Freshman guard ‘always brings the intensity’
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said he liked his team’s poise during Wednesday’s 10-point win over Memphis.
It snapped a two-game losing streak in conference play for the Knights and marked UCF’s first win over the Tigers dating to January 2019.
“The good thing is, we’ve been in so many good games this year that we’ve been prepared for those situations where guys kind of understand, ‘OK, this is what we need to do,’ ” Dawkins said. “I didn’t think anyone got really rattled and they just waited for the opportunities and made the most out of them.”
Freshman guard Darius Johnson came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points and added 3 rebounds with 3 assists in 24 minutes — the second-most time he’s played in a game.
Johnson also scored 8 of his points in the second half, including 4 in the final two minutes of the 74-64 victory, as Memphis attempted a comeback.
At times, the 6-foot-1 guard from Maryland initiated the offense against Memphis’ full-court press.
“Putting a freshman in that situation, where they’re coming at you with full force and there’s a freshman handling the press, handling the pressure, and a lot of times dribbling through it himself, it just says how good and how confident he is,” Dawkins said.
“We’re happy to have him in our program and we’re very fortunate. He stepped up and he had his best game of the year when we needed him the most.”
Averaging just 3 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 14 games, Johnson credited his teammates for guiding him in his first college season.
“I would say I’ve grown a lot,” Johnson said. “My teammates help me along the way. They always build my confidence and they never let me get down on myself so I think with them behind my back I have no worries going into the games.”
According to redshirt senior forward Cheikh Mbacke Diong, Johnson plays just as aggressively in practice as he does in live games.
“He always brings the intensity,”
Diong said. “He’s the same guy every day and that shows. Every time you come in, [he is] the same guy. It shows when everybody’s watching. If you do the same thing when nobody’s looking
when everybody’s here, you can shine every time so that was great for him.”
Johnson will get his first taste of the “War On I-4 rivalry series as the Knights return to the court in
Tampa on Saturday to face South Florida at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.