In his second stint with the Knights, Dwight Evans has helped turn UCF into a consistent winner. Evans previously worked at UCF in the early 1990s and has spent the last six campaigns at the school.
In his 21st season as a college coach, Evans assists with UCF[apos]s recruiting efforts in addition to opponent scouting. He works directly with the Knights[apos] post players.
At each stop during his coaching career, Evans has been a member of successful coaching staffs. He has helped guide six squads to the NCAA Tournament and was on the sideline when his alma mater, Birmingham-Southern, claimed the NAIA National Championship in 1995.
After previously spending two years at UCF as an assistant during the early-1990s, Evans returned to Orlando prior to the 2002-03 campaign. Since that season, the Knights have won 122 games, a mark that ranks in the top-50 nationally and second among all programs in Florida during that span.
With Evans on the coaching staff, UCF has made three total trips to the NCAA Tournament. During the 2003-04 campaign, the Knights won 25 games, the second-highest total in school history. In 2006-07, the squad went 22-9 overall and 11-5 in league action to finish second in Conference USA.
A year ago, UCF finished fourth in the league, garnering a first-round bye in the C-USA Championship for the second-straight year. In the six years since Evans returned to Orlando, UCF has averaged 20 victories per season.
He has helped seven Knights earn all-conference accolades. Jermaine Taylor was an All-C-USA Second Team selection in 2007-08, while Dave Noel earned a spot on the all-defensive team. The previous year, Josh Peppers was selected to the All-C-USA Second Team.Off of the court, 17 UCF players have received league academic honors since Evans rejoined the coaching staff. Following the 2003-04 season, Roberto Morentin garnered CoSIDA Academic All-America All-District III recognition. Three Knights were named to the C-USA Commissioner[apos]s Academic Honor Roll last year.
Before returning to UCF, Evans spent three years at South Alabama. At USA, Evans helped lead the Jaguars to two 20-victory seasons as well as a Sun Belt Conference crown and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.
Prior to joining the Jaguars staff, the Queens, N.Y., native worked at Birmingham-Southern for five seasons. He served as the primary recruiter at BSC. During the 1994-95 national title run, the Panthers won 32 consecutive contests on their way to a 35-2 overall record. In his five seasons at the school, Evans helped the team to a combined 141-25 mark.
Evans played at BSC and served as team captain during the 1983-84 season. That year, he was an all-conference and all-district selection after leading the Panthers in rebounds and assists. In 2002, Evans was inducted into the Birmingham-Southern College Sports Hall of Fame.
He began his first stint as an assistant at UCF in 1992. Evans was a member of Kirk Speraw[apos]s first staff at UCF and helped the 1993-94 squad advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The Knights won 21 games that year, which at the time was a school Division I record.
Evans began his collegiate coaching career at Missouri, serving as an assistant under Norm Stewart from 1988-92. During his time at Missouri, the Tigers competed in three NCAA Tournaments and made one trip to the Sweet 16. With Evans on the bench, Missouri claimed a pair of Big Eight Tournament titles and one regular season crown.
At Missouri, Evans mentored a pair of players who earned All-America honors in Doug Smith and Anthony Peeler. Smith was selected with the sixth pick in the 1991 National Basketball Association Draft by Dallas. A year later, Peeler was taken with the 15th pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. He spent 14 years in the NBA, playing for five teams.
Evans also coached Byron Irvin, a 1989 first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers. Irvin played in the NBA for three seasons. Gary Leonard, who played under Evans on the Tigers, was selected by Minnesota in the 1989 draft. Missouri players received All-Big Eight honors five times while Evans was on the staff.
Evans earned his bachelor[apos]s of arts in business administration from Birmingham-Southern in 1984.
(updated 5/13/08)