ORLANDO — The UCF men’s basketball team has added brothers Arturo and Mister Dean to its 2026-27 roster, announced Tuesday morning.
Arturo Dean, a redshirt senior transfer from Oklahoma State, joined the Knights during the 2025-26 season but did not compete due to NCAA transfer regulations. He will make his UCF debut alongside his younger brother, Mister Dean, a redshirt junior transfer from Charleston.
The Miami, Florida, natives bring an elite defensive presence to the Knights’ backcourt, each ranking among the nation’s top steals leaders during their collegiate careers.
Arturo has established himself as one of the top defensive guards in the country. During the 2024-25 season at Oklahoma State, he ranked sixth nationally with 84 total steals and eighth in steals per game at 2.5. The season prior at FIU, Dean led the nation in both total steals (104) and steals per game (3.4).
In his most recent season with the Cowboys, Dean appeared in 34 games and averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game, recording eight games with four or more steals. Prior to arriving at UCF, he faced the Knights three times in his career, averaging 10 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.3 steals per contest.
Mister adds another dynamic two-way presence to the Knights’ roster. His 2025-26 season at Charleston was cut short due to a November ACL injury, limiting him to three games. In those appearances, he averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
The 6-foot-6 guard made an immediate impact as a freshman at USC Upstate in 2024-25, leading the Spartans in points (486), rebounds (169), steals (67) and blocks (21). He paced the Big South in steals and ranked tied for 20th nationally with 2.2 steals per game.
Mister was a focal point offensively, accounting for 31.4% of USC Upstate’s shot attempts and 31.8% of its possessions. He recorded three or more steals in 11 games, including a standout performance against Presbyterian in which he totaled 23 points, eight rebounds and four steals while shooting 9-for-16 from the field.
Together, the Dean brothers give UCF a formidable defensive backcourt. Arturo's 2.5 steals per game combined with Mister's 2.2 steals per game create one of the most disruptive guard tandems in the nation.
With the addition of both players, UCF strengthens its roster heading into the 2026-27 season as the Knights look to build on their success in the Big 12 Conference.