Two former Duke basketball All-Americans will be facing off as head coaches when Duke hosts UCF in the Brotherhood Run exhibition game.
Jon Scheyer‘s Blue Devils will host Johnny Dawkins’ Knights on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It will be just the second meeting between the programs, with their first coming in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament, where No. 1-seeded Duke took down UCF 77-76.
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“It means a lot to welcome Johnny Dawkins and UCF to Cameron for this exhibition,” said Scheyer in a school-issued statement. “Johnny is truly one of the pillars of Duke Basketball. His jersey hangs in the rafters, and his legacy is felt every day within our program. I had the privilege of playing my first two years here with him on the coaching staff, and I learned so much from the way he leads with integrity and humility. This game will be a great test for both teams as we gear up for the season and we get a chance to play in front of our fans in Cameron.”
UCF will be one of Duke’s two exhibition games heading into the 2025-26 season, with the Blue Devils traveling to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on the Volunteers on Oct. 26.
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Johnny Dawkins to return to Duke as UCF head coach in exhibition game
Dawkins played at Duke between 1982-1986, ending his career as the all-time leading scorer with 2,556 points, a record that held for two decades. He served as team captain his senior year and went on to be named National Player of the Year after averaging 20.2 points and leading Duke to ACC regular season and tournament titles along with a national title game appearance. His No. 24 jersey was retired by Duke on Feb. 22, 1986.
Before he began head coaching, Dawkins joined Duke basketball’s coaching staff in 1998 and later served as associate head coach during Scheyer’s first two seasons as a player with the Blue Devils. He began his his head coaching career at Stanford in 2008, spending eight seasons with the Cardinal before being name UCF’s head coach in 2016.
“It’s always special going back to Duke — it’s a place that shaped so much of who I am, both as a player and a person,” Dawkins said in a school-issued statement. “To have the opportunity to bring our UCF team there, to compete in that environment and be part of something meaningful, is an honor. It’s not just about basketball — it’s about giving back to the game and continuing the relationships that helped build my foundation.”
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Dawkins was drafted as the No. 10 overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, spending nine years in the NBA. He was inducted into the 2023 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Game time and TV broadcast details are set to be released at another date.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball to host UCF, Johnny Dawkins, in Brotherhood Run Exhibition game
