s NIL collective, took over as Louisiana-Monroe’s athletic director on Nov. 28.
Finally, there’s an entire roster to sort out, though the Knights should be in stronger position to potentially keep some of their top players.
Six players have exhausted their eligibility, including three starters: Fulks, Kugel, Stillwell, Cambridge and reserve guards George Beale Jr. and Poohpha Warakulnukroh.
However, the Knights have several important contributors that could come back.
Jordan Burks started all 34 games and closed with one of his best shooting performances of the year, scoring a team-high 22 against UCLA. John Bol blocked 35 shots and improved on the offensive end throughout his sophomore season.
Chris Johnson and Carmelo Pacheco emerged as key reserves and would seemingly have expanded roles on next year’s roster, both having shot better than 36% from long range.
“I think for the players that will return — you never know in our world; I can't say that with assurance anymore — but they have experienced this now, and they understood what it took along this journey to put us in this position,” Dawkins said.
The NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal officially opens April 7, one day after the national championship game in Indianapolis. Players can announce their intentions beforehand, but they cannot formally enter unless a coaching change occurs.
Teams cannot contact players until they are in the portal, though it’s widely understood that conversations and negotiations occur behind the scenes. Players cannot take official visits until the portal opens.
According to 247Sports, roughly 2,000 players are expected to hit the portal before it closes on April 21.
“I was involved in the discussions last year. We had a plan going into the spring portal, and (Dawkins) was not going to overspend for players,” Mohajir said. “You look around the country, and I’m not saying all of them, but some schools overspent.
“We all talk about the money, but the most important thing is the evaluation. And I think he’s done a nice job with that. This is the day and age where there are new rosters every year, and you either embrace it or you wilt away. I think he’s embraced it, and he’s the right coach right now.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF basketball: What's next following March Madness loss to UCLA
Continue reading...
