Sizzling Knights thrilled to play after long layoff, set to host East Carolina
The UCF men’s basketball team couldn’t have asked for a better start to conference play.
The Knights are 2-0 in the AAC, currently sit atop the league’s standings thanks to a 12-2 overall record and notched the program’s first win at UConn last weekend.
Perhaps there is only one thing that would have made this start even sweeter: more games.
Between their Christmas break and this week’s bye, the Knights have taken the court just twice since Dec. 21. The time off has allowed players to heal any ailments and work on different facets of their game. But if coach Johnny Dawkins had a choice, he’d rather not have to wait eight days to build upon that victory over the Huskies.
“I think once you get into the rhythm of playing, you want to keep playing,” Dawkins said Friday. “…We had our bye week this week. That’s how the schedule has fallen, and you have to play the cards that you’re dealt. For us, we have to stay focused, use this week to keep getting better and prepare for this weekend.”
This weekend holds Sunday’s home game versus the East Carolina Pirates (8-7, 1-2 in conference). They earned the attention of every team in the American Athletic Conference when they knocked off the reigning AAC regular-season and conference champions, Cincinnati, on Jan. 5. The result certainly caught the eye of UCF senior guard B.J. Taylor.
“As you saw [last] weekend, anybody can beat anybody,” he said. “So for us, we have to come out every game locked in and know that this game is going to be a fight.”
ECU is being led offensively by sophomore Shawn Williams and freshman forward Jayden Gardner.
Williams was the conference’s rookie-of-theyear last season and has found his form after being suspended for the first five games. Williams nailed four 3-pointers versus the Bearcats and has registered 16 3-pointers in his last five outings.
Meanwhile, Gardner has averaged a double-double with 20.5 points and 10 rebounds during his past 10 games. But what stands out most to Dawkins is the freshman’s physicality and ability to get to the freethrow line. Gardner is drawing the fourth-most fouls per 40 minutes of any player in Division I at 8.2.
“That’s impressive for a freshman to be that good; probably getting almost 10 free throws a night says a lot,” Dawkins said of Gardner. “Probably one of the better freshmen in our conference and definitely a great competitor.”
The Pirates will carry an 0-5 road record into CFE Arena on Sunday. Turning that mark to 0-6 is very important to the Knights, according to Taylor.
“We always talk about taking care of home court,” he said. “That’s huge for us. We want to win in front of our home fans. This is our gym, so we’ve got to protect it.”
Aubrey honored
UCF junior guard Aubrey Dawkins earned conference player-of-theweek honors for the second time this season for what he did last week during games against Temple and UConn. Specifically, Dawkins averaged 16.5 points and 63 percent shooting during those contests. The highlight of his week was a 16-point second half at UConn that helped the Knights pull away from the Huskies.
“Hopefully it’s not the last,” he said about being a now two-time AAC Player of the Week.
Dawkins has been an extremely valuable cog in the Knights’ offense. Despite not playing for more than two years following his transfer to UCF in 2016 and an injury, Dawkins has tallied double-digit points in every game this season, culminating with a seasonhigh 23 points at UConn.
“As a coach, I’m really happy for him. I know what he’s gone through,” said Johnny Dawkins, Aubrey’s father. “Sitting out two years is really difficult for anyone, but he’s done a great job of bouncing back. He has worked extremely hard, and I’m just happy for him to get rewarded for his hard work.”
Aubrey Dawkins talked early in the season about knocking off any rust that had built up due to his transfer in 2016 and a major shoulder injury in 2017. He said Friday that he doesn’t know when the last of the rust disappeared, but it’s well gone now.
“I’m happy it’s gone,” he said. “I like where I’m playing at right now. I like the way my game feels, and I like the continuity in the offense that there is. It’s making it easier for all of us.”