(Photo by Bryce Brimhall / New Day Review)
University of Central Florida athletic director Danny White is rewarding his now-second-year head coaches for their program-changing first seasons. After leading the Knights to their first winning season in the American Athletic Conference, head coach Johnny Dawkins was signed to a contract extension that will keep him with the Knights through 2023.
“I’m very thankful to Dr. Daniel J. White, [deputy athletic director] Dr. Eric A. Wood and President John C. Hitt for their continued support of me and my staff,” Dawkins said, per the team’s press release. “It’s a great feeling to know that they believe in what we’re doing as a program and our standard of representing UCF and the surrounding community at the highest level.”
Last season, the Knights finished with a 24-12 overall record, doubling the Knights’ win total from the 2015-16 season. Under Dawkins, the Knights earned their highest seeding ever in the American Athletic Conference Tournament. In the No. 4 slot, UCF advanced to its first-ever semifinals in the tournament where the Knights eventually fell to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs 70-59.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Johnny Dawkins leading our men’s basketball program,” White said, per a team press release. “The young men on our basketball team are incredibly fortunate to learn from his experience and develop under his tutelage. Johnny is a great coach and an even better man. We’re all extremely proud of last season’s success and look forward to continued growth in our young program.”
The Knights’ season wasn’t finished, though. Dawkins led UCF to its first-ever postseason win, defeating the Colorado Buffaloes 79-74 in the National Invitation Tournament. After beating top-seeded Illinois State University on the road 63-62, the Knights returned home for a 68-58 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini to advance to the NIT Final Four. UCF would ultimately lose to Texas Christian University, who would eventually win the NIT, 68-53.
Dawkins, who played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association and four years at Duke University, helped elevate shooting guard Matt Williams’ game to new heights. After Williams averaged just 5.8 points per game in his first four seasons, including a one-game season in the 2014-15 season, Williams averaged career-highs in points per game (15.1), rebounds per game (4.3), assists per game (1.9) and minutes per game (36.5).
Williams now has an NBA contract with the Miami Heat after a successful summer-league stint in which he averaged 9.9 points per game and shot 39 percent from three-point range.
The Knights return perennial starters B.J. Taylor, Tacko Fall and A.J. Davis to next season’s squad.
For more on the Knights and their offseason updates, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
