Dawkins Homecoming in Durham

DURHAM, N.C. – It was a homecoming unlike any other as UCF men’s basketball head coach Johnny Dawkins returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time in nearly 20 years, with the Knights taking on Duke in an exhibition game Tuesday evening.

A two-time consensus All-American, Dawkins stepped onto the court at Cameron for the first time since 2008, when he served as an associate head coach for the Blue Devils. Prior to tipoff, former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and current head coach Jon Scheyer presented Dawkins with a commemorative basketball.

The exhibition was part of Duke’s Brotherhood Run series, a tradition that brings former Blue Devils who are now collegiate head coaches back to Durham for a matchup. Last season, Duke hosted Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley, a member of its 1991 and 1992 national championship teams.

Dawkins played at Duke from 1982-86 under Krzyzewski and was instrumental in the program’s rise to national prominence. After a sub-.500 freshman season, Dawkins helped lead Duke to a 24-10 record as a sophomore and back-to-back NCAA Tournament Second Round appearances. His senior year culminated with a 37-3 record and a trip to the national championship game.

Dawkins finished his career with 2,556 points, a total that stood as Duke’s all-time scoring record until 2006 and remains second in program history. He was a two-time consensus All-American, four-time All-ACC selection, four-time team MVP and the 1986 Naismith National Player of the Year.

Selected 10th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1986 NBA Draft, Dawkins played nine professional seasons with the Spurs, 76ers and Pistons, averaging 11.1 points and 5.5 assists across 541 games. He returned to Duke as an assistant coach in 1998 and was promoted to associate head coach the following year, a role he held until 2008 before becoming Stanford’s head coach.

Dawkins was inducted into the Duke Hall of Fame in 1996, when his No. 24 jersey was retired. In 2023, he joined Krzyzewski as part of the 18th class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Game
After a slow start, the Knights rallied as Jordan Burks hit back-to-back threes to tie the game at 28. Duke held a narrow 40-39 lead at halftime before using a 6-0 second-half run to pull away, defeating UCF 96-71.

Riley Kugel led the Knights with 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Burks added 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Themus Fulks chipped in 11 points and four assists.