UCF’s Johnny Dawkins believes Knights proved they belong in Big 12

We belong.

That was the message that UCF men’s basketball coach Johnny Dawkins stressed to his players as they prepared to face their first season in the Big 12 last fall. It was a simple belief on the surface but one that the veteran coach knew his team needed to hear before embarking on what was sure to be a challenging year.

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

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

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

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

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 guided the Cardinal to five postseason appearances.

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

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

The Knights lost eight of their final 12 games but qualified for the Big 12 tournament. They defeated Oklahoma State before being knocked out by BYU. The team finished better than its projected last-place finish in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Still, Dawkins was impressed with the Knights’ competitiveness.

“One thing that stood out to me the most was just the amount of fight they had on every single opponent we played,” he said. “There was never a give up. There was never looking at the name on the front of the jersey and getting overwhelmed, and that’s not common. So, they did some uncommon things during the year.”

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

“I thought our community did such a great job,” he said. “I don’t think we could have accomplished even what we accomplished this year if they didn’t play 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 became a stunning 65-60 win.

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

Shortly after the season ended, UCF athletics director Terry Mohajir offered Dawkins a multi-year contract extension. It became a reality last week when the parties finalized a deal to keep the 60-year-old coach with the program through the 2026-27 season.

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

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“That’s been my vision and goal, and I don’t see no reason why it can’t happen.”

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

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

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

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

“Talent-wise, we need to continue to grow,” Dawkins said. “We must ensure we find guys capable of competing and excelling in the Big 12. I thought we had some guys that were capable, but we need to have a bit more depth of talent to make the mark we want to make in this league.”

There’s plenty 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 mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com