2016–17 UCF Knights men's basketball team

The 2016–17 UCF Knights men's basketball team represented the University of Central Florida during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Knights were members of the American Athletic Conference. The Knights, in the program's 48th season of basketball, were led by first-year head coach Johnny Dawkins and played their home games at the CFE Arena on the university's main campus in Orlando, Florida. They finished the season 24–12, 11–7 in AAC play to finish in fourth place. They defeated Memphis in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament before losing in the semifinals to SMU. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Colorado, Illinois State and Illinois to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden for the first time in school history where they lost to the eventual NIT Champion, TCU.

2016–17 UCF Knights men's basketball
NIT, Semifinals
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2016–17 record24–12 (11–7 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCFE Arena
2016–17 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 11 SMU171 .944  305  .857
No. 18 Cincinnati162 .889  306  .833
Houston126 .667  2111  .656
UCF117 .611  2412  .667
Memphis99 .500  1913  .594
UConn99 .500  1617  .485
Tulsa810 .444  1517  .469
Temple711 .389  1616  .500
East Carolina612 .333  1518  .455
Tulane315 .167  625  .194
South Florida117 .056  723  .233
2017 AAC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Knights finished the season with a record of 12–18, 6–12 in AAC play to finish in seventh place in conference. They lost in the first round of the AAC Tournament to Tulane.

After the season, Donnie Jones was fired as UCF's head coach.[1] On March 24, 2016, the school hired Johnny Dawkins as head coach.[2]

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Brandan Boyle00G6'1"190FreshmanRahway, NJTransferred to ASA College
Daiquan Walker4G6'2"185SeniorPhiladelphia, PAGraduated
Adonys Henriquez10G6'6"210SophomoreOrlando, FLTransferred to Saint Louis
Shaheed Davis33F6'9"210SeniorWarren, OHGraduated
Justin McBride34C6'10"325JuniorStarke, FLTransferred to Valdosta State
Stephon Blair52F6'9"255SeniorFort Lauderdale, FLGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Terrell Allen2G6'2"180SophomoreUpper Marlboro, MDTransferred from Drexel. Under NCAA transfer rules, Allen will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.
Dayon Griffin10G6'5"188JuniorSt. Petersburg, FLTransferred from Louisiana Tech. Under NCAA transfer rules, Griffin will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Rokas Ulvydas11F6'11"240JuniorKaunas, LithuaniaTransferred from Texas Tech. Under NCAA transfer rules, Ulvydas will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Nick Banyard14F6'8"225RS SeniorFlower Mound, TXTransferred from Illinois State. Will be eligible to play immediately since Banyard graduated from Illinois State.
Aubrey Dawkins15G/F6'6"205JuniorPalo Alto, CATransferred from Michigan. Under NCAA transfer rules, Dawkins will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

Incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Clayton Hughes
SF
Jackson, TN University School of Jackson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 10, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Caesar DeJesus
SF
Teaneck, NJ Mount Zion Baptist Christian School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) May 17, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 28 June 2016.

    Recruiting class of 2017

    Roster

    2016–17 UCF Knights men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G/F 0 Tank Efianayi 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) SrDaytona State College Orlando, Florida
    G 1 B. J. Taylor 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS SoWilliam R. Boone High School Orlando, Florida
    G 2 Terrell Allen  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoDrexel Upper Marlboro, Maryland
    G/F 3 A. J. Davis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS JrTennessee Atlanta, Georgia
    G 4 Ceasar DeJesus 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrMt. Zion Prep Jersey City, New Jersey
    G 5 Djordjije Mumin (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrAmerican Heritage School Podgorica, Montenegro
    G 10 Dayon Griffin  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrLouisiana Tech St. Petersburg, Florida
    F 11 Rokas Ulvydas  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)235 lb (107 kg) SoTexas Tech Kaunas, Lithuania
    G 12 Matt Williams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS SrJones High School Orlando, Florida
    F 14 Nick Banyard 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS SrIllinois State Flower Mound, Texas
    G/F 15 Anthony Catotti (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) JrSeminole High School Oviedo, Florida
    G 20 Brock Stephenson (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrDade Christian School Miami, Florida
    F 21 Chad Brown 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)240 lb (109 kg) SoDeltona High School Deltona, Florida
    G 22 Chance McSpadden 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoWinter Haven High School Winter Haven, Florida
    C 24 Tacko Fall 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)290 lb (132 kg) SoLiberty Christian Prep Dakar, Senegal
    G 51 Nathan Laing 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS JrJacksonville State Lillington, North Carolina
    G/F Aubrey Dawkins  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrMichigan Palo Alto, California
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster
    Last update: December 26, 2016

