ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – After two successful seasons at UCF, men's basketball head coach Johnny Dawkins has signed a contract extension to keep him with the Knights through the 2023-24 season, UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Danny White announced on Wednesday.
"I am thrilled to have Johnny Dawkins leading our men's basketball program," White said. "Our Knights have a great leader and are fortunate to learn from Johnny every day. He is a great coach and a better man. We're all very proud of the success Johnny's team has had on the court and in the classroom the last two years, and we look forward to what's next for this program."
Dawkins took over a 12-18 team that hadn't finished above .500 since the 2012-13 season and has led UCF to 43 wins in his two years at the helm. Additionally, under Dawkins, UCF men's basketball has seen growth academically, achieving at least a 3.0 average team GPA each of the last two semesters.
"I'm very thankful to Danny White, Eric Wood, former President John Hitt, and new President Dale Whittaker for their continued support of me and my staff," Dawkins said. "It's great to have our administration behind us, knowing they believe in what we're doing as a program and our standard of representing UCF and the community at the highest level."
In the last two seasons, Dawkins' Knights have made a run to the National Invitation Tournament Semifinals, led the NCAA in field goal percentage defense, won at Memphis for the first time ever, and earned their first true road win over a ranked opponent.
With Tacko Fall, BJ Taylor, and the majority of last year's nucleus returning, in addition to highly touted newcomers like Aubrey Dawkins and Collin Smith, there is plenty of anticipation for the upcoming 2018-19 season under Johnny Dawkins.
TICKETS FOR 2018-19
Fans excited for the upcoming 2018-19 UCF men's basketball season can purchase tickets today by calling (407) 823-1000 or online here: https://ucfknights.co/mbb1819tix.