“It was the first time for me being at the draft since I was drafted,” Dawkins said. The 6-foot-8 power forward became the highest Knights player drafted.ĭawkins was on hand with the 19-year-old at Barclays Center in Brooklyn last month. One player not returning is Hendricks, whose departure paid off when selected ninth overall. Move to Big 12 requires more travel for UCF athletics and its fans “Nothing will ever be enough, but it’s a start,” he adds. “So I’m accustomed to this.”ĭawkins believes allowing coaching staffs more time with players in the summer months has helped teams develop chemistry.
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“This is where my pro experience comes in handy because having played in NBA, rosters were always turning over with drafts and trades,” said Dawkins. It’s our job to get the team and move them in the right direction.”īut is it sustainable to replace a handful of players each season? That’s what we look for, guys that are all about winning as a team first. “What you want to do when you build a team is get guys in here who are all about winning. “We have several new players and we had several new players last year. “We’ve done a great job at UCF of always embracing and being bold about how we do things,” Dawkins said. If you don’t embrace it, you’ll be lost.”ĭawkins added four transfers of his own, including guards Jaylin Sellers (Ball State) and Shemarri Allen (Missouri-Kansas City), center Ibrahima Diallo (San Jose State) and forward Omar Payne (Jacksonville). “You have to adjust and we have to lean into it because it’s the way the world works. A program can flip a roster in one offseason, something Dawkins saw coming several seasons ago. The transfer market has changed how coaches handle roster management. Guard Ithiel Horton recently entered the transfer portal and committed to Texas. UCF’s top scorer, Taylor Hendricks, was a first-round NBA draft pick of the Utah Jazz, while guard Kelly and forward Michael Durr exhausted their eligibility.
Edwards (Bowling Green) left via the transfer market. Lahat Thioune (South Dakota), Brandon Suggs (New Mexico State), Tyem Freeman (Kent State), Jayhlon Young (Memphis) and P.J. The offseason has its challenges, with the roster undergoing a massive makeover. UCF’s move to power conference was always part of John Hitt’s vision Injuries were a big part of the team’s struggles, with the Knights forced to experiment with seven different starting lineups. Walker out and Darius Johnson goes down guys you were counting on in a tough conference.” You know me, no excuses, but you have C.J. UCF went on the road to beat Florida in the first round of the NIT, giving the Knights wins against two in-state rivals.īut there were also times when things didn’t go as well, including a stretch where UCF lost 8 of 10 starting in mid-January. “It was voted the best sports moment on campus.” “The double-overtime win versus Memphis was a great moment,” Dawkins said. In early January, UCF would hang on for a thrilling 107-104 win against Memphis in double-overtime. A week later, the Knights knocked off Oklahoma State (60-56) and Santa Clara (57-50) to claim the Baha Mar Hoops championship in the Bahamas. But we had some memorable moments as well.”ĭawkins can list a few off the top of his head.īeating Florida State in the second game of the season (68-54) is one. We finished fairly well, but was that what we wanted to accomplish? No. “You play in the NIT, which means you’re one of the top 100 teams in Division I. “It was a solid season,” said Dawkins, 59.
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