Johnny Dawkins Returns to Cameron: A Brotherhood Run and a New Chapter for UCF Basketball
There’s something special about seeing an old face return to the place where legends are made. When Johnny Dawkins walks into Cameron Indoor Stadium this week with his Central Florida Knights, it won’t just be another preseason exhibition game — it will be a homecoming wrapped in nostalgia, respect, and quiet pride. For Duke fans, Dawkins is far more than just another visiting coach. He’s part of the very soul of Duke Basketball — a player whose brilliance and competitive spirit helped build the foundation that Mike Krzyzewski’s empire stood upon.
College basketball today looks almost unrecognizable compared to the world Dawkins entered decades ago. The transfer portal has turned rosters upside down, and the Name, Image, and Likeness era has rewritten the very economics of the college game. Teams can lose their entire core overnight and rebuild in months. For coaches like Dawkins, who now lead programs outside the traditional powerhouses, the challenge is to turn instability into opportunity — and he’s quietly done that with grace since arriving at UCF in 2016.
This year’s Knights are another reflection of that adaptability. They’re an unpredictable mix of veterans, transfers, and fresh faces — a collage of experiences from across the college basketball map. Dawkins’ 2025-26 roster reads like a basketball passport: Mississippi State, Milwaukee, Ole Miss, Georgetown, Villanova, Texas Tech, Mount St. Mary’s, Hampton, and beyond. It’s a collection of journeys converging in Orlando, united under Dawkins’ calm but fiercely competitive leadership.
Among the new faces, Riley Kugel stands out. The 6-foot-5 senior, now on his third stop in college hoops, averaged around nine points per game last season and is hungry for a big finish to his college career. Alongside him is Themus Fulks, a 6-foot-2 fifth-year guard from Milwaukee who averaged 14.6 points and 5.9 assists last season. His experience and playmaking will be vital for UCF’s rhythm.
Fulks won’t be the only former Panther making noise — Jamichael Stillwell, his 6-foot-8, 245-pound teammate, also made the move south. Stillwell averaged a double-double last year with 13 points and 10.7 rebounds per game — production that will immediately bolster UCF’s frontcourt toughness.
Then there’s John Bol, a 7-foot-2 sophomore from South Sudan, formerly at Ole Miss. Bol’s size alone demands attention, and though he’s yet to fully make his mark, his defensive potential is clear. Dawkins knows what to do with towering players — his 2019 UCF team, powered by the unforgettable 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall, nearly dethroned Duke in one of the most dramatic NCAA Tournament finishes of the last decade. That game, when Aubrey Dawkins’ last-second shot — his own son’s shot — rimmed out against Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett’s Duke squad, remains etched in March Madness memory.
Now, six years later, Dawkins returns not as a challenger on the biggest stage, but as a mentor leading a team still searching for an identity. Yet the echoes of that 2019 near-upset still follow him — proof that his teams, no matter the odds, always come ready to compete.
Another fascinating storyline comes from an unlikely place — Poohpha Warakulnukroh. Once a team manager, he’s now a rostered player and possibly the first Thai athlete ever to play NCAA basketball. Having played at Montverde, Warakulnukroh embodies the persistence and inclusivity that define Dawkins’ culture. His story alone could light up Cameron if he gets minutes during the exhibition.
Not all stories on this roster are as uplifting. BJ Freeman, who transferred from Bobby Hurley’s Arizona State program, is currently sidelined amid an ongoing gambling investigation. His absence will certainly affect the Knights’ scoring plans, but Dawkins has enough veteran presence to fill the gap.
Shooting-wise, Carmelo Pacheco could be a game-changer. The 6-foot-5 junior sharpshooter hit an astonishing 46.4% from three-point range last season — fourth-best in the entire nation. Expect Duke fans to take notice the moment he gets hot from beyond the arc.
Beyond the individual names and numbers, though, lies something far more meaningful — Johnny Dawkins’ return to the court where his own journey took flight. In the 1980s, Dawkins was the face of Duke’s rise, a dynamic scorer who helped redefine what Duke Basketball could be. His jersey now hangs in Cameron’s rafters, immortalized among the greats who shaped a dynasty. To see him walking the same sideline where he once played — this time as an opposing coach — is a full-circle moment that few fanbases ever get to witness.
The Duke program itself understands this significance. The team has dubbed these exhibition matchups “Brotherhood Runs,” a name that captures both the continuity and community of Duke’s basketball lineage. When Dawkins brings his UCF Knights to Durham, it won’t feel like an invasion — it’ll feel like family returning home for a brief but heartfelt visit.
Since taking over UCF, Dawkins has weathered one of the most turbulent coaching periods in modern college hoops. The pandemic, the transfer explosion, NIL chaos, and now the leap into the Big 12 — a conference stacked with basketball juggernauts — have all tested his adaptability. Yet, through it all, he’s maintained the same calm, steady philosophy that defined him as a player: preparation, intelligence, and effort above all. His teams may not always have five-star recruits, but they play with purpose — and that makes them dangerous.
It may take time for this new UCF group to click, but Dawkins has proven he can teach chemistry, even with unfamiliar parts. Players like Fulks and Stillwell bring toughness; shooters like Pacheco add spacing; and rim protectors like Bol can alter the defensive landscape instantly. The ingredients are there — all that remains is to blend them into a cohesive unit.
For Duke, Tuesday night will be a warm-up — a chance to test rotations, set rhythms, and start another campaign under the spotlight. For Dawkins, though, it’s something deeper. It’s a reminder of roots, of friendships forged in competition, and of a legacy that stretches from the 1980s to now.
When he steps back into Cameron, the cheers won’t just be for a visiting coach — they’ll be for the man who helped write the early chapters of Duke’s greatness. No matter the final score, one thing is certain: Duke fans will rise to their feet not just out of habit, but out of love and respect for one of their own.
In an era of constant change, seeing Johnny Dawkins return to where it all began is a reminder that some bonds in basketball — and in life — never fade.
