Dior Johnson Displays Scoring Ability in First Game Back With UCF

Although UCF fell in Wednesday's preseason bout against LSU, multiple players looked comfortable scoring the ball.

Dior Johnson, who returned to the program after a year away, led the team with 18 points.

Johnson did most of his damage in the second half, scoring 16 of his 18 down the stretch.

During his first stint in Orlando, Johnson averaged just 8.5 minutes per game, failing to crack the starting lineup in his 35 appearances.

But, he returns with a huge season under his belt with Tarleton State, where he averaged 24.0 points per game, shooting on stellar 50/47/85 splits.

More impressively, Johnson did so despite coming off the bench, serving as one of the best collegiate bench scorers in recent memory.

Now, he returns to a backcourt that will need some help scoring the ball after the departures of Jordan Burks and Themus Fulks.

The recent positive signs towards UCF's leading scorer from last season, Riley Kugel, returning, which would give head coach Johnny Dawkins another proven scorer.

In early-September, College Basketball Report ranked Johnson as the No. 17 overall shooting guard in the country, noting his scoring prowess.

The same page predicted he would average over 17 points per game, which would be a strong mark in the ultra-competitive Big 12 Conference.

While Johnson was limited in his opportunities in his first go-around with the program, he did have some bright spot showings towards the end of the year.

Johnson was a key part of the Knights' 104-98 overtime victory over Villanova in the College Basketball Crown Semifinals, scoring a season-high 13 points, knocking down three 3-pointers.

Of course, UCF legend point guard Darius Johnson dominated the scoresheet with a 42-point performance against the Wildcats, but Dior's energy and big-time shot making was an unsung part of the victory.

Entering this season, Johnson has proven that he can score the ball with the best of them, but he wants to begin having a more well-rounded impact.

"I just want to be a winner," Johnson told Knights 247's Andrew Cherico in July. "I know everybody is high on my offense, wondering how its going to translate or what I'm going to do this year, but my play will speak for itself."

With a strong showing against LSU, Johnson is off to a strong start individually, but UCF did fall short.

As the season is right around the corner, getting Johnson re-acclimated to head coach Johnny Dawkins' scheme, and allowing him to grow alongside other Group of 5 standout transfers will be crucial to the team's overall success.