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Non-conference regular season
    11/14/2016*
    5:00 pm, ESPN3
    Nicholls State W 80–56  1–0
    CFE Arena (5,274)
    Orlando, FL
    11/17/2016*
    5:00 pm, ESPN2
    vs. Mississippi State
    Charleston Classic quarterfinals
    W 86–61  2–0
    TD Arena (3,430)
    Charleston, SC
    11/18/2016*
    9:30 pm, ESPNU
    at College of Charleston
    Charleston Classic semifinals
    W 60–40  3–0
    TD Arena (3,517)
    Charleston, SC
    11/20/2016*
    9:30 pm, ESPN2
    vs. No. 3 Villanova
    Charleston Classic championship game
    L 57–67  3–1
    TD Arena (4,325)
    Charleston, SC
    11/26/2016*
    7:30 pm, ESPN3
    Seattle W 67–51  4–1
    CFE Arena (6,804)
    Orlando, FL
    11/30/2016*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Stetson W 81–45  5–1
    CFE Arena (5,284)
    Orlando, FL
    12/03/2016*
    1:00 pm
    at Massachusetts W 65–62  6–1
    Mullins Center (3,911)
    Amherst, MA
    12/10/2016*
    2:00 pm, ESPN3
    Maryland Eastern Shore W 76–58  7–1
    CFE Arena (3,579)
    Orlando, FL
    12/12/2016*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Penn L 49–58  7–2
    CFE Arena (3,088)
    Orlando, FL
    12/15/2016*
    7:00 pm
    at George Washington L 59–74  7–3
    Charles E. Smith Center (2,891)
    Washington, D.C.
    12/18/2016*
    12:00 pm, ESPN3
    Miami (OH) W 80–73 OT 8–3
    CFE Arena (2,939)
    Orlando, FL
    12/21/2016*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Bethune–Cookman W 71–41  9–3
    CFE Arena (3,348)
    Orlando, FL
    AAC regular season
    12/28/2016
    8:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Tulane W 85–72  10–3
    (1–0)
    Devlin Fieldhouse (3,906)
    New Orleans, LA
    12/31/2016
    4:00 pm, ESPNU
    Temple W 77–53  11–3
    (2–0)
    CFE Arena (3,906)
    Orlando, FL
    01/03/2017
    7:15 pm, ESPNews
    East Carolina W 48–45  12–3
    (3–0)
    CFE Arena (3,088)
    Orlando, FL
    01/08/2017
    5:00 pm, CBSSN
    at UConn L 49–64  12–4
    (3–1)
    Gampel Pavilion (8,163)
    Storrs, CT
    01/14/2017
    4:00 pm, CBSSN
    Houston W 77–70  13–4
    (4–1)
    CFE Arena (5,489)
    Orlando, FL
    01/17/2017
    7:00 pm, ESPNews
    South Florida
    Rivalry
    W 86–64  14–4
    (5–1)
    CFE Arena (5,765)
    Orlando, FL
    01/22/2017
    4:00 pm, CBSSN
    at Memphis L 65–70  14–5
    (5–2)
    FedEx Forum (9,625)
    Memphis, TN
    01/25/2017
    6:00 pm, ESPNews
    SMU L 60–65  14–6
    (5–3)
    CFE Arena (4,620)
    Orlando, FL
    01/28/2017
    1:30 pm, ESPNews
    at Tulsa L 66–77  14–7
    (5–4)
    Reynolds Center (4,281)
    Tulsa, OK
    02/01/2017
    7:00 pm, ESPNU
    at Houston L 64–82  14–8
    (5–5)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (3,681)
    Houston, TX
    02/04/2017
    5:00 pm, ESPNews
    Memphis W 72–57  15–8
    (6–5)
    CFE Arena (5,463)
    Orlando, FL
    02/08/2016
    9:00 pm, ESPNU
    at No. 11 Cincinnati L 50–60  15–9
    (6–6)
    Fifth Third Arena (4,229)
    Cincinnati, OH
    02/11/2017
    6:00 pm, CBSSN
    UConn L 63–66  15–10
    (6–7)
    CFE Arena (5,215)
    Orlando, FL
    02/14/2016
    7:00 pm, ESPNews
    Tulsa W 71–53  16–10
    (7–7)
    CFE Arena (3,528)
    Orlando, FL
    02/18/2017
    4:00 pm, ESPNews
    at East Carolina W 61–58  17–10
    (8–7)
    Williams Arena (4,518)
    Greenville, NC
    02/22/2017
    7:00 pm, ESPNU
    at Temple W 71–69  18–10
    (9–7)
    Liacouras Center (5,073)
    Philadelphia, PA
    02/26/2017
    3:00 pm, CBSSN
    No. 15 Cincinnati W 53–49  19–10
    (10–7)
    CFE Arena (5,763)
    Orlando, FL
    03/02/2017
    7:00 pm, ESPNU
    at South Florida
    Rivalry
    W 59–56  20–10
    (11–7)
    USF Sun Dome (3,120)
    Tampa, FL
    American Athletic Conference Tournament
    03/10/2017
    2:00 pm, ESPN2
    (4) vs. (5) Memphis
    Quarterfinals
    W 84–54  21–10
    XL Center (1,844)
    Hartford, CT
    03/11/2017
    3:00 pm, ESPN2
    (4) vs. (1) No. 12 SMU
    Semifinals
    L 59–70  21–11
    XL Center (8,117)
    Hartford, CT
    NIT
    03/15/2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    (4) (5) Colorado
    First round – Illinois State Bracket
    W 79–74  22–11
    CFE Arena (3,675)
    Orlando, FL
    03/20/2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN
    (4) at (1) Illinois State
    Second round – Illinois State Bracket
    W 63–62  23–11
    Redbird Arena (7,984)
    Normal, IL
    03/22/2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN2
    (4) (2) Illinois
    Quarterfinals – Illinois State Bracket
    W 68–58  24–11
    CFE Arena (10,011)
    Orlando, FL
    03/28/2017*
    9:00 pm, ESPN
    (4) vs. (4) TCU
    Semifinals
    L 53–68  24–12
    Madison Square Garden (5,210)
    New York, NY
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Eastern Time.

    References

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