After losing to the UCLA Bruins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the UCF Knights prepare for a busy offseason
There was a time college basketball coaches could expect underclassmen players to return the following season.
That's no longer the case with the emergence of the transfer portal. Players are free to move on a yearly basis, often changing teams two, three or even four times during a career. It's the biggest dilemma UCF Knights coach Johnny Dawkins is facing this offseason despite making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
"I think for the players that will return, you never know in our world, I can't say that with assurance anymore," Dawkins said. " But they've experienced this now and they understood what it took along this journey to put us in this position. And so with that type of experience, you want to ..Just the foundation is being laid right now and for our program, which hose guys will always be known for that."
The Knights lost to the UCLA Bruins in the first round of the tournament. Center Eiljah Hulsewe and guard Tanner Jones are among those are expected to return season but Dawkins has to wait on the transfer portal. There's also transfer guard Arturo Dean, who sat out last season after coming over from the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
If they choose to stay with the Knights, Dawkins can start building some tradition at the program. The initial blocks were started by the base of the senior class that is departing.
"When you think of the foundation being laid for us in the Big 12, you'll think of guys like Themus Fulks, Jamicheal Stillwell, Devan Cambridge, Riley Kugel, our seniors, George Beale, all of our guys that were upperclassmen that were instrumental in us doing this," Dawkins said. "Because we couldn't do any of this without those, guys, their maturity, their approach on a daily basis to help us get better."
The Knights also welcome freshman Donovan Williams Jr., next season. He is rated as the No. 29 player in Florida. As a senior, he averaged 17.6 points and helped Oak Ridge High School reach the Class 7A state semifinals.
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of UCFRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com