Dawkins, Fulks, and Burks reveal the Knights' strategy and grit behind their stunning upset of No. 19 BYU.
The UCF Knights (20-7, 9-6 Big 120 marched into the Marriott Center and tamed the No. 19 Brigham Young Cougars (20-8, 8-7 Big 12) in an blowout upset victory Tuesday night.
Coach Johnny Dawkins, guard Themus Fulks and forward Jordan Burks analyzed the team's performance in their third upset win. Here's everything Dawkins and his two Knights had to say in the postgame press conference.
Dawkins on what it was like to coach an upset victory against No. 19 BYU:
"To coach a game like that was amazing because I thought we got off to a terrific start in the game. I thought our guys were really dialed in, and I was just proud of the effort that they gave for the full 40 minutes. This is a very, very difficult place to play in [and] to win in, and I thought our guys held their composure and they played really well throughout most of the game."
Dawkins on the game plan that set the tone for the game:
"We want to continue to play for each other and defend, you know, that's our calling card, we want to defend and rebound and play for each other, and I think that formula for us has been good, and I think our guys did it again tonight. They played for each other, they defended and they rebounded."
Burks on what he saw from his team's three-point shooting:
"My teammates were finding the open guys, me included. We're playing UCF basketball, sharing the ball and making the right plays."
Burks on getting physical down low and competing for rebounds:
"That's my job. Like my coach always tells me, I can do more than just score. So I got to hunt EGBs, and that's what we got to do tonight."
Fulks on his 24-point performance and making the Big 12 Starting Five:
"I play with really good teammates. I play with a lot of pros. All these other teams, you know, they're getting all these accolades. Talking about they play with the top picks, but I play with a lot of pros. Like, look at our starting lineup. John Bol, Jordan Burks, Riley Kugel, a lot of talented guys, and they just make life a lot easier for me."
Dawkins on his mindset heading into the second half:
"It was important for us, you know, how we started the second half. I thought it was very important for our guys to be really focused and locked in. We knew they weren't going anywhere. I mean, [they're] too good a program. Kevin's [Young] too good a coach, and so we knew they were going to be there. So, we had to make sure we matched that when we came out to start the second half and I thought our guys did a good job of just kind of matching that to start off the first four to eight minutes of the second half and really set a good tone where we were able to kind of sustain some things until the end of the game."
Dawkins on what he saw in limiting BYU star AJ Dybantsa:
"He's a great player. I mean, you're not going to stop a player like that. You look up at the box score, he scores 29 points, 11-for-22 from the field. Like most teams, we're just trying to kind of contain them, trying to make it as difficult as we possibly can for him. But we understand that he's going to score and he's going to make shots because we've watched a lot of really good players throughout the season. He's one of the best players that we faced. So, I thought our guys did a good job of identifying who he was and where he was and playing him accordingly."
Dawkins on what he told his team to withstand BYU's late second-half rally:
"We knew they weren't going anywhere, as I said before, [they're] too proud of the program. They're going to keep competing. We have to make sure we're executing to the very end of the game. And they made a run. I mean, we made runs throughout the game, and they made a run late. I mean, it's part of basketball. They got some momentum. I thought our guys did a really good job when they did do that of just keeping our composure and then making sure we continue to execute, close the game out."
Burks on helping Dawkins win his first game over BYU:
"Oh, I didn't know that. We treat every game like a championship game. So, we're trying to do this to not only this team, but every team we approach and play. So, that's the approach that we take. I'm happy that we got it, but you know, until midnight, it's over. It's on to the next play."
Dawkins on what his team proved in their upset victory:
"That we can compete, and anytime in this league, you can win a game on the road, I mean, that's a challenge. It's tough enough to win at home, and then let alone go on the road. It becomes even that much more tougher. So, our guys showed the resilience that they have. They've shown it all season long. I think they've showed their competitive spirit throughout the season, and they showed their togetherness, you know, they've been really good together group ever since this summer. And you have to be in this league to have any type of success."
Dawkins on forward Jamichael Stillwell's status after suffering an injury:
"I'll need to wait and talk to the trainers to see kind of where he is and the severity of it. So right now I'm sure he's probably day-to-day depending on [how] his ankle's feeling, and then we'll move on from there."
Dawkins' on center John Bol and Stillwell's contributions and how important they were:
"Oh, those guys were great. I mean, as a front line, I thought they did a really good job of protecting the basket. I thought they did a good job of rebounding the basketball. And I thought John's start to the second half was really big. I thought Themus did a great job of finding him and giving him some good opportunities where he can be really effective. And so, I was really happy for John. Sometimes, the way we play and the way we move the basketball, he may not touch it as much, but when he does he's effective, finishing off plays as well. So, I was really happy to see that and happy for John."
Dawkins on what has made his UCF squad so resilient, especially late in the season:
"They believe in each other, and they believe in [the] staff. I think that's a big part of it, and they work hard for each other every day, and that's something you got to have."
Dawkins' on carrying the upset momentum forward before they host Baylor:
"We have to understand that every one of these games they count the same. So, we need to make sure we enjoy it, and then we need to move forward, understanding that it's all about our preparation for our next opponent. We need to throw everything into studying and learning about our next opponent, and our players need to make sure they're taking this information in so that we can go out and try to execute as best we can in our next game."
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