The UCF men's basketball team is coming off their best season in program history. The Knights won their first ever NCAA Tournament game and were just a play away from upsetting No. 1 seed Duke and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.
Head coach Johnny Dawkins aims to continue building on that success, but this year he'll have to do it with a completely revamped roster.
With B.J. Taylor, Tacko Fall, Aubrey Dawkins and others moving on, UCF's 2019-20 roster features a total of nine newcomers, many of whom are expected to play big roles.
"When you're bringing in that many new guys, your roster is almost completely turned over," Dawkins said. "There's been a lot of adjusting and a lot of teaching for us as coaches. Just think, none of those guys know our system offensively or defensively. There's a big learning curve for all those guys. But that's what I love to do. I love to teach. I love to work. We're in position to do that with this group. As long as they keep bringing the energy and enthusiasm, we'll do our part and keep moving them in the right direction. I'm excited to see what they're capable of because they've worked very hard this offseason."
UCF officially opened preseason practices last week, but they also got plenty of work in during August as the team took an overseas trip to Spain where they played a variety of professional all-star teams. Dawkins said it was good competition, but stressed the value was broader than just from a basketball standpoint.
"Any time you can take a team over there and have that type of cultural experience, playing games is a bonus," Dawkins said. "Guys are able to see it's a big world out there."
With B.J. Taylor gone, Dawkins looked to the graduate transfer market for a point guard. Next in line is Dazon Ingram, who spent the last several years at Alabama.
"He's been terrific," Dawkins said of Ingram. "He's really good. An experienced guard. He's played the position. He has a good feel for the game. He's more of a pass-first point guard. He makes guys around him better. I think the guys enjoy playing with him."
Another graduate transfer expected to be among the starting five is Oviedo native Matt Milon, who began his collegiate career at Boston College and later transferred to William & Mary.
"We know we needed some shooting and he's one of those guys we know is capable of knocking down shots," Dawkins said. "He was recruited with that in mind. We'll have a guy that could come in and know that whoever is defending him has to guard him because he's such a terrific shooter. We're excited to have him out there to help us space the floor and play the way we want to play."
That style of play will look remarkably different than the past three years.
"Without Tacko on the floor, our offense has changed dramatically," Dawkins said. "We don't have that low-post presence that we had. Tacko consumed the paint. Now we have bigs that are a little more versatile. Different look, different style, different system... Defense is something we had to tweak as well. You can't replace Tacko. He was such an impact around the basket. What we can do is play UCF defense, be where we're supposed to be defensively and play as hard as we can on every possession."
Playing a more uptempo style was always Dawkins' intent, but like any good coach he tailored his system to best suit his roster.
"Our team (the previous three seasons) just wasn't built that way," Dawkins said. "You have to find a way to maximize the group you have. I thought it was best for that team. For us in the short term, what's best for this group, is our depth and getting up and down the floor a little bit more. Utilize their abilities in the open floor."
Leadership wise, Dawkins said he's already seeing strong traits from Collin Smith and Matt Milon, plus another that may come as a surprise.
"Collin Smith is a captain," Dawkins said. "Matt Milon has been really big coming in. He's a culture guy. He's fit right in seamlessly. His ability to lead by example. He's always working on his game. He's doing great in the classroom. Those guys are natural leaders. You look at guys like Ceasar (DeJesus). He's been here quite some time. It's time for him to step into a role like that.
"A young man that we voted as a captain, and it's the first time it's happened in my history of coaching or playing, is Levy (Renaud) was voted one of our captains. He was a walk-on and only a sophomore, so that says a lot about what he's done with his relationships with his teammates and how much they trust him. That's where leadership will come from initially, and others will grow into their role as they get more comfortable with us."
