Johnny Dawkins

Johnny Dawkins has had success at every stop in his basketball life.  Dawkins is currently the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Central Florida. He led the Knights to the first-ever NCAA Tournament at-large birth in 2019. Under Dawkins guidance, UCF also made it to the NIT Final Four in 2017. He previously made consistent progress in building the program as the head coach at Stanford University.  In 2014, the Cardinal advanced all the way to the Sweet Sixteen after a 23-13 season and third place finish in the Pac-12.  Dawkins started his coaching career at alma mater Duke after a nine-year NBA playing career.  He spent over a decade coaching with the Blue Devils, learning from one of the all-time greats, Mike Krzyzewski.  As a senior player at Duke, Dawkins won the Naismith Player of the Year Award and led the team to the national championship game.  The Blue Devils ultimately finished 37-3.  The two-time All-American and All-ACC pick was the school’s all-time leading scorer until J.J. Redick surpassed him.  The San Antonio Spurs would make Dawkins the 10th pick in the 1986 NBA Draft.  He averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 assists in his pro career.