As UCF Basketball prepared to move from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 last season, coach Johnny Dawkins relied on the NCAA transfer portal.
Dawkins felt that the newcomers the Knights added from the portal last season – such as Shemarri Allen, Ibrahima Diallo, Omar Payne, Jaylin Sellers, Marchelus Avery and DeMarr Langford Jr. – fit well with what he had in mind for the team.
Sellers and Diallo, along with guard Darius Johnson, were named to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team.
“The pieces have to fit; they have to pass,” Dawkins recently told the Sentinel. “We need talent, but we have to ensure good chemistry and continuity. Guys wanting to play with each other, that’s just as important as anything you’re going to do out there.”
Former Georgia Tech guard Dallan Coleman is one of seven players joining the UCF roster from the transfer market. (Photo courtesy of UCF Athletics)
UCF finished 17-16 overall and 7-11 in the conference in Year 1, including a program-best three wins over ranked opponents. As the Knights prepare for their second year in the Big 12, Dawkins hasn’t changed much of his team’s blueprint in the transfer market.
“We stuck to what we really wanted to do,” he says. “Of course there are people living in the portal today, so we tried to identify in the portal what we thought best suited what we wanted to do.
“We knew what we were bringing back with two veteran guards on the perimeter, so we tried to find the right pieces to fit around it. You can bring talent and a lot of players, but that is not necessarily a recipe for success, because your pieces have to fit.”
UCF added seven transfers this offseason, led by guards Jordan Ivy-Curry (UTSA), Keyshawn Hall (George Mason) and Dallan Coleman (Georgia Tech), forwards JJ Taylor (Memphis), Benny Williams (Syracuse) and Rokas Jocius ( La Salle). ), and center Elijah Hulsewe (Bethune-Cookman).
The transfer class is ranked No. 51 according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
UTSA guard Jordan Ivy-Curry is one of seven players to join UCF’s roster through the transfer portal. (Photo courtesy of UCF Athletics)
“I thought we were able to identify some guys that we felt good about coming here,” Dawkins said. “Understanding our culture, meeting our players and seeing if there’s a fit with them, because ultimately that’s how you’re going to be successful.”
UCF entered this transfer class to address some specific needs, specifically perimeter shooting. The Knights finished near the bottom of the Big 12 in field goal percentage (42) and 3-point field goal percentage (32).
“Last season I didn’t think we shot the ball as well as we have in recent years,” Dawkins said. “We wanted to make sure that when we went into the portal, we found guys that could knock down shots consistently.”
Three of the incoming transfers – Hall (47%), Hulsewe (52%) and Jocius (56%) – shot better than the Knights last season, while Ivy-Curry (39%), Hall (36%) and Coleman (34 %)) and Jocius (39%) were better from behind the arc.
Another quality Dawkins looked for was versatility.
“Guys who can play multiple positions,” Dawkins said. “We can play big, we can play small and I like versatile guys who can play different spots on the floor. I thought we could find players who can do that, so we can do great things offensively.”
Hall is one of the players who can play both guard and forward for the Knights.
The group will consist of five returning players: Tyler Hendricks (2.6 points per game), Poohpha Warakulnukroh (0.3), Nils Machowski (2), Sellers (15.9) and Johnson (15.2), along with incoming freshmen Cameron Simpson (Oak Ridge) and Moustapha Thiam (DME Academy).
UCF’s Johnny Dawkins believes the Knights have proven they belong in the Big 12
Having Johnson and Sellers back at the center of this season’s team was a big deal for Dawkins.
“It was really important to have two guards coming back who were honorable mention among all-conference players in the Big 12,” the coach said. “These guys know what to expect in the conference, so now we have a gathering point with all the new players we bring in from all over. We have a number of people we can get behind, not only me as a coach, but also as a captain.”
As the Knights begin offseason workouts this month, one of the keys to success hinges on chemistry.
“We are very much into team building and that starts now,” said Dawkins. “We are not a team yet and we must continue to build and shape our team. Some of that is about relationships. Relationships are based on trust and the only way you can have that trust is by spending time together.”
UCF opens the season against Texas A&M at Addition Financial Arena on Nov. 4.
Matt Murschel can be reached at [email protected]
