by Dick Weiss, for The American
PHILADELPHIA – After reaching the top 25 in the 2010-11 season, UCF has found the road tougher since joining The American. However, as they look forward to 2017-18, the Knights are reestablishing themselves on the national scene.
The sun is finally starting to come out again at this huge school with an enrollment of 66,000 and beautiful campus, located in the shadow of Disney World.
Danny White, one of the best young athletic directors in the country, has made two inspired hires, luring football coach Scott Frost from Oregon, where he had been the Ducks’ prolific offensive coordinator, two years ago; and then locking up Johnny Dawkins, the national player of the year when he played for Duke and then became a fixture on Mike Krzyzewski's staff before taking the head coaching job at Stanford.
The results have been nothing less than sensational.
Frost has coached the Knights to a 4-0 start and a spot in the Associate Press Top 25 and has captured the imagination of UCF fans this fall. “I admit I'm biased,” junior point guard B.J. Taylor said during the American Athletic Conference’s basketball media day. “But I think we have the best football team in the state. That Scott Frost is an amazing dude.”
Dawkins worked a miracle of his own, coaching the Knights to 24 wins, doubling their win total from the previous year. The Knights also had their best season in The American, finishing fourth in the regular season with an 11-7 record despite only playing with seven scholarship players. UCF notched regular-season wins over Houston, Temple and 15
th-ranked Cincinnati. In the NIT, the Knights made history, defeating Colorado, top-seeded Illinois State and Illinois, resulting in a court storming from the sellout crowd at the CFE Arena to advance to the semifinals at the Garden.
“Sports at UCF are really taking off,” Dawkins said. “I think 11 of our 15 teams were in postseason. Women's soccer is in the top 10. Football is in the top 20. I was at their homecoming game against ECU where they got 61. They can score so fast and they defend.
“This is a great area. Think how Disney grew. UCF has only been in existence since 1963.”
Dawkins took notice of that when White first contacted him.
“I had heard a lot of good things about the school,” he said. “When I went down there, it was amazing. Everything was in place for us to compete. The facilities – I didn't see anything missing. We just need to build tradition.”
The Knights showed signs of that last November when they went to Charleston, S.C. for a Thanksgiving Day tournament and lost to third-ranked Villanova, 67-57, in a game where 7-6 center Tacko Fall shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the field.
“We didn't win, but we took a lot from that game,” Dawkins said. The Knights won seven of their first eight games, before they got hit with an injury bug that dropped the number of scholarship players to five. But the way they finished the season must have impressed The American’s head coaches, who selected UCF third in their preseason poll in a conference where over half the teams have been labeled as expected NCAA Tournament teams or sleepers to reach the Big Dance.
“I thought we were an underrated league last year,” Dawkins said. “This year, we should be, top to bottom, one of the most competitive leagues in the country.”
Dawkins has played a major role in the turn around by incorporating a new level of discipline and defensive intensity. The Knights led the country in opposing field goal percentage (36.5) and were ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense, giving up just 61.2 points.
And he has turned Fall, the tallest player in college basketball, from a one-time project from Senegal into a unique Colossus. Fall averaged 10.9 points, shot 71.5 percent from the floor, was second in the league in rebounding with 9.5 rebounds per game and blocked a school-record 94 shots. He was an easy choice as The American's Defensive Player of the Year and toyed with the idea of declaring for the NBA Draft before deciding to return to school.
“It was a good experience,” Fall said. “I had a lot of feedback from a lot of teams and got a lot of experience in the interview process.”
When Fall arrived at UCF, he had problems staying on the court. “I worked on a lot of things,” he said. “Stamina was a big part of it. The more you run, the better. I've also worked to get stronger and worked on my skills.”
Fall is not the only reason expectations are high around the Knights.
The Knights also return Taylor, a second-team All-American Athletic Conference selection last year and one of the most underrated players in the country. Taylor scored in double figures 27-of-29 games and was fourth in the American in scoring with a 17.4 point average. “He's one of the best point guards I've ever coached,” Dawkins said. “He led us in scoring and assists. He makes big shots, big plays.” Versatile 6-9 forward A.J. Davis, the son of NBA veteran Antonio Davis, and averaged 8.3 points and 7 rebounds; and 6-9 junior forward Chad Brown, who looks ready to make a huge leap, are also back.
Dawkins has upgraded a growing roster with transfers. The biggest – and most familiar – name is 6-6 Aubrey Dawkins, the coach's son. Dawkins, who transferred from Michigan, is expected to step into the starting lineup and supply double-figure scoring lost when Matt Williams left. “He's a wing player who can really shoot it,” Dawkins said. “He has good athleticism and the ability to spot up for shots.”
Also eligible for the Knights this season are 6-11 center Rokas Ulydas (Texas Tech) and guards Terrell Allen (Drexel) and Dayon Griffin (Louisiana Tech), giving UCF more options than had a year ago.
This is a team that is still technically a year away. The Knights only have one senior – Davis – who should be part of an improved rotation. But they are a team in a hurry. “Last year was a great experience,” Fall said. “We had never been to the postseason. Making the NIT was a big step forward. This year, we're pointing for an NCAA bid. That's our plan.”