(Photo by Adrian J. Hernandez / New Day Review)
After recording their first winning records since joining the American Athletic Conference, the University of Central Florida garnered some much-deserved recognition. Since joining the AAC in the 2013-14 season, the Knights have never been predicted to finish higher than eighth for both the men’s and women’s teams. On Monday, that changed, as the men’s team was predicted to finish third, and the women’s team was predicted to finish fourth, according to a preseason coaches poll.
For the men’s team, Johnny Dawkins led the Knights to a 24-12 record and the Knights’ first postseason appearance since 2012 in his first season at the helm. Dawkins and the Knights fell in the National Invitation Tournament semifinals to the eventual winners, Texas Christian University.
Redshirt junior point guard B.J. Taylor, who had career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists and steals last season, was named to the All-AAC First Team. Junior center Tacko Fall, who was named the conference’s defensive player of the year last season, was named to the All-AAC Second Team.
The University of Cincinnati was selected to finish first, and newcomers Wichita State University were predicted to finish second.
As for the women’s team, first-year UCF coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson led the Knights to a 21-12 record and an appearance in the AAC Tournament semifinals after earning UCF’s first-ever AAC Tournament victory. It was the first time UCF made the postseason since an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011.
Shooting guard Aliyah Gregory earned first-team conference honors last season, as she averaged career-highs in points, rebounds and steals last season. This preseason, she garnered more attention, as she was named to the preseason All-AAC First Team.
“It is an honor to be selected to the All-Conference First Team,” Gregory said, per the Knights’ press release. “I would like to thank my teammates and my coaches for that because they play a major role in my individual success.”
Said Abrahamson-Henderson on the team’s preseason ranking, per UCF Athletics: “I’m very excited for our players and our program. It’s an extreme compliment, considering how many great programs are in this league, to be selected fourth. With that being said, we know that this is a journey. We have to keep working hard and taking it one game at a time.”
The UConn Huskies, four-time defending conference champs, were unanimously selected to win the conference.
Abrahamson-Henderson will lead her team in the season-opener against the Mercer Bears on Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m. Directly afterward will be the men’s game, also against Mercer, at 8 p.m.
For more on the Knights, as they prepare for their respective season-openers, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
