Some excitement has dulled since Johnny Dawkins took over as head coach of UCF. He has not quite had the opportunity to sink his teeth into the program fully. There is not the chance to build the recruiting momentum Scott Frost hast built, not yet.
This is not keeping up with the Joneses. Or the Frosts in this instance.
Dawkins though will have his chance to shine. It just may not come this year when he has to piece together a roster in the wake of a disastrous 12-18 season and several roster subtractions that have gutted the team of some talent and even some incoming recruits.
The Knights are going to be rebuilding for a little while. It is hard to get an understanding of what this season will be. The Knights will likely have a modest schedule and try to build some confidence and just survive until the conference season. UCF could very well be one of the worst teams in the American Conference this year.
That is part of the transition from a new coach. The program is going to build up from scratch. Eventually the Knights hope to be among the best teams in the American Conference.
Getting to that point will be about Dawkins and the program he builds.
Dawkins is a coach with name power and gravitas. People around the country know who he is and he can tap into a powerful network of coaches and relationships to create a challenging and entertaining schedule for UCF.
That is one of the reasons the Knights gave for hiring Dawkins.
“I like coaches who schedule aggressively,” UCF athletics director Danny White said as he introduced Dawkins in March. “If you look at the strength of schedule, particularly non-conference strength of schedule, Coach Dawkins was aggressive with the way they approached things. That’s a big part of what I evaluate in assessing wins and losses. It’s not just about winning percentage. They certainly won their fair share of games, but scheduled the top teams in the country year in and year out.”
The Knights last year had the 311th toughest non-conference schedule in the country last year, according to KenPom. And the Knights still struggled, going 6-5. That foreshadowed a difficult season ahead.
Dawkins’ Stanford teams have always challenged themselves, using his Duke connections and Stanford’s prestige to create a difficult schedule.
The Cardinal last year in a disappointing 15-15 season had the 96th toughest non-conference schedule in the country. Stanford’s scheduling was certainly weighted by the Pac-12 schedule the team faced. His scheduling was not as consistent as suggested.
Stanford had a top-100 toughest non-conference schedule just one other time, in 2014. Stanford had a non-conference schedule ranked No. 250 or greater by KenPom in three seasons. Nothing got as bad as UCF’s schedule last season but Dawkins’ scheduling is not as strong as maybe suggested.
What he does consistently though is get bigger name teams on the schedule. He set up series with Michigan and Oklahoma State and placement in marquee tournaments.
Those opportunities may still be a little ways away, but Dawkins should be able to get games against teams that move the needle for fan interest.
Scheduling is an art form for sure. It is about setting the team up for success. It is not only creating games that attract fans, but also challenging the team to set them up for conference season and preparing for the postseason. The non-conference schedule certainly helps set things up for postseason opportunities.
“We’re always going to schedule as challenging as we possibly can depending on our personnel,” Dawkins said at his introduction. “That has been my history if you look at it. My track record is we play tough schedules. I believe the only way you can put yourself in position to win conference championships and to be at the top level of your conference is to be prepared. That’s where the preseason comes in handy playing good teams.”
It is hard to know what that schedule will look like with the team he has this year. But there is certainly promise for what Dawkins can deliver for UCF both on the court and with what he can schedule for that team in the future.
Orlando Magic to target Al Horford
The Orlando Magic will reportedly target Al Horford in free agency, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Free Agency Rumble: Orlando, Detroit and the Lakers are all among the teams that intend to make a run at Atlanta big man Al Horford.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 22, 2016
This is not incredibly groundbreaking news. Many have suspected the Magic would target Horford in free agency. He is a solid veteran and defender with Florida ties as a former Florida Gator.
The Magic take part in the NBA Draft on Thursday in what has already been a very active draft trade period.
