The 4 UCF MBB Representatives for Big 12 Media Day

UCF Knights men's basketball is around the corner, and three players will travel with coach Johnny Dawkins to represent the school at Big 12 Media Day.

John Bol, Wofford transfer Cayden Vasko and Tarleton State transfer Dior Johnson are heading to Kansas City. Riley Kugel, who could return to college basketball, Devin Cambridge and Themus Fulks represented UCF last year.

Big 12 Media Day will give insight into Dawkins' goals this season and his decision-making in recruiting impactful transfers like Vasko and Johnson. He's revamped his squad in back-to-back years, replacing the top four scorers.

Dawkins led the Knights to a 20-10 record and a quarterfinal appearance in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament. Advancing to the quarterfinals punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament and broke a six-season drought.

UCF's coach faced a familiar foe in Mick Cronin, who led UCLA. Cronin and Dawkins met multiple times in the American Conference, and UCLA emerged victorious, sending its opponent home in the first round.

Bol was a major contributor to the team's success as their defensive anchor and most efficient scorer. He averaged 1.1 blocks and shot 71.7% from the field for the season and 75.5% throughout conference play.

The Ole Miss transfer averaged 3.4 attempts per game. His shot attempts weren't enough to chart ESPN's Big 12 leaderboards, as players must play 75% of their program’s games and shoot at least five field goals a night.

Johnson is the most interesting transfer in this year's group. The 6-foot-3 guard transferred back to UCF after one season at Tarleton State.

He is an explosive scorer, something the Knights need after losing most of their scoring last season. Johnson recorded multiple 30-point and 40-point performances throughout 20 games at Tarleton State.

The senior earned a top-20 shooting guard ranking in college basketball last month. College Basketball Report ranked him 17th overall, behind Louisville's Seth Trimble.

Vasko is a significant two-way addition to the backcourt. He earned All-SoCon 3rd Team honors, led his team in assists and had the second-most steals for the Terriers.

His versatility will bolster a UCF backcourt that lost some scoring, playmaking and hustle.

The Knights want to build on their most successful season since 2019. Dawkins has shown he can recruit impactful talent on a low NIL budget, as he upset three ranked teams last season with a $3 to $4 million NIL budget roster.

UCF upset the Kansas Jayhawks, BYU Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders.