Former Duke basketball player and assistant Johnny Dawkins is now locked in for another three years at the helm of the UCF basketball program.
On Thursday afternoon, the Knights announced that the 62-year-old Dawkins has agreed to an extension through the 2028-29 season. The program’s official social media team revealed the news via the following post:
“I want to thank President Alexander N. Cartwright and Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir for their continued belief in our vision for UCF men’s basketball,” Dawkins said in his released statement. “What we accomplished this season was a testament to the hard work of our student-athletes, coaches and staff as we continue establishing ourselves in the Big 12. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and excited about where this program is headed.
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“UCF has become home for my family, and I’m committed to continuing to build a program that our university and fans can be proud of.”
Mar 19, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCF Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins conducts a press conference during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Last season, Dawkins’ 10th at UCF following eight seasons as the head coach at Stanford, the Knights recorded their second straight 20-win campaign and earned only the second at-large NCAA Tournament invite in program history before losing to UCLA in the Round of 64. They finished 21-12 overall and 9-9 in Big 12 regular season action (the school’s best conference record since joining the Big 12 in 2023), and they reached as high as No. 25 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
UCF’s exhibition slate last October included a trip to Durham to face Jon Scheyer’s fourth Duke basketball squad. Dawkins (now 189-132 at UCF and 345-247 overall as a head coach) and his Knights trailed the Blue Devils by only one at halftime but ultimately fell, 96-71, in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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Where Johnny Dawkins Ranks on the All-Time Duke Basketball Scoring List
Johnny Dawkins, a member of Mike Krzyzewski’s first top-shelf recruiting class in 1982 who later served as an assistant under Coach K from 1998 to 2008 after spending nine seasons in the NBA, played four seasons for the Blue Devils and was the program’s all-time leading scorer (2,556 points) until JJ Redick (2,769 points) surpassed his mark 20 years later.
He remains Duke’s second-leading scorer in history.
As a senior, Dawkins averaged 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game en route to becoming a First Team All-American for the second year in a row. That 1985-86 squad finished 37-2 overall, still tied for the most wins by any Duke basketball collection in history, reaching the national championship game before losing in heartbreaking fashion to Louisville, 72-69, in Dallas.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Duke Basketball Legend Johnny Dawkins Inks Well-Deserved UCF Extension.
