Former Knights Keyshawn Hall and Dior Johnson dominate transfer rankings, proving their continued improvement on new teams this season.
UCF had a complete makeover from last season, bringing in all-new pieces to construct a competitive roster in the Big 12. So far, the Knights have done so, jumping out to a 16-4 start with a solid 5-3 record in Big 12 play.
On top of UCF's success, transfers who played for head coach Johnny Dawkins last year are shining even brighter than last season.
Both junior guard Dior Johnson and senior Auburn forward Keyshawn Hall are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 among all transfers, according to teamrankings.com.
Hall was a standout for the Knights last season, leading the Big 12 in scoring and providing a consistent scoring option for a defensively-challenged UCF squad.
Hall is a journeyman in this new age of college basketball, spending each of his four seasons at different schools. He started at UNLV before transferring to George Mason.
After an outstanding season in the A-10, Hall made the move to UCF.
Hall originally voiced that he was going to return this season, but then announced his decision to enter the NBA Draft. Hall went through some of the draft process before deciding to return to college for his final season.
Hall had premier programs pursuing him, including Arkansas and Auburn. Eventually, Hall chose the Tigers, giving a lot of the credit to former head coach Bruce Pearl. Pearl surprisingly retired before the season, passing the program off to his son - Steven Pearl.
Hall has shined, averaging 20.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds. He is great at drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line, leading the country in charity stripe conversions.
Johnson, the other standout transfer, has been incredible for Tarleton State. Johnson is currently third in the country in scoring, pouring in 23.6 points per game on 54.7% shooting.
Perhaps the craziest part about Johnson's success is the fact that he comes off the bench for the Texans, doing his damage in only 25.3 minutes per contest.
Johnson was highly-touted recruit out of high school, but bounced around various commitments before ending up at a junior college. Last season, at UCF, Johnson got a limited taste of Division 1 basketball, dealing with lingering injuries and strong guard depth.
Johnson was one of the last Knights to enter the portal in the complete migration last offseason and choosing Tarleton State has allowed him to shine in a larger role.
The Knights did a great job being able to counter losing so much talent to the portal after last season. UCF will look to pull off an upset win over No. 11 Texas Tech Saturday at noon.