In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, as the last remaining UCF fans exited Addition Financial Arena for what would be the final time this season, coach Johnny Dawkins pondered what’s next for the Knights.
In those moments following UCF’s 83-77 loss to rival USF in their first-round matchup in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Dawkins was asked to assess his team’s performance in its first season in the Big 12.
The Knights finished 17-16 overall and 7-11 in the conference, highlighted by wins over three ranked opponents: No. 3 Kansas, No. 23 Oklahoma and No. 23 Texas Tech.
“I have a really good idea of what we need moving forward,” Dawkins said. “We were looking at that throughout the year as we were playing the other Big 12 teams to determine what we have to do, who we matched up against, what they have, their style of play, whether it’s physicality, shooting or rebounding.
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“We’re studying every team we play to understand the theme of this league and the talent level needed to succeed.”
Dawkins said he believes the Knights exceeded expectations, especially considering how the team was picked to finish last in the Big 12. UCF wound up 11th in the 14-team league — which was ranked as the toughest conference in college basketball this season — and was one of 11 teams to earn postseason bids.
“We were able to get to the NIT, which means you finished as one of the top 100 teams in the country,” he explained. “I don’t think anyone would have expected that to happen. I don’t think that would have been expected.”
Even so, junior guard Jaylin Sellers believes the Knights could have achieved more this season.
“We underachieved this season,” said Sellers, who earned All-Big 12 honors after arriving through the transfer market from Ball State. “Just with the group of guys we had, this is probably the best team I’ve played on. You have to have people follow the game plan and listen to Coach. Things could have gone in a whole other way.”
An average of 8.8 points decided UCF’s 18 regular-season conference games and an average of 9.2 points decided the Knights’ 11 losses. But the Knights faced double-digit deficits in 11 of their 18 league games.
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The roster underwent a massive makeover last offseason, with 10 new players (such as Sellers) arriving from the transfer portal. Some of the new additions were Shemarri Allen, Omar Payne, Ibrahima Diallo, DeMarr Langford Jr., Marchelus Avery, Mintautas Mockus and Sellers.
There will be more turnover this offseason with the expected departures of Antwaan Jones, C.J. Walker, Allen, Payne and Diallo, who have exhausted their eligibility.
Sellers, however, will be back, announcing his decision hours before tipoff of the NIT game.
“Coach Johnny Dawkins is perhaps the best coach I’ve had in my life,” Sellers said. “With him believing in me, I never want to play for another coach in college basketball. He’s like another father figure to me. When I look into his eyes, I see me, and I’m pretty sure he sees a little bit of himself.”
Dawkins’ future, however, remains fodder for speculation.
He is entering the final year of his contract, and UCF officials have yet to announce their plans for an extension or a possible coaching change. But Dawkins, 60, believes he’s done enough this season to be back in 2024-25.
“I expect to be back here,” said Dawkins. “I have loved coaching UCF since Day 1 and I’ve put my whole heart into this university because they allowed me to be the coach here. I think the administration and everyone believe in me and what we’re doing here, and yet it will never end right for you unless you win a championship.”
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For now, Dawkins’ focus is on next season, emphasizing the transfer portal and recruiting.
“I’m a next-play guy,” he said. “Season ends, but what we do as a program and what we must do as a staff continues immediately. We’ve got to start refocusing on the next phase.”
UCF already has a commitment from transfer Mikey Andrews, a five-star guard from Memphis who is considered a top-10 prospect, and Dawkins said the Knights will also be a factor with other candidates.
Still, he doesn’t want the disappointment of how the season ended to outweigh his team’s accomplishments.
“We overachieved compared to what people thought we were going to do,” he said. “I don’t think anybody can sit here and think we would win some of the games and win as many games as we did in the Big 12. But that’s not my standard. Everywhere I’ve been, we’ve won, so we have to do better than we’ve done this year.”
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
