UCF TO Face Duke in Exhibition at Cameron Indoor

 

ORLANDO – UCF men’s basketball will open its preseason at one of the sport’s most iconic venues this fall, as the Knights travel to Durham, North Carolina, to face Duke in an exhibition game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 21. The game was announced jointly by both programs on Thursday.

The matchup marks a return to Duke for UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins, who will square off against Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer in a reunion of former Duke team captains.

“It’s always special going back to Duke,” Dawkins said. ”It’s a place that shaped so much of who I am, both as a player and a person. To have the opportunity to bring our UCF team there, to compete in that environment and be part of something meaningful, is an honor. It’s not just about basketball — it’s about giving back to the game and continuing the relationships that helped build my foundation.”

A two-time consensus All-American, Dawkins will step back onto the hardwood at Cameron for the first time since 2008, when he was an associate head coach. The last matchup between the two teams took place on March 24, 2019, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, where the Blue Devils advanced following a narrow 77-76 victory.

The exhibition is part of Duke men’s basketball series called the “Brotherhood Run”, a tradition in which Duke invites former players who are now collegiate head coaches back to Durham for a matchup. The Blue Devils welcomed back Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley for last season’s Brotherhood Run. Hurley was a part of the 1991 and 1992 Duke National Championship teams.

Dawkins played at Duke for Coach Mike Krzyzewski from 1982-86. He is regarded as a key early figure in the program’s ascent to becoming a national power. Dawkins and company began to build the foundation for Duke basketball after a sub-.500 freshman season. The Blue Devils finished 24-10 the following campaign, sparking back-to-back NCAA Tournament Second Round appearances. His senior season culminated with a 37-3 record and a National Championship game appearance.

Throughout his time at Duke, Dawkins piled up 2,556 points, a mark that stood as the school’s scoring record until 2006 and remains second all-time. He was a two-time consensus All-American, a four-time All-ACC selection, four-time team MVP, and was the recipient of the 1986 Naismith National Player of the Year award.

Following his senior campaign, Dawkins became the 10th-overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1986 NBA Draft. Dawkins saw action in nine professional seasons with the Spurs, 76ers, and Pistons. He averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 assists through 541 career NBA games.

Dawkins returned to Durham as an assistant coach for the 1998–99 season and was promoted to associate head coach in 1999, holding onto the role until 2008, when he took the head coaching position at Stanford.

Dawkins was enshrined in the Duke Hall of Fame in September 1996, when his No. 24 jersey was retired.

In 2023, he was honored as an inductee in the 18th class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was joined by Coach Krzyzewski, who was officially honored in the class of 2023 after initially being among the Hall of Fame’s Founding Class in 2006. As of last season, Coach Dawkins is the only active head coach in college basketball that is a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame for his efforts as a player.

Looking ahead to conference play, UCF will host Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Kansas, TCU, and Texas Tech as “home-only” opponents. The Black and Gold will also battle Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia twice, while BYU, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Utah make up the Knights’ half-dozen exclusive road games.

A full non-conference and Big 12 schedule will be released at a later date.